21/5 - 26/5
Ric and me at Changi Airport Terminal 1, 6am in the morning. I wonder if I’ve ever told you this, but the Airport is one of my favourite places to hangout… I can just feel love in the air from all the I’ve-missed-you-hugs and goodbyes.
我和伟翔照于樟宜机场第一航空厦，凌晨六点钟。我经常都会向人提及我对机场的一种眷恋，因为对我而言机场是一个洋溢着爱的地方：重逢的欢笑、离别的泪水、真挚的盼望、感人的离愁。
“各位搭客您好。欢迎您乘搭华航新加坡飞往台北的班次。我们将尽心为您服务！”
"Dear passengers good morning. Welcome aboard China Airlines flight bound for Taipei. We are delighted to serve you and hope that will have a pleasant experience with us."
"A true Geisha can stop a man with a single look…. " — inflight movie
“收拾下自己的心 好让天使听 那黑 那白 全都不在 那风 那梦 风吹进我的梦” 《黑白尽映》– 空中娱乐音乐频道
Instead of paying $60 for Airport-Hotel transfers, you can pay NT$135 (S$7) for a much more comfortable ride in a large couch ("Flying Dog Co."), which may take 20mins longer but gets you to the hotel anyway.
与其花费新币$60将自己挤进狭小的接驳小巴, 还不如随兴在机场入境大厅外乘搭一趟NT$135的飞狗豪华旅行巴士，肯定物超所值！尽管稍微费时了些，但最后还不是安安稳稳抵达了酒店！肯定能和草原快车切！
Paradise hotel: Situated at the corner of the famous Xi Men Ding, it provided a spacious and cosy residence for us to rest after every day of adventure. S$100 per room per night.
一乐园： 位于台北西门町一隅，基本设施完善、交通便利，是我们闯荡台北的大本营。房间的租价是一晚新币$100。
Shortly after we checked into the hotel, YingXiu our Taiwanese friend came along to pick us up, and promptly brought us to an eatery for a late lunch. This was the cheap and tasty minced meat rice.
过了没多久，我们的台湾朋友盈秀便赶到充当我们的导游，并带我们到西门町的一件小吃铺填饱我们的五脏庙。我们在台北吃的第一样东西便是经济实惠的鲁肉饭！
Smelly Tofu! You can smell the stench from 50-100 meters away!!! Despite the offensive odour, it wasn’t really that bad, and I managed to eat 2 out of YingXiu’s box of 6.
臭豆腐！这恶名昭彰的玩意儿从100米的远处就能嗅到它的气息了！但是臭归臭，这东西吃进嘴巴的时候并没有先前想象得那么可怕，说不上美味但也还过得去。盈秀买了6块装我还吃了其中2块呢！
I wonder if it was the lighting, but this photograph gave Ying Xiu a very demure and elegant look. YingXiu was a friend Ric got to know at the 2002 LEP Taiwan Immersion. Back then she was at Taipei First Girls High. Now, she is an elite studying Biology in National Taiwan University, proficient in badminton, dance and gives tuition to her juniors too. Wow!
不晓得是否是灯光的衬托，但盈秀在这张照片中显得特别雍容华贵，有一种超机成熟的韵味。简略地说：盈秀是伟翔在２００２的语特台湾浸濡时结识的一位北一女学生。如今，她已跨入了国立台湾大学的门槛，是生物学系的精英分子。此外，她在羽球运动以及舞蹈中也有相当高的造诣，也义务为她的学弟学妹们补习功课，可谓十项全能！
Anyway, this was taken at an Ice Shavings shop (Ice Kachang) that had very sophisticated varieties of Ice, which includes ice-cream, fruits, nuts, syrups, cream and etc… this was the 3rd photo taken as YingXiu had tendencies to close her eyes during the snapshot.
这张照片是在一家锉冰店拍下的。这家店的冰最独特之处就是因为他们卖的冰款式口味多样化：雪糕、果仁、坚果、鲜奶油等等。哈哈，这是因为盈秀眨眼所引致拍下的第三张照片。
Ric, YingXiu and "Squid" balls. There was a lot of confusion between Squids, Cuttlefish and Octopi… so we had a lot of debate and discussion but we couldn’t derive any conclusion. Only after my return to Singapore did I research and see these:
伟翔、盈秀和花枝丸。吃着吃着，“花枝是什么？“这问题自然而然地被提及，而墨鱼、鱿鱼、透抽、乌贼等等的各种名称都乱成了一团。到了台北之行的结束我们仍旧没有任何结论。直到回到新加坡作详细的查阅才发现了：
This was the second day in Taipei. The day I decided I was ugly. =(
在台北的第二天。基本上，我还没看过更丑的人，真服了自己。
Breakfast along the streets of Taipei: YongHe Beancurd
台北街头上的一顿早餐：永和豆浆
The subway ride towards National Taiwan University.
下一站：公馆（台湾大学）。
The School of Life Science in National Taiwan University. This is where our friend YingXiu studies.
台湾大学生物科学馆。这就是盈秀努力学习的地方。
Ice-cream cone made from Cow’s milk produced on-campus.
制造这圣代的牛乳，据说产自台湾大学农广系的乳牛！
A portrait of us at DanShui, along the river. BaLi would be on the opposing river bank.
合照于淡水。八里则是在淡水河对岸。
We were expecting to find Seafood bounties at BaLi, only to be disappointed at the little variety presented to us. Nevertheless, we had a meal of Deep Fried Oysters, Fish Skin, Mussels and Stir-fried Fern (Yeah, you read that right…)
原以为到了淡水河对岸的八里将会有海产店和丰富的海鲜大餐，万万没料到八里是那么的冷落，餐馆食材更是乏善可陈。结果我们还是硬着头皮点了炸蚵仔，凉拌鱼皮，八里名产孔雀蛤，和酱炒蕨（蕨就是俗称的"Fern")
Chanced upon a film-shoot at a road junction beside Xi Men Ding. I don’t think Film-makers in Singapore ever get to block up a busy road to do a film-shoot? Unfortunately, the Artiste was an unknown entity to me.
西门町一隅，碰巧撞见了外景拍摄。我的第一个反应是：有可能在新加坡这般封锁道路煞有其事地作外景拍摄吗？第二个反应？“这影星是谁？”
Waking up hungry caused ferocity, and that’s why I’m brutally attacking my bento set that I bought from 7-11. Taiwanese convenience stores are everywhere (I’ve seen 5 in a 50m radius), and the variety of food you can buy is heavenly.
睡饱了，五脏庙却饿了。男人饿了，其凶狠的劣根性就会展现无遗，拼了老命猛嗑７－１１买来的日式饭盒也成为了理所当然。台湾的便利商店无所不在，单单一个借口就会有３家对立，方圆５０米内多达５间！
SaiMen Tian Bu La… According to our guidebook this is an old but famous shop.
赛门甜不辣。。。依据游客指南这是一家知名老铺。
So what exactly is this Tian Bu La? Many had mistaken it for Tempura, but it actually is some sort of Yong Tau Foo in peanut sauce, and comes along with unlimited helpings of delicious white carrot soup!
许多人都会误解甜不辣就是日本的炸天妇罗，但其实它是一种沾着花生酱的酿豆腐，吃完后还能无限量喝到可口的萝卜汤！
JingHua City - an architectural magnificence, but a commercial failure in my opinion. Despite being the only 24 hour shopping mall in town, it fails to be appealing nor exciting.
京华城 - 球型的建筑结构堪称设计非凡，实乃奇思妙想。然而，它在经营方面显然差强人意。它在市内是唯一一所24小时营业的百货商场，此外再也没什么值得提了。
Ric and the 101 Tower, currently the tallest skyscraper in the World.
伟翔和世界最高的101大楼合照。
101 Tower, Me and my Cross-eyes!
我的斗鸡眼在101大楼的俯视下放肆着！
I bought a total of 4 books, where 1 of them was a Wrong purchase by Ric, who had no choice but to sell it to me at a cheaper price.
Our reward for Trespassing an elite local school!
Supper: Elongated Cream Puffs (gifts from YX), Japanese Rice dumplings, and lotsa Yogurt drinks~
The 6th and last day in Taipei. Our last breakfast was Beef Soup/Noodles. The dumplings in beef soup I ordered were fabulous, but Ric was apparently unsatisfied with no beef in his beef-soup noodles~
Travellers returning home, luggage laden with loot and memories.
My Handphone battery was originally flat, but thanks to the free charging facility within the Airport Terminal, it was raised from the dead! I love the machine to bits!
A last photo of Taipei — shot at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport Terminal 1 outside the boarding gate.
Home Sweet Home
