Taiwan Day Three

For the rest of our China Trip:
1. China Part One - Meizhou
2. China Part Two - Guangzhou (Destinations)
3. China Part Three - Guangzhou (Eats)
4. Macau - Destinations
5.Taiwan Day One
6.Taiwan Day Two
7. Din Tai Fung - Taipei 101, Taipei
8. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 1
9. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 2


The Taiwan adventures continues, and we have another long day planned. The following are the highlights of our third day in Taipei.

Our third day in Taipei fell on a Sunday and just so happens to be Palm Sunday. My Mum has actually researched which Church we would go to, so straight after breakfast we piled into a taxi and off we went to Holy Family Church.

The service we attended was a combination of English and Chinese, with subtitles on the projectors so everyone can understand what was said. It was such an interesting experience, especially during the sign of the peace, where I'm used to shaking other people's hands, they simply bow to each other. Such a "that awkward moment you want to shake hands, but they bow instead" moment. But, I totally respect their culture and probably less germ spreading as well.

 After mass we hailed another taxi and headed to Lungshan Temple. We actually hailed a taxi with a mad driver. He ran a red light with lightning speed! The worst part was, the police saw him, but he was not fined, they just screamed at each other from moving vehicles! It was madness, I tell you. I couldn't wait to arrive and jump off this death cab!

Moving on, once we arrived at Lungshan Temple, safely, we started exploring the place. We found this a bit difficult as it was absolutely packed. 

We had a brief tour of the temple, took some photos and made our way out. The place was busy with people praying. The area seemed to be decorated with decorations left on from Chinese New Year as there were inflatable goats near the entrance. My photos has not done the place justice, the atmosphere was alive and buzzing in real life. So many families gathering and praying together and individuals too.

After our visit to Lungshan Temple, we went on board an MRT and headed to Xinyi District, which we were told was a busy shopping area. We alighted the MRT at Xinyi Station. We were alarmed to see the street was somewhat deserted. It turns out, the shopping strip was a few minutes walk from the station. The street was filled with department stores and boutiques. There wasn't really any restaurants there, so we headed to one of the food courts inside a department store.

Up to this point, we havn't eaten any traditional Taiwanese food, so we chose to eat at Tien Hsiang Lo. A Taiwanese food outlet serving noodles and rices. The process of ordering is a bit like in Ikea, grab a tray and move along the line. First you will see a display of cold appetisers to choose from, or you could skip it completely. Then you will meet with the cashier, there we ordered what we wanted and show them the appetisers you have chosen. After paying, you will come to a station with hot water dispenser and condiments. At the station you can choose which teabag or coffee you wanted, grab a mug and fill it with the hot water, and grab your preferred condiments as well, all for free.

Left: sauteed long beans (NT$70), right: marinated jelly fish (NT$80)

Taiwanese noodle soup with Eel (NT$260)

Taiwanese noodle soup with beef (NT$300)

They soup in Taiwanese noodle soup is traditionally made with beef broth and is clear dark brown in colour. My sister and I ordered the noodle soup with eel and Mum tried it with beef. The soup was tasty, it was savoury with a hint of sweetness, but also really herby, kind of like medicinal, but in a good way. The noodles were thin egg noodles and the texture was a soft and fine texture. The eel in mine was tasty, but the texture was a bit strange, it was like dried eel in soup, so not crunchy, but wasn't tender either. The beef in Mum's was tender and easy to pull apart, I would prefer the beef over the eel. Overall we liked the noodles, it was warm, hearty and very filling.

After exploring Xinyi District a little bit more, we then headed out to Fisherman's Wharf in Tamsui, another famous tourist destination.

It was a bit of a trek getting to Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf. We had to catch a train to Tamsui, which was the terminal station of the Tamsui-Xinyi Line. Then it was another half an hour bus ride to the wharf.

This site is famous for the Tamsui Lover's Bridge. From this bridge you can see amazing sunsets and the view of the wharf. The bridge is also equipped with coloured lights which changes frequently. This is also a popular spot for dates, as suggested by the name. At the wharf there were also numerous restaurants and food stalls.

We explored the Fisherman's Wharf for a little while then headed back to the hotel. We had had another fun filled day! But, there was certainly more to come!

Information

Holy Family Church
50 Hsinsheng S. Road
Taipei
Website: Holy Family Church

Lungshan Temple
No. 211 Guangzhou Street
Wanhua District
Taipei
Website: Lungshan Temple

Tien Hsiang Lo
No. 16 Songgao Road (B2 Floor)
Xinyi District
Taipei
Ph: +886 2 2725 5618
Opening hours:
Sun - Wed
11am - 9:30pm
Thurs - Sat
11am - 10pm
Facebook: Tienhsianglo.Liz

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf
Tamsui District
New Taipei City
Website: Fisherman's Wharf