Oh gosh I'm finally done with all the photos from our Taiwan trip.
It hasn't been an easy feat planning this trip, especially when it's all about going all out to impress the Fiancé on our 59th month together. It'd been his maiden trip to Taiwan, so I wanted to make sure we covered most of the sights and sounds Formosa Island has to offer as the tour guide. Unfortunately, the unfriendly weather heralded us with frequent bouts of showers and chilly winds half the trip, especially in the outskirts of Taipei.
I liken Kaohsiung City's beauty to that of a country girl - incredibly simple, yet so easy to fall in love with because she's got everything Singapore doesn't. I could go on and on about the impeccable service attitude, the lip-smacking street eats or the helpful passer-by, and it still wouldn't do enough justice to the city and its lights and sounds.
... though I'll like to say I'm more of a Taipei girl. It's more cosmopolitan and its brilliant, down-to-the-second MRT system is unlike anything I've seen (well, I've to say that before I go to Japan). Plus I could probably navigate around Taipei without a map and speak their local lingo flawlessly like a pro. Looks like I've found my retirement retreat.
The last time I came to Fisherman's Wharf at Danshui, Taipei in 2011, I swore to myself that I'll return with the love of my life. I'm glad I got to do just that.
I remembered silently choking back tears while leading the Fiancé across the bridge; there is something magical about this place that I've always wanted to share but haven't found the right one to do so with during my first visit in 2005. The light drizzle pelting our coats, the raging wind, the bridge that spans across the harbour in a tight embrace, the numerous couples strolling hand in hand while walking their toy poodles, the handful of couples who huddle together on the steps to keep each other warm... Every emotion hit strongly like a torrid love scene, so surreal yet so comforting. To me, the apex and its spanning arm of lights will always be the symbol of everlasting love.
And then there were the hotels I give my thumbs-up to in Kaohsiung. The hotels in Kaohsiung and Taipei bore signs of differentiation between the two cities. The hotel staff further down south stopped at nothing to make your day - we've had personalised greeting cards placed in our rooms, complimentary upgrade to a suite, complimentary minibar and fruits, staff recommending hidden foodie spots and complimentary breakfast. They sure know how to make kiasu Singaporeans like us smile. On the other hand, our Taipei hotels were sterile and boring, even though they're located at some of the busiest spots in the city. The staff treated us just as what we were - tourists who needed nothing but a bed and bathroom.
Of course, we'll be insane to miss out on the chomp spots.
It is almost impossible for a Singaporean to reject Taiwanese fare - our hawker fare is comparable to their street eats. After having visited the major night markets in Kaohsiung and Taipei, I confess to being a night market junkie - that evil place turns me into a eat-everything monster. Rao He and Shi Lin in Taipei were, without a doubt, my favourite night markets. In addition to being a good place to people-watch, they had a good variety of stalls hawking epicurean delights and clothing. Apart from the food, the Fiancé enjoyed the little game stalls as well, never forgetting to pop by a game stall to try his hand at the air guns. It got pretty out of hand when we were at Liou He Night Market that I abandoned him at the game stall to go shopping for gifts alone. Lesson learnt: now I know why men enjoy night markets as well.
Thank you, Taiwan, you've been a wonderful host to our maiden couple trip.
