My 8D 7N Itinerary for those who may be keen. Just a recap of the itinerary which I had posted in tripadvisor forum. More details will be available soon. Day 1 (Goodground Hotel, Ximenting, NT999) Hang around Ximenting for the first nite. Very happening place since it was a Saturday. The Taiwanese really knows how to doll themselves up. Day 2 (Goodground Hotel, Ximenting, NT999) Martyr's Shrine >> Hike up Grand Hotel >> Zhongxiao East Mall + Sogo >> Wufenpu >> Raohe nite mkt >> Topview Taipei >> Ximenting Long day out but was interesting to watch the Military Police tossing their weapons with ease. AS a former Sg MP doing similar drills was very impressed by the standards. KUdos.... The XL chicken in Raohe Nite mkt tastes great :) Day 3 (Gau Shan Qing Hotel, ... read more

We woke up early today and took the MRT to Taipei City Hall to catch a glimpse at the prosperous Taipei Xinyi District. We stopped by the Discovery Centre of Taipei to shop for some souvenirs before proceeding to the exhibition space. This was the place I had fond memories of during the 1st trip. The second trip proved no less interesting as we took close to 2hrs to view through the exhibits concerning the city’s past and present. A visit to the place is a must to know the city better. The Taipei 101 tower was beginning to take shape under the glazing sun. We took pictures of the icon and I must admit that it is always a challenge to take nice shots of her. Many a times, the 508m tower is obscured by ... read more

Alisan Alisan is a must-visit attraction in Taiwan according to most people. Some facts: Framed for its spectacular sun-rise viewing experience and the 71km mountain railway that ascended some 2100m from Chiayi. This railway was one of the legacies left by the Japanese in Taiwan after 50 years of brutal colonization between 1895-1945. Initially, the mountain railway was used by the Japanese for their logging operations in Alisan. Today, it is used by visitors as a mode of transportation from Chiayi. Anyway, the tour started early today for us to view the sun-rise over at Tatajia @ Yushan National Park, 45 minutes from the Hotel. The sun goddess was not on our side. She was engulfed by the thick layer of clouds over the mountains. But we managed to witness the spectacular display of the ... read more

Fun in Taipei The MRT (Jie Yun) could only bring us as far as to Yuanshan in the North on our way to Martyr’s Shrine (Zhong Lie Ci) in Northern Taipei. From there, it was a short taxi ride to our destination as we did not wish to miss the infamous hourly changing of guards. 7 times daily, 365 days a year performing the same routines, the Military Policemen had promised to deliver in front of hoards of the locals and foreigners. Hiking up the Grand Hotel (Yuanshan Da Fan Dian) was an enjoyable experience under the cold winter. It was nevertheless worth the effort as the building itself was a joy to the eyes. A free shuttle bus brought us back to the MRT Station. I had always love the way commuters kept right ... read more

Final Day (1 August 2005) The people of Taiwan are among the most friendly people on the planet & it's their hospitality that is perhaps the greatest asset of this remarkable island. ~~Robert Storey, Lonely Planet Taiwan We went back to Taipei again this morning after saying good bye to Danshui. Our final stop for the entire trip was at Shin Kong Mitsukuoshi Tower to catch a final glimpse of the city before we fly back in the evening. Taipei is very much like Singapore just 50% less crowded. The sky has been hazy since day 1 when we arrived. But I’m glad that our travel plans were not disrupted by the 2 typhoons that came and went before and after our trip. It’s a nice place to enjoy an idyllic afternoon with few visitors. ... read more