E L E V E N days.
To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how I was able to spend so long there without a solid itinerary. I just wanted to steal away from everything back here in Singapore and simply just chill at a place that I have been to so often. (To date, I think I have been to Taiwan at least 4- 5 times either for leisure or for cheer competition. I know. I need to stahp. *sad face*) Its a place where I feel comfortable to wander around without getting too lost because I am familiar with their language and landmarks, and also, because I have friends that I knew from a cheerleading team based in Taipei, Taiwan. But my day-to-day schedule turned out to be... quite packed. There never was a day I was bored and/or alone. I have my friends to be thankful for, definitely. And now I would like to share what I did over there with you guys (:
Anyhoo, this Travel Diary may end up somewhat super long because this time round, I actually travelled out of Taipei, to Tainan and Kenting. But I will separate into two different posts, so it makes cataloging- and if you are reading this for tips on what to do at Taiwan- easier to plan.
Please note that this was what we did at TAINAN & KENTING. For Part II - Taipei & Keelung and Part III - Taipei & Taichung, click on the links! (:
*Disclaimer: This is not an official travel guide so opinions, reviews and instructions are subjected to biases, memory lapses and the occasional side-track rambling.*
My first 5 days were spent with these 2 friends of mine.
We travelled to Tainan for a cheerleading camp to learn from the Taiwan Monster (that's the team's name) cheerleaders. It was a superbly fun and amazing experience!
That's me at the camp, enjoying myself a ton! :D And dont worry guys, the taped hand is just to prevent myself from injury as I tend to sprain my thumb quite easily. But thats beside the point, after the camp, we stayed at Tainan to play and also, headed to Kenting, which is a popular beach town area. So without further ado, here's what we ate and the places we went! (:
WHAT I ATE:
1. Spanish Mackerel Thick Soup (土魹魚羹 tu tuo yu geng)
Location:
零售市场
3. RANDOM DISHES
Just some dishes we ate after dropping by An Ping Old Street (安平古堡老街). Taiwan's Fried Oyster is prepared differently from Singapore, so do give it a try if you are at Taiwan. Its more 'wet' and almost soaked in thick, rich sauce when served. Also, they have more oysters while Singapore prepares it with a bit more eggs.
4. ICE WITH PUDDING (冰沙 bing sha)
Taiwanese really like to eat anything ice-related during the summer. This shop was found at I-really-not-sure-where. But its near Anping Old Street. My suggestion is to ask the locals there where you can find this place, cause it seems pretty popular. Sorry I couldn't keep track of all the places as we visited too many of them and we got around by car, driven by my awesome Taiwan friends!
5. ICE-CREAM CANE/STICK
Okay, I know this can be found almost everywhere. Even in Taipei. Even in South Korea. But..... HOW CAN ANYONE MISS OUT ON THIS WHEN ONE SEES IT?! Gotta get 'em! Choice of vanilla or chocolate or both! Take your pick! (: Also found along the streets.
6. BUBBLE TEA
Truth be told, Taiwan food is awesome. But for some reason during this particular trip, my stomach kept feeling bloated and painful. My friend said that it was because I drank too much milk tea (奶茶). Damn right she is. I literally traded water for milk tea, because the milk tea in Taiwan is just too good! However, during my previous trips to Taiwan, I had also been diligently drinking those awesome goodness of liquid, so I wasnt too sure what happened during this trip. But anyhoo, this lemon bubble tea (翡翠柠檬) with jelly and a cuppa warm milk bought from a nearby FamilyMart made me feel so much better for some reason. Recommended if you happen to see this bubble tea shop around. It is also located around the vicinity of Anping Old Street.
7. FRIED CRICKET/GRASSHOPPER
* P.S I really cant tell from the Chinese wording and am too lazy to search for the translation.*
Can you tell how gross it is? YEP. It is. I did not try it but the guys did, just for the fun of it. I overheard the sellers telling one of his customers that when in Tainan, a MUST to try. If not, it is claimed you have not entirely gotten the full gist of Tainan food. My friends said that it tasted crispy, and nothing else and were seemingly quite disappointed that it turned out to be not as gross (?!) as they expected it to be. LOL.
Location:
Flower Garden Night Market (花园夜市 Hua Yuan Ye Shi)
Haian Road, Section 3, between Lixian Rd. and Hewei Rd., North District.
*Take note they have one night market with the same name in Taipei*
Opening Hours:
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
WHERE I WENT:
1. Anping Old Fort (台南市安平古堡 Tainan Shi an ping gu bao)
Sorry if this picture is a bit blur, but its taken by one of my Taiwanese friends on her phone so the quality when adapted to my Iphone and subsequently, to the computer, changes.
Entrance fee into the Old Fort is TWD50 for normal adult price, but if you are a student, you get half price at TWD25! They accept international student passes, so dont forget to bring that student pass of yours! (Yes, even if you just graduated and am no longer a student, it still works!)
When with cheerleaders, do what cheerleaders do. Handstands all day, everyday. (:
Location:
82 Guosheng Road (國勝路胜), Anping District, Tainan City
(As mentioned earlier, I traveled around by car, so I do not know of any public transport which can take you there. I would recommend renting a car if you really want to travel around Tainan as the public transport there is not as advanced/modern as that of Taipei's)
Opening Hours:
8:30am-5:30pm daily
Description:
There's really nothing much to it except looking at old canons and of course, the fort's history. They said that the canons' positions in which they pointed at have stayed the same all this time.
2. Chi Mei Museum (奇美博物馆)
We really stunt everywhere we go. Hahahahahahahah
Location:
No. 66, Section 2, Wenhua Rd, Rende District, Tainan City, Taiwan 71755
(71755臺南市仁德區文華路二段66號)
Opening Hours:
Tuesday- Sunday (9:30am-5:30pm)
Description:
This place is beautiful and worthy to visit. However, when we first visited the place, the actual museum was closed off due to renovation works (if you notice the stunt photos, there's a white fence behind barring us from entering). Despite that, we managed to snap some pretty picturesque photos! (As evidenced from above) My suggestion is to check out their website for updates and even, saving the google maps for directions. (:
3. Garden Flower Night Market (Tainan) (花园夜市 Hua yuan ye shi）
This is the place where the boys tried the fried cricket/grasshopper. But besides that, this night market also offers a wide variety of food. They even have Singapore Laksa! Although we never tried that and chose to look for other types of food such as fried squid and even, egg tarts! BECAUSE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, EGG TARTS ARE STILL YUMZ! (:
Location & Opening Hours:
As stated above under the Food section with the grasshopper/cricket thingy
Description:
One of the largest night markets in Tainan. The night market is constructed in such a way that it is like a square with half of it being food, and the other half, selling fashion wear and accessories. Worthy to explore as Tainan's food is really something else. Also, their style of clothing differ slightly from those you see in Taipei, so do check them out and buy them IMMEDIATELY if you spotted something you really like. This is because it is highly unlikely you will see it back in Taipei. The clothes sold in this night market are quite reasonably priced, and arguably-on average- slightly cheaper. If not, marked around the same price as those in Taipei. However, that being said, don't expect this night market to be a clothing shopping haven.
4. Anping Old Street (安平老街）
The best place to wander around in search of old street food and soaking in the rustic atmosphere. This street is located near An Ping Old Fort, so do look out for it when you visit the attraction. (Address and directions please look at no.1)
5. Kenting Nanwan Beach (垦丁南湾沙滩）
*Take note that this is not in Tainan per say, but about 1.5-2 hours drive from Tainan. We headed to Tainan from Kenting*
Handstand again. Really, I'm more flexible than this. But those shorts got in the way. :'D
The scenery was gorgeous! The waves were pretty awesome and cooling and we played beach volleyball there. To me, most beaches are the same. But the company makes the difference :D
By the way, this sleeveless tank shirt I'm wearing is sold on my Carousell@nicesgjy. Do check it out if you are interested! (Hahaa, self-promotion again) :DDD
4-man shoulder sit? No problem ^^
Directions:
* Directions adapted from travelking website*
Location:
Pingtung County (Near Kenting National Park)
6. Kenting CiaoHouse B&B (垦丁桥庭民宿)
One of the pictures we took outside the Minsu/B&B (民宿). The scenery that day was so pretty and picturesque, we didnt even need a filter! I was too lazy to take photos of the place and the rooms itself but my advice is to BOOK EARLY! Kenting, especially during the summertime is super popular and B&Bs get snapped up really fast. We managed to get a VIP room as all the other normal rooms at this place were booked. Honestly speaking, the VIP rooms arent that different from the normal rooms, except that the toilets are bigger and there's a bathtub.
Location:
No.57, Heping Ln., Kending Rd, Kenting, PIF, Taiwan
Advice:
BOOK EARLY, GUYS! As mentioned earlier, rooms get snapped up pretty fast. Also, the lady at this place is super friendly! She helped us take a lot of photos before we left for Tainan. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. At Tainan, we stayed over at one of the Taiwanese cheerleaders' place. So oops sorry, no recommendations for where to stay in Tainan. But, I heard booking a Minsu/B&B (民宿) there is highly recommended for its affordability and convenience. (:
Okay, that's all I have for Tainan and Kenting where my friends and I traveled for 3D2N over there. Pretty tiring, but super fun! I would advise those looking to travel outside of Taipei to take a look at Tainan and Kenting, especially during the summer! Because of Kenting's beaches and the good street food. Although the weather during summer is crazily hot and humid, but I daresay the abundance of cold, icy snacks make up for it!
For more adventures, check out Part II Taipei & Keelung and Part III Taipei & Taichung! (:
xx
Loves,
Nices
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