Taipei : the best Souvenir Shop 港记酥皇店

最愛的手信 : 港记酥皇店


榮獲金優良國寶獎，台灣觀光局指定推薦最佳食品

全世界觀光客最愛的手信


The Best Souvenir Shop : Kong Kee Pastry Shop, Taipei:

You can easily find Pineapple cake in Taipei. But, to find the authentic one, you have to go to Kong Kee Pastry shop which is located in Simending Area. You can make a phone call through the hotel, and they do provide delivery service with a minimum transportation fee.

This shop is highly recommended by the Taiwan Tourism Board.

Their award-winning products have no preservative, no colouring, less sugar and suitable for Vegans too. From the rack, you can see Pineapple cake, green bean cake, Emperor Chin cake, 3Q President Cake, Fruit Cake, Honey Cake, New York Cheese Bar and so on. Among all, 3Q President Cake and Pineapple cake are my top favourite.

There are many choices that might confuse you. Don't worry, you can just visit the outlet and they provide sampling too.

Pic above : Pineapple cake (Price: 20pcs atNT$480 / 10pcs at NT$250)


Pic below : New York Cheese Bar ( Price: 8pcs at NT$550)

New York Cheese Bar is the new product. The taste is fantastic. Unfortunately, it has to be stored in the fridge all the time, and i can't bring back by 4.5 hrs flight journey.

Pic below : 3Q President Cake (Price : 12pcs at NT$580/ 6pcs at NT$320)

The person-in-charge wanted to charge a transportation fee if they need to deliver my order to my hotel. But, i told her that, my whole family are regular here, from my mother, sister and brother came here before. She smiled happily and willing to deliver my order to my hotel. After that, i can continue my itinerary after visited the outlet.

Even though the price is slightly expensive but i believe that it worth to pay that price. You will agree with me once u try it.

For more info, please log on to http://www.twkongkee.com.tw/

Add: Han Zhong Road No 6 ( Near to East Dragon Hotel Taipei)
Contact No: (02)- 2389 5587
Fax: (02)-2370-7660
business hours : 9.30AM- 10.00 PM

Taipei : Shihlin Night Market 士林夜市

Shilin Night Market has since become the largest and most well known night market in Taiwan, especially with regards to food, and is a favorite focal point for Taipei's night life among residents and visitors alike.

The night market is in close proximity to "Jiantan Station" on the Dansui Line. The local businesses and vendors begin opening around 4 pm and closes at around 1 to 2 am.

Many people come to Shihlin Night Market to enjoy the delicious snacks, such as large pancake enfolding small pancake, Fried Chicken Steak (炸雞排), Stinky taufu, oyster omelet (蚵仔煎), hot pot on stone or Shihlin sausage and many more.

府城古早味手工烤布丁:

訂購事項：烤布丁一個15元，一箱12個180元，三箱以上免運費，一律貨到付款，今天訂明天送.

One must try the puding as it is very famous in Taipei. The Puding shop can sell more than 10,000 pudings per day through either retails or internet. One cup of puding is sell at NT$15/ cup.

If you ask me about the taste, i would say, " i'm not fancy it".

Pic below : Stinky Tau fu.

The stinky tau fu which served with pickled vegatables that i tried now was not as stinky as a few years ago. I felt disspointed coz i can't find the stinky yet tasty feeling again. According to the stall owner, stinky taufu is manufactured and distributed by a factory. No more hand make tau fu, coz it involved a lot of works. So, the taste will be the same every where you try in Taipei.

Taipei : IMAX Cinema

At night, we have no way to go, coz we don't fancy karaoke, pubs, discos, but since we stayed nearby the theater street- Ximending so that we went for a midnight movie.

We bought ticket for IMAX 3D movie cinema to watch " Star Trek". The movie ticket is NT$330 for the first person and the second accompany is charged at NT$280. On top of that, you can top up NT$ 99 for a bottle of water and popcorn.

IMAX has arrived which now features Taiwan's only digital IMAX theater--also the world's largest with 600 seats. IMAX's huge, curved screen offers an unrivalled theater experience for all viewers, wherever they sit, and includes patented technology giving clearer, brighter definition and sharper, 3D-like visual effects. Moreover, the uncompressed, super-clear digital audio system broadcasts the smallest sounds--even the drop of a needle--clearly. All this ensures that audiences are fully immersed in and surrounded by the movie scenes.

Another notable advantage is digital IMAX's environmentally-friendly, copy-proof, scratch-proof system which is easily transportable and doesn't rely on film. This means the audio-visual quality is unchanged after even a hundred showings. Vieshow Cinema has four screens, including the digital IMAX one, which can also handle 3D films. The three other theaters can also accommodate hundreds of movie-goers. -

It's really enjoyable to watch "Star Trek" in IMAX. It's worth to pay NT$330 for a movie ticket.

Another night, we went to watch "Angels and Demons" in IN89 Digital Cinema. The ticket price for adult is NT$270. This three-screen complex is always full of teenagers and young couples who want to take advantage of the first-run movies, digital audio system and sofa-like love seats without armrests.

Taipei : Modern Toilet Restaurant 便所主題餐廳

便所主題餐廳 :

Edible Excretions: Modern Toilet, Simending Store Taipei :

When it comes to toilet ice-cream, many heard of it but not many dare to try it. After all, it sounds like crap and looked like it too. This outlet is situated at Simending area. I believe, most of the people came because of curiousity but it definitely not the taste of the food or dessert. The food here taste like shits.

Their signature dessert is a big pile of chocolate ice cream sold in containers shaped like a squat toilet. At the start, many people peered in at the restaurant trying to figure out what they were selling.

They offer a few varieties to choose from, i.e. gratin, dessert, drins, hot pots, spaghetti, snacks, ice shavings and speacial meals.



Pic above & Below : BEFORE & AFTER.

Eating ice-cream shaped like poop while sitting on the toilet. We made it fun to eat ice-cream from the toilet.

Every customer sits on a stylish acrylic toilet (lid down) designed with images of roses, seashells or Renaissance paintings. Everyone dines at a glass table with a sink underneath. The theme-restaurant chain now has seven outlets in Taiwan, one in Hong Kong and one opening in Shenzhen, China.

The only people who have a hard time are the elderly who have exclaimed, "I will not eat on the toilet!". I guess, if i bring my mum there, she will has a horrible nightmare.

For more info, please log in to their official website at http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/.

Simending Store address:

Modern Toilet Restaurant

2F, No7, Lane 50, Xining S. Rd, Taipei City

Tel: (02) 23118822

Business Hr : 11.30 AM - 10.00 PM

Taipei: Wufeng Pu Commercial District 五分埔

From Taipei 101, we took a tax to Wufenpu. The journey took about 10minutes, and it costs us NT$75.00. What is so special about this place, as most of my girl friends said this is the right place to shop for plenty of beautiful dress with a cheap price.

Wufenpu ready-made clothes distribution market has been transformed into an organised ready-made clothes distribution zone.

Where is Wufenpu? It's located between Songshan Rd and Yongji Rd. Take MRT to Houshanpi station, and take about 10min walk. In 1769, five families from fuken province, China bought this place from the Malixikou, that was how it got its name, (for “Wu-fen-pu” means “divide the land by five”). Most soil in this area was too poor to farm; in addition, there were mental hospitals and pig farms built in this place and therefore it was thought to be the wasteland of the ignobility.

So tired of walking! I didn't manage to buy a lot of beautiful dresses from here. However, it is consider an eye opening trip.

Taipei 101

To go to Taipei 101, you can take the Nangang MRT (blue Line) and go down at Taiwan City Hall station. After that, there are a lot of buses to go to Taipei 101 ( bus fare at NT$15/person).

Ticket booth and lift entrance to observatory desk is located at the 5th floor of the Taipei 101 Shopping Mall. You will pass through the shopping mall. You can see this shop named " Liu Li Gong Fang" (琉璃工房) outside the ticket booth area. A group of ducks attract my attention.

Liuli Gongfang (琉璃工房) is Taiwan's only contemporary glass studio devoted to artistic Chinese glassware. Since its establishment in 1987 Liuligongfang has become known in Asia and abroad for its outstanding artistic endeavours and its high standard of craftsmanship.

I like the poem written by Loretta Hui-Shan Yang, as below:

Why A Duck?

Why is it a duck?
We have virtually forgotten what a duck looks like,
Because the only ducks we see are on our plates.
More and more i reminisce about the duck.
When i was a child at home in Hualien,
We raised ducks and turkeys in our garden,
Of course they were for feeding our stomachs,
But i gave all of them names, like " The lady" and "Tuxedo" ,
Calling their names by the window,
they would rush over in, I wish i could recall the way they waddle,
Coming in groups like they were discussing important matter,
Their impression should not be forgotten.
---------- by Loretta Hui-Shan Yang

Taipei 101 Observatory :

After buying our ticket (NT$400/person) , we can ride the Guinness record " World's fastest elevator" to the 89th floor indoor observatory. They open everyday from 10 am until 10 pm.

89th Floor - Indoor Observatory:

The pretty elevator driver sent us to 89th floor. With only about 37 seconds, we went up 382 meters above the ground.

Visitors are having commanding view of the city and Taipei Basin in all directions. The world's largest damper would be reviewed from above. The observatory is equipped with high-powered binoculars, drinks bar, image service, pre-recorded multimedia guides in eight languages, the world's tallest building's (2004) mailboxes and souvenir shops.

From the WEST wing, we can see a lot of buidlings such as Chang Kai-Sek Memorial Hall ( pic below), Taipei bridge, Office of the President, Far Eastern Plaza and many more.

Pic above : Standing at South Wing overlooking all the mountains.

I saw there are workers doing the cleaning work outside the window. Look at them, they are so brave. I can't even dare to stand near to the window. My legs are shaking...~~
As i understand, Taipei 101 with the height of 508 meters and the world's fastest elevator which can reach the top speed of 1,010 meters per minute. Taipei 101's foundation is fortified by 380 piles driven 101's meters into the ground and 30 meters into the bedrock. Each foundation pile is 150cm in diameter and provides a bearing capacity of anywhere between 1,100 to 1,450 tons and securely pins the entire building t the firm bedroack below.

The building's glass curtain walls with heat and UV filter treatments can sustain impacts of 8 tons. The building strucuture has been designed to withstand the strongest earthquake and wind resistance.
88th Floor - Super Big Wind Damper & Treasure Sky:

To enhance safety and comfort by vibration isolating and energy dissipating, many skyscappers use dampers tailored to the building structure for instance, the Trump World Tower, The Yokohama Landmark Tower, Petronas Twin Tower and The Citycorp Center.

The world's largest and heaviest wind damper with a weight of 660 metric tons.

Treasure Sky:

Treasure sky is the world's highest jewelry arts boutique. Creating exquisite art pieces with Taiwan's unique coral gemstones, blue chalcedony, jade and other gemstones.

The World's Tallest gemstones Coral (width 131cm, height 141 cm). This gemstones coral tree comes from 200 meters below the Pacific ocean, North-East of Taiwan. As gemstones grow coral 10 years grow 1 cm, this gigantic gemstone coral tree becomes one of the most precious treasures of Taiwan.

The sky is limit: The eagle demonstrates the exquisite craftsmanship of Taiwan's coral gemstone artist. Each feather is individually crafted, then collaborated to form the structure of the eagle. It took around 28 months to complete this masterpiece.

We proceed to 91 floor where outdoor observatory is located. Here, we can feel the strong winds, enjoy the expansive view, and also see close up the spire at the building's 508-meter high apex. A theather on the 91st floor shows films about the construction of Taipei 101, as well as last year's New Year fireworks display.

After spending three hours in the observatory desk, we took the elevator down to the 5th floor. Look at the digital screen shown inside the elevator, it took about 43 seconds to reach the ground.

What an amazing building!!