The Tie that is Taiwan (Part 2 of 3)

Day 2, Sunday

Half-Day Tour to Keelung and Yehlou Park, Popular Shin Ye Restaurant, National Palace Museum, Xi Men Ding at Night

Woke up early this day to make an 820am pick-up time by the van that will take us to our half-day tour to Keelung, Yehlou Park and 2 other sites.There is an English-speaking tour guide with our party of 7 – a family of three with teenager, another middle-aged couple and us. Bubba was able to grab breakfast at the hotel while I fixed our hotel room –bed, trash, and key items on my bag that day before leaving.

Empty Benches

Keelung

Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan.  Keelung is within borders of New Taipei so both Taipei and Keelung shares a metropolitan area.  Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, Taiwan’s second largest seaport is located in the city.

 Supposedly have kid carts only on Sundays.  I’d love to ride one of those cuties!

Doesn’t look too big with Bubba standing beside it

I miss my very own buddha bebe at home… Joyce! 🙂

This was quite interesting.  Our tour guide said that this ship was completely clean cut in half and the other half just disappeared into the unknown.  It was striking up close. 

Everyone in the van felt it was their lucky day!  We happen to pass this traditional cultural ceremony and see it in person 🙂

Yeh Liu Park

Even in the photos or brochures, Yeh Liu Park already seems interesting.  It’s a place within Northern part of Taipei nearby the ocean where you can see unique rock formations.  According to our tour guide, there was once a volcano within the Keelung area that erupted and it formed lava rocks near the harbor… at least, that’s what I think I heard from his Chinese-English or Ching-lish.

Also found in Yeh Liu Geolithic Park is the famous Queen’s head rock structure.  They created a manmade replica since the original form constantly shrinks due to the saltwater air.

There are also other rock formations like mushroom, King Kong, Taiwan Map and Japanese-women-head rock formations. I agree with Nats that this is pretty unique for Taiwan so don’t miss this either.

Rock formations

More rock formations

 Rockstar formation

Directions: Instead of finding your way, which we initially sought out to do, it’s easier to just book a guided tour for NT 1,000 (P1,500) per head that comes with a van and a tour guide, including entrance ticket (NT 50) to Yeh Liu Park.  You can also check if hiring a private car for half a day is cheaper.

 Mushroom Heads

What cha say?

The van brought us back to the hotel. After a quick freshening up, we headed to our target restaurant for lunch.  We asked the front desk of Vendome Hotel, who at all times has been quite helpful and accommodating for directions and he gladly helped us out –even called the restaurant to reserve us a table for two.

Shin Yeh

From Shin Yeh website “Aroma has no physical boundaries; neither is there a limit on quality or innovation in gourmet cooking. To satisfy tastes in different market segments, Shin Yeh has expanded their business offerings to that of four Taiwanese cuisine restaurants; one Shabu Shabu restaurant, three Curry Champs, four Japanese buffets, one young-fashioned Taiwanese cuisine restaurant, and one high-end ambiance restaurant in Taipei 101. These outlets are now extending regionally into Japan, Singapore, and China.

On the Table (Too bad I didn’t bring my SLR)

Lamb with Kimchi NT

This was QUITE interesting, even for non-kimchi lovers.  Lamb sliced thin and its natural flavor mixed with the slight tangy heat power of the Kimchi or Korean-pickled lettuce.

Cua Pao NT

This was the best cuapao Bubba has ever tried, and he’s more the fan than I am.  It wasn’t hard to agree with him.  The pork bun was simply mouthwatering, had varying elements of flavors and texture. 

Stir-fried Water Clams in Garlic  NT

Very tasty brown sauce which garlic is evident, finished everything in less than an hour

Shih Yeh is part of the Miele Guide top restaurants in Taipei and in Asia.  Shin Yeh says, “Smile, because the fortune is in your lips.”  With their culinary fare, I couldn’t help but agree.

Directions: http://www.shinyeh.com.tw/index.php

Shopping along the Dunhua district

Walking towards Shin Ye, we found several side street stores selling clothes, accessories, umbrellas and other items.  We window-shopped, even if there were no windows and bought a few items.  Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts (but I suggest don’t push either), you might just get a few.

National Palace Museum

Taipei’s National Palace Museum is apparently not to be missed during a trip to Taiwan, since it ranks as one of the four best museums in the world alongside the Louvre, the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Entrance ticket cost NT 160 per head.

The National Palace Museum towards the evening

The Chihshan Garden, which features Sung Dynasty landscaping, is found near the museum steps.

Directions: Take MRT, Red Line going to Tam Sui and depart from the Shih Lin Station, then take the Red 30 bus to the museum (located in Chihshan Road).  Just tell the bus driver you are going to National Palace Museum so he can advise you when you arrive at the place.  Don’t worry, there’s also a PA system and screen that announces the next stop inside the bus.

Xi Men Ding

Xi Men Ding has also a night market in their area.  This is where we met with Jim for dinner.  Food stalls meander through lanes and alleys in the downtown area and this is what we used as pre-dinner snacks while we walked under the evening sky.

House of Curry

After 30 minutes of walking around and trying to handpick which restaurant to dine in in our short list, we finally opted for House of Curry, which looked interesting and seemed like they know what they are doing.

Directions:Take MRT to Ximen Station. Depart via Exit 6.

TO BE CONTINUED…. The Tie That is Taipei (Part 3 of 3) coming up!