Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Day 2: Kaohsiung--Cijin Island, The Old British Consulate, Pier-2-Art Center & 瑞丰夜市

Day 2 was indeed a sun bathing day. Weather in Kaohsiung on 2nd April 2015 was hot and even hotter than in Malaysia. 

Itinerary of Day 2 in Kaohsiung:
  • Morning/Afternoon: Cijin Island
  • Lunch: Chi Rou Geng
  • Afternoon: The Old British Consulate
  • Evening: Pier-2-Art Center
  • Night & Dinner: 瑞丰夜市


Breakfast for three at one shop near Sizihwan Station

Warm black soy drink, carrot cake, wholemeal bread, Chinese bun


Spotted pinky Hello Kitty Shop along the journey to ferry habour


To go to Cijin Island, take the Orange Line on the MRT and alight at Sizihwan Station (西子灣站). Head to the ferry harbour (look for road signs and follow the crowd, takes about 5 minutes of walking) and board the ferry over for NT$15. Take the ferry back at the same place at NT$15 as well. (捷運橘線西子灣站,步行5分钟到高雄港,渡轮NT$15). We were lost but in the end we managed to look for the ferry harbor after asking for direction from passerby. We rented bicycle at NT50 each at a shop right opposite the Sizihwan Station and cycled it to the ferry harbor.

Ferry habour from far

View of the harbour

Cijin-Gushan Ferry that bring cyclists and passengers to and fro Cijin Island & Ferry Habour


Cyclists boarded the ferry heading to Cijin Island 

View of the sea



媽祖廟 Mazu Temple / Tianhou Temple / Goddess of the Sea


Left for Cihou Fort & Right for Cihou Lighthouse
We parked our bicycles and walked by foot to both destinations as the path was rather slope. It was super sunny hot that we got dehydrated so easily. 


View from the Cihou Lighthouse


Cihou LightHouse

Cihou Fort


After visiting the fort, we cycled around the island and then went in a market.

Lots of seafood products and preserved products in the market

All stalls sell almost the same products: dried scallop, cuttlefish etc. I bought a pack of dried scallop at NT350 at the market!

After cycling around, we headed for lunch before leaving Cijin Island. It was weekdays therefore there were no crowds at this infamous shop.

The famous Chi Rou Geng Shop

Self service concept. You queue, make orders, pay and wait for your foods.

Braised Pork Rice, Plain Chi Rou Geng & Chi Rou Geng with vermicelli
Chi Rou Geng is actually deep fried pork served with thick and starchy gravy. The gravy was bland but the deep fried pork was very flavorful. Chi Rou Geng was garnished with coriander leaves which made the gravy very fragrant. The braised pork rice was awesome and was one of the best braised pork rice I encountered during my trip =)

After Cijin Island hopping, we took the ferry and cycled to The Old British Consulate. We were not allowed to park our bicycle in front of the building. In the end we parked our bicycles nearby the entrance of National University of Kaohsiung and walked to The Old British Consulate.


The Old British Consulate 打狗英國領事館

Ticket  at NT66 per pax. NT30 from the ticket can be used to purchase foods/drinks inside the cafe but we did not do so as the cheapest drinks at the cafe was at least NT90+, so we had to pay additional NT60 in order to use the ticket. 

Doctor British was checking his patient. 

Frankly, there was nothing to see at The Old British Consulate. Everything was so expensive and happened to be over commercialized for tourists.

After cycling around the area, we returned the bicycle and proceeded to Pier-2-Art Center. Actually we could cycle to Pier-2-Art Center as it is located not far from Sizihwan Station. To go to Pier-2-Art Center, take MRT orange line to Yanchengpu Sation. Walk bound for five minutes along Dayong Road and you will arrive here. It is a art center and there are lots of artistic design and street arts. No entrance fee is needed for visiting.

Pier-2-Art Center 驳二艺术特区




The Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard Station

The Dome of Light is the world's biggest one-piece stained glass creation. It is the work of Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. It took nearly four years to complete.
We stopped by Formosa Boulevard Station awhile just to take the photo of this spectacular piece of art. Formosa Boulevard Station serves as a transfer station for the Red & Orange lines of the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System. We didn't exit the station (once you exit, you need to pay again to enter the gate again), thus we only managed to snap some part of the glass creation.

Rui Feng Night Market 瑞丰夜市

To go to Rui Feng Night Market, take MRT and exit at Kaohsiung Arena Station at Exit 1. Walk for 5 minutes straight. Rui Feng Night Market operates only on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday.



Rui Feng Night Market just across the street~



Pork & Lamb stick NT30 per stick


We also bought fried mushroom at NT50



with oyster~


with cheese/mayo & seaweed
3 for NT100


石记臭豆腐





Mix Combo at NT60...stinky tofu and fried tauhupok with shredded cucumber and pickles
 quite good!

Hair Wash at NT99? cheap hor??




Saturday, May 9, 2015

Convenience Stores in Taiwan

Loving the convenience stores in Taiwan, because it's everywhere and I found the foods there very much interesting. 7-Eleven, Family Mart  and Hi-Life are among those familiar stores in Taiwan. I visited those chain stores almost every night in Taiwan. It's located across the street, railway station, shopping malls and everywhere. There's a few photos to share and it will be just nice to share it in one blog post!

Sandwiches, desserts, cakes, puddings

Lok-lok style

Pineapple Cakes in box

Chilled ready to drink drinks...

Sumiyaki Coffee at NT 25-30, depending on flavors


I love red beans dessert and there is instant red bean sweet potato desserts in 7 Eleven at NT35! Can asked the staff to warm it using the microwave=)


Matcha Soy Bean Drink NT25...so so only...The MungBean Milk was super nice but I forgot to take photo

Bought Sushi (NT59) to be eaten during our train journey from Zuoying to Taipei

Kyushi Ramen with Roasted Pork NT69
no pouring/adding of water upon reheating...the soup is inside the packaging itself~
I wonder why the ramen did not turned soggy after soaking in the soup inside the packaging for so long?
Perhaps the soup is in solid form and when it is heated, it turns into liquid?

Probiotics drink to aid digestion and promote bowel movement =)



Lays Seaweed NT30  for supper!

What I dislike about most receipts in Taiwan is they never itemized/listed the prices of individual products. All you can read from the receipt is the total price you pay. It's impossible to check back the price of those items you bought in that store.

得不到的东西, 我们会一直认为他是美好的, 那是因为你对他了解太少, 没有时间与他相处在一起. 当有一天,你深入了解后,你会发现原不是你想象中的美好.