Day 12 : 230508 Taipei

reached the station near to 9am to take a 3h ride to Taipei.. regret not planing another day in Hualien as there seem more to be discovered...will do so in my next trip~


we reached Taipei in noon time.. and seem like a bad start.. once we have settled our luggage and ready to go to CKS Memorial Hall..it started to rain and this rain lasted the whole day and night..i onli took a pic of CKS from a sheltered area..sigh.. we decide to come again when the weather is better..
and we came upon 诚品书店which seems to be everywhere..some outlets are 24h opening..while some outlets is office hrs kind of opening..many books..lke kinokuniya..

we took a cab..to Ding Tai Fung located at Xinyi Road.. and got a free xiaolongbao keychain with the youth travel card for dining there.. it was cute!... the xiaolongbao there seem to taste different.. there were some dishes over there not found in sg.. the waiter and waitresses all like to say 不好意思 at the slightest thing even if is not their fault.. but 礼多人不怪.. i have to commend on their excellent service quality..there were many foreigners as well.. like Japanese and angmohs...good food.. good service.. this explains the popularity indeed..

a trip to Taipei is not complete without a visit to Taipei 101..it is so tall tall machiam human beings and cars belong to 小人国..with YTC.. you get discounts to go up to 89th floor.. we went to catch the nightview which was spectacular.. a very lively city indeed.. you can also climb up to 91st floor for free..an outdoor observatory.. the world's fastest elevator brings u up to 89th floor in 34sec.. can u imagine?.. and we were instucted to look at the ceiling of the lift which are covered with bright spots to represent the different star formations..even before we finish viewing, we have already reached the 89th floor..a chocolate-made Taipei 101 model

the interior of Taipei 101 mall whcih is very grand.. looks like many times bigger than Takashimaya.. and nearby shopping centres like New York New York which sells Mister Donuts!

we had dinner at a posh restaurant named Diamond Tony's Italian Restaurant for a 5-course meal..i'll let the pics of the wonderful do the talking.. 1st time eating escargot..and some other delicacies made this a memorable meal..
we went back TS Hotel after this meal.. rushed to catch the shuttle bus to the nearby MRT.. have to commend on the comfortability of TS Hotel.. i missed the facilities they offer to us.. one of the best.. huge space.. comfortable beds.. plasma tv.. shower facilities.. big sofa..free internet access..free breakfast buffet..numerous cable TV channels..free mineral water/coffee/tea.. excellent!.. will definitely stay in it again if I visit Taipei next time..highly recommended.. but try book earlie cuz is very popular..yupz..

not forgetting my catch of the day: