during the journey, we learnt so much of Taiwan from Mr Lin.. he's a young chap at 26years old.. there's no age gap when we converse.. like a fren.. so we dun feel shy at askin him questions that may sound silly at times haha.. one of them was when we 1st came to taiwan, we wanted to buy this Taipei 101 viewing gallery tix.. but the date seem to be in year 97 and not 2008.. we tot the tix were all expired.. even when we see items in 7-11, all expiry date was in year 97.. very puzzling indeed and we did not buy any.. onli then Mr Lin told us actuallie they counted the year from the time Sun-Yatsen and people overthrew the previous rulers thought to be corrupted.. i forgot whether is the Ching dynasty or what.. so that happened in 1911.. and now being 2008, was considered 民国97..this clarified our doubts haha..
travelling around in Taichung will no doubt talk about the 921 earthquake, which hit Taichung the most when it happened in 1999. due to the recent earthquake in Sichuan, Mr Lin told us actuallie Sichuan earthquake is like 5 to 6times of the 921 earthquake.. he said during the 921 earthquake, he was thrown out of his bed..可想而知the magnitude of Sichuan earthquake is horrendous!.. along the way he showed us the buildings and areas which were affected by the 921 earthquake and places which are rebuilt like schools, roads etc.. just to recall, when we were in Rueili, Mr Ahan , the male boss also showed us there's this hotel in the mountains, which was affected by the 921 earthquake such that it was now slanted but didnt collapse..currently it was left alone as a memory of the earthquake in the mountains..also cuz that day was a day before 520 when President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jiu 上任, there were many topics on it especially from the news.. taiwan news media is like very onz.. at any time you switch on TV, there will be endless reports on it.. and they like to give numbers to different events like 520 or 512, which refer to the Sichuan earthquake..
time flies quickly during the conversation with Mr Lin that we arrived at Janfusun and didnt realise it..
we were welcomed by the mascots of the theme park..as we reached rather earlie, most indoor attractions and showtimes were not ready..but this coffee museum was opened, which showcased the different coffee beans produced from various parts of Taiwan like from Gukeng, Alishan, Chiayi, Tainan etc...there was also a 水晶石exhibition where were very huge...
we tried the ferris wheel, the spinning wheel, the floorless coaster which caught me screaming like mad on the candid shot..and other rides..G5 was scary.. our legs were melted when we saw the ride..it was a 90degree drop..cant take it.. we went take floorless coaster which was thrilling as well..
after spending the whole afternoon in Janfusun, we made our way with Mr Lin to Yunlin Gukeng Coffee Trail.. basically nothing much.. just walked through the trails where coffee beans were produced. as it was a weekday, shops were closed.. apparently they dun do business on weekdays.. only weekends when the crowds come.. we initiallie tot to avoid the crowds by coming on weekdays but turn out the shops refuse to open on weekdays.. so when we went there.. it was like a dead town.. quite a pity though.. we had coffee at the top of the mountain.. weather was very misty as well... premonition to a heavy downpour which came true just when we reach ground level haha..
we asked Mr Lin to bring us to Fengjia Night Market, the most famous in Taichung. things there were cheap!shoes, clothes, bags etc... and many varieties of food that we savoured like little pigs..i personally love the 懒惰虾 and the 麻辣臭豆腐.. muster enuf courage to eat the 臭豆腐despite the smell and it turn out to be very yummy!do not judge food by the smell...valuable lesson learnt!the 芋圆甜品also very nice.. we watched the recommendation from a taiwan variety show the night before and aimed to eat it up the next day haha..a must-try!
at the end of the trip, Mr Lin even bought us this famous coffee cookies..good service indeed!
Information outlet on Taichung:
1. City Bus Guide
2.National Museum of Natural Science
3.Taichung Travel Guide
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