Day 2:
When I woke up, it was raining heavily. I had my breakfast at the hotel cafe, staring at the window, waiting for the rain to stop. Breakfast was nothing special. The usual Taiwanese porridge, bread, ham, sausages etc. Hoping the rain will stop soon as it will take time to travel to/fro JiauFen (九份).
After my breakfast, I decide to embark on my journey. It has been a long time since I had a ride on railway train. Instead of taking a bus ride to JiauFen, I took the railway from Taipei Main station to RuiFang and transfer to a bus ride to JiauFen.
 |
| My train ticket |
 |
| Train approaching |
 |
| 莒光号 |
 |
| Train cabin |
 |
| My seat - window seat |
 |
| The estimated time of arrival is quite accurate. 10:10 is also Taiwan National Day :) |
 |
| Nice sign @ RuiFang station |
From RuiFang station, I took a bus ride to JiauFen. My advice is: if you cannot get a seat in the bus, you better wait for the next bus. The bus ride is a uphill ride round the hills. (similar to Genting) The driver will be driving fast around sharp corners.
 |
| Entrance to old street of JiauFen |
 |
| Cool breeze, foggy but beautiful landscape |
The rain stopped when I arrived at JiauFen. Weather was cool, gloomy and foggy. I find the weather a perfect match for the landscape. Added a nostalgic feel.
 |
| Old street of JiauFen |
 |
| Selling pork in the middle of JiauFen old street? |
 |
| 阿蘭草仔粿 |
 |
| 阿蘭草仔粿 |
 |
| 阿蘭草仔粿 - radish filling |
阿蘭草仔粿 - The radish filling is not to my liking. The outer mochi-like kueh is quite nice. It's a pity that I could not try more flavours. Need to reserve my stomach for more food. (Rating: 3/5)
 |
| Nice view @ JiauFen |
During my research for this trip, i wanted to try 阿柑姨芋圆. (Yam balls) There is an area where you can enjoy the yam balls and the view of JiauFen at the same time. I was nearly put off by the number of stairs to climb in order to reach the shop. I was glad that I endure the knee pain. It was definitely a place worth visiting.
 |
| To viewing area |
 |
| A bowl of hot yam ball dessert and beautiful view |
 |
| Nice dessert |
阿柑姨芋圆 indeed live up to it's reputation. The yam balls and sweet potato balls release its flavour with every bite. The red bean soup base is also very tasty. A small bowl is quite filling. (Rating: 4.5/5)
When i first arrived at JiauFen, I was looking for a snack that I had during my last trip 6 years ago. It is an ice-cream with peanut candy shaving wrapped in a popiah skin. I finally found the shop on my second attempt round the streets.
 |
| Big block of peanut candy |
 |
| Ice-cream on peanut shaving(special request to remove the coriander) |
 |
| Final finishing touch |
Actually the third photo was taken before the second photo but the lady boss was kind enough to "unroll" the wrap for me to take a picture. =) I did not enjoy the wrap as much as 6 years ago. It might be due to the cold weather. (Rating: 3.5/5)
 |
| The stall that i tried. 金枝 |
 |
| You better not see this. It is soaked in oil before serving |
 |
| 红糟肉圆 |
Next item on my list is 红糟肉圆 (Red vinasse "meat ball"). The meat filling has a strong red vinasse taste. The sauce is also fantastic. The skin is also very Q. Highly recommended. (Rating: 4.5/5)
 |
| Cute pix |
 |
| Funny - Couple in picture sucking out of real bottle |
 |
| Old provision shop |
It time to bid goodbye to JiauFen. Next destination - Taipei 101.
There is nothing much to talk about Taipei 101 except it is a place where you can find most of the designer brands. I had my late lunch at the food court in Taipei 101.
I was attracted by the signboard which mentioned that the chain was selected for 92 (not sure if it's 1992 or 民国 92 = 2003) National banquet. Ordered a set which includes a bowl of 鐤边趖 (mee hun kway alike), fried tofu with garlic-soya sauce and 甜不辣 (tempura). Decent meal at NT$110. (Rating: 3.5/5)
After Taipei 101, the weather started to turn bad, raining heavily while I was waiting for the shuttle bus. Nevertheless, I proceed to my next destination WuFenPu, hoping I have similar luck when I was in JiauFen.
It was still raining when i reach WuFenPu. I tried to stroll in the alleys where there are shelter. After 1/2 hr, i decided to move on to RouHe night market.
 |
| WuFenPu - raining =( |
It was a long walk from WuFenPu to Rouhe Night market. I should have validated Internet posting that claimed it is walkable distance. It was only around 6+pm when I reached Rouhe Night Market. Not sure if I'm too early or due to the foul weather, not many stalls were opened. It was not possible for me to dine in the streets under the rain. (but many local are doing so) I packed the food that I wanted to try (limited availability) in Rouhe and proceed back to hotel.
 |
| Famous pepper pie from Rouhe |
 |
| 胡椒餅 |
 |
| Herbal pork ribs |
 |
| Herbal pork ribs |
 |
| One of the many many pork ribs =) |
 |
| 王子起士马铃薯(prince cheese baked potato) bought from Shilin Night Market on my way back to hotel |
 |
| Unbelievable toppings - ham, corn, pineapple, tuna, egg, broccoli and more! |
 |
| Generous spread of cheese |
Pepper pie 胡椒餅 - all I can remember is it burned my tongue. (Rating: 3/5)
Herbal pork ribs soup - generous serving of pork ribs. Comfort food on a rainy day. (3/5)
Prince cheese baked potato 王子起士马铃薯 - you can judge the taste by the length of the queue. In the right corner of the photo, the pink signboard stall was selling exactly the same thing. The only difference is there is nobody buying from them. Skinless potato baked till a crispy outer crust is formed. All sorts of toppings are placed on top of the potato. Cheese is then poured onto the potato. (Cheese sauce can be separately packed if you are taking away. One thing to praise is that the texture of the potato is similar to mashed potato instead of the usual baked potato. Highly recommended. Waiting time can be long. (Rating: 5/5)
It is a long Day 2 and completely drained all my energy. Stay tuned for Day 3, 4 and 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment