6 May 2007

Beginning of Grad Trip!!!

Wakie early to do some last minute packing. Boy I was down with flu =( Pop a panadol and off I set (with my Dad) to pick Yingjie up to head down to the airport together.

We were supposed to meet the gang at 11am in Changi Airport. Instead of seeing a bunch of familiar faces plus some strangers, I saw my tourism friend, Junwen, who happened to be taking the same flight as me to Taiwan too. After much guessing game, we were introduced to each other by Suhui when we were queueing up to check in our luggages. Suhui, our tour leader, knows everyone and everyone knows her haha.

Guess who has the heaviest luggage?

Drum rolls please.....

Suhui! Ahahahha....

Why?

We figured that the mini mah jong that she brought along weighs 1kg (that's of course exaggerating lah). And her video camera and poleroid weights another 1kg. So she won the heaviest luggage award! Claps claps!

We proceeded to have our lunch in the airport as we knew that budget airline doesnt provide any meals. Little did I know that they will charge you SGD3 for a puny mineral water bottle =O

We were ready to go in le. Of course must take a picture together to prove how touristy we are heehee. Here we go...

Introduction of the Taiwan gang

3 dudes (from left to right): Jin Xin, Soon Fatt, Jun Ming

5 gals (from left to right): Jun Pei, Suhui, Me, Yingjie, Mei Xuan

The flight took off at 13:00 SIN and will be reaching Taipei at scheduled time 17:40. This is my first time taking budget airline hohoho. Its a small plane but not as exciting as I thought it will be. Sat with Yingjie and the uncle beside her started a conversation with us, telling us more about Taiwan as he used to live there too.

Finally touched down! Almost dehydrated man haha. Came out of the airport and saw Lu De holding a card with Suhui's name written on it... like some superstar like that hohoho.


First group shot in Taiwan

Luckily at the airport we managed to get some youth discount keychain thingie. You cant imagine how useful it is man. Besides getting discount for going up the Taipei 101 and Miramar Ferris Wheel, you can also get discounts when taking train! So for those who are going to Taiwan, remember to get hold of the youth discount keychain thingie. Its FREE! =D

While on the van to our hotel, I thought the scenery outside looks abit like China =p Okie blame it on my ignorance but we reached the hotel much earlier than I expected. After we throw our barang barang in the hotel, we walked to Xi Men Ding for dinner and shopping. I thought Xi Men Ding looks very much like New York City with the billboards and big screaming for attention look-at-me posters, except for those chinese words there heehee.

Xi Men Ding

We saw spidey! But isnt he abit too skinny?

Gals being the indecisive type will be thinking about where to have our first dinner in Taipei. But looking at the guys we knew that we have to think fast as the saying goes, a hungry man is an angry man =p Okie they were not really angry but its abit scary lah heehee.

They have one of the nicest ru rou fan here. We passed it to the guys for sampling and they returned us an empty bowl hahaha.

After satisfying the guys stomach, we decided to split so that smaller groups were easier to manage. At Xi Men Ding we must try the soooo famous Ah Zong Mian Xian! The difference between gals and guys are guys will each purchase a bowl while the gals will purchase a big bowl and share haha.

Eh... Suhui kept drinking everywhere she go haha


The guys with their Ah Zong

We tried small food here and there. Came to a Tian Bu La shop where this uncle is so cute. We thought that he forgot to take our money but it turned out that the shop's policy is to accept money after the customers have finished their food. Saw the uncle doing the ice thingie so we also want to have one! =D

Tian Bu La uncle

In Singapore I have made a deal with Chee Keong to meet him in Taipei Xi Men Ding. We jokingly said that meet at 7-11 coz there's so many 7-11 in Taiwan... its just like there's so many starbucks on the streets in Seattle.

Chee Keong - so back packer style wor

The gals went for more shopping and we saw this cute doggie in the shop. Much debate about whether this doggie is real - he's so lazy looking that he just likes to lie on the floor like a carpeted dog. Dont ask me what is a carpeted dog - I just thought he looks like one heehee.


Carpeted dog

Besides Ah Zong, Tian Bu La and mango ice, we also tried crepes, prata, qing wa xia dan. The biggest bargain in shopping is socks haha. We shopped till almost all the shops were closing. Proceeded back to hotel to do our accounts and amaze that their TV has almost 99 channels! The consumers are really spoilt for choice!