Din Dai Fung Restaurant At Taipei 101

YES, DIN TAI FUNG.... No doubt they are here in Malaysia too, but since we were in Taiwan, we should try the original DTF....

We were at Taipei 101 on the last day of our 7 days trip.  We visited a few places on this very day, taking taxi from our hotel Midtown Richardson.  This is the second time we stayed in this hotel, it is very convenient, walking distance to shopping and eatery places anytime of the day.  Breakfast buffet is inclusive and it has a wide spread of Taiwanese food.  The rooms are spacious, we opted for a family room, according to my son, the rates is the same as with twin rooms.  There are two queen size beds in each room with a small round table and sofa chair which could accommodate two persons.  Each night cost around RM400-500 which is quite reasonable.

Back to our lunch at Din Tai Fung, this restaurant is in 101, the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan.  When we reached there, we had to take a number and our waiting time is at least half hour.  To while away the time, we walked around the vicinity, buying some cookies and snacks in the mall.  By the time our number was called, all of us were hungry for anything!

Outside the restaurant where we waited....

Started with these.... one for each of us...

Kiamsiap a bit... hahahaa...

Main courses.... 

Fried rice with pork chop....

Whole slab....

One without the meat but with lots of shrimps....

Third bowl with noodles....

For the little girl....

Taiwanese vegetables....

Tasted like Yau Mak...

After "healing" our tummies, we adjourned to another place...

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall...

 

Tremor Lunch At Full Go Roast Chicken

IT LASTED LESS THAN TWO SECONDS.... 

We were taking our lunch at Full Go Restaurant, famous for their Roast Chicken roasted in stone kiln.  The tour guide told us this is a Must Try dish while we were there.  Situated in Yilan nearer to the eastern part which is near to the affected earthquake in Hualien.  It was the fifth day after the major earthquake and tremors were felt numerous times each day.  But we did not really experience the tremors until that moment when we were having our scrumptious lunch.

The moment after the two seconds tremor, we asked ... "Did you feel it?"  Then my daughter-in-law received a warning alert message on her phone.  Should we make a run outside, I asked them... 

We looked around the restaurant, nobody made a dash towards the door or anything.  It was like nothing happened, everyone carried on eating as if nothing happened.  Then the tour guide came over and asked us whether we felt the tremor... Of course!  LOL... He said no worries, these tremors are common after the major earthquake... aftermath... no need to panic.... 

And so we carried on eating with an unease heart... LOL... 

This is the name of the place... 

I know I will definitely forget the name when I come home... 

This is their famous roast chicken...

I like it cos the skin was thin and crispy...

Spring onions omelette...

Some greens... 

Fried rice cake which we did not finish... 

The total cost.. 1300 NT around RM160.... 

 

Our Visit To Rainbow Village, Taichung

THE NEXT MORNING.... after having our breakfast at a small stall, driver took us to Rainbow Village, one of the most popular attractions in Taichung.

This is my second visit to this place, my first time was in 2019, some five years ago.   I wrote this in my post in 2019....

There is a history behind this brightly painted village, a cluster of houses was in fact a veterans village back in the 1940s.  Huang Yong Fu also known affectionately as Rainbow Grandpa was one of the last remaining veterans living in this area.  He is a military veteran who was born in Hong Kong and fought against the communists in the ROC army.  Rainbow Village was started by Mr. Huang who came up with a way to protest against the demolition of this small collection of houses.  The government began an aggressive program of demolition the villages in the 1990s and replacing them with new high rise apartment buildings for the displaced families.  Rather than fighting with the government, he decided to paint so as to brighten up the village, starting with his own house and moving on to the next house and soforth until the whole village has turned into a colourful sight.

This time 2024, we were told that Rainbow Grandpa has passed away... he passed away in January 2024 at the age of 101.  RIP... His legacy lives on though.... tourists swarmed into this place, no entrance fees, just a donation to the "Superhero" who was still around to take pictures for us....  

We lingered around for a short while and off we went for our dessert Ice Cream cafe... 

The Superhero entertaining the tourists with his songs....

And here we were in 2019....

And now in 2024....

Oh... his attire has changed color...

So has my hair....

From black to white... 

LOL....

Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

NO TREMORS FELT ON THE FIRST NIGHT... or perhaps we were too tired to feel anything when we hit the pillows....

The next morning our day trip began at 9am.... tour guide cum driver was waiting for us at the hotel and we were taken to Sun Moon Lake in Nantou.  It is one of the most popular scenic attractions and we went island hopping for a fee of 300NT per person.  

I am amazed to see so many tourists in Taiwan overall, people are like endless, as the Chinese saying goes, "mountains and seas are full of human beings".... something like that.  I would say this is good for the country's economy.  Despite the major earthquake in one part of Taiwan, people are still swarming in.... 

At the mainland before boarding the ferry.... 

A very scenic place to visit...

Inside the ferry... 

one side air con and one open air like this....

Hot weather but not as hot as in Malaysia...

Ferries are ongoing... 

At one of the islands...

Bustling with people ....

We have to find a place to have lunch...

Milk tea is famous everywhere...

Long queues are worth the wait for many...

We entered into one of a small shops and had these for lunch...

This is not to be missed...

Pork belly with scallion and peanuts as fillings...

We had these too... froggy cakes... 

And we went back to mainland around 3pm....

First Dinner Meal In Taichung, Taiwan

BY THE TIME we came out from the airport, it was almost 6pm in the evening. 

After getting everyone settled comfortably into the big MPV van, the tour guide cum driver took us to our first destination.... Taichung.  On the way, he stopped at a restaurant for our dinner.  A modest restaurant frequented by locals and by then, I was too hungry to stop and take photos of the place.

Good that service was fast.... initially ordered 4 dishes and midway, we ordered another two... just in case, our tummies were not satisfied... LOL.... 

After our dinner, the journey took another one hour to reach our hotel for the next three nights... Talmud Hotel, a very strategic place cos it is just right in the midst of the night market.  That is where we love to be... 

First four dishes....

Famous for their signature dish... meehoon with minced pork as toppings...

Minced pork is common dish...

Rice and noodles are often topped with minced pork...

Taiwan vegetables which we could not catch the name....

Pork balls in hot soup....

Crispy and salty Pork belly

Added this dish while eating halfway...

Yellow noodles... and minced pork... LOL

Oysters fried eggs....

Total cost around RM130 according to my son...

One for the camera before we dig in the food!

Taiwan Trip Timing

TO GO OR NOT TO GO..... that was the BIG SERIOUS question we asked among ourselves the day before our trip to Taiwan and the same day the earthquake struck Hualien.

The four plus one were in a dilemma, my son decided for us... "Let's go!  After all, our itinerary did not involve Hualien and the airport in Taipei is still open for airplanes to fly in.... "

What a timing... we were supposed to fly to Taipei on the 4.4.24 and the earthquake struck Hualien on the 3.4.24.  Furthermore, it is a major earthquake and the most serious one since 25 years ago.  Followed up with the updates on the earthquake, and since there was no restriction whatsoever announced, we proceeded with our trip the following morning.  

Reached Changi airport at around 9am and our flight was around 11.30am.  Had our breakfast at the Jewel and whiled our time walking around the beautiful airport of Singapore....

Landed safely at Taoyuan International airport around 4pm plus... went through customs, everything was smooth, the customs staff were friendly and met with our tour guide after checking out.  Before we left the airport, we went to the Taiwan Lucky Land booth to try our chance of winning 5000 Taiwan money... LOL... And YES!  One of our passport did strike the Bonus Money sponsored by the Taiwan Government!

Our first sign to positive-ness to the Yes Trip begins to eliminate our initial fear.... 

Everything was smooth at the check-in ....

It is always good to follow the young people who do everything for us seniors!

Beautiful shops at Changi...

With the one who calls me Grandma...

She likes to be in our midst despite our generation gap...

LOL... 

While collecting our luggage at Taipei...

As usual, the young takes charge of those and I take charge of phototaking... LOL... 

And this is the booth where we won our Prize 

of 5000 Taiwan dollars... 

Not a big amount but nevertheless Happy!

Our adventure begins..... 

Goodbye For Now, Taipei

LAST AND NOT LEAST...

The Taiwan posts have finally come to an end... that is a relief for many?  LOL...
Just a short trip, five days 4 nights trip is more than enough for me.  Want to go again?  Yes, I surely would love to, with my kids, I have much to benefit.  LOL.. All I have to do is just follow... Follow them wherever they may go.... as long as they have me!  LOL...

A short roundup on the food trip...

Chunks of beef from the night market... 

I don't drink Bubble tea here in Malaysia..

However, I drank plenty in Taiwan... 

I don't like cheesy stuff but ended up eating quite a lot of this too!

Another Bubble Tea effect... 

Oh, I am sharing this again here... miss this!

One more angle before I continue on... LOL.. 

Pancakes for our breakfast... roadside... 

Taipei 101 where the fireworks starts.. 

And lastly and not least... at the airport... 

Bye Taipei!