Taipei: Scenes and Cuisines

See the pictures here.

Taipei, Day 2

USD 1 = TWD 32.44; TWD 1 = PHP 1.45

Arrived in Taipei yesterday, spent much of the afternoon and early evening walking around the hostel, which is in the city centre.  

We are staying at the Taiwan Key Mall Traveller Hostel, which is right in front of the Taipei Main Station.  As far as accommidations go, it is pretty basic in the most basic sense of the term-- do not stay here if you expect hand-and-foot service, although the staff (two of them Filipino) are very friendly.  They do serve free breakfast though, which is a deal considering a "suite" costs around USD 25/night.  The hostel is actually located in a residential-commercial building, and the first few floors are an electronics mall and restaurants (all Japanese).  The hostel's rooms are also found in separate floors and areas of the building, so beside your room could be a school, a residential unit, or even a small office.  

My first impression of Taiwan: it's a grittier version of Hong Kong, but less gritty than Manila.  There are lots of scooters parked on every sidewalk, and I could just imagine what rush hour could look like with all these scooters on the street.  Food is always nearby with hawkers or restaurants just a few steps away.  

Tried the famed pearl milk tea (or bubble tea), which was much better than the stuff we get in Manila.  A large serving costs TWD 35, but they use actual black tea and milk instead of the powder mix we get back home.  They are also generous in their serving of "pearls", and for the first time my drink ran out before the pearls.  

Today my Dear is going to spend most of the day with her friends in preparation for the concert they will attend tonight (I'll put the link, but my Dear does not like it when I tell everyone about her fangirling).  I'll probably spend the day walking around Taipei.

Manila, T minus 7 hours

Flying out to Taipei, Taiwan, in a few hours. We got our tickets dirt cheap-- $50 MNL-TLP-MNL via PR. The main purpose for going there is for my Dear to watch this concert with her friends on Saturday. I'm not watching that concert, so I have to find things to do in Taipei. Anyone know of a good walking tour? Of the culinary kind?

Taiwan, which calls itself the Republic of China, is a pretty interesting case-- a de facto state with all (or most of) the requisite state-making activities, but very few countries recognise it as a state, lest they incur the People's Republic of China. This gives rise to a few conventions on how to refer to Taiwan in official documentation: Taiwan, China; Taiwan, Province of China; Taiwan,China (yes, without the space). All in an effort not to piss off the country with the largest standing army in the world.

Anyway, will try to get some sleep. Gotta get the body's defences up. The risks of travel in the time of AH1N1.

Hong Kong and Macau: Sights and Scenes

See the pics here.

Hong Kong, T minus 2 hours

Had a great time in HKG with my Dear. On our way home, waiting at the HKIA lounge. Back to reality.

Hong Kong, Day 1

(USD 1 = HKD 7.17; HKD 1 = PHP 6.68)

Arrived in HKG after a day with a lit of hiccups, including having the misfortune of picking the line staffed by slowest NAIA immigration officer ever.  But all's well that ends well, and we're at the hotel having some rest before we head back out and get acquainted with the city's transport system (thanks to Carol and Prince for lending us their Octopus Cards).

A few price indictors: HKIA-Mongkok hotel transport = HKD 130.00; big and high-quality turkey sandwich = HKD 20.00; ham and egg bun = HKD 5.50; pork floss bun = HKD 8.00; 1.5 litres distilled water = HKD 9.00.

Manila, T minus 18 hours

My Dear and I are going to Hong Kong tomorrow, our first overseas trip together.  I've been to the Fragrant Harbour many times before, but I've never really been there since my previous visits have mostly been in transit to LHR or SFO.  So I'm quite excited about this trip since it would practically be a new place for me to visit, not to mention I'm going there with my Dear.

We will be staying in Mongkok, which is the busy but affordable shopping and dining part of Hong Kong in the Kowloon Peninsula, and whose name supposedly and aptly means "busy corner".  So now you know our priorities for going to Hong Kong-- one of our first stops is going to be Sino Centre, upon the insistence of my Dear because that's where she plans to buy some K-pop stuff.

We haven't sorted out our complete itinerary yet, and we're not sure if we want to have a detailed tour plan-- one of the joys of travel is getting lost (and finding your way back, of course).  If time allows we may even make a side trip to the former Portuguese territory of Macau.  Maybe I can use some of the stuff I learned in Portuguese 11 more than a decade ago.  Onde e o banheiro no seu restaurante?