Holiday in Taipei (part 3)

Finally the weather put up on day 3 and we decided to head to 故宫.  Being a little adventurous and cheapskate, we decided to take a bus, thanks to the locals who provided directions.

The only pic with both of us in it - Kathryn & me on the bus

At the entrance of Gu Gong

Spotted these toilet signs.  Aren't they cute?

Tested some shots with the LX5.  Took a pic of the stone lion with flash.

That night, we went to 师大 night market.  This is by far my favourite night market.  Why?  Its got good food, the things they sell are also quite trendy, mainly due to the profile of shoppers there who are from the university nearby.  

Wrapping our order

The final product. Twist and eat.

 And there was the chicken cutlet.  How could I resist it?  This stall has a baked and deep fried version.  Verdict - I liked it, though I would have preferred it more if there were no bones in it.  Singapore's version doesn't have bones and its a lot easier to eat.  But Taipei's chicken cutlets are sooo much bigger, so who's complaining?  Kathryn wasn't that into fried chicken cutlet, so I pretty much ate almost everything.. By the time I finished it, I was already quite full.

Next, we had these 水煎包.  Damn they're good!  Had to queue a little for it, but I tell you this is worth the wait.  Its nice and juicy when hot.  Though I'm not sure how much oil went into making it so tasty.  Well, its only a few days in Taipei, so I should try whatever I can right?

Stall owners preparing the 水煎包. 

This is how it look like.

  

On our way back to the hotel, we decided to stop by the Red House which had been mentioned in Kathryn's Taipei book.

Saw this old chinese typewriter in a showcase.  Made me wonder how the heck you'll use it.  Aren't chinese characters infinite?  Well at least that's my impression.  I can't imagine having enough keys to use on a traditional typewriter.  

See the keys?  No easy feat typing I'm sure!

 

Saw this uncle using spray paint to create art.  I've seen such artwork in production before in one of my trips, but I can't remember exactly where.

Just before we headed back to the hotel, Kathryn said she was still hungry and wanted some Ah Chung mian xian.  I can't imagine why and how she can still be hungry.  Btw, she had the large portion takeaway and ate it in the comfort of our room.  I must confess I did try 1 spoonful just to get a taste.  Its indeed nice. Definitely much better than the one at Raohe night market.

More to come in the next post as we go on a day trip with my cousin who's also on holiday in Taipei.