Direct Flights Only

Taipei

First time in Taiwan. I traveled with Fanni, Daniel, and Angie.

Some observations:

1) Taiwan (called Formosa before) still has strong Japanese influence, based on how people dress up and the shops that line the streets.

2) Taipei is known for its night markets but sadly, they didn't impress me. I'm really a mall person.

3) Lots of mountain ranges -- never seen a city like that

4) Much cleaner than Shanghai and Hong Kong.

5) Public transport -- highly intuitive (referring to the MRT); there are priority seats for the disabled, elderly, and pregnant women (they treat this spot seriously so stay away from the blue seats or be kicked out)

Taipei 101 (the highest building in the world so far)

Front page of local newspaper - general elections were happening on the weekend we visited. The two opposing political parties had green and blue as their official colors so I had to change my travel wardrobe to white, yellow, and black!

Grand Hotel , the first (and/or only?) ancient Chinese looking hotel in Taiwan

Gigantic breaded chicken cutlet - I finished most of the piece I bought. 300x bigger than the Shihlin Taiwanese street snacks they sell here in Singapore

Night market featuring Fanni's long hair.

Angie, me, Daniel, Fanni with the lover's bridge at the background

Interesting. How come we don't have this sign in Singapore MRT stations?

These are the priority seats I was referring to in my entry above. If a passenger sitting in this area pretended not to see, he/she will be an outcast. :-)

More photos : http://leocab.zenfolio.com/p616871095/

Labels: night market, Shihlin, shopping, street snacks, Taipei, Taipei 101

Showdown in Little Tokyo

On board a flight from Tokyo to Singapore (William M - yeah, Mile High Club for nerds).

Had a great time in Tokyo. Sad to leave but excited to come back. Let me tell you why:

1) It experiences the four seasons with winter as my most favorite one
2) Fashion is high on the priority list for people here. If it isn't, then why do women wear mini skirts in winter?
3) Japanese are potentially a friendly bunch of people, if only I knew how to speak their language.
4) It is a perfect example of organised chaos -- hundreds of people crossing the intersection at any given time; you lose a few pounds being squeezed in the train
5) Japan has retained its culture in spite of rapid growth and development

Just outside the Imperial Palace grounds

Extremely busy intersection at Shibuya (Tokyo)

Leaves during winter

Claim to fame shot (you just need to guess who will become more famous after this shot). Random Jap girls at Harajuku. Thanks Tomoko for getting them to pose.

Check out my Fotopage soon for more photos.

Labels: Japan, Shibuya, shopping, Tokyo, winter

One Too Many (Fill in the Blanks) in Thailand

It's always an adventure to visit a place where using English entails utmost creativity and sheer patience. On cab rides, I had no idea if I would reach my destination or if I would have more than one baht at the end of my journey. But all is well, I arrived back in Singapore in one piece with wonderful memories of an awesome 1.5 weeks in Bangkok.

I met new friends and found really cool clothes in Siam Paragon and Central Dept store that would be a welcome addition to a room closet that needs some "reviewing" at yearend.