Taipei (Day 2)

Continuing from the previous entry, our 2nd day in Taipei brought us to Danshui. Taking the Metro to the Danshui Station, we got off and took a 3 minute walk to Danshui's Old Street. Along this road, you'll be surrounded with stalls on the left and right ... traders plying their goods ... from food to clothing, toys to fun fair games etc. Being foodies, of course we sampled some of the local delicasies. Amongst them were crispy fried chicken filled with melted cheese (ooo la la), taiwanese sausage, bubble tea and a 2 feet tall ice cream (yes ... no kidding, the ice cream is that tall. Will post up a pic of it soon). Just behind the Old Street, one can see the sea already. Just by the side, many artists can be found setting up their makeshift stalls to draw mostly caricature portraits of tourists and locals alike. We got our picture drawn as well (Will also post it up later) and there's a rather funny incident concerning SY and a cockroach. You wanna know more, go ask her yourself. Hehehe.

After much walking, we rested our tired feet in one of 'em li'll cafes. Good coffee and really soothing music but alas, this was not meant to last for soon, three middle aged ladies along with two kids came and sat beside us. They were loud and ermmm ... very very unladylike. Chatting away with ciggies in their mouths ... and the kids ... very ill behaved to say the least. We didn't stay long after that and went ahead to buy boat tickets which will ferry us further up the island.

The boat ride was really scenic and relaxing. Cruising along the mildly choppy waters, the wind gently carressing your face as the sun began to set ... truly, a calming romantic experience to savour. About 20 minutes later, we got off the boat and walked along the wooden planks of the Danshui jetty (see photo above). Here's a perfect location for taking panaromic photos of the setting sun, hence, many photographers can be seen setting up their tripods and clicking away on their expensive DSLRs. As the evening progressed, the photography crowd slowly began to disperse only to be replaced with the sight of romancing couples.

For dinner, we chose to dine at this place by the jetty called The Waterfront Restaurant. Really scrumptuous contemporary fusion food was served and the service was nothing short of excellent. Fantastic ambience with soft lighting, the sound of the lapping waves, french music playing tenderly at the background, lovers whispering sweet nothings into each other ears ... well, you get the picture no? :) Can't think of a better way to wind down the day. Later in the night, a live band performed mostly slow chinese numbers and it suited the scene perfectly. Every melodious note resonated so wonderfully into the dark of the night ... you simply have to be there to really appreciate what I'm describing about here.

After dinner, we took the boat back to the mainland and headed home to our hotel. Beyond any doubt, what a memorable day.