*ok, it took me another two months to get back to blogging about this trip again. Too much stuff happening and this moment is one of those rare times i’m at a coffee shop writing about non-work-related stuff.
I was so hungry after arriving from Jiufen that I didn’t bother going out of the subway. I just went to an underground mall (I think it was K Underground Mall) to hunt for food. Since I couldn’t read Chinese, I didn’t know what to expect. Only when my food arrived did I realize I was at a Japanese ramen shop. Which was Ok, decent enough.
A bit frustrating on my part since the thing I remember best about Taiwan of 10 years ago were the food and views. I already did the views (Jiufen and Jinguashi), which was already ok but the food part…it was a hit and miss thing. Probably food is better outside of Taipei.
I decided to book another hotel near the Taipei Main Station. Chaiin Hotel is a bit farther than Dairy of Taipei and it took me some time before finding it since it occupies a commercial building i.e. not a standalone building.
It was a bit weird since the reception area is at the basement of that building so to check in, you have to go down first. My room has no windows. It’s like living in a cave again (reminiscent of my stays in Singapore Chinatown)
I wasn’t that much interested in shopping for clothes (since I am not what you call a conventional Asian size i.e. I am fat), so I searched on Google for some alternative stuff I can do to kill time. I am a computer and electronics nut so I decided to pay Guanghua Mall a visit.
From the land of Asus, Acer and HTC, this computer and electronics mall is underwhelming. It was quite normal, with prices comparable to those in Manila. I would’ve have enjoyed Greenhills more back home, at least I could haggle.
My food must have been really blah that I couldn’t remember what I had for dinner that day. So for brunch the next day, I hunted for something to kick my taste buds. I found it a couple of blocks away from my hotel, in some hole-in-the-wall eatery.
Yup, another idiotic situation. I went to Taiwan to eat curry. *facepalm* At least this was up my alley. My food the previous day was so unmemorable that only photos remind me that I had something edible. I was texting my boss about the misses I had food-wise and she said, “San ka ba nagsususuot at bakit wala kang success sa pagkain mo? Mali ata mga pinupuntahan mong lugar!”
*to be continued