Day 2 - Tai Chung

Sad to say, I think one of the most memorable things for day 2 were the short but frequent bus trips as we crossed from Central Taipei -> Northen-most Taiwan -> North-western Taiwan -> Tai Chung. 99% of the time, I fell asleep, lullled by the soothing voice of tour guide Paul, as he droned on Everest of historical facts and his own take on the cross-straits issue. Believe me, I really did try very hard to stay awake. It's just that those nerves between the brain and eyes chose to be disconnected then.

Cat-naps aside, there were some stopovers worth mentioning e.g. Yang Ming Shan sulphur vent regions - where we smelt and saw small bubbling mineral puddles in a super cold, hilly, foggy mountaineous region. It's the place where toes in open sandals get frozen, I should know.



Ye Liu - where amazingly beautiful, natural rock formations the shape of bee hives, ginger, carp etc stood, the products of years of intense sea waves erosion.





Jiu(3) Fen(4) (literally 9 portions) - a fabulous market tucked within long winding alley ways, hidden within a mountainside town. Upslope, downslope, you get to burn off some calories as you explore this authentic, unusual market. Just nice too, if you wish to sample those BBQ giant clams, BBQ abalone mushrooms, fried glutinous red meat, ginger soup with yam and pumpkin cubes, mixed pork and fishballs soup...





Fengjia Night market - a big eating and shopping district, where you get to cross roads and junctions, unlike the Xi Men Ding where everything's centralised. This time round, braised chicken innards and duck wings, fried 5-spiced pumpkin strips and fried chive pancake were on the menu.

It's only the 2nd day, and I want to become no Lydia Sum. Wish me resolve.