Taiwan – HK

I wanted to use my air miles up, so that was my motivation for the trip. There was no direct flight to Taiwan for free, but I could find a ticket to Xiamen. So, I landed in China once and took a ferry to Kinmen Island. Even though the island is a stone’s throw from Xiamen, it is Taiwanese territory. When I got off the ferry, I passed through Immigration. Then I moved to the airport and I flew to Taipei. It was a long way around, but an exciting experience.

BTW, I dashed to the night market upon arrival in Taipei. *28/12/16

The primary objective of travelling to Taiwan was to buy traditional herbal medicine and eat soup dumplings. First, I visited Dihua Street to get herbal medicines. There were many sorts of medicine that were intended for the locals. Also, the architecture was quaint. Next, I found a local restaurant on Yongkang Street that serves tasty soup dumplings. I wanted to try this non-luxury dish.

BTW, I managed to visit Chiufen by bus 1062. I left before sunset to avoid standing in a long queue at the bus stop, though. *29/12/16

I unusually set aside my curios mind and revisited Yongkang’s soup dumpling restaurant as yesterday. After lunch, I took the Taiwan High-Speed Rail to Gaoxiong. The local train would give us a more local experience, but I chose to arrive earlier. The train was made in Japan. I forgot to eat pork ribs rice on the train. Gaoxiong is the second largest in Taiwan and it is in the south, so I found it was a bit warmer than in Taipei.

BTW, Taiwan seems less noisy and more affable. *30/12/16

Before leaving Taiwan, I visited Cijin Peninsula to see the sea. Then, I walked around Sanduo Shopping District. Anyway, my motivation went into a slump. So I went to the airport 3 hours before departure. I was bored waiting to board and, what was worse, The flight departed two hours behind schedule. The moment I arrived in HK at 10pm, I headed to the bay area to enjoy New Year’s Eve.

BTW, crowds of people blocked me from reaching the waterfront. I saw fireworks through the gap of the buildings. *31/12/16

I visited HK 20 years ago, so I tended to cast my mind to the last trip. The city had a vibrant feel to it as always. First, I took a ferry to Kowloon. And, I ate testy shrimp wonton noodles at Tsim Chai Kee Noodle. I found the restaurant by luck, but it seemed to be famous. Next, I visited the dim sum restaurant I’d been to last time but noticed that the pushing cart system didn’t exist anymore. The city was buzzing and I never ran out of things to do.

BTW, overhanging neon signs were far fewer than before. *1/1/17

Dim sum is about breakfast. I searched the cart style ones and I visited Lin Heung Kui early in the morning. Many locals were eating dim sum while reading the newspaper. I shared a table with locals and I chose some dishes from the cart. I was happy but I hope I was not interrupting the local routine. Anyway, when I went to eat wonton at Mak Man Kee, I first entered a cafe next door by mistake. And I ordered a noodle, I was laughed at by the next lady.

BTW, I enjoyed horseracing betting, despite not winning. *2/1/17

The afternoon before, I went to Lo Wu – Shenzhen and passed through the China border on foot. Then I headed to Guangzhou. I was there to get on the plane using a free ticket. Anyway, There’s a famous saying, “Gourmet begins at Guangzhou”. Probably, there were many special cuisines, but I had dim sum again at Xi Guan Ren Jia. If anything, Hong Kong was more quaint.

BTW, I felt very lucky that I could have tasty meals in each country despite free flight. *3/1/17