After a sleep deprived trip, today is a fantastic way to start life back in MY.
11:30am: Woke up
12:30pm: Had lunch
1:40pm: Watch Ip Man 2
5:00pm: Got home
6:00pm: Start taking nap
8:30pm: Woke up and cook dinner - yummy tomatoes, sweet basil, bacon spaghetti
11:30pm: Sleep again!
Nice nice nice! I love being a pig!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Day 23, 24 - Taipei - Wulai
Nice... Got to wulai which is somewhere in the Taipei province and stayed a night there. It's basically a place with hot spring and it's nested among the mountains. Also, there's the tallest waterfall! And cable car and train too! So, all in one.
Just came back from XiMen buying souvenirs. So don't expect too much! Just food for all you peeps. Tomorrow going home! So sad...
Just came back from XiMen buying souvenirs. So don't expect too much! Just food for all you peeps. Tomorrow going home! So sad...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Day 22: Dharma Drum Mountain
Today is a day of enlightenment.
I went to this monastery as recommended by ZM (actually.. come to think of it.. it's CM). It's actually a university for Buddhism! It's a huge complex, with gardens, rivers and many praying buildings and research center. It's so peaceful there that for a fraction of second, I was tempted to seek the truth on Buddhism and be a nun.
Then, I just sat down on a big rock and start reflecting. Thinking my conduct for the past few years. Reflecting my sins... Joan, don't start making comments on housework again. This is a serious reflection on LIFE!!! Not housework! :p
So, these are my resolutions:
1. I will try to create awereness to appreciate the people, things and surrounding in my life.
2. I will try not to be wasteful i.e. finish my food rather than throwing away if they don't taste nice (exception: if i found a victim to finish it for me), not to buy unnecessary stuffs (exception: clothing for specific occation and working attire are exemption)
3. I will strive to help and teach others if it's within my capability. This is going to be challenging as I'm highly impatient. In fact, this reminds me of NS (some poor analyst from work) which I sort of feels damn bad now.. :( Coz of my impatience but then again, YT got it worst from me! *innocent face*
I bought a book on Buddhism from the monastery which cost a bomb (but charity ma...). It's Subtle Wisdom. I plan to finish this book as part of the Taiwan journey. Joan, you have to read this...
Btw, can you tell mom... "Happy Mother's Day!!!" I got her some "wisdom" related stuff from the monastery too!
I went to this monastery as recommended by ZM (actually.. come to think of it.. it's CM). It's actually a university for Buddhism! It's a huge complex, with gardens, rivers and many praying buildings and research center. It's so peaceful there that for a fraction of second, I was tempted to seek the truth on Buddhism and be a nun.
Then, I just sat down on a big rock and start reflecting. Thinking my conduct for the past few years. Reflecting my sins... Joan, don't start making comments on housework again. This is a serious reflection on LIFE!!! Not housework! :p
So, these are my resolutions:
1. I will try to create awereness to appreciate the people, things and surrounding in my life.
2. I will try not to be wasteful i.e. finish my food rather than throwing away if they don't taste nice (exception: if i found a victim to finish it for me), not to buy unnecessary stuffs (exception: clothing for specific occation and working attire are exemption)
3. I will strive to help and teach others if it's within my capability. This is going to be challenging as I'm highly impatient. In fact, this reminds me of NS (some poor analyst from work) which I sort of feels damn bad now.. :( Coz of my impatience but then again, YT got it worst from me! *innocent face*
I bought a book on Buddhism from the monastery which cost a bomb (but charity ma...). It's Subtle Wisdom. I plan to finish this book as part of the Taiwan journey. Joan, you have to read this...
Btw, can you tell mom... "Happy Mother's Day!!!" I got her some "wisdom" related stuff from the monastery too!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 20 & 21: Alishan, Fenchihu, Chaiyi
I'm back to Chaiyi! :) Where should I start...?
Alishan - Below my expectation as a whole. I didn't get to see any sunrise. :( It's raining. I get to see cloudssssss below the mountain that I was on. It was cool but could be better with the sunrise. The ride up was horrible. Bumpy and makes me very dizzy. So, I was feeling terrible when I got up the hill at 10am. Headache, dizzy, upset stomach and just bloody moooody. Felt better after a strong cuppa. :)
If I were to summarize Alishan in a sentence, it would be "Tiny town with freaking cold weather, trees everywhere and the main attraction is the thousand years old tree and sunrise." I prefer SML anytime coz it's big enough for dear tourist like me to find a non-tourist spot to relax. :) Nonetheless, it's a must-go!
Fenchihu- Another tiny town near to Alishan which we stopped (bus tour) for less than 2 hours. I met a fellow single Malaysian traveller! :) Marcus from Kuching. This guy is super cool. He booked the flight to Taiwan a night before, didn't know much about Taiwan, no bookings whatsoever. He is on his way to Kaoshiong now.
Chaiyi - I decided to do something more adventurous. I'm taking a night train from Chaiyi to Taipei at 12:47am tonight reaching at Taipei at 5:30am. Save money and I don't think I will take a night train to Singapore or Thailand even if you bribe me. :p So this is probably the only chance I'm going to do this. So now, I have to find a way to kill the time until midnight.
Oh... I'm so careless again! I lost my luggage ticket! (I deposit my luggage at the train station and carry only the backpack to Alishan). :( I have to call some helpline and wait for an hour for the guy to come and unlock my locker. While waiting, a strange guy (scary looking) approached me and started talking "Mei mei, if someone bully me, you must tell me... I will take care of you. Remember to tell me. I will help you." *roll eyes*. He kept walking around me and repeat that! I got scared and walked to the nearest 7-11 and hide there. Now I'm scared to return to the train station at midnight. :(
Alishan - Below my expectation as a whole. I didn't get to see any sunrise. :( It's raining. I get to see cloudssssss below the mountain that I was on. It was cool but could be better with the sunrise. The ride up was horrible. Bumpy and makes me very dizzy. So, I was feeling terrible when I got up the hill at 10am. Headache, dizzy, upset stomach and just bloody moooody. Felt better after a strong cuppa. :)
If I were to summarize Alishan in a sentence, it would be "Tiny town with freaking cold weather, trees everywhere and the main attraction is the thousand years old tree and sunrise." I prefer SML anytime coz it's big enough for dear tourist like me to find a non-tourist spot to relax. :) Nonetheless, it's a must-go!
Fenchihu- Another tiny town near to Alishan which we stopped (bus tour) for less than 2 hours. I met a fellow single Malaysian traveller! :) Marcus from Kuching. This guy is super cool. He booked the flight to Taiwan a night before, didn't know much about Taiwan, no bookings whatsoever. He is on his way to Kaoshiong now.
Chaiyi - I decided to do something more adventurous. I'm taking a night train from Chaiyi to Taipei at 12:47am tonight reaching at Taipei at 5:30am. Save money and I don't think I will take a night train to Singapore or Thailand even if you bribe me. :p So this is probably the only chance I'm going to do this. So now, I have to find a way to kill the time until midnight.
Oh... I'm so careless again! I lost my luggage ticket! (I deposit my luggage at the train station and carry only the backpack to Alishan). :( I have to call some helpline and wait for an hour for the guy to come and unlock my locker. While waiting, a strange guy (scary looking) approached me and started talking "Mei mei, if someone bully me, you must tell me... I will take care of you. Remember to tell me. I will help you." *roll eyes*. He kept walking around me and repeat that! I got scared and walked to the nearest 7-11 and hide there. Now I'm scared to return to the train station at midnight. :(
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Day 19: Chiayi Next!
I spent like *counting* 4 to 5 hours planning where to go next. I got so comfortable in SML that I'm so tempted to extend my stay here. But... gotta start going to my next location.
Initial plan is CingJing. But since I'm running low in cash, I have to weigh between CingJing and Alishan. I chose Alishan! :) CingJing is probably not as exciting as the web claims. It's just a bunch of sheeps lurking around and posing to seduce tourist to go there. I am sure I will go to Switzerland someday. So.. scrap that for now.
I'm going to check out from SML soon, then take a bus to TaiChung and then a train from TaiChung to Chaiyi where I will be staying a night there. Next morning, head out to Alishan damn early in the morning and stay a night in Alishan for the beautiful sunrise (sunrise tour starts at 2:30am. You heard me right... so damn early!). Then, spend a day in Fenchihu and take a late evening train to Taipei (where I will spend another 4 nights).
Don't be mistaken, there are a lot of things to do near Taipei. (Usually involve 1 to 2 hours bus/train ride from Taipei City i.e. Yeliu, YingGe, YangMingShan, etc). And I have got most of them planned out! :)
Thing is... I might not have internet access until I get back to Taipei. So... we will see.. :) Take care!
Initial plan is CingJing. But since I'm running low in cash, I have to weigh between CingJing and Alishan. I chose Alishan! :) CingJing is probably not as exciting as the web claims. It's just a bunch of sheeps lurking around and posing to seduce tourist to go there. I am sure I will go to Switzerland someday. So.. scrap that for now.
I'm going to check out from SML soon, then take a bus to TaiChung and then a train from TaiChung to Chaiyi where I will be staying a night there. Next morning, head out to Alishan damn early in the morning and stay a night in Alishan for the beautiful sunrise (sunrise tour starts at 2:30am. You heard me right... so damn early!). Then, spend a day in Fenchihu and take a late evening train to Taipei (where I will spend another 4 nights).
Don't be mistaken, there are a lot of things to do near Taipei. (Usually involve 1 to 2 hours bus/train ride from Taipei City i.e. Yeliu, YingGe, YangMingShan, etc). And I have got most of them planned out! :)
Thing is... I might not have internet access until I get back to Taipei. So... we will see.. :) Take care!
Day 18: Sun Moon Lake - Raining
Cable car is not open to public due to maintenance today. *bummer*. But, it's probably a good thing since it's raining since 3pm. I went around different sites of the lake for sight seeing and suddenly remember one of the intent for my trip - to ponder on life. Hahahha.. Don't laugh or put on that funny face. :p
I thought of many many things today:
1. The lake sparkles like a million stars on it. It's thing like this that we never pay attention to. I'm sure the Shah Alam lake garden looks like this. Maybe instead of tiny little stars, it looks like a god damn sun coz of the strong rays. When you are so occupied with work/stress, you never pay attention to your environment, surrounding or people in your life. You never see their beauty or what they can offer. Life just passes you by if you don't pause and look up.
2. I remember telling this to CM couple of days back. "When I was young, I always pray for the same thing. I pray for good death. That I will die a quick and painless death. I guess when I was young, I saw the suffering that my grandma went through. She was bed ridden for 20 years, had various illness including stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. I don't want any of that... And that I always believe I will die when I'm in my thirties." CM looked at me solemnly and said "If you believe it, it will happen." We talked more after that and I made a mental note to change my believe but had never indulged in it. I spent a good 30 minutes telling myself this today "I will live until I'm 70" :)
3. I was trying to figure out my 3-years plan. I will be 30 by then. Okie.. it's technically 30 coz it's April now. :p. First thought, I should be married by then! *Annoyed* I hate that little voice in my brain telling me my body clock. I'm 24 at heart, brain! Okie okie, I spent hours after hours trying to figure this out. So what if I'm ACN M, SM or whatever. So what if I have 5 figure monthly salary and can buy a house. But... will I walk on the streets and smile to myself as often as I have been for these past few days? It's contagious because you are smiling from the heart! I thought about this long and hard. I bought a postcard and wrote this "Capturing this inner peace and happiness. Remember this." while staring out at the beautiful lake sipping my hot latte.
I look forward to my next "enlightenment"!!!
I thought of many many things today:
1. The lake sparkles like a million stars on it. It's thing like this that we never pay attention to. I'm sure the Shah Alam lake garden looks like this. Maybe instead of tiny little stars, it looks like a god damn sun coz of the strong rays. When you are so occupied with work/stress, you never pay attention to your environment, surrounding or people in your life. You never see their beauty or what they can offer. Life just passes you by if you don't pause and look up.
2. I remember telling this to CM couple of days back. "When I was young, I always pray for the same thing. I pray for good death. That I will die a quick and painless death. I guess when I was young, I saw the suffering that my grandma went through. She was bed ridden for 20 years, had various illness including stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. I don't want any of that... And that I always believe I will die when I'm in my thirties." CM looked at me solemnly and said "If you believe it, it will happen." We talked more after that and I made a mental note to change my believe but had never indulged in it. I spent a good 30 minutes telling myself this today "I will live until I'm 70" :)
3. I was trying to figure out my 3-years plan. I will be 30 by then. Okie.. it's technically 30 coz it's April now. :p. First thought, I should be married by then! *Annoyed* I hate that little voice in my brain telling me my body clock. I'm 24 at heart, brain! Okie okie, I spent hours after hours trying to figure this out. So what if I'm ACN M, SM or whatever. So what if I have 5 figure monthly salary and can buy a house. But... will I walk on the streets and smile to myself as often as I have been for these past few days? It's contagious because you are smiling from the heart! I thought about this long and hard. I bought a postcard and wrote this "Capturing this inner peace and happiness. Remember this." while staring out at the beautiful lake sipping my hot latte.
I look forward to my next "enlightenment"!!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Day 17: Sun Moon Lake - Around the lake in Electrical Bike
It's fun. Almost like a scooter except that it's whole lot slooooowwwer. But, it's a good way to get around the island!
I just got back from my "sunset tour". Basically, when I got there (Da Chu Hu trail), the sun has already set! I missed it coz I was watching Cinderalla on HBO featured Drew Barrymore. :| Yeah... I know.. I'm stupid and you know what.. the movie is not even nice! Damn it. On the way to the trail, I have a minor road casualty. *sob sob*. My left hand and right feet got hurt. There was road construction on the hilly road on the way to the trail. And dummy me got myself squeezed between a big truck and a stone wall. Nothing major. Just painful and very little blood.
There is no night life in SML. Buses seize their operation at 6pm and the streets barely has any lights. Don't be mistaken, they do have lamp posts along the road, just that they are not working. :| I thought of going for night bike tour but I have got no balls to do that. I'm scared of the dark especially if it's a forest/hill/deserted kind of place. :(
I noticed that I talk to myself more often than usual now. Sometimes out loud but usually not. It's been 3 days since I have a real conversation with another human. Real conversation as in not ordering food or asking for directions. Apparently, SML is a place for honeymoon. And yeah... come to think of it, I see many couples and rarely (almost none) single traveller. It's picturesque and full of tourists (certain areas) but I feel so lonely... :( 8 more days and I miss home already!
Nonetheless, I'm still hopeful that I will find another travelmate as awesome as CM! Else, I'm going to buy another nice fiction. :)
Cable car tomorrow!
I just got back from my "sunset tour". Basically, when I got there (Da Chu Hu trail), the sun has already set! I missed it coz I was watching Cinderalla on HBO featured Drew Barrymore. :| Yeah... I know.. I'm stupid and you know what.. the movie is not even nice! Damn it. On the way to the trail, I have a minor road casualty. *sob sob*. My left hand and right feet got hurt. There was road construction on the hilly road on the way to the trail. And dummy me got myself squeezed between a big truck and a stone wall. Nothing major. Just painful and very little blood.
There is no night life in SML. Buses seize their operation at 6pm and the streets barely has any lights. Don't be mistaken, they do have lamp posts along the road, just that they are not working. :| I thought of going for night bike tour but I have got no balls to do that. I'm scared of the dark especially if it's a forest/hill/deserted kind of place. :(
I noticed that I talk to myself more often than usual now. Sometimes out loud but usually not. It's been 3 days since I have a real conversation with another human. Real conversation as in not ordering food or asking for directions. Apparently, SML is a place for honeymoon. And yeah... come to think of it, I see many couples and rarely (almost none) single traveller. It's picturesque and full of tourists (certain areas) but I feel so lonely... :( 8 more days and I miss home already!
Nonetheless, I'm still hopeful that I will find another travelmate as awesome as CM! Else, I'm going to buy another nice fiction. :)
Cable car tomorrow!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 16: Sun Moon Lake - Jogging and Cycling
Okie... The jogging trail ain't for jogging. It's actually a hiking path similar to bukit chiling and the like. Not recommended for single lady running up alone at 6:30pm. :| I went 20% of the way up and it's just spooky to go up there alone! So I decided to turn around. But the peak is one of the best spot to see sunset! :( Damn...
Rented a bicycle with the mission to cycle around the lake. All 40+ km of it. But.. *blushed* a mission sometimes is a not a reality *wink*. I started the wrong path and head straight to the uphill ride for 2 hours. *super tiring*. But the way back up takes 15 mins! All downhill. So... didn't do much today. Cycling mission failed. Jogging mission failed. End up buying coffee, pudding and snacks from 7-11 and finished reading Citizen Vince. It's a weird book. But I like the way the author narrates it.
Tomorrow, I have something more exciting lined up! Going to either:
1. Get a hop on/off bus tix
2. Take a cable car to the aborigine settlement
3. Rent a 24-hours motored bicycle (gotta play start this time)
As for the rest of the day... Mmmm... sleep early like at 10pm early.
Rented a bicycle with the mission to cycle around the lake. All 40+ km of it. But.. *blushed* a mission sometimes is a not a reality *wink*. I started the wrong path and head straight to the uphill ride for 2 hours. *super tiring*. But the way back up takes 15 mins! All downhill. So... didn't do much today. Cycling mission failed. Jogging mission failed. End up buying coffee, pudding and snacks from 7-11 and finished reading Citizen Vince. It's a weird book. But I like the way the author narrates it.
Tomorrow, I have something more exciting lined up! Going to either:
1. Get a hop on/off bus tix
2. Take a cable car to the aborigine settlement
3. Rent a 24-hours motored bicycle (gotta play start this time)
As for the rest of the day... Mmmm... sleep early like at 10pm early.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Day 15: Sun Moon Lake - So perfect!
TaiChung is sooo boring. The night market was good. There are a lot of good food which features in many Taiwanese shows. I took the opportunity to feast like a big bad cow and look like one now... :(
Other than the famous night market, there's not much to it. So, I have moved to SML in advance. Will be staying here for 5 days 4 nights in total! It's really just a small town that doesn't need so many days to explore. But, it is really peaceful here. Since, I arrived a day in advance and this is the Labor Day weekend, this place is booked out! But as luck has it, it worked out nicely for me. There's this 3-beds chalet which was closed due to ants problem (ants falling off from ceiling to the double bed and but affecting single bed) which they have offered me at the dorm price. Of course I took it! It's just so perfect! The chalet is nested in the forest and you can hear the birds chirping any time of the day. The air is fresh and cool and the chalet is facing the lake with a backdrop of the moutains. It's so nice that I have decided to stay in for the night and eat potato chips and instant noodle for dinner! Hahaha..
Another awesome thing about this place. Once I step out of the chalet, I'm directly on the jogging/walking trail leading up to a moutain. It's safe. Don't worry. This is a tourist trail which is recommended in the local visitor guide book. :)
It's so peaceful I think I'm going to write a poem!
Other than the famous night market, there's not much to it. So, I have moved to SML in advance. Will be staying here for 5 days 4 nights in total! It's really just a small town that doesn't need so many days to explore. But, it is really peaceful here. Since, I arrived a day in advance and this is the Labor Day weekend, this place is booked out! But as luck has it, it worked out nicely for me. There's this 3-beds chalet which was closed due to ants problem (ants falling off from ceiling to the double bed and but affecting single bed) which they have offered me at the dorm price. Of course I took it! It's just so perfect! The chalet is nested in the forest and you can hear the birds chirping any time of the day. The air is fresh and cool and the chalet is facing the lake with a backdrop of the moutains. It's so nice that I have decided to stay in for the night and eat potato chips and instant noodle for dinner! Hahaha..
Another awesome thing about this place. Once I step out of the chalet, I'm directly on the jogging/walking trail leading up to a moutain. It's safe. Don't worry. This is a tourist trail which is recommended in the local visitor guide book. :)
It's so peaceful I think I'm going to write a poem!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Day 14: Taichung
Just reached Taichung. Damn tiring! Instead of going to KaoShiong, I have decided to go to Taichung instead. Apparently there are more things to do. But... I'm all alone and staying in a hotel. It's not a hostel where I can bunk in and talk to strangers at all! :( Don't like this one bit. So don't think I will be staying here for long. Checking out tomorrow!
CM is super awesome. He disappeared yesterday and reappeared with a travel book on Taiwan. He thinks that I need one since I will be travelling alone. :) I lost it though... :( I think I left it in some Hotel when I was going around looking for a hotel in Taichung which is really tough since it's 1st of May today. Hotels are fully booked! Got to know a super hotelier. He call around for available hotels and even haggle to get a good price for me (20% off!). He also drove me there... :)
I think I'm super blessed in this trip. To be honest, I think I am starting to miss CM already. I need another travel mate as awesome as that! Okie.. going to Night Market now!
CM is super awesome. He disappeared yesterday and reappeared with a travel book on Taiwan. He thinks that I need one since I will be travelling alone. :) I lost it though... :( I think I left it in some Hotel when I was going around looking for a hotel in Taichung which is really tough since it's 1st of May today. Hotels are fully booked! Got to know a super hotelier. He call around for available hotels and even haggle to get a good price for me (20% off!). He also drove me there... :)
I think I'm super blessed in this trip. To be honest, I think I am starting to miss CM already. I need another travel mate as awesome as that! Okie.. going to Night Market now!
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