Run Of The Mill (Part 8)
About 6 months into his work as a Project Engineer, Niv had started to be in contact with Heng again. At first it was just simple SMS or a coffee. Then they started going for dinner and drinks together. They even found a place where they liked the performance of the band that they went back again and again. Niv was wondering where this will take them. Is he just a friend or did he now stand a chance with Heng? He did not know. When Niv had tendered his resignation, he felt he needed a break and asked Heng to go on a trip with him. At first, Heng was hesitant but later agreed. They had wanted to head to Macau but as it was too boring, they eventually decided to head to Taiwan. Heng was immensely interested in the Taiwan trip but was still pondering over the cost. Before she knew it, Niv had booked the tour package and told Heng that they were going. Heng was so excited and really looked forward to the trip. Niv was very happy as he never expected Heng to be willing to go on a trip with him and it was his first trip alone with another gal. He was not looking forward to anything happening as he only wanted to enjoy the company he was having. Although he had booked for Twin-Sharing, the tour agency thought they were a couple, causing a slight displeasure to Heng.
Excerpt from Trip Diary:
Heylos! In case you are wondering where I have galivanted to, I am in TAIWAN! Have been here since yesterday and currently in Hualien. These past 2 days I have visited places like Xi Men Ding, Taipei 101, rode on the Bullet Train, visited Jiu Fen, Dan Shui Old Street and the Yi Lan National Center for the Arts. This place is really nice! Well....the company is good too. Came on this trip with Heng.
Day One
Touch down Tao Yuan International Airport after a six hour flight from Singapore. Paid a little extra to fly by Singapore Airlines. Not that we wanted luxury but because too many bad press about China Airlines in recent news.
We enjoyed the famous mee sua at Xi Men Ding and went up to the top of Taipei 101 for a view of the city. While at Xi Men Ding, I smelt something very nice smelling and when I followed my nose......WOW! SMELLY TOUFU! It tasted really nice and it was not smelly at all! Hahaha. I never knew Heng was afraid of heights and yet she wanted to go to the very top. The wind was really strong up there and it was drizzling lightly too.
Day Two
The day started with a ride on the Taiwan bullet train. It was a quick ride but I feel that Shanghai's Maglev is faster. Not sure. Hahahaha. Visited the lover's bridge thereafter, otherwise known as Yu Ren Ma Tou (Fisherman's Wharf). This bridge was made famous in drama serials and we made friends with a lady who happened to be walking her dog on this day. We visited Dan Shui old street after this and we tried out them IRON EGG! Actually they aren't really iron, they are just eggs which have been boiled in chinese herbal medicine until it shrink down to the size of a quail's egg.
It started to drizzle by mid-day when we made our way to Jiu-Fen. Thankfully the sky gods were kind to us and we managed to visit this little town on the top of a hill with little problems. Met a family from Hong Kong while we were having our lunch and had a hearty conversation with them. Heng could understand what we were talking about but she could not converse as her Cantonese is not too good.
Day Three
Visited the Taroko Gorge area today. Alas, there was a collapse of some rocks and caused the road to be closed. The tour group took some photos at a rest stop half way up and we enjoyed some of the views here. Visited a mini temple too.
This night, we stayed at the Zi Xi Manor in Taitung. This was our first stop for natural springs. After the long trip to this locale, the spring pool was a welcome relief. We had a great time at the outdoor pool, laughing and joking with the rest of the tourmates. We even had a muah chee making session and lit off some fireworks. Wow! It sure feels nice here.
Day Four
In the morning we headed over to the Chu Lu ranch where we were introduced to how the animals were milked and I kinda felt that this place was a tourist trap. SGD1 just to buy a handful of grass to feed the cows?!?!?! What the......On a side note......Heng had selected some chocolates for purchase but I forgot to take it after we had paid for it! AHHHHH! Stupid!
We then moved on to Ken Ding National Park! Ooh Yeah! I have heard so much about this place from them tv programs and was looking forward to some of the activities here. We went to the lookout point at Mao Pi Tou which overlooked the Taiwan Straits and onward to mainland China. We also visited the now defunct lighthouse in the area. Apparently, all these locations including the hotel we are staying at today, Howard Kending Hotel, is located within the Ken Ding National Park. We wanted to play with some fireworks but local laws does not allow it. Ah well, we do not want to cause harm to this beautiful national park.
We just came back from a night out walking along the night street of Ken Ding and we bought many many muah chee. We even had a short chill out session at a pub a short stone throw from the hotel. We were lucky to get back to the hotel just as the rain began to fall.
Day Five
The breakfast this morning was the best one we had during the entire trip. Finally we are getting our money's worth. We set off from Ken Ding to Fo Guang Shan Temple. The temple has been around for a very long time and there were alot of Buddhist relics in the temple's museum.
From Fo Guang Shan, our pit stop for today is Kao Shiung. We went to the Kao Shuing Dream Mall. It is supposed to be Taipei's biggest mall but I am not much into shopping so I can not really comment. There were alot of shops here, selling things which we could get easily in Singapore but Heng says that there are some models here which are not available back in Singapore. Oh well......I defer to the shopping expert.
A cruise down Kao Shiung Love River was next on the agenda and it was really interesting. Hahaha. Well, it ain't that romantic to begin with but it was a nice cruise nonetheless. The sad thing about today was the bad service at the restaurant where we had our dinner. The waitress in a rush to serve the dishes, kept throwing the dishes on to the table and then it happened. The soup slipped from her grasp, crashed on to the table and I almost got hit. Sigh. Well, at least we stayed at the Howard Kao Shiung for tonight. One of the better hotels around.
Sadly or happily, depends on whom you ask, while we were waiting for some tourmates to come down so that we can go out to visit the Xin Jue Jiang street, one of the other tourmates mentioned that Heng and I made a great couple. Heng was not happy and wanted to make things right but I chose not to. She even questioned me later on why I did not clarify the issue. Doesn't she know my feelings? Sigh. Anyways, she stocked up on alot of shoes and I even had to get another bag so that we could pack the shoes in. WAH!
Day Six
Visited various tourist traps today. First it was to the Shao Tribe where we bought Ling Zhi and Royal Jelly. Lunch was at a restaurant next to the Sun Moon Lake. The lake looked beautiful but the strong sun beating down killed any good photos. Time I moved on to SLR cameras. There was also a short visit to the Wen Wu Temple. This temple worships Confucius, Yue Fei and Guan Yu. Hmmm......genuine worship or tourist trap?
Then it was on to the Nine Aboriginal Tribe theme park. It was really fun there but I did not get a chance to try the gravity drop. Hahaha. The day rounded off at a hotel in Tai Tung, where we enjoyed some in house piped natural spring water. The group gatherings at the spring bath are always a hoot. Unfortunately, the 2 spring baths we visited are all unisex and swimsuits and shower caps are a must. Damn. Hahaha.
Day Seven
Just arrived back in Taipei today. Staying at the Sheraton hotel leh. Dun play play ah. We has lunch at a restaurant called the Five Cent Drift Wood House. Apparently the architecture of the restaurant is unique and the lady owner has the strong backing of her husband. I am not sure how true it is but there are those who says that all her restaurants are still in the red because of the cost of the construction. Hmmm...... We headed over to the Martyr's Shrine after lunch to catch the changing of the guards. It occurs every 30 minutes and nobody is allowed to touch, lean, bump or make any form of contact with the guards. Hwah!
Finally we made our way to the Shi Lin night market. We tried out the XXL chicken there but I feel that the pseudo ones in Singapore give better quality ones. We strolled through the night market looking for something to get. I have not gotten anything for myself during this entire trip and I was hoping to get something. Alas, nothing caught my eye but many caught Heng's eyes. No wonder they say that Taiwan can be a shopper's paradise. Hahaha. OK, time to wrap up now, Heng is about to be done with her shower and then we will be returning back to Singapore tomorrow.
Day Eight
Today while waiting for our flight back to Singapore, we went shopping for some new Levi's jeans for Heng. She looked really good in them. We were almost late back at the hotel as the bus was waiting to bring us to the airport and everyone else had already boarded. Phew! Haha.
I had a pleasant surprise today while boarding the plane at the airport. While lining up to get on board the plane, I saw a former coursemate of mine from my photography module in my university days. Nope, it is not Zhen. It is another pretty girl from the class. She was there on a holiday with her parents. While on the plane, after heading to the washroom, I had went up to her seat and chatted with her. We were catching up when Heng came up to me.
"Why are you here and not at our seat? You were gone for so long," said Heng.
"I saw my coursemate while boarding the plane and came here to chat with her for a while. She was in Taiwan for a tour with her parents but with another tour agency" Niv replied
"Hello" Niv's coursemate said to Heng.
"Hi," said Heng, smiling, "People are feeling tired, let them rest. OK? Come back quickly."
"Ok. Be right back," said Niv.
"Nice meeting you," said Heng to Niv's coursemate.
"Nice meeting you too," said Niv's coursemate. When Heng was out of earshot, Niv's coursemate asked Niv, "Your girlfriend?"
"I wish. I hope so."
"Well, I sense a very strong smell of vinegar(jealousy)," she smiled.
"Haha. I hope that it is a good sign. I really do like her."
"Good luck"
"Thanks. I best be getting back now or she will not be happy. Take care."
"See Ya"
That seemed the only time I felt that Heng was not happy about me spending time with someone else. Hmmm.......Could it be? These 8 days spent with her have allowed me to know her better but alas, maybe I was not much of a company for her and she preferred to spend more time with the other tourmates. Sigh. Ah well, all in all a good trip.
Excerpt from Trip Diary:
Heylos! In case you are wondering where I have galivanted to, I am in TAIWAN! Have been here since yesterday and currently in Hualien. These past 2 days I have visited places like Xi Men Ding, Taipei 101, rode on the Bullet Train, visited Jiu Fen, Dan Shui Old Street and the Yi Lan National Center for the Arts. This place is really nice! Well....the company is good too. Came on this trip with Heng.
Day One
Touch down Tao Yuan International Airport after a six hour flight from Singapore. Paid a little extra to fly by Singapore Airlines. Not that we wanted luxury but because too many bad press about China Airlines in recent news.
We enjoyed the famous mee sua at Xi Men Ding and went up to the top of Taipei 101 for a view of the city. While at Xi Men Ding, I smelt something very nice smelling and when I followed my nose......WOW! SMELLY TOUFU! It tasted really nice and it was not smelly at all! Hahaha. I never knew Heng was afraid of heights and yet she wanted to go to the very top. The wind was really strong up there and it was drizzling lightly too.
Day Two
The day started with a ride on the Taiwan bullet train. It was a quick ride but I feel that Shanghai's Maglev is faster. Not sure. Hahahaha. Visited the lover's bridge thereafter, otherwise known as Yu Ren Ma Tou (Fisherman's Wharf). This bridge was made famous in drama serials and we made friends with a lady who happened to be walking her dog on this day. We visited Dan Shui old street after this and we tried out them IRON EGG! Actually they aren't really iron, they are just eggs which have been boiled in chinese herbal medicine until it shrink down to the size of a quail's egg.
It started to drizzle by mid-day when we made our way to Jiu-Fen. Thankfully the sky gods were kind to us and we managed to visit this little town on the top of a hill with little problems. Met a family from Hong Kong while we were having our lunch and had a hearty conversation with them. Heng could understand what we were talking about but she could not converse as her Cantonese is not too good.
Day Three
Visited the Taroko Gorge area today. Alas, there was a collapse of some rocks and caused the road to be closed. The tour group took some photos at a rest stop half way up and we enjoyed some of the views here. Visited a mini temple too.
This night, we stayed at the Zi Xi Manor in Taitung. This was our first stop for natural springs. After the long trip to this locale, the spring pool was a welcome relief. We had a great time at the outdoor pool, laughing and joking with the rest of the tourmates. We even had a muah chee making session and lit off some fireworks. Wow! It sure feels nice here.
Day Four
In the morning we headed over to the Chu Lu ranch where we were introduced to how the animals were milked and I kinda felt that this place was a tourist trap. SGD1 just to buy a handful of grass to feed the cows?!?!?! What the......On a side note......Heng had selected some chocolates for purchase but I forgot to take it after we had paid for it! AHHHHH! Stupid!
We then moved on to Ken Ding National Park! Ooh Yeah! I have heard so much about this place from them tv programs and was looking forward to some of the activities here. We went to the lookout point at Mao Pi Tou which overlooked the Taiwan Straits and onward to mainland China. We also visited the now defunct lighthouse in the area. Apparently, all these locations including the hotel we are staying at today, Howard Kending Hotel, is located within the Ken Ding National Park. We wanted to play with some fireworks but local laws does not allow it. Ah well, we do not want to cause harm to this beautiful national park.
We just came back from a night out walking along the night street of Ken Ding and we bought many many muah chee. We even had a short chill out session at a pub a short stone throw from the hotel. We were lucky to get back to the hotel just as the rain began to fall.
Day Five
The breakfast this morning was the best one we had during the entire trip. Finally we are getting our money's worth. We set off from Ken Ding to Fo Guang Shan Temple. The temple has been around for a very long time and there were alot of Buddhist relics in the temple's museum.
From Fo Guang Shan, our pit stop for today is Kao Shiung. We went to the Kao Shuing Dream Mall. It is supposed to be Taipei's biggest mall but I am not much into shopping so I can not really comment. There were alot of shops here, selling things which we could get easily in Singapore but Heng says that there are some models here which are not available back in Singapore. Oh well......I defer to the shopping expert.
A cruise down Kao Shiung Love River was next on the agenda and it was really interesting. Hahaha. Well, it ain't that romantic to begin with but it was a nice cruise nonetheless. The sad thing about today was the bad service at the restaurant where we had our dinner. The waitress in a rush to serve the dishes, kept throwing the dishes on to the table and then it happened. The soup slipped from her grasp, crashed on to the table and I almost got hit. Sigh. Well, at least we stayed at the Howard Kao Shiung for tonight. One of the better hotels around.
Sadly or happily, depends on whom you ask, while we were waiting for some tourmates to come down so that we can go out to visit the Xin Jue Jiang street, one of the other tourmates mentioned that Heng and I made a great couple. Heng was not happy and wanted to make things right but I chose not to. She even questioned me later on why I did not clarify the issue. Doesn't she know my feelings? Sigh. Anyways, she stocked up on alot of shoes and I even had to get another bag so that we could pack the shoes in. WAH!
Day Six
Visited various tourist traps today. First it was to the Shao Tribe where we bought Ling Zhi and Royal Jelly. Lunch was at a restaurant next to the Sun Moon Lake. The lake looked beautiful but the strong sun beating down killed any good photos. Time I moved on to SLR cameras. There was also a short visit to the Wen Wu Temple. This temple worships Confucius, Yue Fei and Guan Yu. Hmmm......genuine worship or tourist trap?
Then it was on to the Nine Aboriginal Tribe theme park. It was really fun there but I did not get a chance to try the gravity drop. Hahaha. The day rounded off at a hotel in Tai Tung, where we enjoyed some in house piped natural spring water. The group gatherings at the spring bath are always a hoot. Unfortunately, the 2 spring baths we visited are all unisex and swimsuits and shower caps are a must. Damn. Hahaha.
Day Seven
Just arrived back in Taipei today. Staying at the Sheraton hotel leh. Dun play play ah. We has lunch at a restaurant called the Five Cent Drift Wood House. Apparently the architecture of the restaurant is unique and the lady owner has the strong backing of her husband. I am not sure how true it is but there are those who says that all her restaurants are still in the red because of the cost of the construction. Hmmm...... We headed over to the Martyr's Shrine after lunch to catch the changing of the guards. It occurs every 30 minutes and nobody is allowed to touch, lean, bump or make any form of contact with the guards. Hwah!
Finally we made our way to the Shi Lin night market. We tried out the XXL chicken there but I feel that the pseudo ones in Singapore give better quality ones. We strolled through the night market looking for something to get. I have not gotten anything for myself during this entire trip and I was hoping to get something. Alas, nothing caught my eye but many caught Heng's eyes. No wonder they say that Taiwan can be a shopper's paradise. Hahaha. OK, time to wrap up now, Heng is about to be done with her shower and then we will be returning back to Singapore tomorrow.
Day Eight
Today while waiting for our flight back to Singapore, we went shopping for some new Levi's jeans for Heng. She looked really good in them. We were almost late back at the hotel as the bus was waiting to bring us to the airport and everyone else had already boarded. Phew! Haha.
I had a pleasant surprise today while boarding the plane at the airport. While lining up to get on board the plane, I saw a former coursemate of mine from my photography module in my university days. Nope, it is not Zhen. It is another pretty girl from the class. She was there on a holiday with her parents. While on the plane, after heading to the washroom, I had went up to her seat and chatted with her. We were catching up when Heng came up to me.
"Why are you here and not at our seat? You were gone for so long," said Heng.
"I saw my coursemate while boarding the plane and came here to chat with her for a while. She was in Taiwan for a tour with her parents but with another tour agency" Niv replied
"Hello" Niv's coursemate said to Heng.
"Hi," said Heng, smiling, "People are feeling tired, let them rest. OK? Come back quickly."
"Ok. Be right back," said Niv.
"Nice meeting you," said Heng to Niv's coursemate.
"Nice meeting you too," said Niv's coursemate. When Heng was out of earshot, Niv's coursemate asked Niv, "Your girlfriend?"
"I wish. I hope so."
"Well, I sense a very strong smell of vinegar(jealousy)," she smiled.
"Haha. I hope that it is a good sign. I really do like her."
"Good luck"
"Thanks. I best be getting back now or she will not be happy. Take care."
"See Ya"
That seemed the only time I felt that Heng was not happy about me spending time with someone else. Hmmm.......Could it be? These 8 days spent with her have allowed me to know her better but alas, maybe I was not much of a company for her and she preferred to spend more time with the other tourmates. Sigh. Ah well, all in all a good trip.
posted by Prosage at 4:17 am
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