Japan Trip #10 - Chasing snow and onsen during zombie apocalypse

[rbjhan]

JAL Sakura Lounge KIX
Same curry rice

Good thing I ate in the lounge.
Coz for some unknown reason (temporary brain dead?) I ordered some healthy meal online....
OMG they were so bad....that chicken died for nothing....


J was half full so each of us had two seats.


Uneventful flight.
Next up, Taipei!

 

[rbjhan]

Landed at TPE about 9.15pm?
Man they are sure taking this whole Corona Virus thingy seriously. My AU passport couldn't go through the eGate (was working fine last time), had to queue....Then there was another queue for health declarations, even local residents must submit one, so the queue was loooooong.

When I reached Hotel Royal Nikko it was close to midnight
Scratch plan for Ning Xia night market, sigh.


Overlooking a small park.

 

[rbjhan]

I'm guessing the majority of guests here were Japanese.
The staff all spoke Japanese first to anyone came in...

And then found this in a drawer.


Very innocent looking, no?
I opened it, pages and pages of....


Even with a map marking them out!
So that's what Japanese tourists do in Taipei all day, foot reflexology?
I must try one clearly....

 

[rbjhan]

Taiwanese breakfast is a must-eat if you are visiting.
Egg pancake, rice rolls, turnip cake, steamed buns, soy milk, breakfast sandwiches....
Lots of famous breakfast joints in town, I know queues at FuHang Soy Milk on Zhongxiao East Rd can be one hour long!

I'm not into that kind of self touture of course! there's one called 真芳 Zhen Fang nearby, so that's where I went.
Egg pancake, Signature sandwich & black tea with soy milk. Yum!


Remember those foot reflexology places? Well I was very much inspired the night before, so....

 

[rbjhan]

Beef noodle soup is another Taiwan specialty.

Liu Shan Dong near Taipei Station, brought to you by Michelin...

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles – Taipei - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles – a Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking restaurant in the 2019 MICHELIN Guide Taipei. The MICHELIN inspectors’ point of view, information on prices, types of cuisine and opening hours on the MICHELIN Guide's official website

guide.michelin.com

Not sure if there's a better demonstation of "hole in the wall"


It was very good but I might slightly prefer Yong Kang...
noodles were VERY chewy even for me!
Also because they use beef breast, there's no tendon



Next time I want to try Lin Dong Fang!

 

[rbjhan]

Something a bit different in the afternoon!
Leathercraft workshop
Hsu & daughter

I'm not great with handicraft (understatement of the month)....but the website promise everything is suitable for complete beginners.
So I picked a simple one to make.

Cutting is all done beforehand, so I started with applying this gel.


Polish the edges.


Punch holes.


Sewing


Apply finishing oil, then it's all done!


The most difficult bits they did it for me, but still, great sense of achievement here. My very own handmade pouch!

 

[rbjhan]

Ning Xia night market in the evening.
It was significantly less crowded than last time.
Although, not 100% virus related methinks, weather was terrible the whole day.


Deep fried taro balls with salty egg yolk and pork floss.


Okay I realised this didn't sound very appealing, but it was delicious!

 

[rbjhan]

Minced pork rice and bamboo shoots


Mochi with black sesame powder on shave ice.


Ning Xia night market is the best!

 

[rbjhan]

Today the grand prix was cancelled...although I am not a motor racing fan (prefer cycling!), I feel the pain for all those turned up and locked outside Albert Park

End of Feb In Taipei, I think face mask wearing rate was probably 95%?
Both hotels posted someone at the entrance to check temperature before allow you in.
And hand sanitiser everywhere.
Were they overreacting a bit? Maybe, but I think the virus was under controlled in Taiwan. So really they were/are doing the right things perhaps?

 

[rbjhan]

The other hotel mentioned above was Doubletree Taipei Zhongshan, only a few mins walk from Royal Nikko.


Why oh why did I book two hotels? Coz I want to get rid of some AMEX travel credit and can't find the Doubletree on their site...

King corner room with Balcony


Balcony was massive!


Overlooking the leafy ZhongShan Rd.


As long as it's not a shrub, I would be happy.


Very satisfied with the room.


And this is a Doubletree!
Better than a lot of Hiltons I dare say...

 

[rbjhan]

I was thinking about going to National Palace Museum again that day - clearly overestimated myself...two weeks' fatigue had taken its toll

So quickly changed the plan to be: shopping in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi & Eslite Spectrum Nanxi.
But first thing first, lunch!

Ding Tai Fung
There's one in Emporium Melbourne, I know. But Ding Tai Fung was founded in Taiwan, I feel like I must visit one.
Queue was long! Thank god it was inside the Mitsukoshi so I took my number (together with ordering sheet and pen) and went shopping. Went back about 40 mins later and was seated.

Really you must order the Xiao long bao!


Chicken soup


Well worth a visit.

 

[rbjhan]

Finally starting the long journey home...
Express to TPE.


Went to one of the 4 EVA lounges instead of SilverKris.

The Infinity
The décor here was, hmmm, interesting. Disco club much?




I wasn't hungry so didn't try the food. Shocking I know
Ice cream looked nice though.

 

[rbjhan]

SQ877 TPE - SIN
787 with their new regional J


I prefer this one than their long haul J.
1. you can recline into bed.
2. OMG it's straight!
3. Touch screen

 

[craven morehead]

The other hotel mentioned above was Doubletree Taipei Zhongshan, only a few mins walk from Royal Nikko.
View attachment 209518

Why oh why did I book two hotels? Coz I want to get rid of some AMEX travel credit and can't find the Doubletree on their site...

King corner room with Balcony
View attachment 209520

Balcony was massive!
View attachment 209521

Overlooking the leafy ZhongShan Rd.
View attachment 209522

As long as it's not a shrub, I would be happy.
View attachment 209523

Very satisfied with the room.
View attachment 209524

And this is a Doubletree!
Better than a lot of Hiltons I dare say...

Yep, certainly nothing wrong with that room.

 

[rbjhan]

I ordered their special Taiwanese menu
Starter, scallop was nice.


Main
Beef tendon and fish


Dessert
Taro something....


Chinese tea and mocktail

 

[rbjhan]

Yep, certainly nothing wrong with that room.

This is now my go to hotel in Taipei!

 

[rbjhan]

 

[rbjhan]

Landed at SIN about 6.30pm.
I could have taken an overnight flight and got back to MEL in the morning, but....6.5 hours is very awkward, you can't have a proper sleep, also I am not a fan of SQ's supper service
So I chose to stay one night in Yotel Changi instead.

It was a long walk from T2 to Jewel...


I was curious about Yotel...


The room sorry cabin was TINY.
I knew that beforehand of course, being in it was a different matter!
Listed size is 10 sqm, I have my doubts though...
The reclining bed doubled as sofa



Bathroom was surprisingly decent size.


Only other piece of furniture, if you can call that, was a foldable stool.

 

[rbjhan]

Larger ones are "family cabin" - the idea of 4 people getting stuck in it does my headache


There are quite a few lounge areas dotted throughout, which is a good idea considering you probably don't want to spend much time in the cabin other than sleeping?


The proper lounge has tea/coffee, etc.


Comfy sofa


And great view!

 

[rbjhan]

The Rain Vortex surely is something.


Light and sound show at 9.30pm