Day 1: Arrival at Taipei

We arrived at Changi Airport T1 at about 8.30am and boarded the plane at 10.35am.
By the time we reached our hotel, it was already 5.30pm. Royal Castle Hotel The humble reception Our room key Our bed My parents' bed Dresser, bar fridge, cupboard, water dispenser

Nice bathroom with a bathtub

We were given a family room that had two adjoining bedrooms on our arrival. We liked the idea that our rooms were just a door away and the rooms looked spacious. The only thing we didn't quite like was the only bathroom the five of us had to share. At times when more than one of us needed the bathroom, it was inconvenient. But it was a little inconvenience that we could put up with, compared with the benefits of staying together that we enjoyed.

I like the cosy 3-star hotel. The service was good in my opinion. The staff were friendly and approachable. There was, however, no bell boy to carry your luggage for you.

We walked out from our hotel to find the MRT. They call it 'jie2 yun4（捷运）'. A milk tea guy laughed when I asked him,"Where can I find 'di4 tie3（地铁）'?"

Xi Men MRT Station

We patronised the famous Hao Da Da chicken cutlet stall. It was some uncut chicken cutlet sprinkled with chilli powder. Not as legendary as the rest of the world make out to be. In fact, the four of us couldn't finish the two pieces that we bought.

Some other stalls in Shihlin: Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing

Oyster omelette - my favourite food in Taipei. I had it on a daily basis. It's very different from the one we have in Singapore. Their oysters are smaller but seem to be fresher. No oyster smell. And the sauce that looks like chilli sauce is sweet and moistens the omelette. Very yummy!

I'm a sua-ku. I stared at the big, mo-beng, white fruit for a long time and finally, I plucked up my courage to ask the counter girl what it was. "It's bittergourd. Ours is white!"

The narrow and crowded pathway in Shihlin