Always keep a smile on your face! ^^

"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight!"

I super like this quote, so remember people, always have a smile on your face! ^^

Have a great week ahead!

*Psst! Taichung post coming right up! I know I'm slow, I'm trying my best now!*

Taiwan Escapade 2012: Part 3 - Kaohsiung Day 2

Back for Day 2 in Kaohsiung! :) Woke up early to start our day since it's the last day we'll be in Kaohsiung so we hope to go a few more places. 

We had our breakfast in the hotel, typical Chinese cuisine and different varieties of bread. Simple spread but it's enough for breakfast. :) 

Plans for today: To visit Cijin Island (旗津岛) which is about 10 minutes ferry ride from Kaohsiung. Remember the tourist Ez-link card that we had bought the day before? It's also applicable for this ferry ride to the Island.

To get there: Alight at the Orange Line Sizihwan Station (O1) and walked about 10 minutes to the Gushan Ferry Terminal. Signboards are clear nowadays to guide you there. 

:) The Gushan Ferry Terminal and the ferry to fetch us to Cijin Island

About every 10-15 minutes, there will be a ferry back at the terminal, so waiting time is quite short. During the peak hours, it'll be faster too.The ferry is divided into 2 levels, 1st is to ferry both bicycles, scooters while 2nd is meant for passengers. Of course, the pricing is also different. 

Some scenery along the way, beautiful backdrop especially with the hills and clear water

Along the pier area, you can see lots of people fishing

And right in front it's the Kaohsiung 85 Tower, the 2nd tallest building in Taiwan.

Arriving at the Cijin Island! :) 

Weather was good that day, sunny yet windy. Lucky I put on lots of sunblock because we intend to cycle round the island to explore. First impression of the island when I alighted was that it not only an island, but a tourist attraction too! 

HAHAHAHA! It was crowded and buzzing with people shouting "Bicycle for rental." We got ourselves 2 bikes, NT$200/pax for the whole day (if I didn't remember wrongly). Since it's an island, we thought that cycling around it will keep us entertained for the whole day! *LOL!*

:) It's quite comfortable to cycle around the Island, very windy yet the sun is super duper strong. Follow the road and you'll pass by the beaches and parks.

At the Wind Mill Park :) So breezy and cooling! :)

:) We got free tickets to the MOME (Museum of Marine Exploration) from the bicycle rental. Museum is on the other side of the island. A small museum showcasing the evolution of ships. We just walked around and enjoyed the air-con for awhile. 

After enough of air-con, we cycle our way back to the pier to return the bike and also to get some food from the roadside stalls! :)

The first stall that got us interested was this 旗鱼黑轮. In case you're wondering, 旗鱼 is actually swordfish. Yeah, I haven't eaten swordfish before, so it's pretty much something new to try. For this 小吃, the minced swordfish is used to wrap a quarter of a half boiled egg and after that deep fried it. A bit of the seasoning and you're good to go. It's quite delicious that we went back for the 2nd round! ^_^!

After walking around, we decided to go back to the main island (we're actually behind schedule). The weather is quite hot even though there's plenty of wind. About 27C, which is similar to Singapore's weather. Anyway, we stopped by 海之冰, which is recommended by Keith for their famous mango ice! In this kind of weather, eating a bowl of ice sound so good! ^_^!!!

We ordered a 2-person portion, but was quite taken aback when they served this super big bowl of mixed fruit mango ice! HAHAHA! I guess this is the up-sized version and it took us quite awhile to finish this whole bowl! -__-" 

Just a word of advice, be prepared to wait quite some time at this shop. Their business is super good (and I really mean very good, because nearby shops selling ice are quite empty), and thus it will take them sometime to prepare your desserts.

With a filled stomach, we went on to the Kaohsiung 85 to have a bird eye view of the City. It's the 2nd tallest building in Taiwan (of course the tallest is Taipei 101), and thus we wanted to check out the view. And it's much cheaper to go up as compared to 101. Each ticket costs NT$150 and allows you to go all the way up to level 74 (observation deck).

 

Spent some time up there, was a bit disappointed with the view. Maybe it's because we went up a bit too early, and there's nothing much to see except high rise buildings. I believed that the night view would be better! :)

Dinner was at 瑞峰夜市. 

To get there, alight at Kaohsiung Arena Station (R14) & take Exit 1. Walk for 5 minutes straight and you'll see the night market! :)

This night market is slightly different from 六合夜市 be it in terms of size, varieties. Not only do they sell food, they also have games stalls and clothing, accessories, shoes, etc stalls for you to eat, shop and enjoy at the same time. We spent almost 2 hours there eating, stopping to buy stuff and also to learn some of the games that Taiwanese play. Very interesting place, and I definitely recommend you guys to visit. 

Do take note that they don't open everyday. If I didn't remember wrongly, they're open on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday.

2 days just passed in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow we're on our way to Taichung and we're meeting our Taiwanese friend A先生! Very excited!!! :):):)