Why Taipei?

Why not! I had half a dozen people ask me why my family chose Taiwan as the destination for our annual Christmas Vacation. My simple reply is because we've never been there. As a family, we like to explore places we've never been to so that we can have a unique experience to share amongst ourselves. And more often than not, we really end up having experiences that are truly unique and weird and funny and one of a kind. That is the Valdez phenomenon.

My adventure begins at Terminal 2 as I was slipping my knee high boots back on after going through the xray machines. As I look up, I see a family of 4 staring straight at me, smiling and waving. It took maybe 2 seconds for me to realize that it was the whole family of my ex-boyfriend at the airport. I was obviously very self conscious and shocked to be in that situation. I snapped out of it quickly and grabbed my 2 daughters to greet them. Just then, my ex was also walking back to his family to join them. After exchanging pleasantries and introducing my angels, I wore a content grin on my face with thoughts of Maja flooding in. I give my buddy so much flak for always bugging me to dress up and put make-up and although I don't usually listen to her, on that precise morning, I was glad I was looking my best at 7:30 am. Hey, but don't get me wrong ha! Me and my ex are great friends and past is past noh! But you always want to look your best and at that moment, I'm glad I didn't give him the opportunity to say---mukhang losyang ang ex ko! Hahahahah!

Anyway, this is supposed to be a Taipei post! To continue, my first apprehension upon arriving in Taipei is the hotel I chose for the family. Last year in Shanghai was a nightmare for me and I still can't get rid of the evil glares thrown my way all throughout our Shanghai vacation. Thankfully this year, God was kind and he guided me in choosing the Taipei Fullerton East Hotel on Nanjing East Road.

The hotel used to be known as the Crowne Plaza Hotel and it is right smack in the middle of everything! I'm serious! We had great location. We were near the buses, the restaurants, the malls, the night markets---ok, I'm getting flashbacks again of Shanghai and this is the reason I sound so enthusiastic! I was just so happy to be in the middle of civilization. And although I have no picture of our room, let me just tell you, my daughters started calling it home! Hahahahaha! Very spacious, clean and we were all right next to one another. After unpacking and resting a bit, we all assembled in the lobby to have lunch at a nearby restaurant.



KB initially wanted us to try a local place that served ostrich meat but after walking 5 blocks, we found out that the restaurant had already closed down. We were on our way back to Fullerton thinking we would be stuck with the hotel buffet for lunch when we chanced upon a restaurant serving shabu-shabu. We decided to give it a try and it turned out to be a winner!



Apparently, shabu-shabu in Taipei is like tapsilog in Manila. There is one in every corner! Although I am not very fond of anything shabu-shabu, the kids enjoyed the experience immensely. And everytime, we would run out of ingredients and condiments, the server continously reloaded our table. We didn't realize na mayroon palang buffet shabu-shabu! They were giving us crabs, squid, shrimps, dimsum, veggies, noodles etc. until we said surrender. In fact, even the tea and the soft serve ice cream were unlimited. I tried getting the name of the restaurant but it was in chinese characters (as with most of the restaurants here!). I just know it's around the corner from our hotel, on Keelong Road.

The afternoon was reserved for siesta and relaxing but by 6pm, kainan na ulit! Because Dad is a lazybone, he chose a restaurant behind our hotel. It was on a very dark alley but with a group of 20 or so, no one would dare bother us. Besides, it really felt safe! Anyway, we had typical chinese food and the boys had their local beer. Our new discovery on this trip is the oyster omelette which is supposed to be a local favorite. Ok lang, lasang omelette.

After depositing the kids to their nanny and grandparents, we wanted to explore Taipei at night so we had KB direct us to a night market 'nearby'.



Ito talagang si KB, mahilig mag-hiking!!!! The trek to Raohe Market took 45 minutes with numerous crossroads and alleys but we made it. We were greeted right away with the pungent scent of the infamous stinky tofu. It was overwhelming. I couldn't concentrate on anything because I wanted to get away from the scent ASAP. Really, it was all I could think of. I didn't even take any pictures at Raohe because I was busy avoiding the fumes. (The pictures shown here are courtesy of Reymond) KB, on the other hand, was very disappointed because he couldn't find a food stall that served beer. Tsk tsk.



Shown in the pictures above are the earmuffs my SsIL and I went crazy over. While Mom had bought mine for $10.00 in the US, the ones found here cost the equivalent of P150.00---different colors pa! We were ecstatic! (cheapos)

We ended up having our midnight snack at a restaurant at the end of Raohe, away from the stinky tofu. Of all the unusual 'snacks' we had, the best was the sausage Paolo bought from the roadside vendor. Excited si Pao, akala niya direct from Germany pa. The sausage turned out to be suman! Hahahahaha! It was sticky rice pretending to be a sausage. Reymond and the others just had a few bites but gave up on it. It was really funny!

Today was all about food --- we need to do some serious walking tom.!

The Real Pirate of Malacca

Well, at least that's how he appeared to us. Mr. Yearbook Yourself Hairstyle No. 2 was rude, abrasive, self-absorbed and really, a pain to deal with. We knew our luck would run out sometime during this trip since we had such a worry-free adventure yesterday and so we just sat back, relaxed while listening to him chat away during the 2-hour trip to Melaka. Of course we were careful not to let him see us dosing off at baka masigawan pa kami. Heehee.

Melaka is a small, sleepy town just outside Kuala Lumpur that was the center of trade and industry during the early history of Malaysia. Because of its strategic location straddling the Straits of Melaka, it thrived as a port/harbor and served as the point of entry for ships and merchants from China, Japan, India, the Middle East and South Africa.





Along the way, we saw unusual structures such as the tombs shaped like an inverted mother's womb with matching ovaries. The area itself is known as the Bukit China Burial Grounds. Our pirate/tour guide says that when we die, we go back to the womb or something like that. They also had beautiful waiting sheds lined up along the main avenue and their houses were built on stilts.








Our first stop was St. Peter's, a lovely charming church right outside the town center of Melaka. Notice Mr. Man-In-Black in the middle picture. He is wearing a WOOL coat in 90 degree weather and he would not take it off! My goodness. We were all sweating just looking at him. Cute ni Lolo! Just like my buddy Maja, no apologies! Heehee.








The most famous and photographed area in Melaka is the Dutch Square located right at the center of the city. The Dutch, who held Melaka for over a century, left many fine buildings marking their heritage. The most imposing relic of their occupation is the Stadthuys, a strikingly pink town hall which is today the oldest Dutch building in the Far East. Right next to it stands the bright red Christ Church, constructed with pink bricks imported from Holland and covered with local red lacerite. These buildings together with the ruins of the Portuguese built A Famosa and St. Paul's Church are the most prominent reminders of the Europeans' presence in Melaka. Which is where we're off to next.





Its namesake, the Ruins of St. Paul in Macau is the more famous one but the one in Melaka is just as enchanting. As you can see, its mostly just the wall that's standing. Talagang very similar to the one in Macau. Was not able to take a picture of the A Famosa, which literally means The Famous. It all formed part of a mighty fortress meant to guard the city from pirates like Mr. YYH No. 2. Can you imagine he made the four senior citizens in our group trek on a grassy, slopey area that was prone to slipping and sliding. And if you'd walk slow, he would bark at you. As in! Awang awa kami kay lolo and lola(s) but you know what? They walked the 101 steps to the Ruins, trekked the grassy, slopey area and went down the other 101 steps to our bus. And they were all smiles, making jokes, being kulit. Really funny moment. And all throughout, lolo was wearing his wool coat! Hahahaha! Pero at lunch, he took it off na. Baka daw pawisan siya. Heehee.


After a hearty lunch, our next stop was Jalan Hang Jebat, formerly known as Jonker Street. This area is a definite haven for antique collectors and bargain hunters! Authentic artifacts and relics can be found among a host of interesting collectibles, each with its own history and mystery. Also in the vicinity of Jonker Street is the Kampong Kling's Mosque. It is one of the oldest surviving mosques in the country. The Sumatran influence is apparent from its three-tiered pyramid-shaped roof, in place of the more conventional dome. The free-standing minaret resembles a pagoda, again reflecting an infusion of Oriental influences. It serves as a popular venue of worship for the local Muslim community. The mosque is open to visitors but since I was wearing my short dress, I was banned. Well, no apologies as per Maja.





We also got a glimpse of the Cheng Hoon Teng, the oldest traditional Chinese Temple in Malaysia. It is a premier historical monument that has survived the ravages of time. It remains one of the most beautiful Chinese temples around. In fact, it was given a UNESCO award for outstanding architectural restoration. The temple ranks among the most significant in Southeast Asia, being central to the spiritual aspirations of the Chinese community in historic Melaka.


Too much walking around makes you hot and thirsty. At this point, we tried one of the local favorites, the ice kacang. This is the classic Malaysian dessert that everyone loves especially on a hot day. It is also known as ABC or Air Batu Campur (Malay for Mixed Ice). Essentially, it is a mound of shaved ice packed on top of a mixture of sweet red beans, toasted peanuts, creamed corn and jelly bits. The ice is flavoured with syrup and a mixture of evaporated and condensed milk. The one we had used brown palm sugar syrup and a splash of evaporated milk. Well, at least we tried it diba. Taste a lot like our halu-halo except I think our version is better.

By the end of the afternoon, the others just opted to stay in the bus while our pirate/tour guide still insisted on going to other temples and points of interest. Nena was still game taking pictures but Rina and I had our butts firmly planted on our bus seats. It was just too hot na to get off and on the bus.



Kaya naman at our last stop at the actual Straits of Malacca, Mr. YYH No. 2 no longer went down the bus. Nagtampo siya! No more explanations, no more Q&A, no more guiding us where to go. We all went down, took pictures then rode the bus 5 minutes after. Very unprofessional noh? Of course we didn't say it to his face that we had every intention of dumping him in the water--hahahaha! We needed to get back to our hotel before we could give him a piece of our mind. But then the 2 hour ride back to KL mellowed us out and so by the time we got back to Royale Bintang, relax na kami. We were ready to take on our last meal before our red-eye flight back to Manila.

Did I say how lucky we were today? Well, our luck continues on to dinner. Our first restaurant choice turned out to be more of a merienda place so that when we got there, it had just closed for the day. Our second choice was in a very remote area which our cab driver was not familiar with and so he drove aimlessly for about an hour before we arrived in Restoran Sek Yuan.





As we step inside, everyone looks at us like we were lost. We tried asking for a menu and oddly enough, they didn't have one. Nena picked a really authentic place! So authentic that we were getting lost in translation! Heehee. But you know, you just have to have faith in people. Right at the next table was a very mild-mannered gentleman who spoke very little english but was very willing to assist us in ordering. He translated everything for us and he even allowed us to take a peek at his table for their orders so we could copy off them.

And what a feast we turned out having in Sek Yuen! We had the mandatory duck, super yummy ribs and fish with sweet, tangy orange sauce. And since it was our last meal in KL, I succumbed and finally had 2 bowls of fried rice, my absolute guilty pleasure.

Two days in KL doesn't seem like a lot but Nens, Rina and I had great, great fun in our short stay here. There was really more places to see and more restaurants to try but we all needed to get back to reality in Manila. Then again, that just gives us more reason to come back to this lovely city. With Hannah hopefully the next time around. Heehee.