OK time to set off!
The famous ice cream store that was fashioned to look like a place one could see in the Harry Potter World
With lots of ancient tomes of wisdom
medieval architecture...Ya jie always said she would love to study in one of those ancient castle universities in England
This famous store was originally an optician clinic...The building was devastated in a major earthquake and finally rebuilt many years later. Parts of the original structure could still be seen
The mango sorbet was SO GOOD
We wanted to use the toilet so we walked to the cafe belonging to Miyahara Ice Cream Parlour.
Very interesting sights. It used to be a bank, so they had reused some of the original tiles, doors, counter grilles to create this unique, trendy cafe!
The vault! and two burglars
The warm taxi uncle told us that we must try the sandwiches from this traditional bakery. Yeah, they were indeed tasty. While we were munching the sandwiches outside the bakery, we saw people coming in and leaving with large orders!
There was even a temple in the 2nd market.
This was another of the taxi driver's recommendation. We told him we were thinking of visiting the Rainbow Village and he said that it was quite out of the way and nothing much except for some colourful murals. He said the 2nd market offered really tasty food and the art village was cool and pleasant to walk around...yes we tried the famous chwee kweh, the red tea...and bought some finger-licking honey bak kwa...Jun loved it so much that he kept eating and eating
Saw cool drawings..one of Jie's favourite books
the sassy baby...who was not a baby anymore but still asked to be carried
We were walking to Shen Ji New Village when we chanced upon this quaint macaron store.
They were EXPENSIVE.
Took a break at the park and the kids ate the can of candy floss they had brought out. Jie was tickled by the words on the bench and wanted a photo.
It was a pleasant walk along the canal
The decorations were up too
We reached the Shen Ji New Village. A most charming place with arty shops and captivating cafes
Lots of photo stops. Papa did not realise that they were selling almond ice cream and bought two big portions. We disliked the taste and did not finish most of it and dumped it. OOPS
There were rooms on the second level. I thought it would be nice to stay at this enchanting place but the kids thought it would be too noisy with the visitors walking around, taking photos.
Ah...such a picturesque spot
While waiting for a taxi to go back to the hotel, they spotted this funny tagline: Chase Jewelry, not Boys". HAHAHA
We rested a little at the hotel and were picked up by the taxi driver we met yesterday. He offered a pretty good deal, 600 twd per hour and off we scooted to Gao Mei Wetlands.
There were interesting photo spots
We were hit by the biting howling winds once we got off the taxi. The wind was really strong and we felt like we might get blown off any minute.
There was a long plank walk that brought us out to the middle of the wetlands.
The kids really enjoyed the blustery weather.
They loved letting the wind fill up their jackets
my ears were hurting from the cold wind
Papa loved this photo
We were here to see the sunset but the sky was overcast. Tong said he needed to take photos to show WaiPo as he knew Waipo loves such natural sights.
got an uncle to take a family photo for us...not too bad
and got a young lady to take a family photo for us...way better
I would say this was the most memorable part of the trip...I imagined the wind would not be so strong in summer...so it was probably best to visit this place during early winter!
Went to Wuqi Fishing Port...it used to be really bustling and popular..but had been in decline slowly...
We met really warm shop owners...the fried food was so mouth-watering...perhaps it tasted especially good in the cold weather
The rickety fishing boats
the wet market
One could get fresh catch here in the morning
Finally, we reached Hanxi Night Market. It was a true blue night market as there was no tentage or permanent fixtures. The market was bustling under the dark night sky...it rained a little, but nothing too serious to dampen the kids' jovial moods.
Massive set-ups
We spent a long time at the marble machine...the boys were reckless, they often used a lot of marbles at one time but the girls were just tossing a few at each go...
Well, they did not win enough marbles to redeem anything so Papa spent 200 TWD to get one toy for the young ones.
We did not know this pineapple slush was famous. The marble game stall lady told us when we were hanging around. It was so sweet and refreshing!
Mama wanted some satays but Papa bought fried chicken sticks instead! and...Tong actually ate them up and said they were delicious!
Lots of sightseeing, eating, walking, experiencing today...It must have the most activity-packed day for this trip. Here are photos with the loot!
