We arrived at the hotel late in the evening already. We were fortunate to have stayed in such a posh hotel in the middle of the Embassy Row in Taipei. The place was quite accessible by taxi and metro. There were lots of small cafes and restaurants around the hotel. 7Eleven was also found in every corner.
We have a lovely view of the wine cellar every time we go up the elevator.
Upon our arrival, we were met by Perlette Matthews, a French-American-Taiwanese model/actress/celebrity. She was our translator, coordinator, guide and organizer for the next five days. It turned out that she is married to a fellow Filipino chorister, Fortune. Fortune and Perlette are members of the Formosa singers.
Seeing our schedule for the next few days, it seemed that that night was our only free night. It was the only night we can go to the night market. What better time than this this Saturday night? Irene, a kaladkarin friend, and I decided to meet at the lobby in 20 minutes so we can take advantage of the time at the night market.
I was assigned to share my room with Niner. This is how our room looked like.
Please pardon my photos. I did not know how to adjust the settings of my point-and-shoot camera.
A welcome message viewed through the TV.
After a quick photo shoot, Irene and I were off to the night market with Alex, Jeremy, Cas, Rosa and Pia. Two cabs brought us to the Shihlin Market. The trip cost us NT$160 each way.
The Shilin Night Market is a very vast marketplace that carries food products, clothes, shoes, accessories and toys. Milk Tea, Giordano, Baleno, fresh fruits, rice bun sandwiches were all over the place. To the gastronomically adventurous, this is heaven. I was just a bit disappointed because the items were still expensive. They only buyers haggle to NT$50 less than original price. My haggling skills were put to the test. If I recall correctly, they let me haggle till I get a 50% discount. I also found out too late that the side street shops are cheaper than those in the main road.
Candied strawberries
This chandelier spans several floors
We have a lovely view of the wine cellar every time we go up the elevator.Upon our arrival, we were met by Perlette Matthews, a French-American-Taiwanese model/actress/celebrity. She was our translator, coordinator, guide and organizer for the next five days. It turned out that she is married to a fellow Filipino chorister, Fortune. Fortune and Perlette are members of the Formosa singers.
Seeing our schedule for the next few days, it seemed that that night was our only free night. It was the only night we can go to the night market. What better time than this this Saturday night? Irene, a kaladkarin friend, and I decided to meet at the lobby in 20 minutes so we can take advantage of the time at the night market.
I was assigned to share my room with Niner. This is how our room looked like.
Please pardon my photos. I did not know how to adjust the settings of my point-and-shoot camera.
A welcome message viewed through the TV.
After a quick photo shoot, Irene and I were off to the night market with Alex, Jeremy, Cas, Rosa and Pia. Two cabs brought us to the Shihlin Market. The trip cost us NT$160 each way.
The Shilin Night Market is a very vast marketplace that carries food products, clothes, shoes, accessories and toys. Milk Tea, Giordano, Baleno, fresh fruits, rice bun sandwiches were all over the place. To the gastronomically adventurous, this is heaven. I was just a bit disappointed because the items were still expensive. They only buyers haggle to NT$50 less than original price. My haggling skills were put to the test. If I recall correctly, they let me haggle till I get a 50% discount. I also found out too late that the side street shops are cheaper than those in the main road.
Candied strawberriesThough I got several items, it was a disappointing experience. We went back to the hotel at midnight. The next day is packed with lots of singing engagements.
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