Therese in Taiwan: Riding the bus in Taipei 在台北搭公車

Therese in Taiwan: Riding the bus in Taipei

I first came to Taipei, Taiwan in October 2010. Since I had never been here, when Cebu Pacific had a seat sale, I decided to treat myself. At that time, I traveled alone. My sister Tiffy went to Japan and my parents couldn't skip work.

Most foreigners would prefer to ride the MRT to go around, mainly because it's convenient (easy to understand) and a lot of tourist spots around Taipei are found near MRT stations. However, riding the bus is cheaper and there are also some places which would be easier to reach by bus.

Therefore, in case anyone was wondering how to ride the bus in Taipei, here's a mini walk-through:

下車收費 (xia4 che1 shou1 fei4) - if the sign says 上 (shang4), then it means that you pay/swipe your card when you get on the bus. 下 (xia4) means that you pay/swipe your card when you are about to alight from the bus.

下車鈴 (xia4 che1 ling3) - you press the button when you want to get off the bus.

The screen in front is where the signs will flash. It will tell you where the next stop is (in both Chinese and English), and if you plan on going down at that stop, you press the button and get ready to alight.

Tips:

You can ask the driver to tell you when to get off.

Newer looking buses would most probably have working signage. If you don't feel comfortable asking/talking to the driver, just looking at the signage would help.

Choose kind-looking drivers. There are some drivers who would snap at you when you ask them questions.

Prepare your card/loose change when you're about to get off. Some drivers get impatient!

You can check bus schedules and routes at http://5284.taipei.gov.tw/

Tiffy in Korea: Korean Food & Milk Tea Ice Cream

Korean Food & Milk Tea Ice Cream
August 16, 2011
Tiffy in Korea


When I travel, I try to check out the selection of foodstuff at convenience stores and grocery stores because it's there that I get an idea of what kind of stuff people usually eat in that particular country. Well, that, and go to small canteen-type restaurants where they're bound to serve local food.

Back in August, I booked this particular trip because one of my good friends, Brandon (you might remember him from back when I was an exchange student in Nagoya), is now an English teacher in Korea. So it was the perfect time to book that ticket! Traveling in a country that your friends are in is the best.

My first morning in Korea, we hit a local canteen that delivers food to the offices around the area (including the school that my friend works at). It's his to-go-to place for meals and I wanted to eat authentic Korean food so...

Banchan 반찬

Dolsot Bibimbap 돌솥 비빔밥

Bibim Mandu 비빔만두 | Kimbap 김밥 

As I wasn't being as adventurous with my food as I ought to have been, I ordered a bibimbap which I always order at Korean restaurants here in the Philippines. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I also found out that bibimbap in the Philippines tastes different than that of the real thing. The one I had in Korea didn't have that strong of a flavor, as opposed to the sweet taste that the one I had before had.

The bibim mandu was amazingly good. Brandon was a guy who was a-ok with sharing (I MAKE THE MOST AWESOME FRIENDS EVER EVER) and I had some of it. Plus the kimbap (I don't really have an opinion on this one).

Korean food is pretty freaking healthy it's awesome.

But Milk Tea Ice Cream... what a disappointment!

I have always liked milk tea and I was pretty stoked at seeing it at a convenience store (I think it was a 7Eleven). But meh. It melted so fast (probably because it was summer) and it just tasted like frozen milk tea (probably because it was a popsicle? I can't read Korean) and I decided then and there never to eat milk tea ice cream ever again. Ever.

Danne: The Artsy Kid

Just as mentioned, it would be nice to have a proper introduction so, hello! I’m Danne Lim (pronounced as Dane), a new blogger here in Manila Foodistas. The founders (Bong, Joey and everyone else) were my org-mates back in college, and so were Thea and Tiff. Blogging isn’t new to me since I’ve kept a personal blog since I was 14, but the challenge really was to update as often without getting caught up with life outside the virtual world. So yeah, I’m on for the challenge! I now join the bandwagon and begin to share with you some thoughts about my dining experiences from here on!

I just graduated from UP this October with a degree in psychology, which makes me currently be in a transitional phase between college and real life. I am also graphic artist so I tend to be more artistically-inclined. In relation to food, I think I am able to appreciate scrumptious and appetizing presentation besides taste.

When we begin to talk about food, you could probably hear me inject the word “potato” into the conversation several times. That’s because I really love that special root crop! I like it in all forms, whether as baked potato, potato salad, French fries, mashed potatoes or hash brown. I’m sure several of you could relate to this. There are just certain kinds of food that are versatile and easy to love!

I lived in Japan for quite some time so I also have a certain fondness for Japanese food. My favorite would be the unglamorous yet convenient onigiri (お握り), which are usually triangular rice balls. I could also appreciate authentic ramen and delicious gyudon too.

And of course who would not appreciate fried food? It’s one of those more common kinds of cooking here in the Philippines. I like crunchy, deep fried food but I realized its health repercussions so I became a little conscious eating them. I was a junk food lover, and I especially loved chips that had lots of salt. But then recently, I have been influenced to stop eating chips. I have been junk food sober for months now, and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m excited that this is just the beginning of a fun-filled food journey with the Manila Foodistas! See you in the next blog!

Danne

Nicole: The New Kid in the Blogging World

Nicole: The New Kid in the Blogging World

Hello citizens of the world wide web! This introduction of mine is a bit late but just like all newcomers, I gotta present myself. :D

I'm Nicole, one of the new foodistas here in MF. I'm a fresh grad from the University of the Philippines and just like Therese, I'm a Spanish major too (we're batchmates actually).

I'm a frustrated pianist and things that I like are stuff that a lot of people may find unamusing - case in point: classical music. I like old stuff and when I say old, it's really old ha ha! History gets me high as a kite! I adore my mother's cooking and ever since I got to know how to eat healthy, I've become a health psycho. Though I'd be a hypocrite if I say that I don't eat junk food because I still do (I do have cheat days too). I don't like a lot of sugar in my food or drink hence I am not into desserts but I just can't resist cheesecake! When it comes to cuisines, I like anything Asian, preferably raw - kimchi, kinilaw - and lots of vegetables!

I was not born a writer and never did I imagine, even in my wildest dreams, that I would be one. But here I am, now a part of the Manila Foodistas and typing things which I believe worth sharing. Really thanks to Tiffy for that! :)