Feb 17 - Taipei to Singapore

Yet another travel day today, but since there is no need to bus to the airport until around 11am, which is also checkout time for the hotel relax, I "slept in" an extra hour

until around 7:00am and then decided to repeat yesterdays "foodie stall" breakfast today.   I am not bothering with the hotel breakfast at this point -- not worth the time.

Anyway, started with my favorite chef right outside the hotel.   Today's mix was basically an omelette with scallions, ham, bacon, other seasonings on an onion pancake

that had been flattened out and grilled and rolled like a burrito.   Similar to yesterday's offering but with more of a "ham and eggs and bacon" inside.

Here are some photos of some of these being prepared--

I walked back to the same place I went to yesterday that does Xiao Long Bau and ordered up another steamer full along with a big egg 

and scallion stuffed sesame bread roll.   Here's the "2nd part of breakfast"

I then walked around the neighborhood and saw many stands with good stuff, but I didn't want over do it on a travel day -- also I have plans for another

bubble tea around 10am!

Headed over to the nearest Metro station and took the MRT back to Taipei Main Station.    Walked around a little more, again seeing lots of stands with 

things I'd already eaten, but good to know that they're around.    Eventually headed back to the hotel to enter this in and take a short nap -- its only 8:29am

and the bubble tea place next door won't open until 10am.    So resting and cleaning up in prep for a quick bubble tea before I check out and head over to

the bus station and the airport on my way to Singapore.

Alas, the store doesn't open until 11am, so no bubble tea for me!   Oh well.   Packed up, checked out and headed over to the bus station to get my ticket

to the airport.   Only 120 TWD today instead of the normal 125 TWD... Guess its a "holiday discount" with chinese new years coming up.   It's amazing to me

that for about $3.80 US I can get to the airport -- a taxi ride would have cost more like $50 US!    Anyway, made it to the airport, exchanged a lot of unused 

TWD for Singapore Dollars (exchange rate / service charge was not good, but it was easier for me than trying to do this later and that way I have SGD when I

land).   Breezed through immigration and made it to my gate several hours before the flight.    It was near lunch time (does it really matter?  more food!)

so I went back to a restaurant near my gate and had lunch there.   Turned out it was actually quite good -- I got a large noodle "soup" with veggies in it --

amazingly fresh baby bokchoy, mushrooms, baby corn, etc.    I also got a tiramisu cup!    It was called "Homee's" :-)

After having this great lunch I headed to the gate to wait for my plane.   I was still about an hour and a half early, so the gate area was empty.

The good news was that at the far end of the gate here in Singapore they had "lounge chairs" that you could lay down on!   So I "moved in" to one

until about 10 minutes before boarding!

Plane finally arrived and since I was flying "ScootBiz" I was able to board first!    Good thing because it was a very full "B7" waiting area by

the time that occurred.

Anyway, flew to Singapore (4 hour 10 minute flight).   Nothing exciting to report.    Landed and walked to customs, which was shocking quick --

literally NO LINE through passport control and with "nothing to declare" just a straight walk to the arrivals terminal.    Found the "bus" booth without

a problem and paid my 9 SGD for a ticket to my hotel.   They gave me a little sticker to put on my shirt and told me to wait by some chairs near the exit 

door for someone to call for my hotel by name in about 10 minutes.    While I waited I bought a chocolate "fish cookie" to at least get something to eat:

Chocolate waffle cookie shaped like a fish and filled inside with some gooey chocolate stuff.  Yum!

Bus showed up and took about 20 minutes to get me to the doorsteps of my hotel, which is Hotel 1929.    This is a little boutique hotel located in

Chinatown that some friends from Hawaii suggested.    Just a door or two down the street is some type of temple/shrine.   It's almost Chinese New Years,

the year of the Goat, so there are many "goat" things up along with hanging lantern globes.

So after a quick check in I walked around the corner for a quick bite to eat.  It was getting late (nearing 10pm) so I stopped at the first place

I found with a few people eating and got the "Set Dinner A".   This was similar in structure to Taipei -- a rollup garage booth housing the 

vendor and some tables set up on the sidewalk in front.    Anyway, the meal was basically some really good fried chicken, some stir fried 

thin ramen-like noodles, and some fried fish cakes.    What made the meal was a dollup of some really yummy chili paste (not super spicy, but

hot and really flavorful)

After eating this meal I walked down the street and checked out a few other places, but most of them were closing down or had "too much" food for me 

to consider eating tonight.   But it look good.   Several featured Duck!

I also walked across the main road and found another food vendor area that was starting to shut down.   One outdoor stand was

still going strong and was indian food!   So I gave that a try.   Got a really nice fried crepe with a scrambled egg "mixed on top"

during the frying.   This was then used as the bread to sponge up one of two (double helping in one of the areas) of either a

mild veggie item or a really nice "spicy" onion paste -- somewhat the consistency of humus but made with pureed onions and some

other kind of 'hot' spice.    Very filling and nice!

After finishing this off I walked back to the hotel, took a hot shower, and went to sleep!