Tag: tamsui

Believe It or Not Museum Taipei

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 15, 2009

Believe It or Not Museum Taipei
No. 67, Gongming St., Tamsui Town, Taipei 251, Taiwan
886 (02) 2623-3140

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I don’t know if we were just lucky or what. Earlier that day, my friends & I were given free entrance for the 2 places we visited in Tamsui (Fort San Domingo & Huwei Fort). Then, when we arrived at Believe It or Not Museum in the evening, it was a pleasant surprise that they had a promo (for that day only). Their entrance fee was 59NT! The regular entrance fee is about 180NT. Wow, we were just so happy! We ended up saving almost 300NT.

I’m not sure if this is affiliated with Ripley’s but the concept is the same. The museum is filled with interesting & unusual stuff. Their material has everything for everyone. Live animals, good places to take photographs and some not-so-kiddy stuff were displayed in the Tamsui Believe It or Not Museum.

I just can’t help but take a lot photographs & videos! In fact, I took so much that all my remaining free camera memory was used up. It was a good thing that my friend brought an extra SD card so I was able to continue taking pictures. Here are some photos like me posing with a snake & as a prisoner 😛

snake

prisoner

There were many live animals on display. I took several videos of them. You can check them all out in my YouTube account. Reptiles, Parrots, lizards, you name it. They can be found in the museum!

turtle

Lastly, these items are not something you’d want your children to see. Well, not yet anyway. So this is parental guidance. hehehehe 😛 I’ll let you believe what you want to believe based on the pictures that I’ll share with you.

chastitybelt

elephant

horse

More pictures from our crazy observations here.

Huwei Fort

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 13, 2009

Huwei Fort
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886 (02) 26295390
admission: 50NT

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Just 1 kilometer from Fort San Domingo is Huwei Fort. At 1st glance, you’d know that it was meant for military action. I also noticed that the place had a lot of plants & small animals. Visitors could definitely sit there on the top and enjoy the view (well just make sure that the weather is not hot when you visit).

In 1886, following the Sino-French war, the Chinese government decided to strengthen Taiwan’s coastal defenses thus Huwei Fort was built. To ensure the strength & structure of this fortress, German engineer Max E. Hecht was hired to oversee the construction project.

Huwei Fort construction was finished in 1889 but it was never used in any war hence it is still intact. The Fort was designated as a 2nd class historical site in 1985. It has been open to the public since then.

huwei

huwi

huewi

huweifort

One thing to note is the architectural characteristics of Huwei Fort. It’s called The Hidden Fort as it’s located at high altitude & covered by surrounding woods thus it could not be found easily. It has fortified walls, massive gates, batteries & steep steps to its ramparts.

There is an inscription above the entrance that reads “åŒ—é–€éŽ–é‘°” (Key to the Northern Gate). This inscription denotes the importance of the fort in the defense of the island.

huweientrance

More pictures taken at the Huwei Fort here.

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Fort San Domingo

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 12, 2009

æ·¡æ°´ç´…æ¯›åŸŽ Fort San Domingo
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886 (02) 26231001
admission: 60NT

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Tamsui’s most famous site is Fort San Domingo. It is one of the most treasured historical site in Taiwan. Fort San Domingo could trace its origins back to 1626 when it was a Spanish colony. Through the years, a lot of nationalities clashed & fought with each other in Tamsui and Fort San Domingo is the perfect witness of that rich history.

When we entered the place, I made sure that I get the 10NT brochure of the place. I was certain that I had to do a lot of reading in order to understand the rich history of Tamsui’s Fort San Domingo. I could really feel that this is a place close to the heart of taiwanese people. We were even lucky enough to go to Fort San Domingo when they were having the UNESCO Heritage Days that celebrate the historic sites of Tamsui.

Here are the series of events that can describe simply the various cultures that made Fort San Domingo to what it is now:

1629-1641 – Spanish army occupied Tamsui as the base of their colony in Taiwan
1642-1661 – the Dutch colonized Southern Taiwan & drove out the Spaniards. The Dutch built a new fort on the site called Fort Antonio.
1683-1867 – Chinese government controlled the fort.
1868-1972 – the British took over the fort & made it their trade consulate.
1980 – Republic of China reclaimed the land. The fort was classified as a grade one listed historical site & was renovated & opened to the public.

Fort San Domingo has 2 buildings in its site:

Fort Antonio

It was first constructed by the Dutch as a defense in 1644 but was rebuilt by the British as a consulate office after. The exterior was painted red. Battlements & watchtowers were added as well as balcony, storerooms & yards.

The lower floor was converted into jail consisting of 4 prison cells. Foreigners who committed crimes in Taiwan were kept in this jail as they were exempt from judgements of the local laws.

Upper floor was divided into 4 rooms. Facilities like incinerator, safe, vault, fireplaces can be found inside those rooms.

fort

fort3

fort2

fortsan

Former British Consular Residence

A colonial-style house built by the British that featured French windows, verandahs & raised foundation which were designed to provide better ventilation & drainage.

san

san2

san3

More pictures here.

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Bay Cafe Tamsui

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 12, 2009

æµ·ç£å’–å•¡é¤¨ Bay Cafe
2/F Bay Cafe Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui, Taipei, Taiwan
886 (02) 26200448

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After travelling so far to Tamsui & after visiting 3 places, we were so hungry. We walked around the Old Tamsui Road to look for a place to eat. We realized that the food there were quite expensive but we ended up choosing Bay Cafe instead. Mainly because it had good ambiance and you could see the beautiful sea while dining.

The food at Bay Cafe was actually affordable. Yes, each meal might cost you around 300-350NT but it was a complete meal considering it had soup, side dishes, main meal & dessert. I was completely satisfied and when we were done eating, we were all psyched for another jampacked afternoon of travelling!

Here are what we ordered:

German Sausage (300NT)

This was a different twist to the sausage. I’ve always loved sausage but whenever it was served to me, there had no bones in it. But this time around, there were bones. This tasted good and authentic but I still prefer the usual sausage without bones.

sausage2

Beef Lazamia (300NT)

Basil Chinese Style Chicken with Ricewine (300NT)

Tiramisu (100NT)

Bay Cafe was very generous with their food servings. We were hungry when we came in but we were so full when we got out.

There were a lot of foreigners as Tamsui is really a tourist spot. The great view of the ocean is pretty great there.

view

One thing that I remember very well is how GOOD the complimentary bread was. It was just soooooooooooooo fresh. Best bread I ever tasted in Taipei.

bay2

More pictures from our yummy lunch here.

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Tamsui Morning Market

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 8, 2009

Tamsui Morning Market
Zhongzheng Road, Taipei, Taiwan
open sunrise to noontime

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Last September 19, we decided to go around Tamsui. It had sooooooo many tourist spots in the area that it took us the whole day just to visit most of it.

So we started the day by going to the well known Tamsui Morning Market. They open from sunrise until noontime only. Hence, the name. Anyway, the market is located along Zhongzheng road. When we visited, there were a lot of people checking out the place. They were buying a lot of stuff. And yes, we also bought some for ourselves.

Of course, we didn’t buy food since we couldn’t really cook, right? Because we were just staying in a hotel and we eat out a lot anyway..

Tamsui Morning Market is basically a wet market, with lots of stalls selling fish, vegetables, meats & fruits. Aside from that, there were street food & cheap clothes for sale!

taiwan2

taiwan3

taiwan4

Here we are, very ready for the day’s adventure. As you can see, we took a lot of pictures. If you want to see them, they’re all right here.

What a way to start a day right? We had a loooooong way to go. Watch out for more Tamsui travel posts!