1) Homage to the Buddha 朝拜大佛
2) Tai O 大奥渔歌
Monday, January 31, 2011
Vegetarian in Hong Kong
I was in Hong Kong 1-4 Jan and getting vegetarian food is more difficult that I expected.
I was staying in Tsim Sha Tsui, some where near Chungking Mansion. So there is always Indian vegetarian food to fall back on in the worst case. But I wasn't too keen on that.
Through the Happy Cow website, I found a few vegetarian restaurants.
What I found was that restaurants seems to be the only option available, and they don't work well for a lone traveller like me. I took a look at a few restaurant's menu. Dishes were generally HK$40 upwards. If I order 2 dishes, with the pluses (service charges and taxes), it will add up to something like HK$100, with probably too much food for 1 person as well. That's kind of expensive.
To be fair, at HK$40 - HK$50 a dish, it's comparable to the restaurants in Singapore. However, I do not eat at restaurants every meal -- it's too expensive! If I weren't alone, I would probably try a few of the vegetarian restaurants.
Besides, the vegetarian restaurants were not easy to find. I had to write down the addresses from Happy Cow to find them. Whereas in Taiwan, I can easily run into a vegetarian eatery while I wonder around.
There are many small eateries around but they do not offer vegetarian options. Many primarily sell meat (e.g. roast meat, BBQ meat etc). The ubiquitous Hong Kong style "tea restaurants" (cha chan teng 茶餐厅) do not have vegetarian food other than plain steam rice rolls and toast.
It took some effort, but in the end, I got by quite alright.
I was staying in a guest house along Cameron Road. The nearest vegetarian restaurant was the Ah Sin Vegetarian (G/F 71 Chatham Road, South Oriental Centre) along Chatham Road South just round the corner from Cameron Road. This was reported to be a popular restaurant, but I did not eat there. I did buy some dim sum from their takeout counter. The dim sum were going for HK$10 for 3 pieces, which weren't too expensive. The only problem is that they were cold and the steamed dim sum just do not taste good when cold. I suggest you go for the deep fried or baked dim sum instead. The takeout counter also sold lunch boxes for HK$25, and they had set lunch for 2 at HK$125.
After having problem finding food the first day, I got onto the net and search HappyCow.net again. To my delight I found a vegetarian noodle joint nearby and I ate there almost everyday for the rest of my trip.
The restaurant is called Lan Lan Vegetarian Restaurant. (靓靓) It is modelled after the tra
ditional push cart noodle (车仔面).
It's a small restaurant, with limited seats. There is a piece of paper on each table. On the piece of paper, you choose the noodle you want (there are more than 10 type of noodles available), and the ingredients you want (e.g. mushrooms, broccoli, leafy vegetables, etc), and finally the soup base. Unfortunately, it's all in Chinese. There is no English menu. In the worst case, you can ask for the recommended noodle set in the picture on the wall.
The noodles are between HK$11 to HK$13 (depending on the type of noodles), and the ingredients are HK$6 per order. But what I found is that if they normally give half an order if you select more than 3, so it did not added up to be too expensive. With a selection of 6 ingredients, my bowl of noodles came up to $35 only. That's the most value for money and economical meal I found in Hong Kong.
With lots of vegetables, the soup noodles were an healthy and hearty, and nice in the cold winter weather.
Besides noodles, they also have rice, stir fry vegetable dishes, and other snacks.
I tried their fried tofu, pan-fried dumplings (水煎饺 HK$18)as well as the vegetarian version of Hong Kon
g's street food -- fried stuffed trios (煎酿三宝 HK$25) which is "fish meat" stuffed in egg plant, chili and tofu skin and deep fried (see picture).
The address of the restaurant is Ground A, 15 Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui. But it is actually along Kimberly Road (I think it is part of a building which faces Austin Ave). It is easier to find it by walking along Kimberly Road northwards toward Austin Ave. However, you may miss the sign for it because it is covered by the signboard of another restaurant. It is directly opposite a 7-11, if that helps.
Another restaurant I found was at the Lady's Market. There were many street food stalls, but I could not find anything vegetarian. I found that there were 2 vegetarian restaurants along Tung Choi street. But it is not easy to find them because the makeshift stalls blocked the view. Walk behind the street stalls. At the end of Tung Choi street near Dundas street, there is a Vegetarian Kitchen. This is a Japanese restaurant. You can get sushi, sashimi and ramen. I ordered a bowl of rice with a meat pattie in it (HK$38) and an order of vegetable tempura. The food was pretty good. The final bill came up to HK$78 because there were some additional charges. It's a little pricey, but I guess in Hong Kong, that's about what I have to expect to pay for a meal.
The best meal I had was actually in the Po Lin temple in Lantau.
I paid HK$60 for the meal ticket, which included entrance to an exhibition hall inside the giant Buddha.
At first, I expected to be grouped with some strangers for the meal which is the common practice in temples. I was surprised to be lead to a small table instead and was served individually. First, I was given a big pot of rice, a big bowl of miso soup and a pot of hot Chinese tea. Then I was served 3 dishes. The dishes were very tasty. It's actually a little too much for one person, but I finished them all nonetheless. A friend warned me that the food at the temple was bad -- just a some badly cooked vegetables, he said. But I think it's probably because he didn't like vegetables. I thought the food was excellent. I saw that other tables with more people had 4 to 5 dishes. But I was happy with my 3 dishes.
I had problem finding breakfast in Hong Kong. I saw many noodles joints but none vegetarian. Of course, there is always bread available from 7-11, but I am really not a bread person. I walked into one of those Hong Kong tea restaurant (茶餐厅). The only vegetarian option I could find was plain steam rice rolls (斋肠粉) and toast, which I ordered.
Then I found the Singapore chain Toast Box and the next two morning I ended up having my breakfast there. (HK$28 for a set meal, with kaya toast, two fried egg, and a coffee).
There is, however, one thing I like about Hong Kong. Desert stalls are quite common. Sesame paste, peanut paste, mango pudding with pomelo (杨枝甘露), dumpling balls ("ah bo ling" 汤圆) etc. When I could not find food, these were good snacks to fill the stomach.
I was staying in Tsim Sha Tsui, some where near Chungking Mansion. So there is always Indian vegetarian food to fall back on in the worst case. But I wasn't too keen on that.
Through the Happy Cow website, I found a few vegetarian restaurants.
What I found was that restaurants seems to be the only option available, and they don't work well for a lone traveller like me. I took a look at a few restaurant's menu. Dishes were generally HK$40 upwards. If I order 2 dishes, with the pluses (service charges and taxes), it will add up to something like HK$100, with probably too much food for 1 person as well. That's kind of expensive.
To be fair, at HK$40 - HK$50 a dish, it's comparable to the restaurants in Singapore. However, I do not eat at restaurants every meal -- it's too expensive! If I weren't alone, I would probably try a few of the vegetarian restaurants.
Besides, the vegetarian restaurants were not easy to find. I had to write down the addresses from Happy Cow to find them. Whereas in Taiwan, I can easily run into a vegetarian eatery while I wonder around.
There are many small eateries around but they do not offer vegetarian options. Many primarily sell meat (e.g. roast meat, BBQ meat etc). The ubiquitous Hong Kong style "tea restaurants" (cha chan teng 茶餐厅) do not have vegetarian food other than plain steam rice rolls and toast.
It took some effort, but in the end, I got by quite alright.
I was staying in a guest house along Cameron Road. The nearest vegetarian restaurant was the Ah Sin Vegetarian (G/F 71 Chatham Road, South Oriental Centre) along Chatham Road South just round the corner from Cameron Road. This was reported to be a popular restaurant, but I did not eat there. I did buy some dim sum from their takeout counter. The dim sum were going for HK$10 for 3 pieces, which weren't too expensive. The only problem is that they were cold and the steamed dim sum just do not taste good when cold. I suggest you go for the deep fried or baked dim sum instead. The takeout counter also sold lunch boxes for HK$25, and they had set lunch for 2 at HK$125.
After having problem finding food the first day, I got onto the net and search HappyCow.net again. To my delight I found a vegetarian noodle joint nearby and I ate there almost everyday for the rest of my trip.
The restaurant is called Lan Lan Vegetarian Restaurant. (靓靓) It is modelled after the tra
ditional push cart noodle (车仔面).It's a small restaurant, with limited seats. There is a piece of paper on each table. On the piece of paper, you choose the noodle you want (there are more than 10 type of noodles available), and the ingredients you want (e.g. mushrooms, broccoli, leafy vegetables, etc), and finally the soup base. Unfortunately, it's all in Chinese. There is no English menu. In the worst case, you can ask for the recommended noodle set in the picture on the wall.
The noodles are between HK$11 to HK$13 (depending on the type of noodles), and the ingredients are HK$6 per order. But what I found is that if they normally give half an order if you select more than 3, so it did not added up to be too expensive. With a selection of 6 ingredients, my bowl of noodles came up to $35 only. That's the most value for money and economical meal I found in Hong Kong.
With lots of vegetables, the soup noodles were an healthy and hearty, and nice in the cold winter weather.Besides noodles, they also have rice, stir fry vegetable dishes, and other snacks.
I tried their fried tofu, pan-fried dumplings (水煎饺 HK$18)as well as the vegetarian version of Hong Kon
g's street food -- fried stuffed trios (煎酿三宝 HK$25) which is "fish meat" stuffed in egg plant, chili and tofu skin and deep fried (see picture).The address of the restaurant is Ground A, 15 Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui. But it is actually along Kimberly Road (I think it is part of a building which faces Austin Ave). It is easier to find it by walking along Kimberly Road northwards toward Austin Ave. However, you may miss the sign for it because it is covered by the signboard of another restaurant. It is directly opposite a 7-11, if that helps.
Another restaurant I found was at the Lady's Market. There were many street food stalls, but I could not find anything vegetarian. I found that there were 2 vegetarian restaurants along Tung Choi street. But it is not easy to find them because the makeshift stalls blocked the view. Walk behind the street stalls. At the end of Tung Choi street near Dundas street, there is a Vegetarian Kitchen. This is a Japanese restaurant. You can get sushi, sashimi and ramen. I ordered a bowl of rice with a meat pattie in it (HK$38) and an order of vegetable tempura. The food was pretty good. The final bill came up to HK$78 because there were some additional charges. It's a little pricey, but I guess in Hong Kong, that's about what I have to expect to pay for a meal.
The best meal I had was actually in the Po Lin temple in Lantau.I paid HK$60 for the meal ticket, which included entrance to an exhibition hall inside the giant Buddha.
At first, I expected to be grouped with some strangers for the meal which is the common practice in temples. I was surprised to be lead to a small table instead and was served individually. First, I was given a big pot of rice, a big bowl of miso soup and a pot of hot Chinese tea. Then I was served 3 dishes. The dishes were very tasty. It's actually a little too much for one person, but I finished them all nonetheless. A friend warned me that the food at the temple was bad -- just a some badly cooked vegetables, he said. But I think it's probably because he didn't like vegetables. I thought the food was excellent. I saw that other tables with more people had 4 to 5 dishes. But I was happy with my 3 dishes.
I had problem finding breakfast in Hong Kong. I saw many noodles joints but none vegetarian. Of course, there is always bread available from 7-11, but I am really not a bread person. I walked into one of those Hong Kong tea restaurant (茶餐厅). The only vegetarian option I could find was plain steam rice rolls (斋肠粉) and toast, which I ordered.
Then I found the Singapore chain Toast Box and the next two morning I ended up having my breakfast there. (HK$28 for a set meal, with kaya toast, two fried egg, and a coffee).There is, however, one thing I like about Hong Kong. Desert stalls are quite common. Sesame paste, peanut paste, mango pudding with pomelo (杨枝甘露), dumpling balls ("ah bo ling" 汤圆) etc. When I could not find food, these were good snacks to fill the stomach.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Vegetarian in Taipei
Taipei must be one of the most vegetarian friendly city I know of.
Vegetarian food is easily available in Taipei and quite cheaply too.
That's one of the many reasons I really like Taipei.
I arrived at Taipei airport at 8:30pm on the 13 Jan 2010. By the time I checked into my guest house next to the Taipei Station, it was 10pm. I had not had my dinner (I flew budget airline and the only thing vegetarian they were selling on board was a vegetarian cup noodles).
Most shops were closed by then. Bread was still easily available in the convenience stores, but I was hoping to have something more substantial then bread. I walked around a bit and found my way to the Taipei Exchange Station (long distance bus station north of the Taipei Station).
Many convenience stores in Taiwan have a small hot food pot called "Guandong zhu" (关东煮, I suspect its something copied from Japan), in which sticks of meat or vegetables were boiled. Many Singaporeans (and obviously the Taiwanese) like that as late night snacks. Although there are some vegetarian options like tofu, mushroom and radish, they were all cooked in the same pot of soup with the meat, and I was afraid it might have the meat taste. So I avoided it.
I browsed around and found a pack of vegetarain TV food in the fridge. It was a vegetarian "meat" patty meal with some vegetables, selling for NT69. I bought that and the counter staff heated it for me in the microwave oven (a standard service at the convenience stores here). It was quite tasty.
So at least I went to bed without feeling hungry that night.
The next day, I made a trip to Shenkeng （深坑）, a town reowned for its tofu. The town is just on the outskirts of Taipei, just 10 min bus ride from the Taipei Zoo.
Along the old street, it's row of restaurants and eatery selling all sorts of stinking tofu dishes. Yes, stinking tofu! I do not understand why they made all their tofu into stinking tofu. There are so many other types of tofu...
But the stinking tofu is quite nice. They don't smell that bad, and are quite tasty. There is a vegetarian tofu eatery, and all dishes are pure vegetarian. I ordered a bamboo shoot stew and a stinking tofu in hot soup. They were OK (i.e. nothing worth craving for). There were many push carts selling BBQ stinking tofu as well. These were all vegetarian, though the sauce contain garlic. But those who do not take garlic can tell the stalls they want "pure" vegetarian, and they do have sauces without garlic. I like these, primarily because the sauce is quite taste and the tofu is tender (Tofu cooked too long in soup becomes hard).
That night I was out till late and again. I thought the best bet to get food would be at the night markets, and I was right. The night market nearest to the Taipei Station was the Ningxia (宁夏), about 15 min walk away. And there, I found a vegetarian stall selling the usual vegetarian stuff: rice, noodles and mock meat stew in soy sauce (卤味). I ordered herbal soup noodles, soy sauce tofu and soy sheets and it was a filling meal for less than NT100.
Shilin Night market is one of Taipei's biggest night market and probably the most popular among tourists. I always go there too because there are a few vegetarian stalls in the market building next to the Jiantan MRT station, there are 3 vegetarians stalls. Two are found at the back of the market (you have to walk all the way to the end to find it). There is another one that sells mini hot pots
.
I always eat at the "Miao Xiang Yuan" (妙香园) stall, because it has a lot of tasty snack food.
Oyster omelet (蚵仔煎) is a popular Taiwanese street food. This stall has a pretty good vegetarian version, that is made from mushrooms, tofu sheets and seaweed.
I don't like the pinkish sweet sauce on the omelet. Otherwise its pretty good. I've tried the same dish at other stalls. So far, Miao Xiang Yuan did it best. Egg is actually optional, because the main binding ingredient is starch, not egg. So for those who do not eat eggs, tell them not to put egg.
The oyster omelet is NT50 per order (about than SGD 2.30).
I like to eat buns, and Shanghai pan-fried buns(生煎包) are a standard night market item. I always look at those longingly, but the fillings almost always use meat.
At the Shilin night market, along the main road (Wenlin Rd, 文林路), there is a vegetarian pan-fried bun store. Each bun sells for NT10, and the filling is mushroom and cabbage. I always get 2 buns when I am there to satisfy my cravings for the buns. But honestly, these aren't that good. The best ones I have tried is actually from a stall near Longshan Temple.
My favourite snack from Shilin Night Market is deep fried mushrooms.
The stall is also along the main road, just a few steps away from the vegetarian pan-fried bun store.
It is unhealthy: deep fried in oil and seasoned with lots of salt. But really I love it!
There are three type of mushrooms. You can order just one type or a mix of all three. Each order is NT50.
This trip, I found a vegetarian eatery in the Taipei Station underground shopping mall. For most of my trips, Taipei Station is the transport hub. So this eatery is really a great convenience. I don't have to go hunting for a vegetarian stall when I am hungry.
The eatery at the west end of the underground shopping mall, near the exit to Chongqing south street. They have rice and noodles and side dishes. In the picture, I ordered a Japanese style curry rice (NT60, but I won't recommend it. It's just rice and a big piece of deep fried TVP meat pattie). The side dishes (pickled cucumber, green vegetables, tofu, mock meat made gluten or TVP etc) are NT20 for a small plate and NT30 for a bigger plate. It's economical and convenient. I ate there twice this trip.
Finally, I would like to introduce my favourite vegetarian pan-fried bun stall.
I found out about this stall (上顶皇家素食水煎包) from the internet. This is located near Longshan Temple. Directly opposite the temple, there is a open plaza (the Longshan MRT is beneath it). There is a small street beside it where there are a few vegetarian restaurants. From that street, there is a side street that leads to a market place. There stall is located there.
The stall offers three types of fillings: cabbage (NT10 each), bamboo shoots (NT10 each), and mustard (雪里红). I always order one of each. There stall also offers pot stickers (basically the same thing as the cabbage bun but made into a pot sticker shape with a thinner skin). These buns are way better than the buns at Shilin Night Market. However, this time round, I found the bamboo shoots bun (which is mixed with glass noodles) a bit too salty.
This stalls open early in the morning and is a good stop for breakfast. So if you come to the Longshan temple, grab a few buns from here for breakfast!
Vegetarian food is easily available in Taipei and pretty good too. The only problem is that the street stalls and eateries uses too much mock meat and tofu. Green vegetables are quite lacking. However, if you go to a restaurant, there are many vegetable dishes.
One disadvantage is travelling alone is that it's difficult to go to restaurants (too expensive and too much food). There is a restaurant along Nanking East road offering vegetarian Sichuan style spicy hotpot (小心上瘾素食麻辣火锅). I've been there once and it's really good. Unfortunately, you need to have at least 2 person to start a pot, so I did not get to go there this time.
So, anyone wants to go and try with me next time?
Vegetarian food is easily available in Taipei and quite cheaply too.
That's one of the many reasons I really like Taipei.
I arrived at Taipei airport at 8:30pm on the 13 Jan 2010. By the time I checked into my guest house next to the Taipei Station, it was 10pm. I had not had my dinner (I flew budget airline and the only thing vegetarian they were selling on board was a vegetarian cup noodles).
Most shops were closed by then. Bread was still easily available in the convenience stores, but I was hoping to have something more substantial then bread. I walked around a bit and found my way to the Taipei Exchange Station (long distance bus station north of the Taipei Station).
Many convenience stores in Taiwan have a small hot food pot called "Guandong zhu" (关东煮, I suspect its something copied from Japan), in which sticks of meat or vegetables were boiled. Many Singaporeans (and obviously the Taiwanese) like that as late night snacks. Although there are some vegetarian options like tofu, mushroom and radish, they were all cooked in the same pot of soup with the meat, and I was afraid it might have the meat taste. So I avoided it.
I browsed around and found a pack of vegetarain TV food in the fridge. It was a vegetarian "meat" patty meal with some vegetables, selling for NT69. I bought that and the counter staff heated it for me in the microwave oven (a standard service at the convenience stores here). It was quite tasty.
So at least I went to bed without feeling hungry that night.
The next day, I made a trip to Shenkeng （深坑）, a town reowned for its tofu. The town is just on the outskirts of Taipei, just 10 min bus ride from the Taipei Zoo.
Along the old street, it's row of restaurants and eatery selling all sorts of stinking tofu dishes. Yes, stinking tofu! I do not understand why they made all their tofu into stinking tofu. There are so many other types of tofu...
But the stinking tofu is quite nice. They don't smell that bad, and are quite tasty. There is a vegetarian tofu eatery, and all dishes are pure vegetarian. I ordered a bamboo shoot stew and a stinking tofu in hot soup. They were OK (i.e. nothing worth craving for). There were many push carts selling BBQ stinking tofu as well. These were all vegetarian, though the sauce contain garlic. But those who do not take garlic can tell the stalls they want "pure" vegetarian, and they do have sauces without garlic. I like these, primarily because the sauce is quite taste and the tofu is tender (Tofu cooked too long in soup becomes hard).
That night I was out till late and again. I thought the best bet to get food would be at the night markets, and I was right. The night market nearest to the Taipei Station was the Ningxia (宁夏), about 15 min walk away. And there, I found a vegetarian stall selling the usual vegetarian stuff: rice, noodles and mock meat stew in soy sauce (卤味). I ordered herbal soup noodles, soy sauce tofu and soy sheets and it was a filling meal for less than NT100.
Shilin Night market is one of Taipei's biggest night market and probably the most popular among tourists. I always go there too because there are a few vegetarian stalls in the market building next to the Jiantan MRT station, there are 3 vegetarians stalls. Two are found at the back of the market (you have to walk all the way to the end to find it). There is another one that sells mini hot pots
.I always eat at the "Miao Xiang Yuan" (妙香园) stall, because it has a lot of tasty snack food.
Oyster omelet (蚵仔煎) is a popular Taiwanese street food. This stall has a pretty good vegetarian version, that is made from mushrooms, tofu sheets and seaweed.I don't like the pinkish sweet sauce on the omelet. Otherwise its pretty good. I've tried the same dish at other stalls. So far, Miao Xiang Yuan did it best. Egg is actually optional, because the main binding ingredient is starch, not egg. So for those who do not eat eggs, tell them not to put egg.
The oyster omelet is NT50 per order (about than SGD 2.30).
I like to eat buns, and Shanghai pan-fried buns(生煎包) are a standard night market item. I always look at those longingly, but the fillings almost always use meat.At the Shilin night market, along the main road (Wenlin Rd, 文林路), there is a vegetarian pan-fried bun store. Each bun sells for NT10, and the filling is mushroom and cabbage. I always get 2 buns when I am there to satisfy my cravings for the buns. But honestly, these aren't that good. The best ones I have tried is actually from a stall near Longshan Temple.
My favourite snack from Shilin Night Market is deep fried mushrooms.
The stall is also along the main road, just a few steps away from the vegetarian pan-fried bun store.
It is unhealthy: deep fried in oil and seasoned with lots of salt. But really I love it!
There are three type of mushrooms. You can order just one type or a mix of all three. Each order is NT50.
This trip, I found a vegetarian eatery in the Taipei Station underground shopping mall. For most of my trips, Taipei Station is the transport hub. So this eatery is really a great convenience. I don't have to go hunting for a vegetarian stall when I am hungry.The eatery at the west end of the underground shopping mall, near the exit to Chongqing south street. They have rice and noodles and side dishes. In the picture, I ordered a Japanese style curry rice (NT60, but I won't recommend it. It's just rice and a big piece of deep fried TVP meat pattie). The side dishes (pickled cucumber, green vegetables, tofu, mock meat made gluten or TVP etc) are NT20 for a small plate and NT30 for a bigger plate. It's economical and convenient. I ate there twice this trip.
Finally, I would like to introduce my favourite vegetarian pan-fried bun stall.I found out about this stall (上顶皇家素食水煎包) from the internet. This is located near Longshan Temple. Directly opposite the temple, there is a open plaza (the Longshan MRT is beneath it). There is a small street beside it where there are a few vegetarian restaurants. From that street, there is a side street that leads to a market place. There stall is located there.
The stall offers three types of fillings: cabbage (NT10 each), bamboo shoots (NT10 each), and mustard (雪里红). I always order one of each. There stall also offers pot stickers (basically the same thing as the cabbage bun but made into a pot sticker shape with a thinner skin). These buns are way better than the buns at Shilin Night Market. However, this time round, I found the bamboo shoots bun (which is mixed with glass noodles) a bit too salty.
This stalls open early in the morning and is a good stop for breakfast. So if you come to the Longshan temple, grab a few buns from here for breakfast!
Vegetarian food is easily available in Taipei and pretty good too. The only problem is that the street stalls and eateries uses too much mock meat and tofu. Green vegetables are quite lacking. However, if you go to a restaurant, there are many vegetable dishes.
One disadvantage is travelling alone is that it's difficult to go to restaurants (too expensive and too much food). There is a restaurant along Nanking East road offering vegetarian Sichuan style spicy hotpot (小心上瘾素食麻辣火锅). I've been there once and it's really good. Unfortunately, you need to have at least 2 person to start a pot, so I did not get to go there this time.
So, anyone wants to go and try with me next time?
Saturday, January 29, 2011
冬季到台北来看雨 -- 书乡书香
冬季到台北来看雨 之 书乡书香
台北有很多书局。很多。
去过许多地方，还没见过有那么多书局的城市。香港都没有。上海也没有。成都、重庆也没几间书局。
台北最出名的是诚品书局吧。诚品的旗舰店是一座好几层的大楼。在敦化南还有台北唯一的二十四小时书店。诚品书多不用说，而最棒的地方宽敞，还有椅子让人坐下慢慢翻读。我2007年去时，找一本2000出版的书，其他书局找不到，但就在诚品买到了。
但我到台北，一定去的书局不是诚品，而是晶晶书库。这是华人首家的同志书局。其实，似乎也是唯一的。到目前为止，还没听说有其他的华文同志书局。
晶晶还是颇有名气的。我在新跃大学上课，就有一个讲师，说到台北可以到晶晶见识见识，开开眼界。
我到这里主要是买一些同志文学。其实，这些书一般书局都有卖，只是不容易找。在晶晶，所有的同志文学都在一个架子，很容易找，而且一些比较旧的也能找到。
当然晶晶也有卖一些男色写真集，甚至一些日本色情片。这些我都不卖，男色写真，要看的话，网上一大堆。而色情片，第一太贵，第二入关被抓就完蛋了。
哦，我买的不少书，看过都捐给了 Pelangi Pride Centre。要看的话，可以去借。
台北车站附近的重庆南路是出名的“书局一条街”。新加坡人好像不怎么认识。这一条街，有很多书局，而且一般书都打折，杂志除外，一般都有85折，比诚品还便宜。确定是，这里书局比较小，周末相当拥挤，不像诚品那样，可以比较舒适地看书。
在捷运双莲站与中山站之间，还有一条地下书街，尽是小书局。只是，这里的书比较多是清货的（也因此挺便宜），而且比较大众化，食谱、风水之类的书比较多。
这次，我去花博会的途中，在中山国中站下车。一走出来就看见一栋“文化大楼”，忍不住进去看看，是三重书局。进去一看就是一个小时多。如果不是赶去看花博，不想扛着一带重重的书，就会又买了一批书。在这里，看到了陈克华的《善男子》，是一本同志诗集，便买了下来。
书的问题就是重量。每次，都要担心行李会不会超重。如果不是行李的限制，会买更多的。但其实，主要的限制还是时间。我的书架上，还有不少书都还没时间看呢...
喜欢台北的书香味。所以喜欢台北。
台北有很多书局。很多。
去过许多地方，还没见过有那么多书局的城市。香港都没有。上海也没有。成都、重庆也没几间书局。
台北最出名的是诚品书局吧。诚品的旗舰店是一座好几层的大楼。在敦化南还有台北唯一的二十四小时书店。诚品书多不用说，而最棒的地方宽敞，还有椅子让人坐下慢慢翻读。我2007年去时，找一本2000出版的书，其他书局找不到，但就在诚品买到了。
但我到台北，一定去的书局不是诚品，而是晶晶书库。这是华人首家的同志书局。其实，似乎也是唯一的。到目前为止，还没听说有其他的华文同志书局。
晶晶还是颇有名气的。我在新跃大学上课，就有一个讲师，说到台北可以到晶晶见识见识，开开眼界。
我到这里主要是买一些同志文学。其实，这些书一般书局都有卖，只是不容易找。在晶晶，所有的同志文学都在一个架子，很容易找，而且一些比较旧的也能找到。
当然晶晶也有卖一些男色写真集，甚至一些日本色情片。这些我都不卖，男色写真，要看的话，网上一大堆。而色情片，第一太贵，第二入关被抓就完蛋了。
哦，我买的不少书，看过都捐给了 Pelangi Pride Centre。要看的话，可以去借。
台北车站附近的重庆南路是出名的“书局一条街”。新加坡人好像不怎么认识。这一条街，有很多书局，而且一般书都打折，杂志除外，一般都有85折，比诚品还便宜。确定是，这里书局比较小，周末相当拥挤，不像诚品那样，可以比较舒适地看书。
在捷运双莲站与中山站之间，还有一条地下书街，尽是小书局。只是，这里的书比较多是清货的（也因此挺便宜），而且比较大众化，食谱、风水之类的书比较多。
这次，我去花博会的途中，在中山国中站下车。一走出来就看见一栋“文化大楼”，忍不住进去看看，是三重书局。进去一看就是一个小时多。如果不是赶去看花博，不想扛着一带重重的书，就会又买了一批书。在这里，看到了陈克华的《善男子》，是一本同志诗集，便买了下来。
书的问题就是重量。每次，都要担心行李会不会超重。如果不是行李的限制，会买更多的。但其实，主要的限制还是时间。我的书架上，还有不少书都还没时间看呢...
喜欢台北的书香味。所以喜欢台北。
Friday, January 28, 2011
冬季到台北来看雨 -- 冷天泡汤真享受
冬季到台北来看雨 -- 冷天泡汤真享受
泡汤，是台北行程不可少的项目，尤其是在冬季。
1月14日。星期五。早上到深坑，下午到花博会一直到天黑。走了一整天，走到脚都累了。这时，去泡温泉是最好的。
台北有不少温泉。北投与乌来是两大著名的温泉区。我则是到阳明山附近的温泉。搭捷运北投线到石牌站，转公交车508号，到行义路。这里有一条温泉街，有好多间温泉餐厅。我就是到这里的川汤。
台北泡温泉收费不贵。在北投，有一所政府设立的公共温泉池，男女共浴，需穿泳衣，收费才NT20！我第一次来台北就在这里泡过。在行义路温泉区的汤馆，收费从NT200起，新元不到$10。我付了NT200用川汤的露天大众池。这里是裸浴的，男女分浴。
当天气温大约12度，不算太冷。泡在热水里，紧绷的肌肉放松，疲惫一洗而去。
知情的人都懂，川汤是同志们常去的汤馆。上一次，我也是听朋友说了，所有特地来看看。
其实，根本没什么的啦。至少我去过几次，没见过什么色情活动。只是，一走进温泉池，就会感到很强烈的眼光。但大家都是乖乖的看而已。而一些人就是一直走过来走过去，我到觉得相当滑稽。在这里，不是看人就是给人看。只有寥寥几人，闭着眼睛，泡在水里。
我则是纯粹去泡汤的，真的！但是有养眼的男色，不看白不看吧？！
泡了一个半小时，身体轻松舒服得很，皮肤也变得很柔滑，感觉非常好！
在台北的最后一天，我先到故宫博物院，之后又跑去川汤。我原以为周一下午应该会没人，没想到竟是相当拥挤，只是
叔叔伯伯比较多，但也有不少学生。
当天气温下降，天虽晴，但很冷，大概只有摄氏8度。温泉池的蒸汽特别盛，一片迷蒙，看不清人。每当一阵寒风吹过，吹散蒸汽，有一种拨开云雾的感觉。
走了台北几天，是相当累的。在这种寒冷的天气，疲惫的身体泡在热水里，真的是一种享受。若不是还要赶去搭飞机，真的不想走。
我一直泡到四点，才依依不舍地离开。飞机是晚上八点飞。从行义路到台北车站，吃了晚餐，再搭机场快车到桃园机场，时间刚刚好。
到台北，泡汤真是一种享受。
泡汤，是台北行程不可少的项目，尤其是在冬季。
1月14日。星期五。早上到深坑，下午到花博会一直到天黑。走了一整天，走到脚都累了。这时，去泡温泉是最好的。
台北有不少温泉。北投与乌来是两大著名的温泉区。我则是到阳明山附近的温泉。搭捷运北投线到石牌站，转公交车508号，到行义路。这里有一条温泉街，有好多间温泉餐厅。我就是到这里的川汤。
台北泡温泉收费不贵。在北投，有一所政府设立的公共温泉池，男女共浴，需穿泳衣，收费才NT20！我第一次来台北就在这里泡过。在行义路温泉区的汤馆，收费从NT200起，新元不到$10。我付了NT200用川汤的露天大众池。这里是裸浴的，男女分浴。
当天气温大约12度，不算太冷。泡在热水里，紧绷的肌肉放松，疲惫一洗而去。
知情的人都懂，川汤是同志们常去的汤馆。上一次，我也是听朋友说了，所有特地来看看。
其实，根本没什么的啦。至少我去过几次，没见过什么色情活动。只是，一走进温泉池，就会感到很强烈的眼光。但大家都是乖乖的看而已。而一些人就是一直走过来走过去，我到觉得相当滑稽。在这里，不是看人就是给人看。只有寥寥几人，闭着眼睛，泡在水里。
我则是纯粹去泡汤的，真的！但是有养眼的男色，不看白不看吧？！
泡了一个半小时，身体轻松舒服得很，皮肤也变得很柔滑，感觉非常好！
在台北的最后一天，我先到故宫博物院，之后又跑去川汤。我原以为周一下午应该会没人，没想到竟是相当拥挤，只是
叔叔伯伯比较多，但也有不少学生。当天气温下降，天虽晴，但很冷，大概只有摄氏8度。温泉池的蒸汽特别盛，一片迷蒙，看不清人。每当一阵寒风吹过，吹散蒸汽，有一种拨开云雾的感觉。
走了台北几天，是相当累的。在这种寒冷的天气，疲惫的身体泡在热水里，真的是一种享受。若不是还要赶去搭飞机，真的不想走。
我一直泡到四点，才依依不舍地离开。飞机是晚上八点飞。从行义路到台北车站，吃了晚餐，再搭机场快车到桃园机场，时间刚刚好。
到台北，泡汤真是一种享受。
Thursday, January 27, 2011
冬季到台北来看雨 -- 又寂寞又美好
冬季到台北来看雨 之 又寂寞又美好
《又寂寞又美好》 Beautiful Solititude，几米的作品。
在台北逛书局时看到，便买了下来。因为我也是个寂寞的旅人，也想了解，几米的寂寞，是如何的美好。
这一次游台北，又是一个人，但玩得挺尽兴，不觉得孤单，反而觉得，一个人，其实也可以很好的。或许，是习惯了一个人，习惯了寂寞。
寂寞，感觉最深刻，是游平溪线那天。非常寂寞，但无悲伤，对寂寞有种不曾经历过的平常心与舍离心。似乎又重新认识了寂寞。
那天，与侯硐的猫咪们交流了一阵子后，吃了简单的午饭，便乘火车到平溪线的终点站青桐。
天气突然转凉，山上的气温更是冻。来平溪的情侣似乎特别多，火车里一对一对的，相依偎着。
午后，开始下起雨。
我买了一杯热腾腾的姜母茶。捧着热茶，暖了冰冻的双手。一口一口地喝着，辣辣的姜味似乎也暖了身子，暖了心。
冬季的雨虽冷。旅人的心不冻。
在绵绵细雨中，青桐弥漫着浓浓的浪漫。幸福邮筒等着爱的限时批。
竹简写着许许多多祝福，愿长长久久不分开，愿伊人幸福快乐。
我走着走着，离开了青桐老街，离开了双双对对的恋人。
铁路边的小路上，就我
一个人。
一个孤单的背影。撑着伞。踏在湿漉漉的山间小路。
虽然寂寞，但不孤单。从青桐走到平溪，一路上只有我一个人。还有青山、绿树、寒雨、铁路、思绪。有点悠哉，有种自在。
如果有人相随，也许不错。但或许就无法静静地感觉朦胧的山与绵绵的雨，寂寂山路与默默的铁道，还有，一个人美好的寂寞。
走到平溪，正好有人放天灯，看着人们的祈福，随着炮竹声响，与天灯一起升天。
从平溪搭火车到十分，天色已开始暗了。游人已散，店铺也开始收拾。我没走到十分瀑布。到基隆河便掉头。
十分，又是一个浪漫的煤矿小镇。或许与其名有关。因为“十分”加上“幸福”，就是“十分幸福”。于是，到这里来的人都带着一份祝福而离开。
回程时，搭火车到松山，到拥挤的饶河夜市逛，喝了一碗热热的番薯汤，再加上一个葱油饼做晚餐。
在无人的山路中，寂寞。
在拥挤的夜市里，寂寞。
但是没有悲伤，没有怨艾。
一个人，也好。
《又寂寞又美好》 Beautiful Solititude，几米的作品。在台北逛书局时看到，便买了下来。因为我也是个寂寞的旅人，也想了解，几米的寂寞，是如何的美好。
这一次游台北，又是一个人，但玩得挺尽兴，不觉得孤单，反而觉得，一个人，其实也可以很好的。或许，是习惯了一个人，习惯了寂寞。
寂寞，感觉最深刻，是游平溪线那天。非常寂寞，但无悲伤，对寂寞有种不曾经历过的平常心与舍离心。似乎又重新认识了寂寞。
那天，与侯硐的猫咪们交流了一阵子后，吃了简单的午饭，便乘火车到平溪线的终点站青桐。
天气突然转凉，山上的气温更是冻。来平溪的情侣似乎特别多，火车里一对一对的，相依偎着。
午后，开始下起雨。我买了一杯热腾腾的姜母茶。捧着热茶，暖了冰冻的双手。一口一口地喝着，辣辣的姜味似乎也暖了身子，暖了心。
冬季的雨虽冷。旅人的心不冻。在绵绵细雨中，青桐弥漫着浓浓的浪漫。幸福邮筒等着爱的限时批。
竹简写着许许多多祝福，愿长长久久不分开，愿伊人幸福快乐。我走着走着，离开了青桐老街，离开了双双对对的恋人。
铁路边的小路上，就我
一个人。一个孤单的背影。撑着伞。踏在湿漉漉的山间小路。
虽然寂寞，但不孤单。从青桐走到平溪，一路上只有我一个人。还有青山、绿树、寒雨、铁路、思绪。有点悠哉，有种自在。
如果有人相随，也许不错。但或许就无法静静地感觉朦胧的山与绵绵的雨，寂寂山路与默默的铁道，还有，一个人美好的寂寞。
走到平溪，正好有人放天灯，看着人们的祈福，随着炮竹声响，与天灯一起升天。
从平溪搭火车到十分，天色已开始暗了。游人已散，店铺也开始收拾。我没走到十分瀑布。到基隆河便掉头。
十分，又是一个浪漫的煤矿小镇。或许与其名有关。因为“十分”加上“幸福”，就是“十分幸福”。于是，到这里来的人都带着一份祝福而离开。
回程时，搭火车到松山，到拥挤的饶河夜市逛，喝了一碗热热的番薯汤，再加上一个葱油饼做晚餐。在无人的山路中，寂寞。
在拥挤的夜市里，寂寞。
但是没有悲伤，没有怨艾。
一个人，也好。
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