Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple

Update on **30 December 2013**

In the early morning, we also woke up early to visit Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple (台北霞海城隍庙)located in Di Hua Street (迪化街)）. I learned this temple from the tourist brochures that I obtained when I reached Taipei and insisted to step there after discussed with JoJo.

For me, it’s worthwhile to visit the temple and pray to get boyfriend or future soulmate from the God of called old man under the moon (月下老人). He was the matchmaking god that decide whom you’ll married and tied your feet with your future partner by using red strings. 

It's better to shoot the great view of Hotel Riverview Taipei in the morning 

In order to boost our energy, we had to take our breakfast 

Looked tired since side headache was attacked me!

Yummy yummy in her tummy 

It's packed with Mainland China guests. They even share one table with us without asking our permission 

The customer service of Riverview Hotel Taipei was superb! The front desk personnel (the tall guy in the right side) even helped us to call a cab after suggesting used a cab for visiting Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple (台北霞海城煌庙）

The front desk personnel make me felt like a princess, a prince will open the door for me!

The driving seat in Taiwan was in the left hand side. The Taiwan taxi used meter to charge the passengers.

After few minutes, we arrived Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple (台北霞海城煌庙）

incense burner area

Reading the details steps in praying for Mr Rights

God money and usually came with incense stick for praying

Registration area for donation. All the food donation will contribute to old folks home, hospital and other charity organization

The staff at there facilitate us in briefing the offerings and the step to securing a boyfriend from the old man under the moon.

 Japanese female singer

A lot of Taiwan and Japan actresses and model go there to ask for the god for blessing. There’s a Japanese singer tied the knot with her boyfriend after praying in the temple. She highly promoted Japanese to visit the temple after this. I found that most of the temple visitors were Japanese tourists. It’s totally different to the previous tourist sites that flocked with Mainland China tourists.

Pray to the The Wife of The City God.

Fortune shoes the wife of the City God blessed married couples with close relations and happy family

Pray to the City of God and other deities

Our offerings for Old Man Under the Moon 

The old man under the moon 

Detailed procedures in praying the old man under the moon:

1. Buying a set of offering for old man under the moon from the temple staff costs NT 250

2. Giving the offering to the temple staff and he left 3 incense sticks, sweets and Amulet holder for the prayer

3. Burning 3 incense sticks in the burner area

4. Face the burner in the main door and pray to the sky god

5. Proceeding to the City of God and other deities area that include old man under the moon

6. Briefly introduce yourself, eg the name, address, the characteristics and occupation of your dreamed boyfriend, soulmate or Mr Rights to old man under the moon

7. Moving to the Guan Yin area to pray for good fortune

8. Heading to the The Wife of The City God.

9. Putting 3 incense sticks in the front burner and circling your Amulet Holder 3 times around the burner

9. Eating the sweets that included in the offerings given to the old man under the moon

10. Drinking the blessed tea

11. The temple will burn the god money on behalf of you

Drink the blessed tea 

Shi Lin Nightmarket + Qian Ye Shabu Shabu

We're in Shi Lin nightmarket. 

extra large fried chicken and the efficiency of the staff make us got our fried chicken! 

explore Taiwan milk tea in order to compare the Malaysia milk tea. For me, there is no difference between Taiwan milktea and Malaysia milktea  

JoJo was so thirsty while Rosamond was extreme hungry.....Hehe 

Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang (大肠包小肠）, famous snacks in Shi Lin nightmarket 

It's a sausages that wrapped in the glutinous rice 

This guy was making the pepper biscuit (胡椒饼） It's biscuit baked in oven and filled with meat, pepper and other stuff 

 pepper biscuit

After we check in Riverview hotel in Ximending (西门町）area, we walked towards Qian Ye Shabu Shabu (千葉火锅）for dinner 

It's in 2nd floor 

I'm not really enjoyed when eating in Qian Ye Shabu Shabu although wide varieties of foods, it might due to have dinner with a bunch of "not so closed relationship" tour members and lousy seating arrangement. 

I used to eat steamboat or shabu shabu with someone that quite close with me and chat with my close family members and friends. In my heart, I consider steamboat as a reunion tools. In home, I like Tay Pa Pa, Tay Ma Ma, Me, Rosamond, JoJo, Naruto and Mickey surrounding around the table and enjoyed our steamboat together. This kind of circle pattern of seating arrangement for having steamboat was perfect to enhance our relationship and interaction.  

Ximending main gate 

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial hall,a must when visiting Taipei. It's in the heart of Taipei city and landmark of Taipei city. 

It's nice when visiting Chiang Kai Shek in this cold and windy environment. It will make you understand the great man who founded Taiwan by looking at his massive statue and life exhibitions that emphasized on his success in building Taiwan.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall includes a park and 2 well known buildings, National Theater and National Hall, whereby a lot of performance will be conducted. 

The main gate namely "Liberty Square"(自由广场）

The renaming of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall was announced by President Chen Sui Bian on 2007. According to President Chen Sui Bian, Liberty Square also reflected the Taiwanese were holding freedom, democracy and human rights

National theater and national concert hall were also located here

Changing the guard in front of National Concert Hall and Theater

Unique white structure building with blue roof as their backdrop

I'm also grab chance to have a photo in this special building

We're closer to the building

We had 30 minutes to visit memorial hall. Walking from the main gate to memorial hall was a big distance but JoJo still insisted to took photos. (Due to short time, my biggest wishes was catch a glimpse of statue Chiang Kai Shek) .Thanks to JoJo, without her I might lose the opportunity to enjoy memorial hall's pictures

Yea, only left few steps we'll reach memorial hall

View of Liberty Square from Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Thumbs up to JoJo's photography skills that make us more nearer to Liberty Square word sculpture

The Taiwan soldiers were very young and good looking. I requested him to take photos with me but he refused. How bad he was!!!!Rosamond teased me and told JoJo that I had been refused by soldier that I love!!

(Attention: I wanted to strangle Rosamond)

We mistaken thought we able to view the dead body of Chiang Kai Shiek but after that we had been informed by the soldiers that his dead body was in Cihu (慈湖).We were informed by Ah Xiang that Chiang Kai Shiek was not buried in traditional Chinese fashion since he wished to buried in his hometown FengHua, Zhenjiang province. Arghhhhhhhh, I remembered Ah Xiang mentioned Cihu but I ignore about it in the coach.

My Mandarin speaking was in the poor level. I still remembered how am I asked the soldiers about Chiang Kai Shek's dead body by pointing the statues and said "where is his dead body?"Chiang Kai Shek was his former president and I used "his" to describe his lovely former president. I'm very rude. Super ashamed with it.