Let's begin my travelogue on the second day I have been in Taiwan. Around 8:00 am after breakfast, we're check-out from the City Suites Gateway Hotel, which is located at the Taoyuan areas. Then, we are transferred from Taoyuan areas to Hsinchu areas by tour bus with 22 seats. 

Hsinchu is a city in northern Taiwan, southwest of the capital city of Taipei. It's known for its ornate Hsinchu City God (Cheng Huang) Temple, lined with food stalls. Close by is Yin His East Gate, a 19th-century structure once used as an entrance to the city. Hsinchu Zoo houses hippos, Bengal tigers, and Malay bears. Southeast of the center, trails cross the forested Shibajian (18 Peaks) Mountain.

The price list of the entrance fee ticket.

White Tiger

Oh yeah! I meet Kwangsu, here. Hahahaha

The Hsinchu areas, we're visiting the Leofoo Village. The journey from the City Suites Gateway Hotel to Leofoo Village is around 40 minutes by bus. The Leofoo Village is the theme park and a safari located in Guanxi Township, Hshinchu County, Taiwan. 

It features three roller coasters, including an inverted shuttle coaster, Screaming Condor, an Intamin twist-and-turn coaster dubbed Sahara Twist, as well as a Vekoma Roller Skater (335m) in the Wild West section of the park, Little Rattler, themed to an old mining railway. There is also the Nairobi Express, a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway built by Severn Lamb. The park features many other attractions of different styles and proper themed areas.

I don't know, it's because I arrive there so early or it's in low seasons – I feel empty and fewer people at the theme park. This is the first theme park I went that fewer people rather than another theme park I went before. So I can easily take the beautiful pictures without interrupted by people. I like it.

I take lunch at the Leofoo Village Theme Park – Aladdin Restaurant, Arabian Kingdom.  This restaurant serves the halal lunch and we get the Middle Eastern Cuisine; which is the price for the meal is around NT$ 520 (RM 74.40) per pax. It's delicious but I don't like Arab meal style.

After lunch, we're proceeds to National Chiang Kai-Shek (C.K.S.) Memorial Hall. It's a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Chiang Kai-Shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Zhongsheng District, Taipei, Taiwan.

The monument, surrounded by the park, stands at the east end of Liberty Square. The structure is framed on the north and south by the National Theater and National Concert Hall. This place is very big for me. 

Then, we're going to Ximending areas. It is a neighborhood and shopping district in the Wanhua District of Taipei, Taiwan. It was the first pedestrian zone in Taiwan. This place makes me remember to Myeongdong, Seoul, Korea and also Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The atmosphere is quite similar to me. 

That why Ximending has been called the "Harajuku of Taipei" and also the "Shibuya of Taipei." Ximending is the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture, and Japanese culture. Ximending has a host of clubs and pubs in the surrounding area. 

Lucky, someone treat me with the famous starfruit juice in Taipei, Taiwan.

The exit 6 from the Taipei Subway to go the Ximending.

TIP – If want to buy the souvenir at the Ximending – yes, you can buy it. So the standard items like a refrigerator magnet, NT$ 80 (one – 1) (RM 11.50); keychain, NT$ 120 (one – 1) (RM 17.20); Taiwan Mochi, NT$ 100 per pack (Halal) (RM 14.30); Taiwan Caddy Peanut NT$ 120 per box (Halal) (RM 17.20); and Taiwan Pineapple Cake, NT$ 200 per box (Halal) (RM 28.60). If I do not mistake, only these items Halal at Taiwan that Muslim tourist can buy and eat it. Good luck, if you can find the cheaper price than this. I'm so tired to walk so I bought whatever I see at the first place.

Our dinner on that day is at Halal Bismillah Restaurant. Most the meals are like Malay and Thailand meals. The dish they serve to us is 12 dishes in total. The price is around NT$ 300 (RM 42.90) per pax. It's so delicious even I can't make it take some pictures of it – since everyone is hungry.

We're so tired, and then we're checking in our hotel at the Sinjhuang Chateau de Chine Hotel. Its hotel is 4 stars hotel and they also provided the Qiblah (Arrow for Muslim's Prayer), prayer timetable and also sejadah. 

This room is so beautiful. But we have to check-out the room on next day because we're going another place that far from Taipei City and we're staying at another hotel around that area just for 1 night before we're staying at Sinjhuang Chateau de Chine Hotel again until we're back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That is all my stories for the second day.

Here, the link to the continued stories about the Explore Taiwan, the Heart of Asia on September 2017 – Day 1, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6.