Countdown at Taipei 2018 (Day 4)

We had walked a very long distance the day before. So, we decided to stay around Taipei today. Anyway, we were also looking forward to the countdown tonight and had to reserve some energy!

When we were at Taipei for our pre-wed photoshoot 2 years ago, we were introduced to a yummy 卤肉饭 at 金峰魯肉飯 Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice along Roosevelt Rd. Long queues can be seen almost any time of the day. However, the queue moved fast. I like it that each bowl of rice costs less than 2SGD for the smallest size. For me, that was enough to satisfy my craving and of course, enough to make me full!

We also revisited the row of bridal shops where we took our pre-wed shots. It has shifted, although still within the same stretch of road.


New Year Countdown

There are many places to welcome the new year in Taipei. Of course, the most popular being at Taipei 101 where the main celebration and the most spectacular fireworks was held. The other popular spot as I found out on the internet was the mountain nearby where avid photographers would camp for a spot from afternoon so as to get the best shot of the fireworks. However, we worried about the way down and journey back to hotel. Some others suggested finding a spot at the parks near the Shida road areas to try to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. For us, we chose to camp at an open area opposite Roahe Night Market across the Rainbow Bridge.

Before we headed there to ‘chope’ a spot, we met up with hubby friend’s for dinner at Songshan train station for dinner. We noticed that the station was already getting crowded. After we grabbed a quick dinner, we quickly made our way to the area. Well, the benefits of having 4 people is that we could take turns to go for walks at the night market which was really crowded! We were there since around 7pm. It would be difficult to sit there for 5 hours (I don’t do this in Singapore because it’s too warm!) in the cold. We took turns for toilet breaks and also to buy snacks for one another.

Soon, there were more and more people at the area. When it was nearing 12am, locals already started setting smaller fireworks along the river! We started video-calling our family members in to show them the fireworks! What a nice atmosphere!

At 12am sharp, fireworks lit the sky. The view of Taipei 101 was clear and equally spectacular from afar. Goodbye 2017 and Hello 2018!!

Of course, after the hype, we still had to make our way back to hotel. The squeeze up the Rainbow Bridge to go back to Songshan Station was already painful enough for me. Fortunately though, Songshan Station was the 1st station of the line. So we did not have to worry about being unable to squeeze up the train. Thereafter, we transferred back to the Taoyuan Airport line and alighted at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital station and then took a taxi back to hotel.

Countdown at Taipei 2018 (Day 3)

Finally, weekend is here and hubby is free to go out with me!

We decided to travel around Taoyuan since we have skipped Taoyuan the past few times we were here. We found out that there is a Xiao Wulai Route Tourist Shuttle bus 502 that operates on a regular basis and stops at major attractions. So, it was a convenient option for tourists to hop on and hop off like us if you get a 1-day ticket that offers unlimited rides at NT150 per adult! Otherwise, single-ride ticket options are also available.

From our hotel, we took a 35mins walk to the Taoyuan Bus Station. Yes, hubby and I like walking, especially in such cool weather. As we approached the bus station, we started to see signboards directing us to the 502 shuttle bus queue. And we did not have to wait long before the next bus departed for the attractions.

There were a few stops interest us. Hence, we decided to head for the furthest stop before working our way backwards.


1st stop – Xiao Wulai Skywalk

We have been to Wulai near Taipei which was famous for its waterfall and hot springs there. However, Xiao Wulai or “Little Wulai” is not to be confused with that. Here, in Xiao Wulai, tourists flock here for the suspension bridge and skywalk (a glass bridge above the waterfall) in the scenic area. You will know when you’ve reached because it is the last station! It is free to walk around the area. However, we had to purchase a ticket since we wanted to challenge ourselves on the bridge and the skywalk! It usually gets crowded in the afternoon. To avoid the crowd, be sure to come here earlier like us! Although the skywalk was much shorter than I imagined, it was still instagram-worthy!

2nd stop – Daxi Old Street

We alighted 1 station earlier as we had mistaken that Daxi Old Street was near Daxi Station. Haha! It’s actually nearer to the Heping Old Street stop. Luckily, it was only a short walk, not a major issue for us! The first thing that caught our eyes were the 2 rows of Baroque style buildings that were well preserved. The streets also sold many specialties and my favourite was the handmade peanut caramel candy. From afar, we saw a large crowd and queue for the candies. Even if you are a not a fan sweet stuff, I would suggest popping by to see how they make the candy! Of course, curious as always, we joined the queue to buy some home to try!

The other interesting food was the peanut ice cream roll! Imagine having a large ball or ice cream being wrapped with peanut in a popiah roll. Interesting, isn’t it? And it was also heartening to see that they sell ‘Singapore ice-cream’ there too! What we commonly see along our Orchard Road is also 1 of the specialty there! I’m so proud of our ice-cream!

A short walk further down the street brought us to the Daxi Bridge which offered a nice sunset view as well as a breather away from the crowd! But to take the shuttle back to Taoyuan, we had to walk back to the other end of the street.


Back at Taoyuan train station, we took a train to the Banqiao station along the Ban-Nan line. We heard that there was a Christmas lighting event going on there. Being there during that period, we had to take a look! The lightings unfortunately was less elaborate than what we have in Singapore (be satisfied, Singaporeans!). After awhile, we decided to head to Haidilao at the mall next to the station. Super long queue, 2hrs! Lucky, we were able to spend time loitering around the mall. By the way, I was so proud to see many Singapore brands in the mall!

Countdown at Taipei 2018 (Day 2)

Today, hubby had to work. So it meant that I had a free today on my own! Hubby shared that there was a shop selling traditional Taiwanese breakfast slightly down the road opposite the hotel. So, I went there to try. It was not disappointing at all! They served yummy breakfast that was so value for money!

Then, I went back to the bus stop opposite the hotel along Chunri Road at Shuangfeng Rd. Intersection and waited for bus 1096, a direct bus to Taipei. I thought that since it was a ‘long distance’ bus, the service would be less frequent, just like how things are in Singapore. I was surprised that the bus came shortly! It was like a coach with comfortable seats. I found a seat and began my 40mins bus ride to Taipei.

The bus ends at Taipei Main Station (Zhengzhou) bus interchange. This is also where we would board the same bus back to the hotel. The moment I alighted, I felt glad to be back at a familiar place. This was my 3rd trip to Taipei, which is a city like Singapore, with very accessible public transport system. I was not afraid of getting lost at all.

Since I had the whole day to spare, I decided to pamper myself a little. I did a quick search of hair salons around the area and decided to make a trip to Shida near Taipower Building Station. As Shida was near a university, it was said that the area had many trendy hair salons that students frequent. Indeed, there were many along the stretch of shops along Shida Road. After considering a few, I went into 曼都髮型 師大店. It was 1 of the many outlets of a chain salon in Taiwan and definitely not the cheapest in the area. But the service was good. I had a TV screen to myself where I could choose a movie while they served a selection of drinks from their menu. Being me, I chose to watch a cartoon and drank their milk tea (we are in Taiwan!). 3 hours later, I came out with a coloured and shorter hair… Wondered if hubby could still recognise me later!

By then, I really needed to stretch my legs. I decided to head to the popular Xi Men Ding streets for shopping! With so much time at hand, I walked every little streets and found some nice couple jackets. Haha! A must-eat there is also the gigantic Hot Star Large Fried Chicken and Oyster Mee Sua. Usually I shared with hubby. That day, I felt so guilty finishing everything on my own!

Before long, it was time for me to make my way to the Mitsui Outlet Park at Linkou by taking the Taoyuan Airport MRT line to Linkou MRT Station. From the Taipei main station, it took me only about 20mins to be at Linkou. According to hubby, he and his colleagues often went there for dinner and in particular, they liked the beef bbq at level 2 of the mall. Most major brands were also available at the mall. Being a partial indoor and outdoor concept mall, it was nice to have a stroll in the open and then hide indoors when it got too cold.

Countdown at Taipei 2018 (Day 1)

One particular evening in Dec 2017, hubby joked that he could be sent overseas (like Taiwan or US) for work trips just like his colleagues. 2 days later, he received a call from his boss which really required him to be in Taiwan for 2 weeks, spanning across Christmas and New Year. Afterall, that was our 1st Christmas and New Year that we were about to spend together as a married couple. So I decided to book my flight to join him after Christmas for New Year countdown together.

Last minute tickets are horribly expensive. What’s more, I was travelling during the new year period. I got my return tickets on Eva air at about $800. No choice. Most of the other airlines were fully booked!

I was really excited to fly there to meet my husband. It was my first flight alone! I’ve been to Taiwan twice. So, I was not worried at all. That afternoon, I went to the transit area earlier and enjoyed some window shopping on my own.

After approximately 4 hours, I’ve finally touched down at Taoyuan International Airport. However, the queue to immigration felt horrendously long and I was anxious to meet hubby! Luckily, I had already bought my travel SIM card so I could contact my hubby to let him know that I would take some time because of the queue, not because I was lost! Afterall, he would still have to work on weekdays. So, I needed a SIM card which I could contact him while travelling on my own.

After queuing for approximately an hour, I finally cleared the immigration. We took a taxi back to the hotel where hubby was staying which was just 20mins away from the airport. Holiday Inn Express Taoyuan is located along the main Chunri Road in Taoyuan which had frequent bus services to Taipei.

By then, the sky has already turned dark. We decided to head to the Tao Yuan Night Market, a 15mins walk away. Stalls lined both sides of the streets. By then, we were already quite hungry and headed straight for my favourite 卤肉饭! It’s so much cheaper than those sold in Singapore! And because it was in Taoyuan, it was also cheaper than those in Taipei! With our stomachs filled, we walked down the streets of the night market in search of other hidden treasures. Compared to the night markets in Taipei, I felt that this was smaller, nonetheless still very authentically Taiwan!

Proposal at Kota Kinabalu (Day 5)

Last day at Kota Kinabalu! It happened to be Sunday and of course we made a trip to the Gaya Street Sunday Market! It was just a few minutes walk away from our hotel. Stalls were already set up by the time we reached. Stalls sold batik clothes, souveniors, traditional pottery as well as food (of course)! What caught my eye was actually a stall that sold birds and even puppies in cages. It was quite sad to see how they sell animals while here in Singapore we advocate for adoption.

That afternoon, we took a taxi back to the airport for our flight back on Air Asia. However, there was 1 last surprise for us. We had to climb stairs up to the plane. Oh no…1 final flight of staircase before we head for home!

Stairs AGAIN

Many people visit Kota Kinabalu as a pit stop before and after climbing the Mt Kinabalu. After exploring the town and the nearby islands, I found out that Kota Kinabalu was actually a very nice place to visit for a chill and relaxing trip. It did not really matter if Mt K is part of the plan.

2 months after our climb, there was a serious earthquake which killed several climbers as well as guides who went back up to save climbers stuck on the mountain. It was sad to learn about it especially when I had just experienced a very happy proposal on that very mountain. We were also very thankful that we had a safe and enjoyable climb. Since then, the summit looked different and the height of the mountain was also slightly lowered.

Proposal at Kota Kinabalu (Day 4)

The next morning, we woke up with aching legs and body. Really didn’t or rather, couldn’t get out of bed. Nonetheless, we did not want to waste the 1 more day we had to explore the town. Hence, we still dragged ourselves out of the room.

After exploring the mountains, we decided to go island hopping next! With a short stroll, we arrived at Jesselton Point jetty and bought our tickets for the boat rides.

Heading to the islands!

Designated areas for various water activities in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park was made up of several islands. We first arrived at Manukan Island, the smallest but also had the largest area for recreational activities. There were several resorts on the island but we did not stay long here. We went back on the boat and set of to the Gaya Island instead as we learnt that there was an island-to-island zipline! Not wanting to lose such an exciting opportunity, we went straight for it. To our (horror) surprise, there was a flight of stairs to the starting point of the zipline. Not again! I drag my feet up… The ride was really awesome as we zipped across the sea to Sapi Island! It was over too soon in my opinion! After climbing the stairs, I really hoped I could be in the air for just awhile longer…

Sapi Island itself was not disappointing. The water is soooo sooo clear! Just wished that I had brought along a change of clothes! It was perfect for water activities and we saw tourists snorkelling in the sea too!

That night, we returned to the waterfront again for dinner. This time, we tried the street food which was tastier and more friendly to our pockets! Feeling great, we then found a spot where we did our leg massages! We ended our day with a drink by the bar which offered seats facing the sea.

Leg massage while watching the sunset

Proposal at Kota Kinabalu (Day 2)

At around 6am, our van was at the carpark waiting for us. As a popular spot for climbers like us, hotels here are used to having guests being away for a night or 2 for the climb up Mt K before returning to the hotel. Hence, we made an arrangement with the hotel to keep our belongings with the reception while we brought only what we needed in a day bag up Mt K (not forgetting our hiking sticks too).

The journey to the starting point of Mt K took about an hour plus. As our van drove closer, we could see the peak of Mt K amidst the mountain range. Many vans had already arrived. It is compulsory to register before going up the mountain. We signed up for a package with a tour agency which included a night stay at a hut as well as doing the Via Ferrata on our way down after the summit.

With a name tag and a lunch box assigned to us, we began our climb with our guide from the Timpohon Gate (there are 2 gates to the summit trail). There was a Timpohon Shop. Last chance to buy any snacks or things we needed!

The 1st part of the climb was rather easy as it was nicely paved with staircase. Every time we go down slope, there would be a flight of stairs up very soon. As the saying goes ‘when you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way forward will be upwards’. Ironically, this was not motivating in this case at all!

There were 7 huts in the trail altogether. We took a photo with every hut as a way to ‘count down’ to our destination. At hut #4, we stopped for a quick lunch. Squirrels were everywhere, be careful of losing your food to them! And by this time, it was cooling enough for us to feel the need to put on another layer of clothes. The path had also became a little more uneven. That’s where our hiking sticks came into good use. Also, I was thankful that hubby carried everything in his bag (his 2nd trip here) so that I could climb without a load, with only a 1.5l water bottle in the pocket of my track pants!

Yes, you are right, there are only photos of 6 huts. I have missed out hut #5 in our push towards the Pendant Hut! Hahaha. If you looked at the photos closely, you would probably realise that I looked the freshest in hut #1 (nicely combed fringe and shirt folded in somemore!) I looked the most tired at hut #4. But by the time we reached hut #7, I was ready to push on more than before!

Along the way, we also saw many porters climbing up with all kinds of load. The most common being bags of other climbers. Yes, you could pay for them to carry your bag up, but we didn’t feel the need to. More amazingly, we saw porters carrying all sorts of other things that included bed frames and another item that looked as big as a washing machine. That made me realise that everything on this mountain is carried up by the locals as there is no road for cars to go up. That made me treasure whatever I had up there.

As we went further up, the surroundings became more barren. There were less trees around, with a path clearly in sight. How far are we from the hut? Hubby would point to the top of the mountain and said ‘there it is’! Although I couldn’t see anything, I knew he was just trying to motivate us. Just take a look at the path. Looks fun isn’t it?!

At last, we saw the wooden hut! However, there was a final challenge up ahead. A very steep flight of staircase! About 6hrs after we started the climb, we’ve finally reached Pendant Hut at 3289m! This is the designated hut for climbers who were going to do the Via Ferrata as they would conduct a brief training for us before the climb the next day!

There were several rooms in the hut, with a few double beds per room. Here, we were assigned a bed each and had to share the room with other climbers. There is no hot water in the hut. So, ermmm, taking a cold shower was definitely out of my consideration in such a cold weather. At night, it would be dark too. So, my hubby who had been here before had prepared lightsticks to hang by the bed to help us identify our own bed! By now, we have cooled down, another layer of jacket was necessary as the interior temperature was only 11degs!

After the briefing in the hut, we had an early dinner at the Laban Raya Resthouse (3272.7m). It was a buffet style dinner (included in package) where we could eat whatever and as much as we wanted. Having seen how the porters carry every single thing up, it made me take only what I wanted as I did not want to waste food, and their effort! Here, we also saw many other climbers of all ages. In particular, I remembered seeing a man who had difficulties breathing. He needed an oxygen tank and several porters to carry him back down using an improvised stretcher. It also made me reflect if we should push ourselves too hard on this mountain, only to be carried back down…

After dinner, we headed back to our hut for an early night. Afterall, there’s nothing much to do after the sky has turned dark. Almost all other climbers have turned in too, to prepare for the climb to summit at 2am!

24hrs in Malacca 2016

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One particular day, I randomly told hubby that I wanted to visit Malacca since Malacca is well-known for their yummy food and accessibility. Being only a 3hr plus journey away from Singapore, not much planning was required and a weekend getaway was possible. Hence, we went straight into the booking of coach and hotel.

We boarded the coach from at Golden Mile Complex on a Saturday morning. After about 4 hours (including immigration), our coach arrived at Malacca. It then began the journey of dropping passengers at various hotels. As our hotel was one of the nearest one to the town centre, we were dropped last and picked up the earliest (on the return trip).

The Straits Hotel and Suites is located within walking distance from Malacca’s major attractions and shopping malls. Initially, my plan was to book the Deluxe Twin room. But after comparing the prices and finding out that the Premier Suite cost only SGD70 per night (just a few more dollars than the Deluxe Twin), we decided to go with that!

The suite was a corner room. It came with a spacious living room with dining area, as well as a right-angled balcony overlooking the sea and other hotels in the region. In the room, there was a spacious toilet and walk-in wardrobe. Although we had only 1 night there, it felt really quite luxurious to stay in such a nice room. Having explored my suite, we decided to look at other facilities in the hotel. The pool was located at level 23 of the building and was 1 of the infinity pools in Malacca. It overlooked the city and directly faced the Hatten Hotel which is a popular choice (and more expensive) among Singaporeans. However, the pool was super chilly. I decided not to jump into it and headed out for my food hunt instead.

Chicken Rice Balls – Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Stall

As we were really hungry by now, we stopped by the 1st chicken rice stall we saw just next to our hotel. Seats were available and it did no take us long to decide on our order! The meat is not as dry as others said it to be. Maybe we were hungry.. So we gobbled up our food. Not bad!

After which, we cut through the Melaka Megamall to reach the other attractions. A Famosa is a fortress built by the Portuguese during the Portuguese administration. At that time, it was used to defend against foreign invasion. Now, it is a popular tourist photo stop.

As we continued uphill, we arrived at the St Paul’s Church. Built in 1521, this is believed to be the oldest church building in Malaysia. Inside the church, there were several huge tombstones with engravings. If you have the time, do slow down and try to make sense of the inscriptions. Outside the church, we also met a friendly old artist who was painting on postcard sized papers. We had a short chat with him and he gifted us with 1 of his works!

By now, we were feeling very hot and were trying to find an indoor place to hide from the sun. We then headed to the Maritime Museum. It is housed in a giant ship replica and shoes had to be removed before entering. We had a quick tour of the museum. There were some life sized figurines telling the history of Malacca’s trade. It was not exactly cooling in the museum and to be honest, I was quite worried about my slippers missing!

We past by a stall selling chilled watermelon juice in the whole watermelon itself! We grabbed one and continued our journey on our food hunt. For food, we were prepared to walk… Even if it means carrying a watermelon in hand!

Satay Lok Lok – Restoran Capital Satay

According to google maps, the walk should only take 11mins. But somehow, we took around 20mins to reach. Perhaps the heat was draining us… We heard about how popular the satay lok lok here could be and how long we might have to queue for it. Being a typical kiasu Singaporean, we arrived at 4pm so as to be in the front of the queue when the eatery open at 5pm. To our pleasant surprised, I actually got the opening hours wrong! It was already opened at 4pm and hence, we managed to get a seat very soon and occupied a table to ourselves! Customers that came later than us had to share table! There was a good variety of food in the fridge. All we had to do was to dip the sticks into the thick satay gravy, devour the food and then pay at the counter before we left! Each stick had a different colour code which indicated the different prices.

With a full and satisfied tummy, we took a stroll back to the Jonker Street Night Market. There were stalls and eateries lined on both sides of the street. It was quite a nice stroll in the evening (minus the hot weather).

With time to spare, we went on a river cruise along the Malacca River. There, we saw many other hotels in Malacca with a river view. We then stood by the river and watched other colourful boats go past us as the clock ticked away…

Peranakan Food – Cottage Spices Peranakan Food

With some peranakan heritage linked to her history, Malacca is also known for serving delicious peranakan food. On the following day before we left, we randomly entered a restaurant just behind our hotel and ordered some dishes to share. It was really yummy!


Although it was a mere 24hrs in Malacca, I understood why it is such a popular destination among Singaporeans. It is near. It is convenient. Hotels are affordable. Food is yummylicious. In fact, I want to go back again more for the food than shopping or the attractions! Hope to see you again soon, Malacca!

Chillax at Chiang Mai & Pai (Day 5)

This morning, we checked out of the resort after breakfast. Once again, our driver turned up promptly to take us back to Chiang Mai. On the way back, I made a silly decision to count the number of turns to see if it really was 762 turns. Less than halfway through, I figured out it was a bad idea as I was started to feel slightly nauseous. And then, I remember hearing an Andy Lau song (instrumental) through the speakers. I closed my eyes and dozed off.

We stopped at the Bai Orchid-Butterfly park for lunch. It was buffet style. Recovering from my nausea earlier, I did not have much appetite. I didn’t expect to eat much and was glad enough that I did not puke along the way. After we were done with lunch, we walked about and saw stunning orchids on display.

Before we reached the old city, we visited the Grand Canyon. We had mistaken it for the Canyon Wake Park where there were water activities in the water. At Grand Canyon, there were also some activities but much less. We took some photos and decided to rest at the cafe before we leave because we had paid an entrance fee for this! Even though there was nothing much to do, we though we should just spend a little more time here. Haha!

Our last accommodation at Chiang Mai was the Thai Akara – Lanna Boutique Hotel in the old city. For this last night, I decided to have a room with a bathtub. And I felt that our rooms looked nicer and nicer with each change of accommodation! We were also thrilled to know that our rooms had connecting balconies! The room was super spacious and I could even watch TV from the bathtub!

Chillax at Chiang Mai & Pai (Day 4)

After a day of adventure yesterday, we decided to take it slow today. Afterall, Pai has a few popular cafes thanks to a show shot in Pai. So, we decided to visit some cafes today!

From our resort, we took a shuttle provided by the resort to Coffee In Love. The journey was merely 7mins! The cafe has a nice seating area that has squarish tables with red tablecloth, perfect for 2! As the name suggests, it’s a romantic cafe that offers good views too. We had fun taking couple shots for one another! There’s also a small garden next to the cafe, perfect for some strolls!

We did a quick search for other interesting cafes at Pai. We found out that there’s a place called the Container at Pai, which as the name suggests is a cafe built out of containers. We took a 1min walk down the road. As these 2 cafes are along the main road, we had to be careful as cars could be travelling at very high speed. The counter of the cafe is at level 1 while level 2 has many bean bags and seats hanging from the ceiling! Of course, we were excited! Some of us ordered while the rest went to find seats! We spent quite a long time slacking here. Sometimes, doing nothing is the best thing!

When were finally satisfied enough, we called the resort to arrange for transport back. By then, we were ready for lunch! Although we have been at the 2 cafes the whole morning, we did not have proper meals. We had lunch at the Witching Witch right in front of our resort.

Our resort owns an animal farm a short distance away. As we had no other plans for the rest of the day, we decided to head to the farm. There, we could feed the animals and fishes via a platform in the pond.

For our last dinner at Pai, we decided to indulge ourselves in a good dinner at the resort restaurant! Dinner was good! But I think we were also good dinner to the mosquitoes feasting on us!

That night, the ladies went for a manicure while the guys went for another round of body massage. And because it was still early, we decided to settle for a game of beer pong at a bar opposite our resort!