Merry Christmas 2012

d e s m o n d c k w ◦ p h o t o g r a p h y wishes all of you a Merry and blessed Christmas 2012 !

清境 Cingjing, Taiwan

In my last post on Fengjia (逢甲), I shared about how I got to THSR Taichung Station (高鐵台中站). Initially we planned to go Cingjing (清境) by taking public bus to Puli (埔里鎮) from THSR station and switch to another bus from Puli (埔里鎮) to Cingjing (清境). This whole journey would have costed us NT$257 and 2 hours of our time. However, fortunate enough we were approached by two tourists asking whether or not we are willing to share a taxi with them. We agreed and we paid for only NT$300 per person which is slightly more expensive than taking public buses but we shorten the traveling time to only 90 minutes !

So the taxi driver dropped us at Misty Wonderland Villa (雲濛仙境). We first dropped our luggage while waiting for the room to be cleaned before check in. We headed to Green Grassland (青青草原) by taking the local bus. The bus fare is only NT$15 per person and 15 minutes of traveling time. So here we are, the Green Grassland (青青草原). Not to forget the entrance fee of NT$200 or NT$120 if you have the Youth Travel Card.

Ok, why were we here ? The sheep ! There are lots of them which are more than 400 as claimed by the locals. Besides, there are horses also !

At first all the sheep were locked by the fences but there were released during and after the show. By the way, there are sheep show twice a day at 9:30a.m. and 2:30p.m. This little girl in the photo below was excited for the show.

So here starts the show... My personal advice, do not sit at the front row if you are afraid to get really close to sheep. There will be 400 sheep crossing through the crowds during the show !

After the show, feel free to take photos with the sheep or you can even hug them.

We had something for dinner nearby before we headed back to the hotel.

They are selling lots of souvenirs and foods around. Don't forget to try the fresh sheep milk too ! So here ends the day in Green Grassland (青青草原).

Our next stop... Hehuanshan (合歡山) ! Stay tune !

Click here for the full 8D7N itinerary.

逢甲 Fengjia, Taiwan

The first place I went to in Taiwan once I left the airport was Fengjia (逢甲) in Taichung (台中). You can easily buy the bus ticket from Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場) at the price of NT$240 which transfers you directly to Taichung (台中) at quite a number of stops. As for myself, I alighted at Chaoma Bus Station (台中朝馬站 ) after two hours in the bus. And of course there is a faster way which is by using Taiwan High Speed Rail, THSR but you'll need to take a shuttle bus from airport to THSR station.

First thing we did was check in to the hotel or hostel, to be more precise. We stayed at Eiffel Tower Hostel (艾菲爾套房) located at No.35, 1st. Fuxing North, Situn District, Taichung City. It costs me NT$1,100 a night if you are wondering.

Right after that, we walked to Fengjia Night market (逢甲夜市) which is only 10 minutes away. It is located next to Feng Chia University. Fengjia night market was established in 1963 and used to be the largest night market in Taiwan. We had our dinner there trying out a lot of street foods like these photos below. We spent about NT$220 per person and we were extremely full !

In the next morning, we had a simple breakfast before taking a bus to THSR Taichung Station (高鐵台中站). It's a free transfer bus and a 30 minutes ride.

Here's my last few photos taken while waiting for the bus.

Our next stop... Cingjing (清境農場) ! Stay tune !

Click here for the full 8D7N itinerary.

The Best of Taiwan

Here's my 8D7N full itinerary in Taiwan:

Day 1

Taoyuan International Airport 桃園國際機場 -> Eiffel Tower Hostel @ Feng Jia 逢甲 -> Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市

Day 2

Cingjing 清境農場 -> Green Green Grasslands 青青草原 -> Misty Villa Cingjing 雲濛仙境

Day 3

Hehuanshan 合歡山 -> Puli 埔里鎮 -> Puli Brewery 埔里酒廠 -> Guangxing Paper Mill 廣興紙寮 -> Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 -> Laurel Villa 桂月村

Day 4

Shuishe Pier 水社碼頭 -> Syuanguang Temple 玄光寺 -> Ita Thao Village 伊達邵 -> Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village 九族文化村 -> THSR Taichung Station 高鐵台中站 -> MANGO53 Inn 芒果客棧 @ Taipei 台北

Day 5

Taipei Main Station Underground Mall -> Ximending 西門町 -> Taipei 101 台北101

Day 6

Wanhua Station 萬華車站 -> Ruifang Station 瑞芳車站 -> Jiufen 九份 -> Gold Ecological Park 黃金博物園區 -> Sunny Room Minsu 陽光味宿民宿 -> Jiufen Old Street 九份老街 -> Miao Kou Night Markat 庙口夜市 @ Keelung 基隆

Day 7

Jiufen Old Street 九份老街 -> Ruifang Station 瑞芳車站 -> Wanhua Station 萬華車站 -> Ximending 西門町 -> Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園 -> Wego Boutique Hotel -> Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Day 8

THSR Taipei Station 高鐵台北站 -> THSR Taoyuan Station 高鐵桃園站 -> Taoyuan International Airport 桃園國際機場 -> Home Sweet Home


Before you leave the airport, please apply/register for the local telephone line if you need one and also the Youth Travel Card to enjoy discounts at many places. You may visit here for more info. Also not to forget, the maps !

Please follow my next few posts for more details of these places... More photos to be shared so stay tune !

Hanoi, Vietnam (Part II)

First of all, let me introduce you the Quán Ăn Ngon Restaurant located at 18 Phan Boi Chau Street. It has lots of varieties including specialties from all over the nation like Bún chả (Grilled Pork Served with Herbs & Noodle) or Chao Tom (Pounded Shrimp Hash Fried on Sugar Cane). Anyway, the following are the foods that we ordered. The price here is relatively much higher than many local food stalls probably because it's tourist friendly restaurant with English written menu.

We walked a lot during our visit to Hanoi. Hence, we stopped by to a lot of stalls to buy drinks, desserts, etc. to cure our thirst. Of all the drinks/desserts that I've tried, I would like to recommend the iced mixed fruits. You can easily find this almost everywhere near Hoan Kiem Lake. Apart from fruits, there is condensed milk. All you have to do is to mix the shaved ice, fruits and condensed milk together. Definitely a must try !

We also visited the Quán Bún Chả Hàng Mành restaurant located at 1 Hang Manh Street. Bun Cha is the signature dish in this restaurant and also Hanoi itself. Bun Cha is a combination of grilled pork, slices of green papaya, rice noodles, and fresh herbs. Other than Bun Cha, they serve also the Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls. By the way, do empty your stomach before heading to this restaurant as they serve you with very large portion !

Here's another local street food I would like to recommend but unfortunately I do not know the name of these dishes. However, it is located near to the intersection between Phu Doan Street and Yen Thai Street.

Last but not least a must try, the Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant located at 14 Pho Cha Ca Street. Please take note that there are a lot similar restaurants with the same name but they are not related so do check the address correctly. There is no food menu in this restaurant as they serve only one dish, the Chả Cá (Grilled Fish). It's served with turmeric, dill, peanut, ginger, spring onion, rice vermicelli and fair load of oil. By the way, the spring onion and rice vermicelli are refillable. I would rate this 9/10 even though it is quite pricey at fixed price of VND 170,000 per person (excluding drinks).

So here ends my sharing of Hanoi's food experience. They are definitely worth a try if you are visiting Hanoi !