Travel Archives - Page 13 of 14

In Travel 3 Mins Read

Vogue Star Serviced Apartment @ Taipei, Taiwan

November 19, 2012

Previously in our earlier blog entries [sometime in the year 2011 when we were still newbies in the blogosphere], we have blogged about Vogue Star Serviced Apartment and we personally felt that the blog post didn’t do justice to the wonderful stay that we had there. Hence, in this blog post, we will share more about Vogue Star Serviced Apartment and also why you ought to consider putting up at Vogue Star Serviced Apartment if you’re planning a trip to Taipei, Taiwan.
We first came to know about Vogue Star Serviced Apartment through Baby’s friend and we more often than not enjoyed huge discounts on our room rates whenever we stay there. For a night’s stay, it will cost you SGD $124 if you book via online websites such as Booking.com or Expedia, and in case you’re wondering, there is no breakfast provided [which we personally feel is a good thing and we’ll explain why later] but there is free unlimited Wifi!

This is how the Duplex Studio of Vogue Star Serviced Apartment looks like.

An overview of the Duplex Studio when you step into the room.

From Taipei Day 1

There’s even a comfortable sofa that can sit about 3-4 persons.

From Taipei Day 1

Here’s the stairs to the second level of the room where the bed is situated.

From Taipei Day 1

And this is where you sleep. There’s practically not much space for you to do anything else other than sleeping.

From Taipei Day 1

There’s a mini kitchenette in the Duplex Studio and seriously, the refrigerator, washing machine, and microwave machine will definitely be stuffs that you will use frequently. This is because, you can store all your perishable items in the refrigerator, wash your own clothing with the washing machine [thereby reducing what you bring for your trip], and heating up the convenient food that you buy from the nearby convenience store [so that is why you don’t exactly need breakfast to be included]..

From Taipei Day 1

Here are some pictures of the bathroom/shower room.

From Taipei Day 1

There’s a mini bath-tub that could previously fit me.

From Taipei Day 1

Now, having said so much, why should you stay at Vogue Star Serviced Apartment?

1). Shuanglian MRT Station is a 10 minutes walk away from Vogue Star Serviced Apartment.
2). Ningxia Night Market is a 7 minutes walk from Vogue Star Serviced Apartment.
3). The hospital, fire station, and police station are 5 minutes away from Vogue Star Serviced Apartment.
4). Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart are all a stone’s throw away from Vogue Star Serviced Apartment

Not only is Vogue Star Serviced Apartment situated at an extremely convenient location, Vogue Star Serviced Apartment is also highly-secured because access to the buildings, lifts, and the room requires a card that is specially encoded. So, why not consider staying at Vogue Star Serviced Apartment for your next trip to Taipei, Taiwan?

In our upcoming blog entries about Taiwan, we will be blogging about Ningxia Night Market, Raohe Night Market, and also a few other attractions in Taipei. So stay tuned to more updates from us.

God bless!

In Restaurants 5 Mins Read

Miramar Entertainment Park + Five Dime Restaurant @ Taipei, Taiwan

November 3, 2012

Continuing from where we last left off in the previous blog entry about our stay at Mulan Motel, we will be covering about the Miramar Entertainment Park and the Five Dime Restaurant @ Taipei, Taiwan in this blog entry.
The Miramar Entertainment Park is a shopping mall that is situated in the Zhongshan District of Taipei, Taiwan. The nearest MRT Station is Jiannan Road Station and it is located just next to the Miramar Entertainment Park.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

On the roof of Miramar Entertainment Park is a 70-metre tall Ferris wheel; the second tallest in Taiwan, and the building and wheel have a total overall height of 100 metres.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Frankly speaking, there really isn’t anything much to shop at Miramar Entertainment Park. In fact, we found the products to be quite pricey and the retails shops there mostly cater to upscale customers. The one and only reason why we were there was to take a ride on the ferris wheel.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

A standard adult ticket will normally cost $150 TWD [approx. $6.37 SGD].

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Our tickets came together with a Haagen Dazs $50 TWD discount voucher.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There are two different types of carriages that you can board, one which is entirely transparent and the other which is the normal one. However, the waiting time for the transparent carriage will take quite a while as compared to the normal one.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So here we are onboard the ferris wheel!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here are some photos of the wonderful views that we saw from the ferris wheel.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After admiring the breathtaking views from the ferris wheel, we adjourned to the Five Dime Restaurant [which was nearby] that my mum personally recommended to us.

This is how the external facade of Five Dime Restaurant looks like.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From the external facade, you can tell that Five Dime Restaurant is quite a unique dining place. However, when we arrived there, the interior decorations of Five Dime Restaurant was even more quirky.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s the entrance to Five Dime Restaurant.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And here is how the interior of Five Dime Restaurant looks like.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Even the furnishings and decorations are uniquely designed.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

They even have a water feature in the restaurant!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Their restrooms are also designed in a rather peculiar way.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

There are a wide variety of food choices to choose from and we were so spoilt for choices. By the way, Five Dime Restaurant serves authentic Taiwanese cuisine.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After having our order placed, tea was served and we waited for our food to arrive.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here are photos of the food that we ordered.

Fried Mushrooms Coated with Salted Egg Paste

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Fried Rice

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Crispy Chicken with Spicy Sauce

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The food portion at Five Dime Restaurant are pretty huge and even the both of us couldn’t finish what we ordered. Nevertheless, the quality of the food is superb and the price was quite similar to the average restaurants in Singapore. Not only that, Five Dime Restaurant is even featured on Tripadvisor‘s website. Overall, we found Five Dime Restaurant to be quite a unique dining place and it is one restaurant you must visit at least once in your lifetime.

Here’s a parting shot at Five Dime Restaurant.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

In our next blog entry about our Taiwan Holiday Trip, we will be covering the Raohe Night Market, the Vogue Star Serviced Apartment, and many other interesting sights we saw in Taipei, Taiwan.

Stay tuned to more updates from us.

God bless!

In Travel 4 Mins Read

Mulan Motel @ Taipei, Taiwan

October 30, 2012

The Mulan Motel was our 4th accommodation in Taiwan and to be really honest, it was extremely tiring for us to move from one accommodation to another because we had to pack, repack, and pack.
Anyhows, the Mulan Motel that we stayed at in Taipei, Taiwan was a really good choice as the room was extremely spacious and extremely unique.

Typically, people tend to associate Motels as a rather sleazy place but according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a Motel is an establishment which provides lodging and parking and in which the rooms are usually accessible from an outdoor parking area.

True to the definition given by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the Mulan Motel does indeed has an indoor parking area which has access to the room via the stairs.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s what we found at the entrance of our room.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Presenting to you, the Flower Dance Suite Room at Mulan Motel.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The room comes equipped with an excellent hi-fi system and you can pop in your own DVDs to watch movies too.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The king size bed was extremely comfortable for us.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Closed-up pictures of the furniture in the room.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Does anyone want to guess what this cabinet is used for?

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Well, the cabinet is essentially a storage area for the mini-bar fridge and the coffee/tea making facilities.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Complimentary set of assorted coffee/tea.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The black tray that you see here is where the food that you have ordered will be placed.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Essentially, this was how the bedroom of the Flower Dance Suite Room looks like. However, guess what? Their bathroom is pretty huge too!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Closed up shot of the Jacuzzi.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

You can also watch the television while you soak yourself in the Jacuzzi bath.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

I guess the chair is mainly there for people watching.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Nothing much to say about this because I think its pretty straight forward.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The shower area.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s the washing basin, the hairdryer, and telephone.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Complimentary toiletries kit.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The bathroom also has this mini aromatherapy kit as well.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Another interesting aspect of the rooms at Mulan Motel is that they have this outdoor water feature/landscape basin in some of their suite rooms. In fact, there were also some suite rooms that has a mini indoor pool.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So, this very much concludes our rather relaxing stay at the Mulan Motel.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, Mulan Motel is situated near the Xi Hu MRT Station so it is rather convenient for you to just get about anywhere. In fact, the Miramar Entertainment Park and Five Dime Restaurant [that we are going to blog about in our next entry] is within walking distance too.

For your information, Mulan Motel‘s Flower Dance Suite Room cost us $3470 TWD [approx. $147.47 SGD] a night [inclusive of breakfast for 2] and the check-in time was at 1800 hours.

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Gift Ideas 10 Mins Read

Leofoo Village @ Hsinchu, Taiwan

October 24, 2012

Hello Everyone,
we really hope you like what we have covered about our recent Taiwan trip. Continuing from where we left off in our last blog entry about the Beitou Hot Spring and the Golden Spring Hotel, we would be covering the Leofoo Village in this blog entry.

As Baby and I have already planned to stay a night at the Mulan Motel, we checked out of the Golden Spring Hotel and left for Mulan Motel right away. Because we were only due for check-in at 6pm, Baby and I left our luggage there so that we could proceed with our plans for the day, that was; to go to Leofoo Village.

Anyways, Breakfast at Golden Spring Hotel was pretty bad. We should have just went to the nearby fast food restaurant but since its complimentary, we shouldn’t complain much.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Dining Area for Breakfast at Golden Spring Hotel

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Some photos while checking out.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Ok, from Taipei to Leofoo Village, there are a few ways that you can go about to get there. First, you can either hail a cab [which we personally would not recommend because of the huge costs]; second, you can take the public E-Go Bus which will cost $130 TWD [approx. $5.52 SGD] per person for a single trip ticket; or third, you can take a private chartered vehicle to Leofoo Village which will cost $150 TWD [approx. $6.37] per person for a single trip ticket.

Allow us to elaborate more about the difference of taking the E-Go Bus and the private chartered vehicle.

The public E-Go Bus can be found at the Bus Stop that is situated outside Jingan MRT Station. The bus comes at different time intervals so it is highly recommended that you check out their website to plan your itinerary. The journey via E-Go Bus to Leofoo Village will take more than an hour’s journey.

About the private chartered vehicle to Leofoo Village, we didn’t know it existed until we were waiting at the Bus Stop for the E-Go Bus. A lady in a pink tee-shirt approached us and asked if we were going to Leofoo Village. Then, we found out that the lady and her husband are operating a shuttle service from Jingan MRT Station to Leofoo Village. To be honest, we were rather apprehensive but we decided to give it a go as we were not the only ones in the vehicle. In fact, there were other tourists whom were going to Leofoo Village too. The best part is, the journey took lesser time than if we were to take the public E-Go Bus; resulting in more time for us to spend at Leofoo Village. However, a word of advise here, don’t anyhow just hop onto any private chartered vehicle.

Moving on, an adult entrance ticket to Leofoo Village cost $890 TWD [approx. $37.82 SGD] but all thanks to Taiwan Tourism Bureau [Singapore], we were given a pair of complimentary theme park tickets that grants us entrance to just about any theme parks in Taiwan! So here’s a really nice tip for you, if you are travelling free and easy to Taiwan, be sure to head down to Taiwan Tourism Bureau [Singapore] with your flight tickets/itinerary and your accommodation booking details to redeem some free goodies! Also, do check out their Facebook Page for the latest updates about travelling to Taiwan!

So here we are at Leofoo Village in Hsinchu, Taiwan!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Some really colourful flowers at the entrance of Leofoo Village

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There are 5 main areas of Leofoo Village; there are the Magic Water Fountain, the Wild West, the Arabian Kingdom, the South Pacific, and the African Safari.

Here’s a picture of me and the Arabian Kingdom.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

We went to check out the African Safari first as it was quite near to where we were.

Here are some candid photos of us at the African Safari.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

At the African Safari, there is a parrot feeding area. So, to feed the parrots, you can buy the parrot food which cost $10 TWD [approx. $0.42 SGD].

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

An awesome shot of the blue parrots by Baby.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

I looked like I was taking a photo at the Singapore Zoo.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Our first ride for the day was a harmless slow moving ride known as the Monkey Trail.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Basically, for the Monkey Trail Ride, you have to pedal the ride with your partner and the track brings you around to the different monkey enclosures.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here comes the swinging monkey!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

At the African Safari, you can also have a ride on the Camel but it will cost you some money. We’re not sure how much it cost but well, if you’re interested, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind paying.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

If you like, you can even board the Mini Train at the African Safari which brings you around the Leofoo Village Zoo!

Here are some candid photos while waiting for the Mini Train.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

All onboard the train! Anyways, the total duration of the train ride is about 15-20 minutes because it goes really really slow!

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Leofoo Village Zoo is really huge! There are quite a number of animal exhibits.

There’s the Hippotamus.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The Rhinoceros.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The Giraffe.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The Zebras.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The Emus.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Mountain Goat.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So after the long train ride, we took some more photos before leaving for the Arabian Kingdom.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here we are at the Arabian Kingdom in Leofoo Village.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Arabian Kingdom has a few main rides and the classic merry-go-round is one of them.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

At the Arabian Kingdom, we had a go at the Sultan’s Adventure, an indoor ride.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

We also had our late lunch at the Oasis Restaurant.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The quality of the food was average and good enough to satisfy our hungry stomachs.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Baby had the rather cute Bento set while I had the chicken wrap.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

We then moved on to the South Pacific area where we tried the Captain Cook’s Swinging Boat and the Mighty Mountain Flume Adventure.

The Captain Cook’s Swinging Boat is the largest swinging boat in Taiwan, and there are only 3 other swinging boats of its size around the world. The swinging boat is 18.5 m long, 2.5 m wide and seats up to 84 people. A height of 7-stories is reached at the highest point of its swing, and the swing itself is measured at 70°.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After the ride, Baby’s leg became like jelly and I went to try the Pagoda’s Revenge all on my own.

The Pagoda’s Revenge takes up to 20 brave souls slowly up to a height of 53 m (17 stories) and shows them the magnificent view of the Leofoo Village and the surrounding Guansi area. Then, without any warning, the brave souls are released to the mercy of gravity. This is a true free fall experience not to be missed.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

When Baby has finally recovered from her traumatising experience at the Captain Cook’s Swinging Boat, we went for another exhilarating ride on the Mighty Mountain Flume Adventure.

The Mighty Mountain Flume Adventure Riders embark on a journey through a Jurassic lost world. As the canoe reaches the top of the volcano, riders come face-to-face with a 3-stories plunge. If one terrifying experience was not enough, Mighty Mountain Flume Adventure is the only ride in the world that takes you through the same adventure twice.

We ended up totally drenched after the ride.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Some fun shots at the South Pacific area.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

When we were done checking out the rides at South Pacific, we went to the Wild West and were just in time to catch a performance.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Some photographs taken at the Wild West.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

As the park was also celebrating Halloween, they had some Halloween features where visitors can take photographs with.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

This is one ride you must absolutely try if you are a thrill-seeker. Known as the Screaming Corridor, this U shaped suspension roller coaster brought from Switzerland is the second in the world and the only one in Asia. The track is 190 m long, and the roller coaster reaches 122 km/h when it rushes down its biggest drop of 56 m. The 90 second suspended experience incorporates 360° spiral acceleration and vertical dives, bringing you the excitement and thrills of an eagle in flight.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

An overall map of Leofoo Village.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

While waiting for our vehicle to head back to Taipei, we sipped some coffee to unwind ourselves after a long but fun day at Leofoo Village.

From Day 4 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There are a lot of attractions that you can check out at Hsinchu; Leofoo Village is just one of them. Also, we wanted to stay at the Leofoo Village Safari-Themed Hotel but because it was fully booked, we didn’t manage to book it.

Anyhows, in our next blog entry, we will be sharing with you about our stay at Mulan Motel and the amazing dinner we had at Five Dime Restaurant in Taipei.

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Restaurants 7 Mins Read

Beitou Hot Spring and Golden Spring Hotel @ Taipei, Taiwan

October 22, 2012

Hello Everyone,
in our blog entry today, we will be covering the Beitou Hot Spring and Golden Spring Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan.

Last year, Baby and I wanted to go to Beitou Hot Spring but as the weather was rather unfavourable, we had to give it a miss. This time round, lady luck was smiling on us and we really thank God for giving us a really perfect weather and timing to go to Beitou Hot Spring and rejuvenate ourselves.

After arriving in Taipei High Speed Rail Station, Baby and I lugged our heavy baggage to take the Taipei MRT to XinBeiTou Station. The journey from Taipei Main Station to XinBeiTou Station took about 27 minutes and it was extremely fast!

Here’s some photographs while waiting for the train to arrive.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

During the train ride to XinBeiTou Station, we noticed that most of the residential houses were constructed rather near the MRT tracks. In fact, you could see what the people are doing in their houses from the train. Hence, it really makes us wonder how the people could stand the noise coming from the train.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

When we stepped out of the train at XinBeiTou Station, we can literally smell that the air has changed somewhat. In fact, the atmosphere smelt quite pungent and it could be due to the sulphur content in the hot spring.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

As we had lots of heavy baggage, the most urgent and most important thing we had to do was to check into our hotel and unload our heavy baggage before we could even think about exploring the area. So, we checked into our accommodation for the night, the Golden Spring Hotel.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The exterior of Golden Spring Hotel looks rather shabby but once you step inside, its a different matter altogether.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here is a photograph of the lobby at Golden Spring Hotel.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

All of the rooms are equipped with the Hot Spring Facility and this plaque basically serves to inform guests that the hotel has been certified by the relevant agencies. It even tells you what is the type of spring water, the contents of the spring water, and the temperature of the spring water.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

After the checking-in process, we adjourned to our room.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here’s some photographs of the room that we took. The room comes with a television, a safe deposit box, a cupboard to put your clothing, a mini-bar fridge, and coffee/tea making facility.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s some photographs of the bathroom.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Again, there is a see-through glass panel and to be honest, I personally feel that the see-through glass panel was constructed out of safety reasons. You can choose to shower standing or soak in the bath. The bath has three types of knobs; one for the normal hot water, one for the normal cold water, and one for the hot spring water.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The complimentary toiletries kit.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Before I continue on with the rest of the blog entry, do allow me to share some tips with you when you are planning to soak yourself in the hot spring water.

1). When you are soaking yourself in the hot spring water, remember to shut the bathroom door tight; if not, the strong smell of sulphur will seep into your room, causing you to have a rather uncomfortable sleep at night.

2). Do not soak your body in the hot spring water for more than 30 minutes.

3). When planning to soak in the hot spring water, don’t plunge your body into the water at one go; start by entering the water with your feet, then to your legs, and followed by your waist. This is to allow your body to slowly acclimatise to the temperature of the hot spring water.

4). Never ever soak into the water near where your heart is.

5). It is perfectly normal to feel your heart beating fast. However, if you start feeling giddy/nauseous, get out of the hot spring water immediately. If you don’t, you might become unconscious and the consequences can be worse.

6). Do not soak in the hot spring water immediately after a meal.

Now that you more or less know the dos and don’ts of soaking in the hot spring water, allow me to continue with the rest of the blog post.

Well, since it was already evening when we more or less settled down, we went around to explore the area and we were quite lucky that we actually caught a wedding photoshoot in progress. And so, Baby went around shooting photographs of the beautiful couple.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Taiwan is really a beautiful place for shooting wedding photos and we are just so excited that we can’t wait for our next trip to Taiwan next year.

All over XinBeitou, you will see streams of water flowing [like the one shown in the photograph below] and there are some people whom will just take off their shoes and soak their legs into the water.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

We also went to check out the Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Some photographs taken around XinBeitou.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here is a photograph of the XinBeiTou Hot Spring Zone Guide Map

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

While walking, we chanced upon a squirrel munching on some munchies.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

A really beautiful shot of XinBeiTou by Baby.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Anyways, for the first 3 days of our trip, we did not have a portable data connection. Hence, when we reached XinBeiTou, we were seeking high and low for a mobile shop that sells prepaid mobile data connection. A lot of friends recommended us to get the Taiwan Da Ge Da prepaid mobile data connection as it was considered quite value-for-money. For 5 days worth of mobile data, it cost only $600 TWD [approx. $25.50 SGD].

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Since we weren’t that familiar with the area, we headed to Sushi Express for dinner and boy, we had a rather filling dinner! Just look at all the food that we had!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Ok, we shan’t tempt you any further but this was the amount of plates of food that both Baby and I had for dinner. The entire dinner cost us about $700 TWD [approx. $29.75 SGD].

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

To end the night on a sweet note, we finally have the opportunity to eat the Feeling 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory‘s Dark Chocolate that we bought from Puli!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

In case anyone is wondering how much we paid for a night’s stay at Golden Spring Hotel, we paid $3500 TWD [approx. $148.75 SGD], inclusive of breakfast for 2 persons.

In our next blog entry, we will be blogging about Leofoo Village.

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Gift Ideas 6 Mins Read

Taiwan High Speed Rail & Tai Chung City

October 20, 2012

Hello Everyone,
in our blog entry today, we will be covering the Taiwan High Speed Rail and also a little bit about Tai Chung City.

So, we were on the last day of our trip in the central region of Taiwan and we were leaving for the Taiwan High Speed Rail to board the High Speed Train from Tai Chung City to Taipei City.

As promised, here are pictures of the sumptuous breakfast that we had at Skylight B&B. There are two types of breakfast choices that you can choose from, either the Oriental or the Western. Being typical Singaporeans, we chose the Western.

A photo of the two different breakfast types that are available at Skylight B&B.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Western breakfast type comes with a main dish consisting of hashbrown, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There’s also 2 pieces of toast bread, a glass of orange juice, and a cup of tea!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Oh, I almost miss out this one. There is also a fruit platter that consist of passionfruit, watermelon, grapes, pear, mango, and guava!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

So, as you can see from the pictures above, the breakfast was a rather filling and appetising affair. Anyways, the breakfast was situated on the 8th level of the property and there is both an indoor and an outdoor dining area; both of which offers you stunning views of Sun Moon Lake.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here are some photographs that we took whilst having breakfast.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

After our breakfast, we hurried back to our room, packed up everything, and boarded our vehicle to Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station.

A snapshot of Tai Chung City from our vehicle.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

As we had quite a fair bit of time, we told our driver to bring us to the place that sells the best Tai Yang Bing in Tai Chung City because my mum wanted some Tai Yang Bing. And so, our driver brought us to Yi Fu Tang.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There are quite a lot of goodies and snacks for us to choose from and we were so spoilt for choices. However, besides the usual Tai Yang Bing, one other thing you must buy at Yi Fu Tang is their Lemon Cake! It’s really delicious and honestly, I regretted not buying a few more boxes to bring home.

Knowing that I was a car enthusiast and since we had some more time, our driver brought us to one of Tai Chung’s largest car mart [similar to our local Autobacs]. There, I went crazy because I bought so much car accessories to zhng my Picanto. Seriously, the car accessories are freaking cheap! There, I bought a new JVC head unit, a car freshener, car mats, a car decal, and an aluminium alloy car pedal kit which in total cost about $4000 TWD [approx. $170 SGD]. If only I could lug back car rims and tyres, I would have done so!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

After the mini shopping spree, we left for Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station and bade farewell to our driver. Honestly, it was quite an emotional moment because after having spent 3 days in the central region of Taiwan, we really do miss the fresh mountain air, the cute little sheeps, and the beautiful scenery. We will definitely be back if we have the time!

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

So while we were at Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station, we took the liberty to take photographs after photographs.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

I know in Singapore, we so often see vending machines selling can drinks, but how often do you see vending machines selling cosmetic products and souvenirs?

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Anyways, for those of you whom are planning a free and easy trip to Taiwan, there are a few types of transportation that you can utilise to get to different regions of Taiwan. The Taiwan High Speed Rail is one such transportation but it only runs along the western coast of Taiwan; hence, for journeys to the eastern cost of Taiwan, you can consider taking the Taiwan Railway which is slower than the High Speed Rail.

You can purchase the High Speed Train tickets on the actual day of departure using these automated machines but we will highly recommend that you book them in advance on Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Website as you get to enjoy early bird discounts if you book your High Speed Train tickets early.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Prior to boarding the High Speed Train, Baby and I bought a Pork Ribs Cutlet Bento Set from the Railway Souvenir Shop for $80 TWD [$3.40 SGD] and it was damn good! The portion size of the Pork Ribs Cutlet Bento Set was just right for 2 persons.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

For both Baby and I, we chose the Business Class Seats because we had lots of heavy baggage.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The Business Class Seats were extremely spacious and comfortable.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Business Class Guests are entitled to a set of complimentary snack and drink.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And Business Class Guests are also entitled to a copy of the local newspaper.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The journey from Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station to Taipei High Speed Rail Station took less than an hour and it was extremely fast! The train was travelling at a top speed of 300 KM/Hour! Here are some photos of Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station and the scenery taken from the High Speed Train.

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Parting Shot at Tai Chung High Speed Rail Station

From Day 3 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

In our next upcoming blog entries, we will be blogging about Leofoo Village, Beitou Hot Spring, Mulan Motel, and a few other interesting sights in Taipei.

Stay tuned to more updates from us.

God bless!

In Gift Ideas 6 Mins Read

Skylight B&B @ Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

October 19, 2012

Hello Everyone,
in our blog entry today, we will be covering the Skylight B&B, a luxurious chic and contemporary boutique accommodation that we stayed in for a night at Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan.

The best room available in Skylight B&B is situated on the 7th floor and it has a magnificent view of the Sun Moon Lake. Here are some photographs of the views from our room.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

They even have a digital panel/console for controlling the room’s lighting and television.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

We’re pretty sure many of you are curious about how the room looks like, so here are just some photographs that we took of the room. If you look closely, the curtains in the room can all be drawn and that actually allows you to have an all-rounded view of the surrounding areas.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The room was definitely cosy and spacious enough for us.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here are just some of the amenities that we found in the room.

We found the cupboard slightly too small but well, it didn’t matter to us because we were staying only for a night.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Some spare pillow and mattress we found in the cupboard.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Some Biscuits, Bottled Mineral Water, and Tea-Making Facility in the Room

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Toiletries Kit we found in the Bathroom

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So now, let us show you how the bathroom looks like.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Yes, it’s a see-thru glass panel that allows you to look into the bathroom from the room. A lot of hotels are now adopting a concept like this.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

You can have a standing rain-shower too.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From the bathroom, you can actually look outside and that also means people from the outside can look in as well. So, if you’re planning to book this hotel room, make sure you put down all the curtains before you shower.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

This is what I personally like best about our room! There is a bath tub [zen-style] to soak in while listening to some soft classical music.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Well, since we wanted to explore more of the surrounding area of Sun Moon Lake, Baby and I decided to check out the shops and night market which were extremely near to our accommodation.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

A rather entertaining performance that we caught while walking around the area.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

We tried some of the food that were sold at the street stalls.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And we chanced upon these rather interesting flowers! I am pretty sure some of you might have seen photos of these flowers posted on Facebook. These are real flowers and not fake! In fact, the flower petals close when they come into contact with water and the flower petals open when they come into contact with light. The best thing is, the flowers will never die with proper handling and care; thus it makes a perfect souvenir to get for someone who loves flowers.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

They are really so beautiful that I bought 1 for myself to display on my working desk. A small jar like this cost $380 TWD [approx. $16.15 SGD]

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

We also happened to pass by one desserts store that sold crepes. Since we had a craving for something chocolatey and sweet, we ordered a chocolate ice-cream crepe.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

While waiting for our crepe to be ready, we took some photos of the shop.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And when our crepe was ready, it looked and tasted really delicious!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Anyway, as we were in Sun Moon Lake on the actual day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were mini fireworks that were launched by the people residing at Sun Moon Lake. We didn’t manage to take any photographs of the fireworks but we sure heard them loud and clear. Since it was Mid-Autumn Festival, the shops closed rather early and we went to the nearby 7-Eleven Store to buy our dinner.

This was our dinner for the night. Boy, we sure love the 7-Eleven Store in Taiwan a lot!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

If you’re wondering how dinner tasted and looked like. Here you go!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

So, this was how we spent the night in Sun Moon Lake. If you’re wondering how much it cost us to stay at Skylight B&B, you will be quite surprised to find out that we only paid $4200 TWD [approx. $178.50] for a night’s stay in the best room available at Skylight B&B [inclusive of a really sumptuous breakfast which we will blog about in our next blog entry]. If you’re planning to book a room at Skylight B&B, be sure to book it fast because their rooms are selling like hotcakes!

In our next blog entry, we will be covering about the Taiwan High Speed Rail and of course, many other attractions that we went to during our 9 Days 8 Nights trip in Taiwan.

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Travel 3 Mins Read

Ci En Pagoda @ Sun Moon Lake 2012

October 17, 2012

Hello Everyone,
in this blog entry, we will be covering solely on the Ci En Pagoda.

The word “Ci En” in Mandarin means kindness, grace and mercy. Located about 954 metres above sea level, Ci En Pagoda is 46 metres high and is the highest structure in Sun Moon Lake. Built by Chiang Kai-Shek in memory of his mother in 1971, the construction was very difficult because the materials had to be shipped over the lake and moved up the mountain.

Getting Ready to Hike Up To Ci En Pagoda

The distance to Ci En Pagoda is approximately 700 metres from where Baby was standing.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From the carpark to Ci En Pagoda, it is about 570 metres away.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The hiking trail is surrounded by beautiful plants and trees, and the air was superbly fresh!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

And so, the countdown begins. We were 400 metres away from reaching the Ci En Pagoda.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And we stopped for another photo shoot.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And we were 300 metres away…

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

200 metres away…

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

and finally, 100 metres away!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

We finally made it after the tiring hike up to Ci En Pagoda! Just look at our exhausted faces!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So since we were there already, we made use of all the time we had by snapping lots of photographs!

Here’s Baby and I trying out some jump shots.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Then I decided to do a Kung Fu Kick.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

and Baby tried to do the same.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

I like this shot of Baby. So comical!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

So after much fooling around, we decided to conquer Ci En Pagoda. Just look at all those long, winding, and never-ending steps! It certainly reminded me of the SAFTI Tower Run that I did during my CLM Term in OCS.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

After the long and arduous stairs-climbing, we finally reached the top and can’t stop admiring the beautiful scenery. It’s a real pity the weather was too foggy for us to have good photographs.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Having shot enough photographs, there was just one last thing left to be done; that is, ringing the bell!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Well, we certainly had lots of fun hiking up to Ci En Pagoda and in our next blog entry, we will be covering about our stay at Skylight BB in Sun Moon Lake!

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Gift Ideas 4 Mins Read

Liao Mayor Black Tea Store + Sun Moon Lake Boat Ride @ Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

October 16, 2012

Hello Everyone,
Today, we are going to cover the Liao Mayor Black Tea Store and the Sun Moon Lake Boat Ride that we went to when we were at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.

Sun Moon Lake is extremely popular for its Black Tea. In fact, if you have family members, relatives, or friends who loves drinking tea, then you must buy Sun Moon Lake‘s Black Tea for them. I was told by our driver that Alishan is famous for its Oolong Tea, Sun Moon Lake for its Black Tea, and Cing Jing for its Green Tea. Well, since my dad is a fan of black tea, Baby and I decided to check out Liao Mayor Black Tea Store in Sun Moon Lake.

The entrance to Liao Mayor Black Tea Store.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

With decades of experiences in making the finest black tea, you can be rest assured that the tea you purchase from Liao Mayor is of the finest standard and quality.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here’s where the tea leaves are being processed.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Parting shot at Liao Mayor Black Tea Store.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Anyways, if you are not sure what kind of tea to purchase, you can take your time and sample the tea leaves they are selling. There are no obligations for you to make any purchase to try their tea and that is a plus point.

This was what we eventually got for my dad.

So after checking out the Liao Mayor Black Tea Store, we journeyed by car for about 20 minutes to Sun Moon Lake.

When we reached the vicinity of Sun Moon Lake, we had lunch at one of the restaurants that our driver recommended.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Baby fooling around while waiting for our dishes to arrive.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here are the dishes that we ordered. In fact, we ordered the smallest portion but its still quite a lot!

Some Vegetable Soup [you see the white thingy and the yellow thingy? they’re a type of edible vegetable and flower respectively that is unique to Sun Moon Lake].

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Fried Tofu with Vegetables

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Dragon Beard Vegetable [we’ve heard of Dragon Beard Candy but not Dragon Beard Vegetable. Since it was something new to us, we decided to give it a try].

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Steamed White Chicken

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Fried Rice

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After the rather filling meal, we then went to purchase our tickets for the Sun Moon Lake Boat Ride which cost us $300 TWD [approx. $12.75 SGD] per person. If you’re planning to have a meal before the boat ride, it is highly recommended that you don’t eat so much because Baby and I almost ~~“merlioned”~~/puked.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Onboard The Ship!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

There are many different boat companies that operate the boat ride. So, choose one which has lesser people so that you can take all the pictures that you want with no obstruction.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Baby look like a model hor?!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Some photographs taken during the boat ride.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

That’s Ci En Pagoda from afar! We will be covering Ci En Pagoda in our next blog entry.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

And we finally arrived at Ita Zhao.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

While waiting for our driver to fetch us to Ci En Pagoda, we took the liberty to walk around the night market and bought some Muah Chee to satisfy our cravings.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And guess what, we found out that our accommodation for the night was just around the area. How perfect!

So anyways, because there are just so much things to cover about our trip to Taiwan; in our next blog entry, we will be covering the Ci En Pagoda and also the Ita Zhao night market. Thereafter, we will be blogging about our stay at Skylight BB, a rather chic and contemporary boutique accommodation!

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

In Gift Ideas 6 Mins Read

Puli Winery + Guangxin Paper Mill @ Puli

October 15, 2012

Hello Everyone,
in our blog entry today, we will be covering the Puli Winery and the Guangxin Paper Mill that Baby and I went to when we were in Puli.

Puli Winery

Puli Winery is devoted to establishing the landmark feature of Puli as the Hometown of Shaoxing Wine. Being Taiwan’s first Wine Culture Museum, Puli Winery is actively promoting the culture of Shaoxing Wine and it is also constantly putting more efforts in preserving the history of the winery.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Due to the warm weather, sweet and clear water that the Puli area of central Taiwan enjoys, the Puli Winery has come to be known for producing excellent quality Shaoxing Wine that has a bright yellow appearance and a vigorous fragrance.

Baby posing for a photograph at the entrance of Puli Winery.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Just look at all the wine pots that are used in the process of wine fermentation.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s Baby and I fooling around in Puli Winery.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Some of the wine pots were designed by different craftsmen and in order to distinguish themselves, some of wine pots bear the unique seal of the different craftsmen.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Truth be told, I don’t really know how to appreciate the museum aspect of Puli Winery because there isn’t really anything that is fascinating. But, if you’re planning to buy some Shaoxing Wine or its related products, you could just head straight to their retail area and skip the museum part. If you’re not into alcohol, you might want to take Puli Winery out of your itinerary.

Puli is popular for its sugar cane and if you’re a fan of sweets and sugar, you might want to try this non-alcoholic sugar cane candy. It is crunchy like a biscuit but doesn’t sticks to the teeth. A bag of sugar cane candy cost $80 TWD [approx. $3.40 SGD].

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

This is how the Sugar Cane Candy is being made. A rather similar technique as how Sticky’s candies are being made.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

They have flavoured Shaoxing Wine Ice-Cream too and they cost $15 TWD [the cheapest] approx. $0.64 SGD It’s something you must try if you’re here!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Parting shot at Puli Winery

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

If you’re planning to get some souvenirs and gifts for your family members and friends, you can buy some Shaoxine Wine or some other food products like the Flavoured Shaoxing Wine Jellies. For myself, I bought 6 boxes of Flavoured Shaoxin Wine Jellies that cost $200 TWD [approx. $8.50 SGD] a box!

Guangxin Paper Mill

Do you know that water is an important factor in the process of making paper. Thanks to the fine quality of the water in Puli, the paper made in Puli had all along enjoyed great prestige. Hence, Puli was also called “The Hometown of Handmade Paper”in Taiwan. So, being interested in how paper was traditionally made, Baby and I decided to check out Guangxin Paper Mill.

Here’s me posing for a photograph outside the entrance of Guangxin Paper Mill

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

As we were there during lunch time, there wasn’t any tour being conducted. Thankfully, there was a tour group that arrived and we happily tagged on.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The guide showing us the various raw materials which could be used to make paper. So, if you think paper only come from trees, you’re wrong.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Here are some of the equipment that are used in the production of paper.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Honestly, the tour around Guangxin Paper Mill was rather fascinating and informative because most of the time, we use a lot of paper but don’t really know what goes on in the production of paper. Hence, after this tour, I have learnt to appreciate the use of paper. If you’re planning to make a trip to Guangxin Paper Mill; be sure not to miss out on their tour.

The guide demonstrating to us how to make paper.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After the tour, you can choose to make your own paper product. If you’re going for the full workshop, it will cost you $220 TWD [approx. $9.35 SGD].