There are so many things to do and attractions in Bali Indonesia! You’ve got vast beaches, luxury hotels, great seafood and traditional Balinese massages. But …
Top 5 Essential Travel Experiences in Bali Indonesia!
Things to do in Asia
What to eat at Whampoa Makan Place Food Centre?
Whampoa Makan Place (Food Centre) was where we had our breakfast this beautiful Saturday morning. In fact, we were looking for another foodie joint (River …
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
When you think about Siem Reap in Cambodia, what do you think of? Temples, temples and more temples? To help you avoid the “Temple Fatigue”, here are the top 7 things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia
1. Tuk Tuk Ride
When visiting Siem Reap, remember to try the Tuk Tuk rides! That’s when you can really feel the wind in your hair and the people in the streets! A ride costs approximately USD$5 for a return trip from your hotel to the city and USD$15-$20 for a full day (especially needed for your visit to the Ankor Temple Complex).
2. Ankor Complex
Ankor Wat Temple
Bayon Temple
Ankor Thom Temple (aka Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie Temple)
To help you avoid “Temple Fatigue” at the Angkor Complex, you can limit your visit to only
i. Angkor Wat. Because it is the most beautiful temple structure within the complex.
ii. Bayon. Because of the many smiling faces and photo opportunity with actors in traditional costumes.
iii. Angkor Thom. Because Angelina Jolie shot Tomb Raider there.
After a while, all other temples will look more or less the same. Remember to hire a tuk tuk for a day to ease your transfers from temple to temple. Please do not attempt to walk…
3. Pub Street Siem Reap
After a day out at the Ankor Complex, Pub Street is a great venue to chill out. If you’re having your dinner there, many restaurants offer beers on tap for a mere USD$1! There are also many venues with live music, performances and clubs till the wee hours of the morning.
4. Siem Reap Old Market
Siem Reap Old Market offers tourists an opportunity to shop for souvenirs such as t-shirts, magnets and display items – much akin to Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City and Bogyoke Market in Yangon. Of course, it is also very much a market for the locals. You can buy shoes, textiles, get a manicure/pedicure, visit the hair salon and buy fruits and vegetables from the wet market before going back. North Face jackets go for 70USD here (20USD cheaper than that at pub street)!
5. Angkor Night Market
The Angkor Night Market is a cleaner (night) version of the Old Market. Because of its al fresco concept, the air quality is also better than that at the Old Market. Definitely a nice place to shop, chill and spend the evening at.
Tip: Prices are the cheapest at the Temple Complex, followed by the Night Market, followed by Pub Street. Hence, try not to do your souvenir shopping at Pub Street.
6. Movies @ Angkor Cinema
Drop in ANYTIME at Angkor Cinema and you can catch your favourite movie at just 5USD per person. This is because, the concept of the cinema is like that of a KTV in Singapore. You’ll enter a private room (complete with large sofa chairs and surround sound) and they’ll play the movie you’ve selected. As simple as that. Payment is made before you enter.
7. Dining in Siem Reap
There are many dining options in Siem Reap which we’ll show you in our next post!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 7 top things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia. Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
17 Top Attractions and Things to do in Turkey!
There are so many things to do and attractions in Turkey and we finally got to visit this land of Anatolia during our Chan Brothers …
Top 4 Things to do and Attractions in Pattaya, Thailand!
Having done our cruise to Laem Chabang on Mariner of the Seas, we took the opportunity to stay over at Pattaya, Thailand. This post will cover all the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand! Enjoy!
Where to stay in Pattaya Thailand
1. Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya
Thanks to the good folks of Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya, we were hosted to a stay at the Mini Suite Plus of the hotel. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, Royal Cliff Hotel offers magnificent views of the sunset over Ko Khrok Island DAILY! Whether its a romantic or beach bum getaway, you’ll be sure to find a suitable room (and affordable price) at the Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya!
Sea View Plus Suite Royal Cliff Beach Hotel
Jacuzzi inside the Presidential Platinum Suite of Royal Wing Suites and Spa
Royal Cliff’s Private Beach next to Royal Cliff Beach Terrace
Infini Pool (aka Infinity Pool) of Royal Cliff Hotels
Sunset by the Infinity Pool of the Royal Cliff Hotels
Pattaya Thailand Attractions and Things to do
2. Pattaya Walking Street
Walking Street Pattaya
Walking Street Pattaya Pubs, Restaurants, Massage parlours
Pattaya Walking Street is one of the main tourist attractions in Pattaya. There are loads of entertainment options along this stretch of street ranging from F&B to pubs, shows, massages and more. As you walk from the walking street towards the beach area, you’ll be able to find great (clean) massages for less than $10 an hour! :O
3. Pattaya Beach
Beach Activities – Island Hopping at Pattaya
Soaking up the sun in Pattaya
Frankly speaking, the beach at Pattaya? One word. Disappointing. This stretch of sand is really what you get (yes, the “width” of the beach is maybe 10 steps wide, maybe 5 for Tom). The only saving grace is that there are 2 things that you can do from Pattaya Beach. Island hopping is one of the main things that you can do from Pattaya Beach and you can visit neighbouring islands such as Koh Larn, Koh Si Chang or Coral island. That’s really where you can enjoy the clear blue waters and wide sandy beaches. Not at Pattaya Beach though.
You can also get to do some water activities at Pattaya Beach. The usual suspects of para-sailing and jet-skiing are available from your friendly touters at the beach 🙂
4. Shopping!!!
There are a few shopping options along Pattaya Beach which includes
Shopping at Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya – Right in Front of the Beach!
Central Festival right next to Hilton Pattaya
Best mango sticky rice at only 80 baht! Look inside the supermarket of Central Festival downstairs
Don’t forget to try the mango sticky rice inside the supermarket of Central Festival. YOU WON’T REGRET IT! Good for 2 to share!
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We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Pattaya Thailand!
Top 10 Things to do and Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia!
There are many things to do and attractions in Ipoh and in this post, we’ll show you the attractions, things to do and what to eat (especially in this food paradise) in Ipoh!
Things to do in Ipoh Malaysia
As Ipoh was one of the administrative centers during the colonial rule, you’ll realise that many of these historic buildings still remain today.
1. Birch Memorial Clocktower
2. Ipoh Railway Station
3. Ipoh City Hall
4. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank
5. Ipoh High Court
6. Ipoh Town Bridge
On Sunday mornings, Memory Lane (along Jalan Lim Bo Seng) turns into a flea market, mainly for the sale of 2nd hand goods.
7. Memory Lane
Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia
8. Lost World Hot Springs and Spa
Alternatively, you can opt for one of the spa packages at Crystal Spa (within Lost World Hot Springs and Spa) and gain entry for free.
What to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
In our list of Top 10 things to eat in Ipoh Malaysia, we mentioned what you should try when you’re there. But if we were to narrow the list down for you, there’s really 2 foods that you MUST try in Ipoh…
9. Snow Beer
10. Ipoh Hor Fun
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We hope you have enjoyed this list of the top 10 things to do and attractions in Ipoh, Malaysia! Tell us more if there are other things to do and attractions in Ipoh, in our comments section below!
You can also compare the prices of hotels in Ipoh before you visit!
6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang!
When you think of travelling to Penang? What do you think of? The UNESCO heritage site of Georgetown? The vibrant (and delicious) hawker food scene? Or simply chilling at Batu Ferringhi beach? In this post, we’ll show you 6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang that you won’t want to miss!
1. Exploring Batu Ferringhi Beach
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Most people discount the fact that Penang does have an excellent beach that faces the Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits. Batu Ferringhi is its name. Located at the northern tip of Penang, Batu Ferringhi offers beach goers all you’d expect at a reputable beach – fine pristine sand (especially at Hard Rock Hotel Penang), beach activities (including para-sailing, banana boat rides and jet skiing) and even horse back riding by the beach.
After all the fun you’ve had at the beach, head on out to one of the many excellent spas located along Batu Ferringhi beach – including the award winning Rock Spa @ Hard Rock Hotel and Chi Spa @ Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa.
As the evening winds down, check out the night markets along the roads next to the beaches. Many road side stalls open till late at night offering tourists the option of souvenir shopping (including sun glasses, hand bags and wallets) and late night supper at Batu Ferringhi.
2. Looking Out for Street Arts & Wall Murals
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Penang is littered with amazing street arts and wall murals. One of the most famous one is this mural of a trishaw uncle in the heart of Jalan Penang that almost covers the entire building facade. We also noticed several comical street art that brings across daily conversations in Penang through light-hearted colloquial jokes.
3. Wandering the Streets of Georgetown – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Since 2007, Penang’s Georgetown has been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the rich history of this precinct. You will be able to spot many colonial-styled buildings such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Birch House as well as the many traditional chinese architectures along the streets. Fort Cornwallis, one of the best preserved forts in Malaysia also bears testament to Penang’s colonial roots.
To round off this historic trip, check out Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (better known as the Blue Mansion). Within, you’ll be able to see how the ultra-rich pampered themselves in this 38 room mansion – luxurious even by today’s standards.
4. Trishaw Ride in Penang
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Another amazing experience in Penang that you should try is the trishaw ride. We took a trishaw ride from Komtar back to our hotel at Eastern & Oriental. The ride took about 10 minutes and cost 15RM. What we enjoyed about this ride was the “alfresco” style of the ride. As the sun shone while we rode past the historic lanes (with winds gently blowing against your face), that made the ride really worthwhile. Be ready for a bit of excitement while the trishaw weaves in and out of traffic!
5. Penang Hawker Food
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Penang is the home to Malaysian hawker food. Here you will be able to find famous Penang hawker fare such as Penang Char Koay Teow, Char Hor Fun, Penang Road Teochew Chendul and much much more. Check out our post on the “13 Penang Hawker Food and Nonya Restaurants that You MUST TRY” to find out more!
6. Penang Nonya Food
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Still on food (what else? :p), one must try Penang’s nonya food. The Little Nonya Cuisine (小娘惹) as well as Mama’s Nonya Cuisine offers some of the best nonya food in Penang at an affordable price.
Where to stay in Penang?
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Our top picks for hotels at the Batu Ferringhi area includes the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa as well as the Hard Rock Hotel Penang. In Georgetown? The famous Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang!
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Top 10 Things to Eat in Ipoh Malaysia!
Ipoh is a food paradise! But if you’re wondering what are some of the things you must eat in Ipoh Malaysia, here are the top 10 picks of what to eat in Ipoh! By the way, this food list is in descending order, which means no.1 is a MUST TRY!
What to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
10. Ipoh Parade Shopping Centre Food Court – Popiah
At the top floor of Ipoh Parade Shopping Center, you’ll find this food court, within which, there’s a stall that has its sign board that states “Popiah”. This was a really surprise find for us because we were not having lunch but were feeling peckish. The aunty sort of recommended her popiah while we walked by her stall and we tried. To our surprise, it had several layers of taste to it. Crispy, moist, fresh and tasty fillings. Try it if you’re in the vicinity!
9. MYDIN Wholesale Hypermarket in Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh – My Nasi Kandar
Mydin Mall is located at PT 229142, Jalan Meru Bestari B2, Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Jelapang, Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan. What happened was this. We were supposed to take a bus leaving Amanjaya Bus Terminal after booking for the bus online. Guess what? There was no such bus leaving that morning when we arrived at the terminal! So we went to all the booths that sold tickets to source for the next available ride to Singapore. We even met up with others who were supposed to be on the same bus and thought of car pooling. But in the end, we decided against taking a ride to Johor to transfer from there. Instead, we waited at Mydin Mall (a short walk from Amanjaya Bus Terminal) for our direct bus trip back to Singapore.
In the meantime, we managed to squeeze in a meal at My Nasi Kandar (after seeing all the crowds there). After trying the tandoori, we understood why the crowd was there. We could taste the spices, the tenderness and the juiciness of the chicken tandoori. Surprisingly good we must say 🙂
8. Cendol at Mr Cendol Mydin Mall
Still within Mydin Mall, along the circumference of the mall was Mr Cendol. We’ve tried several cendols in Singapore before but since the place was called Mr Cendol, we thought they might offer something different. We sat down and ordered the Soya Special. Turns out that instead of using just shaved ice, the ice was made of soya milk and topped off with ice cream. Sedap!
7. Dim Sum at Restoran Ying Fa
Restoran Ying Fa is located at 1C, Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Belfied Street), Old Town, Perak, Ipoh Town, 30000. We actually arrived in Ipoh at 5am in the morning and were offered transportation by a uncle who had 6 fingers on one of his hands. Hence, he has a nick-name called liu zhi （六指 – literally meaning six fingers). He offered to take us to our hotel (for a fee of course – 20RM) and so we requested for a dim sum place enroute. We were taken to Ying Fa Restoran!
All in all, we spent only 22RM for all the dim sum that we had. Quality was ok but the price was really economical. So do head on down if you have a craving for dim sum!
6. Kedai Makanan Nam Heong
Kedai Makanan Nam Heong is located at 2, Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Perak, 30000. There are 2 reasons why you should visit Kedai Makanan Nam Heong coffeeshop.
Firstly, it is one of the main distributors of white coffee in Ipoh. We’ve tried the iced white coffee and it was really strong and aromatic. Unlike some diluted ones that we’ve tried before. To learn more about the meaning of white coffee, follow the link to our Things to do in Kluang Malaysia post.
Secondly, Makanan Nam Heong is actually an amalgamation of several amazing foods in Ipoh including ipoh hor fun, curry mee, penang prawn noodles, char kway teow and dim sum! Of which, the smell of the char kway teow was really irresistable. Definitely a MUST TRY!
5. Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng
Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng is located at 74 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Here, there are actually alot of food choices including the traditional ipoh hor fun, the sar hor fun (that we had) as well as the mixed popiahs (see above). The prawn soup of the sar hor fun was especially flavourful. Coupled with the springy hor fun and firm chicken slices? Yummilicious! As for the mixed popiah, the normal popiah actually tasted better although the option of tasting the fried version was interesting.
4. Traditional Hor Fun
If you have read our post questioning whether the standard of zi char in Singapore has dropped? It was all triggered by this plate of beautifully constructed hor fun. Simple dish with springy hor fun and tasty gravy. Nope, this was not at a famous place but at a random coffee shop that we visited. Speaks alot about the quality of food (especially hor fun) in Ipoh.
3. Funny Mountain Soya Bean
Funny Mountain Bean Curd is located at 49, Jalan Theatre (Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri), 30300 Ipoh, Perak. We actually tried the bean curd because of the long queue indicating that they must be doing something right in their concoction of soya bean products. However, we think that the soya bean curd that we tried was a tad too sweet. In addition, we have been spoilt by the silky smooth soya bean curds in Singapore. So the bean curd here was quite normal for us. But still, there’s a reason why the crowds are streaming in, so do tell us what you think in the comments section below!
2. Kafe Sun Yoon Wah Snow Beer
Kafe Sun Yoon Wah is located at 7,Jalan Bijih Timah, Ipoh Old Town, 30000 Ipoh, Malaysia. Definitely, strongly recommended. The snow beer is actually formed by quickly pouring beer into a chilled mug. The bubbles then forms the frost like bits because of the ice cold mug, forming the well-known snow beer. It was a totally new experience for us, quite unlike Heineken extra cold or ice cold Tiger Beer. In addition, try the stir fried calamari that goes really well with the beer. The only catch is that you must drink the snow beer relatively quickly once its poured, else it will just become normal cold beer.
1. Restoran Ong Kee Tauge Ayam – Beansprouts with chicken and hor fun
Restoran Ong Kee is located at 48, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30000 Ipoh, Perak. If there’s one food that you must try, it has got to be the beansprouts chicken with hor fun at Restoran Ong Kee. Some people say that because of the water here in Ipoh, the hor fun is extra taong (springy) and the bean sprouts are extra fat (as you can see from the picture above). It really is true. Mixing in the chicken and bean sprouts (with a dash of the chicken sauce) into the hor fun will give you a perfect combination of what Ipoh hor fun is really about.
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Thoughts on what to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
In fact, there are many other good food in Ipoh including the salt-baked chicken and caramel custards. But nonetheless, if there’s two food that we’d recommend, it’ll certainly be the Ipoh Hor Fun at Restoran Ong Kee and the snow beer at Kafe Sun Yoon Wah.
Click here for a price comparison of the hotels available in Ipoh.
Do let us know if there are other good food to eat in Ipoh that you’d like to recommend in the comments section below!
Your Guide to Things to do in Yangon Myanmar!
There are actually many things to do in Yangon Myanmar. Many things to eat as well. In this post, we’ll reveal all you need to know as you visit this country (and city) that has recently opened up and invites the world to visit…
Things to do in Yangon Myanmar
Things to eat in Yangon Myanmar
1. Sharky’s Restaurant
(117 Dhamazedi Road, Kamaryut Township, Yangon)
According to the owner of Sharky’s, they started out with earnings of only $3,500 USD ten years ago (which is actually ALOT in Myanmar). Today, they earn that amount in half a day! Sharky’s serves up a western infused menu of pizzas, pastas, burgers and even foie gras. The cool thing about this restaurant is that the owner insists on using the freshest ingredients from Myanmar. Talk about supporting local products!
While you’re there, round off your meal with the pistachio cranberry ice cream. It was one of the best ice creams we’ve ever tasted! Perfect combination of the creamy rich taste of pistachio with the refreshing taste of cranberry…who would have thought?
Sharky’s prosciutto thin crust pizza – 8000 myanmar kyat ($10.50 sgd)
2. Feel Restaurant
(124, Pyihtaungsu Avenue Street, Dagon Tsp, Yangon)
For a taste of Myanmese food, you MUST visit Feel Restaurant. At the restaurant, all you have to do is find a seat and approach the food counter to pick your dishes. The food counter is where all the food are on display and you just pick what you would like to eat. These dishes are then served with fragrant myanmese rice and ngapi – a fermented fish or shrimp paste that goes well with the rice and dishes.
You’ll also realise that the dishes are usually a little on the oily side. This actually signifies wealth in the Burmese culture. Do try the braised pork belly! “Melts-in-your-mouth” good! The dishes were so good that we had 4 portions of rice. 4 portions! Did we also mention that the rice is “free-flow”? ;P
Feel Restaurant Yangon
3. Sakura Tower – The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro
(339 Bo Gyoke Rd, Dagon – Sakura Tower, 20th storey)
On the 20th floor of the the Sakura Tower in Yangon, you’ll find The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro. The best thing about eating at The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro is the amazing views it offers over the whole of Yangon city. These includes views of the Yangon River, Sule and Shwedagon Pagoda as well as the city itself.
Plus, there’s happy hours from 5pm to 7pm where drinks are one-for-one!
Tip: Be there at about 5pm to enjoy the drinks and views while the sun is still up. After the sky starts to darken (from 630pm onwards), there aren’t much views except for the Pagodas.
The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro – Sakura Tower
4. Monsoon Restaurant & Bar Yangon
(85-87 Thein Phyu Rd, Yangon)
Monsoon Restaurant serves up a wide variety of cuisine from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In addition, you can also “large portions” for western food as well. Happy hours are from 5pm to 7pm!
5. Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House
(No.246,248, Anawrahta Road, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon / No.14-A, Minnandar Road, Dawbon Township, Yangon)
Shwe Pu Zun is definitely one of the “must-go” places for desserts in Yangon. It’s specialty includes cakes and desserts. The Fa Lu Da (a cross between vanilla ice cream, bandung and cendol) is a “must-try” at Shwe Pu Zun. Did we also mention hyper-speed wifi internet access here?
Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House Yangon
6. Western Park Ruby Restaurant
(Near ThaKhinMya Park, in front of Myanmar Industrial Port, Strand Road, Ahlone Township, Yangon)
Craving for some Chinese fare? Head to Western Park Ruby Restaurant and try out the seafood as well as its famous Peking Duck! The “2-styled” fish which we tried was awesome as well. Braised and fried fish on a platter with intricate finish to touch!
“2-styled” fish at Western Park Ruby Restaurant Yangon
Attractions in Yangon Myanmar
There are many attractions in Yangon (the land of Pagodas) and here are our top picks…
1. Shwedagon and Sule Pagoda.
(Dagon, Yangon – So prominent that you cant miss it!)
Located in the city centre of Yangon, the Shwedagon (biggest Pagoda facility) and Sule Pagoda are the most prominent pagodas in Yangon.
2. Kyaiktiyo Pagoda aka Golden Rock
(Thaton District, Myanmar)
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a 4 hours ride from Yangon and is also one of the main attractions in Yangon. The interesting thing about this attractions is that the pagoda sits atop a rock which perches precariously over a hill at Mount Kyaiktiyo…
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) Myanmar
3. Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
(Bo Gyoke Rd, Yangon)
One of the major markets in Yangon, Bogyoke (pronounced as “Bo” “Joke”) Market is one of the biggest tourist attraction in Yangon. There are shops selling all kinds of products from souvenirs to gold and jade. The jade stalls here are known to fleece tourists. Hence, as a rule of thumb, take away 50% from the quoted price and you should be halfway there to a good price 😉
Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
There are many other things to do in Yangon as well as many other great places to dine at as well. Other attractions include the Kandawgyi Lake, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Yangon Zoological Gardens, National Museum of Myanmar as well as the Bogyoke Aung San Museum.
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National Museum of Singapore : A MUST VISIT Singapore Attraction!
The National Museum of Singapore is our favourite museum in Singapore. Not only because its free (for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents) but because of the high quality exhibits that are always on-going at the “grand old dame of museums in Singapore”. In addition, it’s always enjoyable for us to reconnect with our Singaporean roots through the Singapore History and Singapore Living Galleries at the National Museum of Singapore!
National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore Exhibitions
Masak Masak Exhibition National Museum of Singapore
There is an ongoing exhibition entitled “Masak Masak” (which usually means children playing with toys) which is suitable for kids ages three to seven. Games, interactive installations and films will surely allow the kids to have an enjoyable time at the National Museum of Singapore.
WE : Defining Stories at the National Museum of Singapore
WE : Defining Stories @ National Museum of Singapore
The WE : Defining Stories is a photo exhibition that shows the defining moments of Singapore from the post-war years to independence and finally to where we are today as a nation.
Description of WE : Defining Stories Exhibition
Significant stories such as the racial riots, MacDonald House Bombing, Singapore’s Independence from Malaysia, collapse of hotel New World, hijack of SQ 117, the cable car incident, SARS, floods as well as more light hearted stories such as the queues for hello kitty, new property launches and historic wins by the soccer, swimming, water polo and table tennis teams.
Inside WE : Defining Stories Exhibition
Sebastiao Salgado Genesis Photo Exhibit @ National Museum of Singapore
Sebastiao Salgado Genesis Photo Exhibit
We also enjoyed Sebastiao Salgado’s Genesis photo exhibition at the National Museum. Some of his photos of landscapes and animals seemed very unreal. Really makes you wonder how in the world did he get those shots?! We’re guessing he must have “camped” like Sean Penn in the “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and waited for the opportune moment to take those shots. Enjoy!
Singapura 700 Years : The Latest Singapore Gallery @ National Museum of Singapore
Singapore Stone as explained by our guide Mike
Singapura 700 Years is the latest Singapore history exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore. In the meantime, the “resident” Singapore History Gallery will be closed for renovation and will be slated to reopen in 2015. The gallery will therefore get a new lease of life in time for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebration!
How to get to the National Museum of Singapore
Map of the National Museum of Singapore
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For us, the National Museum of Singapore is definitely one of the top attractions in Singapore. For more of what to do in Singapore, visit our post on the top 101 things to do in Singapore!
Visiting the National Museum of Singapore? Click here to enjoy competitive rates and compare the prices of hotels in the vicinity!
3 Top Things to do and Attractions in Pattaya Thailand!
Pattaya Thailand is well-known resort destination in Thailand and this post will tell you all the things to do and attractions here! Let’s check out the top 3 things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand right now!
Things to do and Attractions in Pattaya Thailand
1. Incredible Sunsets
Beaches? Nah…
If you’re thinking of a beach getaway, Pattaya may not be the ideal place (you’ll understand from the picture above). BUT! The sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand are certainly beyond description…
Sunset views at Pattaya Thailand
Enjoying the sunset together
Sunset with Cocktails
As the sky, sea and pool merged into one beautiful sea of blue, it really accentuates the colour of the sun. As you enjoy the marvelous sunsets, why not enjoy it over a cocktail or 2 as well? Chillaxing!
2. Pattaya Walking Street
Pattaya Walking Street
Pattaya Walking Street Views
Over the years, Pattaya has also acquired an infamous reputation for its go-go bars, pubs and the “you-know-what” industry. Nonetheless, along the beach, you can still get to do loads of shopping and of course visit the many restaurants here. Clean, decent massages can be as cheap at 10 bucks for an hour!
3. Shopping & Eating!
Central Festival Pattaya
Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya
Mango sticky rice
Further down from Pattaya Walking Street, you’ll come to several shopping malls including the Royal Garden Plaza as well as the more upscale Central Festival next to the Hilton Pattaya. With brands like Mango, Zara and Dorothy Perkins, the ladies are sure to have a great time shopping! For the family, there’s a shooting gallery, a karaoke joint, spa and of course tons of food options.
While you’re here, remember to try the mango sticky rice! One of Thailand’s most famous desserts. The version we tried at Central Festival is definitely one of the best we’ve had – absolutely sweet mango and awesome sticky rice to taste!
Where to stay in Pattaya Thailand
Views from Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya
Best swimming pool EVER at Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya!
If you’re visiting Pattaya, Royal Cliff Hotel should be your hotel of choice. As you have already seen above, the hotel offers the best views of sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand. But the greatest attraction here for us? The infinity pool at Royal Cliff Hotel! There are spa beds sprinkled throughout this amazing pool. You can also enjoy views of the sunset while lazing in this amazing pool. As the sun sets, the beautiful night lights of the pool also brings vibrancy to this gorgeous swimming pool. Click on the link for more details of the Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of all the things to do and attractions in Pattaya Thailand! Do let us know of other things to do in Pattaya in the comments section below!
Top 6 Things to do and Attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!
After opening its doors to foreign investors, Vietnam is now an attractive tourist destination with many things to do and attractions, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. In this post, you’ll find out where to eat, stay and enjoy the things to do and attractions of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!
Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City
1. Shopping at Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square
There are 2 great places to shop at in Ho Chi Minh City. Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square.
At Saigon Square, you can get high quality shirts and bags at a fraction of the cost as compared to shopping centres. Not sure of its authenticity but quality is definitely good. Still using the bags we got from Saigon Square. No problems so far.
At Ben Thanh Market, it is centrally located in Ho Chi Minh City and is a venue to shop for local goods. You can get coffee, souvenirs and more here. The cool thing is that at night, the market itself closes but the street along it converts into a night market, bustling into life. Clothes at the night market somehow costs cheaper than the market itself during the day. Strange…
Last but not least, close by Ben Thanh Market, there’s an art gallery where you can get high quality art at cheap prices. For instance, we got a huge oil painting for 60USD including framing! Here’s a video of the artists at work…
2. Authentic Vietnamese Food
Tired of having low quality food that touts themselves as “Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine”? Fret no more! In Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be able to really savour authentic Vietnamese cuisine and here are some examples of the great Vietnamese food that you can get in HCMC!
Ho Chi Minh City Attractions
3. Cu Chi Tunnels
One of the biggest war memorial and attraction in Ho Chi Minh City is the Cu Chi Tunnels. Here you will learn about the Vietnam war and how the Viet Cong fought to hold off US attacks. You can also get to experience the tunnels by climbing through the cramped, 120km long tunnels. Of course just a stretch of it. Not all 120km. It’s really tiring and dark! Definitely not recommended for people who are not fit or have claustrophobic tendencies…
4. War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants Museum tells about the cruel realities of war. Be prepared for gory depictions of this reality. If you’re not prepared for the gruesome details, just scroll through the following and really treasure the peace that we enjoy today…
5. Reunification Palace aka Independence Palace
The Reunification Palace was the home and workplace of the South Vietnamese President during the Vietnamese War and was also where the war ended in 1975.
6. Take a picture with one of these Ho Chi Minh City Attractions
There are several places tourist spots sprinkled throughout HCMC and you may want to take a couple of shots with these tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City..
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam right here!
We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!
Top 4 Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10!
How can a trip to Taiwan be complete without a trip to Taipei and the renowned Taipei 101? On day 10 of our Taiwan trip, we decided to check out all the things to do in Taipei!
To ensure that we fully maximised the day, we set off from Audi Garden Business Hotel, early on at about 830am in the morning. From Taoyuan Train Station, we took a 40 mins ride (NT42) to Taipei Train Station and we had to contend with the morning crowd…
Things to do in Taipei Attractions – Xi Men Ding (西门町) Shopping District
After making our way past the crowd to the MRT station, we decided to head first to Xi Men Ding (aka 西门町), Taipei’s premier (young people’s) shopping district! Attractions at Xi Men Ding includes the Red House (known for the North Square Markets as well as the Riverside Live House), the Xi Men Pedestrian Shopping Area, Tian Hou Gong as well as many eateries that caters to the young and young at heart (hey, that’s us!)
After hanging around in the Xi Men area, we decided to head to the next big attraction in Taipei – The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall!
Things to do in Taipei Attractions – Chiang Kai‑shek Memorial Hall
By now, you would have realised that the entire Taipei can actually be covered via the MRT! Which is really convenient (and cheap) for tourists! Remember to get your Easy Card so as to have discounts on your travels!
At first, we did not really want to head to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) as it was probably just a memorial hall with artifacts of CKS. But we were so wrong! It was a whole area with a HUGE memorial hall which one has to ascend the steps of, much like that in the Rocky Movies…
But the feel of the Freedom Square around CKS Memorial Hall was unmistakable.
The National Theatre Hall and National Concert Hall by themselves are also picturesque locations. But what’s really cool is that after we ascended the CKS Memorial Hall, there was a change of guard ceremony!
Not the usual change of guard ceremony where the guards just swap positions. But a SUPER LONG one with arms drills and all! It was so long that we did not even finish watching the entire changeover! Be there at 12pm sharp if you want to witness the change of guards at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall!
Our next stop took us to the most famous attraction in Taipei – Taipei 101!
Things to do in Taipei Attractions – Taipei 101 (aka 臺北101 / 台北101)
A visit to Taipei is only complete if you have been to Taipei 101 (2nd tallest building in the World!)
But the age old question when visiting such sky scrapers is always…
“Is it more worth it to dine at Taipei 101 than to pay to ascend to the top?”
The answer?
Dine at the top of Taipei 101 in style of course! Why? The entry to the observation deck of Taipei 101 actually costs NT500. But to dine at the top of Taipei 101 costs only NT2000. Which means for NT1500 more (approximately $60 more), you’ll get
– A seat by the window overlooking Taipei
– High class food including bird’s nest, abalone and truffles (for only $60?!)
– Excellent service and ambience, no need to rush, wait in line or squeeze with the crowds
To allow you to make a better decision, here’s what we ate at Ding Xian Restaurant at Level 86 of Taipei 101…
Having seen through the menu and the stuff we ate at Ding Xian, you’d probably think that it’s worth it as well. There’s also actually a slightly cheaper menu which doesn’t sit you by the window. But that’s ok because if you stay to about 3pm (slowly enjoying your food), most patrons would have left by then and you will be able to approach the window and take shots from there.
The other down side is that it faces the mountainous area and not the city area. Apparently, the city area is slightly more expensive as its at the VIP area. But there are other observatory restaurants at level 85 (The Best 85 – Diamond Tony’s / Shinyeh Taiwanese Cuisine ),86 (Ding Xian 101) and 35 (Japanese Restaurant / Elly’s Flower & Cafe) that you can choose from.
Also, there are cheaper alternatives at Shin Yeh and Diamond Tony’s. So these are also options to the NT500 which requires you to wait in line to ascend Taipei 101. If you have visited other Observatory Restaurants, do share your experience with our readers in the comments section below!
After the sumptuous meal, we headed to Da An park for a stroll and a short session of feeding! Then, we proceeded to one of the best rated night markets in the whole of Taiwan – Shilin Night Market!
Things to do in Taipei Attractions – Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
The first thing that you will need to know when you visit Shilin Night Market is that IT IS LOCATED NEXT TO JIAN TAN TRAIN STATION not Shilin train station.
We were really glad that we finally got to visit Shilin Night Market and it does live up to its reputation have some great street foods and also for the fact that we finally got to eat the HUGE SQUID as well as taro ball dessert (at a very reasonable price!)
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We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do in Taipei as well as all the attractions that Taipei has to offer! This post concludes our series on the Taiwan trip and on day 11, we flew back comfortably on EVA air back to Singapore. Ah…
Snuggled comfortably onboard EVA from Taoyuan International Airport back to Singapore
Remember to wear your seat belts!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9!
While we were staying at Audi Garden Business Hotel, we asked Ricky (our host) what are some of the Taoyuan Attractions that we must visit. Hence, he recommended us to visit Da Xi Old Street (大溪老街) and Da Xi Flower Field (大溪花海）.
To get to Da Xi Old Street, you will have to take bus 502, a tourist’s bus (or bus 5096) from the bus terminal next to Taoyuan Train Station. To get to the bus terminal, cross the underpass next to the train station (see picture) and walk towards this white building (again see picture) and you will see buses leaving this particular building.
Upon reaching the bus terminal, to confirm if you are on the right track, the friendly attendants at the bus terminal will direct you accordingly 😉
On the bus however, our itinerary changed when a local tour guide boarded the bus. It seemed to us that the normal day trip (starting real early about at 7ish in the morning) will begin at Xiao Wu Lai (小烏來). Hence, we decided to go with her plan and head out to see the Xiao Wu Lai waterfalls (小烏來瀑布) before heading back to see the flower fields. On hindsight, we were so glad to have visited these Taoyuan attractions. But remember, if you’re making this trip, you will have to cater time for the bus timings and expected crowd to ensure that you’ll have a seat on the bus!
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As a result, we took bus 502 direct to Xiao Wu Lai!
Taoyuan Attractions – Xiao Wu Lai (小烏來)
One of the main attraction at Xiao Wu Lai is the Skywalk (aka 天空步道）. If you take the tourist bus to Xiao Wu Lai, you’d only need to pay NT30 (what?!) instead of NT50 (what?! still very reasonable!) to enter into the Xiao Wu Lai Skywalk.
What you need to do when you first arrive, is to head to the ticketing counter, let her know that you took bus 502 and purchase the tickets first. There will be an allocated timing for you to visit the Skywalk (ours was the 1100 to 1130 session）. Once you’re closer to the timing, head towards the entrance and start to queue. It pays if you bring along your umbrella as well…
In the meantime, you might wish to enjoy the peaches at Xiao Wu Lai! It was DEFINITELY THE SWEETEST AND JUICIEST PEACH WE’VE EVER TASTED! The price though was not that cheap. At first, we bought a small one for NT80, to try it out. But since it tasted so good, we bought a box of 12 (small ones) for NT600! Yup, it’s cheaper if you buy in bulk. To cool yourself down, you may wish to have a cup of ice blended peach for only NT60.
Good stuff as well!
The Xiao Wu Lai Skywalk was indeed amazing. The view and pictures taken there were really awesome. You’d have to “shovel” a little to get those great spots amidst the crowd ;P Nonetheless, it was only NT50 to visit the Skywalk! This compared to the Grand Canyon Skywalk for $75USD!
After visiting the Xiao Wu Lai Skywalk, we headed to the water area to cool off and take a dip in the waters. Really nice to dip our feet and let the streams run by. If you’ve brought extra clothing, why not enjoy a dip as well? Just be careful that when you enter, due to moss growing on the rocks, your foot may slip. While in the water, be careful of the currents and rocks that may cut you. Oh, we saw a sign that said “Beware of water snakes” Yikes!
Taking the bus at 1230pm towards Ci Hu, we again took bus 502 for NT54.
Taoyuan Attractions – Ci Hu (慈湖) and Da Xi Flower Field (大溪花海）
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At Ci Hu, we were told by our host that the bronze statues there are especially popular with the Chinese tourists. Probably because of the common heritage that they share. But for us (Kate actually), the main purpose of the visit was the flower fields! The entrance was NT150 per person. But we paid NT50 more (i.e. NT200) to get the package which included the DIY soap making session as well as ice creams and Lavender Latte inside the flower field. Not too bad eh?
During our visit to Taoyuan, it was relatively hot (above 30 degrees) but still we enjoyed ourselves with views of the flowers. Though not all the flowers were blossoming during our visit, you should still make a trip and if you have time, tour around the lake as well!
Taking the same bus again at 3:05pm, we left for Da Xi Old Street for the price of NT18.
**You’d also realise by now that the buses are starting to arrive later than scheduled. This is because of the crowds and build up of traffic, especially along the single lanes at Xiao Wu Lai.
Taoyuan Attractions – Da Xi Old Street (大溪老街)
Da Xi Old Street is a well preserved area with old intricate structures. In fact, at Da Xi, there are 4 streets, but this main street is the one that is the most well-preserved. There are also several food joints here that you may wish to try out as well.
The sad part about this trip was that when we wanted to finally head back to Taoyuan city, the “snowballed” effect of the late buses were so bad that we waited for 1.5 hours before the bus 502 finally came! Nonetheless, it was still an excellent day trip to check out the attractions of Taoyuan.
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After heading back to Taoyuan city, there’s actually a “local Taoyuan attraction” that we would like to introduce. And that’s the fried and roasted chicken joint featured above! BOTH versions of the chicken were juicy and tender, which explains the super long queue and waiting time, even for a fast food joint!
But the best part (or genius part we would say) is that the combo comes with SWEET POTATO FRIES AND FRIED GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS!! We did not even know that this combination would be possible and tastes this awesome!
Just got to try it if you’re visiting Taoyuan!
We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the Taoyuan Attractions! Stay tuned for day 10 of our Taiwan trip as we visit Taipei 101!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Fun Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8!
Taoyuan was our destination on day 8 of our Taiwan trip and it was definitely an event-filled day checking out the things to do in Taoyuan.
But first, while we were still staying at Miaoli Maison De Chine, we decided to check out the attractions in the vicinity. After a hearty breakfast at Miaoli Maison De Chine, we decided to head out to Kuo Tai Glass Park to check out this local attraction!
The visit to Kuo Tai Glass Park was just fantastic. You can take part in glass blowing, watch the masters in action and have a guided tour around the glass factory. Definitely an itinerary that you can consider for the entire family. Check out our post of Kuo Tai Glass Park (國泰玻璃觀光工廠) to find out more!
We then took a train from Zhunan to Taoyuan for NT154 each and the trip lasted for an hour. Then it was time for us to check into Audi Garden Business Hotel!
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan
After checking into Audi Garden Business Hotel, we decided to take a stroll along the main shopping street of Taoyuan – Zhong Zheng Road. A local temple, Jing Fu Gong 景福宫, is also easily spotted along this road. But the main thing that we really want to talk about is the oyster mee sua next to the temple! Look out for Hao Fu Ji vermicelli, definitely one of the best oyster mee sua we’ve had in Taiwan. It is flavourful, thick but not overpowering plus the ingredients did not have any foul gamey taste at all! But the most amazing part was that it was milky. YES MILKY! Strange, but because of it, differentiates itself from the field of oyster vermicellis out there 😉
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Taoyuan Night Market located at Bei Pu Lu and Zhong Zheng Lu was actually the place that we were heading towards as we “journeyed” down Zhong Zheng Road. Along the way, we got to rest and re-energise at Sun Louis Bakery (almost thought it was the same as the Sun Moulin in Singapore. It isn’t but it looks equally atas/high class), before arriving at Taoyuan Night Market!
We didn’t really eat much at Taoyuan Tourism Night Market this evening because of the food that we had along the way (oyster vermicelli, breads and egg tarts). Nonetheless, if you’re feeling that you’d need some “night market fix” in Taoyuan, the Taoyuan Night Market is a great place to eat and do some simple shopping 😉
By the way, the walk from Audi Garden Business Hotel to Taoyuan Night Market was 1.7km (usually 20mins walk) but we took our time to walk at a leisurely pace, snacking along the way, thus we took slightly less than an hour for the trip.
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Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of the things to do in Taoyuan. Next, we’ll be visiting Xiao Wu Lai (Huh? Where is that?) on Day 9 of our Taiwan Trip!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
4 “Lesser-Known” Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7!
Wondering what are some of the things to do in Miaoli Taiwan? Thanks to the great folks of Miaoli Maison De Chine, we were hosted to a stay and enjoyed some of the wonderful facilities there. Also, it provided us with a great base to check out all the attractions and things to do in Miaoli Taiwan!
Actually, we headed from Taichung to Tong Xiao Beach first. However, when we arrived, due to a carnival, we had to pay $20SGD to enter the beach area (which is usually free). As we were only there for an hour, we did not enter. But if you do have more time, it is encouraged that you visit as the $20SGD includes shows and displays for programmes throughout the day.
If you’re travelling from Taichung to Zhunan, it takes about 1 hour by train. After arriving at Zhunan train station, to get to Miaoli Maison de Chine, you’ll have to take a taxi for NT120 (walking takes about 30 minutes). It is a fixed price for visitors to the hotel.
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan
1. 天厨海鲜楼 (Tian Chu Seafood Restaurant)
Located at No. 19, Gongyuan 5th St, Miaoli County, Taiwan 350, 天厨海鲜楼 (Tian Chu Seafood Restaurant) serves up great seafood at an excellent price. In fact, when we visited, they were having a promotion whereby each dish only costs NT100 ($4!). That’s even cheaper than Zi Char in Singapore! Plus, we were having stuff like prawns (really fresh ones at that), squid and pork ribs. If you’re staying at Miaoli Maison De Chine, do check out 天厨海鲜楼 (Tian Chu Seafood Restaurant) to enjoy great food, an excellent ambience at a fantastic price!
2. Zhunan Beer Factory / 竹南啤酒厂
The Zhunan Beer Factory is the largest brewery in the whole of Taiwan. But in order to go for a visit, you’d have to at least have a group of 20. In addition, there are allocated times for visit. This time, we unfortunately missed the last group tour of the day. Hence, it would be wise to give the factory a call first and ask the group tour timings before you head over. Oh, the taxi ride from Miaoli Maison De Chine to Zhunan Factory is between NT150 to NT200.
As we were not able to join the tour, we were only able to walk around within the store area. Inside, the various types of alcohol and beers, produced by the factory are sold. In addition, we also got to try the 18 days Taiwan Beer for free. It tasted a little bitter (which we prefer) and the usual price is NT65 per bottle.
There is also a restaurant where you can order dishes to go with the beer. But do note that it is just like a regular restaurant NOT ANYTHING LIKE a microbrewery with beers on tap. But do give the 18 days Taiwan Beer a try, you won’t regret it!
3. 曾记馅饼 (Zeng Ji Pastry)
We were also informed by Shelly (Marketing Manager from Miaoli Maison De Chine Hotel) that, within walking distance of hotel, there’s a famous bun store ( 曾记馅饼） at the intersection of Ba De Yi Lu and De Yi Lu. Located next to the 7-11, it is a mobile truck that sells buns with pork, beef or sweet red bean filling. Definitely a must try if you’re in the vicinity!
4. Zhunan Integrated Sports Complex
Before we headed back to our hotel for great food and spa pool enjoyment, we headed to the Zhunan Integrated Sports Complex just across the road from Miaoli Maison De Chine. There, residents can enjoy runs around the track, play some basketball or croquet.
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Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Hope you have enjoyed our post on the things to do in Miaoli Taiwan! Do stay tuned for day 8 of our Taiwan trip where we’ll be visiting Taoyuan!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
3 Awesome things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6!
On day 6 of our Taiwan trip, we checked out all the things to do in Taichung and its attractions! If you’re not sure what to do (and eat!!!) in Taichung, you’ll find some great information to get you on your way to discovering Taichung!
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan
1. Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 – Originator of the Bubble Milk Tea
On day 6 of our Taiwan Trip, we woke up to a sumptuous breakfast at Park City Hotel Central Taichung. After the hearty meal (which included braised pork rice!!), we checked out the Taichung 2nd market. As we were early, the breakfast crowds were still having their breakfast as well. We also noticed the scores of fruit stalls at Taichung 2nd market, probably a great place to find great tasting fruits at an excellent price.
Next, we headed to Chun Shui Tang!!!
Chun Shui Tang, as we found out, is the originator of the world-renowned Taiwanese Bubble Milk Tea. But there are actually many of its franchise around in the city (close to 20 of them), so just pop into any one of the joints to enjoy the original bubble milk tea!
2. 草悟道 Cao Wu Dao – Quaint Cafes and Restaurants
Located at Xiang Shang North Road, at the area of Mei Cun road, lies a cluster of quaint cafes and restaurants. Here, we also saw this unique robot cafe where the server invited us in just to have a look (no purchase required). There, we saw the HUGE resident cats who startled us with its sudden movement. The truth was, it was so huge that we thought it was just a soft toy that was lying around. When it moved, Tom just jumped!
Enroute, we also had the egg beef porridge which we realised actually goes quite well with spinach.
One more tip, remember to get the Easy Card. It costs NT200 at any 7-11, of which, NT100 goes to the deposit. But the great thing about the Easy Card is that specifically in Taichung, the first 8km is free! Yes! FREE!!! In other cities, there are usually fare discounts for Easy Card holders as well. Do pick up one if you’re intending to travel Taiwan for an extended period of time!
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More Taichung Attractions and Things to do (eat!)
3. Shop and Eat in Taichung – Yi Chung Shang Quan 一中街商圈, Taichung Park, Feng Jia Night Market and Miyahara Ice Cream
For more shopping options, you can head to the Yi Chung Shang Quan (or just Yi Chung Street) where there are endless shopping options and street foods available. It’s a closer option for night market from Taichung City as compared to Feng Jia Night Market. From Taichung City, we took bus 88 (for free!) to the Yi Chung shopping street.
As we were still early that day, we decided to head back to Feng Jia Night Market again for a 2nd time! This time, we tried out all the foods that we wanted to eat, including 大腸包小腸 (Direct translation of Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage), Deep Fried HUGE Squid / 酥炸大鱿鱼, 熊手包 Bear Paw Buns and 章鱼小丸子 / Takopachi Octopus Balls. Do check out our post of what to eat at Feng Jia Night Market to find out more!
Enroute back, we dropped by the Taichung City Park and enjoyed a leisurely stroll by its lake as well as a visit to the Lake Heart Pavilion.
To cap off a fun-filled day in Taichung, we headed back to Miyahara – 宮原眼科 for its famous ice cream! This time, we finally got to eat this famous ice cream! But there’s one catch, we had to go to 4th Credit on 72 Zhong Shan Road ( 第四信用合作社）and this is because the outlet at Miyahara 宮原眼科 is so popular that it has a minimum spending of NT380 ($16). Therefore, we decided to take a short walk (5 minutes really), along Zhong Shan Road and ate at the 4th Credit outlet.
For NT245, we had a waffle bowl with 3 scoops of ice cream and choice of 4 toppings. Do not think that the toppings are simple and common items such as strawberry sauce or chocolate sprinkles. THEY ARE REAL DESSERT TOPPINGS! You’d be surprised but we chose cheesecake, pineapple tart, floral cake and rum raisins! (WHAT?! THOSE ARE TOPPINGS!!??)
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If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Taichung Taiwan! Do let us know if you have any other recommendations in our comments section below!
Stay tuned for day 7 of our trip in Miaoli Taiwan!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5!
Changhua and Taichung were our next stops during day 5 of our Taiwan Trip! Our plan was to stop by Changhua to taste the famous Changhua meatballs before heading to check in at Park City Hotel Central Taichung. In the evening, we visited the most famous night market in Taiwan – Feng Jia Night Market.
Chiayi to Changhua and Taichung
Something happened that morning…Kate realised that she lost the McDonald’s coupons for our breakfast! So we decided that we would visit the local pan fried bun (生煎包) joint since it was closed at 5pm (starts selling for afternoon sessions at 3pm) the day before. But when we reached there at 8am in the morning, although there were many people having their breakfast, THERE WAS NO FRIED BUNS!! To us, this was the elusive pan fried buns joint, if you have visited it, do let us know how it tasted!
The train ride from Chiayi to Changhua took approximately 1hr and 30 minutes. From Changhua, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Taichung. Hence, the entire trip from Chiayi to Taichung takes slightly under two hours. Our original plan was to buy 2 separate tickets from Chiayi to Changhua and from Changhua to Taichung. However, we made a “mistake” and bought the Chiayi to Taichung ticket for NT144 (approximately $6 each). The good thing was you’re able to stop anywhere along the way just as long as you remember to validate the tickets upon exit. And you’ll have to exit via the station personnel at the exit (do not insert into the automated gates!)
At Changhua, we tried all 3 famous Changhua Meatballs from 彰化肉圓, 老担阿璋肉圓 and 正彰化肉圓. Do check out our post on the best Changhua Meatballs to find out which one we thought was the best!
In between our meatball adventures, we did snuck in a couple of other snacks such as the braised pig trotters and the traditional cake. But to our surprise, this “Old Time Delights” Bakery in Changhua turned out to be one of the best cakes we’ve ever tasted! This time, we tried the pumpkin cake. The cake was firm but not so sweet. The top of the cake were lined with healthy nuts and seeds but the best part was what was within…the pumpkin fillings! It was the eastern version of the swiss roll but 10 times nicer! No wonder the queue was quite long even in the mid afternoon. The choice that you’ll have at this stall is dependent on what was being baked at that point in time. There’s a schedule that locals know about.
These cakes were baked on huge trays and cut to size. We ordered the smallest cut (which was still quite big for the both of us) at NT65. If you’ve tried the other flavours or are a local who frequents here often, do share in the comments section below on which you think is the best flavour!
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After checking into the Park City Central Hotel Taichung, we took a bath in the hotel’s sexy bathtub (with views of the TV) and had the amazing pumpkin cake before heading to the famous Feng Jia Night Market!
Feng Jia Night Market is the 2nd largest Night Market in the whole of Taiwan (the biggest night market in Taiwan is the combination of Jin Zuan and Kai Xuan Night Markets) and there are many great foods here. If you’re wondering what to eat at Feng Jia Night Market, do find out more in our separate post.
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by one of the tourist attractions in Taichung, the Miyahara – 宮原眼科. Although we did not have the famous ice cream this evening, we did try it on day 6 of our visit and there’s a little secret that you should know about it as well…
Stay tuned to Day 6 of our Taiwan Trip to find out more!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市) is one of the biggest night market in Taiwan and if you’ve been to Feng Chia Night Market, you’d realise that you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to food options. Many have asked the sacred question of “What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market?” and “What are the best foods at Feng Chia Night Market?” This post will thus source out the best food to eat in Feng Chia Night Market, just for you!
Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市 Best Food To Eat!
大腸包小腸 (Direct translation of Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage)
大腸包小腸 is somewhat like a novelty for us. It is actually an outer layer of “rice sausage” wrapping Taiwanese sausage and other condiments within. At the entrance of Feng Jia Night Market, there are 2 stalls selling 大腸包小腸, let’s call them “yellow” and “red” stall respectively.
On our first night there, yellow stall had a super looooooooong queue! Hence, we decided to go to the comparatively shorter queue at red stall (still had to wait 10 minutes…Zzz).
When it is your turn to order at “Red Stall”, the lady will ask if you’d want normal, or “small/medium/large” spicy. We went for the small spicy (小辣）and it tasted quite good with a hint of spiciness. For Singaporeans, remember not to go for the bamboo shoots (竹笋）as part of your condiments.
On our second day at Feng Jia Night Market, as we were there relatively early (about 3pm), we tried 大腸包小腸 from the yellow stall. This time, we went for the normal version and again we requested not to have bamboo shoots added.
The results of our comparison? Red stall had the better version. The outer rice sausage was fragrant and had a slight crisp on the outside while the condiments tasted better (in general) compared to the yellow stall. Somehow, the peanuts added to the yellow stall’s version didn’t taste as good. As a guide though, if you have not tried 大腸包小腸 before, just go for the shorter queue. You don’t have to die die try the yellow or red stall but if you must, the red stall for us, has that sliiight advantage.
熊手包 Bear Paw Buns
How can we not try bear paw buns right? 2bearbear, bear paws? :p We went for the no.1 top selling bun, the honey mustard chicken pumpkin bun and it was so delicious! The patty was hot and juicy while the honey mustard was just a perfect dressing. Most interesting of all, the hint of pumpkin could absolutely be tasted from the buns! Yummilicious!
Deep Fried HUGE Squid / 酥炸大鱿鱼
The deep fried HUGE Squids or 酥炸大鱿鱼 are available at many other night markets. At Feng Jia Night Market itself, there are already quite a few. But of all the deep fried squids we’ve tried, this version is still the best. The cook has a certain way of making sure that the squids are deep fried to precise perfection. Each time she sees that it requires a little more time in the oil, in it goes. By seeing the surface of the squid, she knows whether it is done within. And that takes experience. And with experience comes your yummy portion of deep fried squids!
For the sizes, you can choose from NT50 (medium), NT70 (big), NT80 (bigger), NT100 (HUGE). There are also 7 tastes that you can choose from including the original (salt and pepper), lemon/pepper (which we chose), wasabi and seaweed, just to name a few.
Cheese Potato / 起司马铃薯
Strongly recommended by netizens, we decided to give the cheese potato a try. Not knowing which flavour to choose, we decided to go for the deluxe (and the most expensive) as it had a little bit of everything within. Frankly speaking, it was just loads of cheese over mashed potato. The mashed potato itself did not have that “wow” factor of truffles (kidding lah…) or at the least tastes of good grade butter. To us, this was just a “filler” dish. You can give this one a miss 😉
章鱼小丸子 / Takopachi Octopus Balls
The Takopachi Octopus Balls were SHIOK!! The octopus balls were prepared only upon order (as it was early in the day) and topped off with dried fish, mayo and wasabi dressing. The cool part was that the mayo was not like the usual fatty tasting mayonnaise. Instead, it was milkilicious! With the mayo/wasabi combination, the “fresh-hot-off-the-stove” takopachi, tasted amazing!
Taro, Papaya Milk Juice / 木瓜牛奶，芋头牛奶
This version of the Taro milk drink still had shaved ice bits on each sip. Not the smooth and rich type of milk drink that you would normally expect. Nonetheless, the ingredients are fresh and its still worth 1 try (emphasis on the one). Don’t think we’re coming back for seconds though.
If you’re travelling in a group, the deal of 3 fruit juices for NT100 is definitely worth it. Usual price of a cup is NT40 for papaya milk and NT35 for lemon with ai yu (爱玉）jelly.
Foods at Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市
YOU may have tried
There were 2 particular stalls that we would have tried (given more time and space in our tummies). There was a ridiculously long queue for 炒面面包 (Fried Noodles in a Bun?!). Seriously, can this really be good? If you’ve tried it, do let us know in the comments section below. Also, we’ve stumbled across a german pork knuckle stall in Feng Jia Night Market (and not in an upscale german restaurant). Can this pork knuckle be good? Do let us know if you’ve tried it as well!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of “What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市”! Do let us know your thoughts or any other interesting/good eats that you have tried at Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
Changhua is synonymous with meatballs. Whenever one talks about Changhua, the term meatballs will somehow enter into the conversation. Hence, the term 彰化肉圓 (aka Changhua meatballs).
But the big question is this. Which is the best Changhua meatball?
As with the battle of the Malacca Chicken Rice Balls, we made it one of our missions during this trip to find out which stall has the best meatballs in Changhua!
The Candidates for the Best Changhua Meatballs
(彰化肉圓)
Candidate 1 : 正彰化肉圓
(No. 203, Chenleng Rd, Changhua County, Taiwan 500）
正彰化肉圓 （Zheng Changhua Meatballs)
Inside Zheng Changhua Meatballs
Our first Changhua Bawan @ 正彰化肉圓
Kate did the research for all the meatballs stalls in Changhua and we arrived at Chenleng Rd, there were 2 meatball stalls right across from each other. The idea of creating a “meatball node” at Chenleng Rd is a clever one. Most people, whenever they crave for a taste of Changhua meatball, they’ll head over here to have their meatball fix.
This version at 正彰化肉圓 costs NT35 and had a generous serving of peanut sauce over it. We also enjoyed the generous portion of meat filling within. The minuses? Waitress took SOOOOOOO long before she brought over the chili sauce! We were almost at our last mouth when the chili arrived. Sigh. But the other big minus for us was the taste of 竹笋 （bamboo shoot) which was relatively strong. Lovers of 竹笋 would definitely love this rendition at Zheng Changhua Meatballs.
Candidate 2 : 老担阿璋肉圓
(No. 144, Cháng’ān St, Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan 500）
Lao Dan Ah Zhang Changhua Meatball 老担阿璋肉圓
Lao Dan Ah Zhang Changhua Meatball 老担阿璋肉圓 for NT35
Pork Ball at 老担阿璋肉圓 for NT15
After finishing our rounds at 正彰化肉圓, we crossed the road to visit 老担阿璋肉圓. This version of meatball at Lao Dan Ah Zhang Meatball (老担阿璋肉圓) had a slight edge over 正彰化肉圓 in that the chili for the meatball was readily available on the table! Haha…
But jokes aside, what we enjoyed about this version was that the fragrance of the garlic permeated with each mouthful of the meatball. The skin was also chewy and TAONG which brought a different texture as you bite on the skin and its fillings. The downside? A tad lesser in terms of meat fillings within.
The funny thing was, so far, we’ve seen both versions of the meatballs being deep fried but they’ve both been “drowned” with their sauces such that they don’t taste fried at all. Was it supposed to be like that? We soon found out with the third candidate…
Candidate 3 : 北門口肉圓
(No. 494號, Section 1, Zhongzheng Rd, Changhua County, Taiwan 500）
北門口肉圓 Bei Men Kou Meatball
Inside 北門口肉圓 Changhua Meatball
北門口肉圓 Changhua Meatball with dried scallop for NT80
北門口肉圓 is just a short walk away from the other 2 meatball joints and it was pretty crowded when we reached there. The boss did not even have time to take our orders, just busily frying the meatballs away. Some “cut” the queue by shouting their orders. Hence, don’t be shy (or courteous), just order away!
There were several things we loved about this version. At NT80, we ordered the bigger version with dried scallops. The taste was certainly better and there was more meat fillings within. Chili also accompanied the meatballs well. But what we really enjoyed about 北門口肉圓’s meatball was the crispy outer layer! After trying 3 meatballs stalls, we finally found one that maintained the crispiness of the skin after frying and addition of the sauces! The down side of this version was that the sauce was a tad too sweet.
The Best Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) goes to…
北門口肉圓
Bei Men Kou Changhua Meatball!
Well, we’re coming from a Singaporean point of view. 正彰化肉圓’s meatballs was knocked out after having a relatively strong taste of the bamboo shoots (need to wash them clean you know?). It was really a close fight between 老担阿璋肉圓 and 北門口肉圓. But the crispy outer layer at 北門口肉圓 definitely made the difference.
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If ever possible, we think that the best version of Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) would be the meatballs (with crispy outer skin) from 北門口肉圓, laced with the garlicky,peanuty sauce of 老担阿璋肉圓 and 正彰化肉圓!
Hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓), do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4!
After checking out the Things to do in Chiayi on day 3 of our Taiwan trip, we decided to visit the other Chiayi Attractions such as Lan Tan Lake / Reservoir (蘭潭水庫), Sun Shooting Tower (射日塔) and eating our way through Zhong Shan Lu (中山路) – Chiayi’s main shopping street!
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan!
On day 4 of our trip, we actually started the day early at Duke Hotel. 4am early. Yes, it was the world cup and we caught match between Germany and Algeria. Germany managed to pull through in extra time and won the game 2-1!
2bearbear watching Germany vs Algeria World Cup 2014! 4am in the morning!
Back to Chiayi Attractions… 😛
After collecting our breakfast at McDonald’s we took the bus from Chiayi Terminal to Chiayi University for 18NT. If you’re unsure, the friendly aunty at the ticketing counter will be able to advise you. The bus ride took about 20 minutes. Lan Tan aka 蘭潭水庫 is actually located very near Chiayi University. You’d probably see couples from the University, hanging out by the Lan Tan Lake or just enjoying views of the mountain ranges in the distance.
Now, the important information…HOW TO GET TO LAN TAN LAKE?
Lan Tan Chiayi / 蘭潭水庫
After arriving at Chiayi University, you’d realise that you may have entered into the University and may be erm…a little lost. Fret not! We have been lost in Chiayi University as well and here are the simplified steps for you to reach Lan Tan!
Step 1 : Head towards the entrance of Chiayi University, where you will see the office of the security guards.
Step 2 : On the right of the security guard house, you’ll see a car park with lots of motorcycles, head towards it and turn right towards a flight of stairs.
Step 3 : You’d probably be pestered by mosquitoes (bring a repellant) and small crawling lizards by now. IGNORE THEM! Continue up this flight of stairs and you’d end up at the University’s dormitories. Ironically, this path is known affectionately by the students as Ai Qing De Xiao Lu (爱情的小路 or Love’s Little Path). Kate was “loved” by several mosquitoes here…
Step 4 : Continue walking on the only path and you’d arrive at another security guard house. Walk across the road and keep right and within 2 minutes, you’ll arrive at Lan Tan! Yay! (After all that treacherous climb) OR You’d probably be lost like us and ask the security guards. He’d actually say the exact same thing to you – that’s because we asked! We’re trying to prevent uncles being asked the same question (“Where is Lan Tan?”) over and over again. So be brave. Cross the road and keep right!
After reaching Lan Tan, we took a short stroll around the lake, taking shots at Rippling Moonlit Talk 月影潭心, San Xin Ting 三信亭 and of course the mountain ranges in the distance. We’re actually not sure what those mountain ranges are. But we’re secretly hoping that it’s the Alishan (阿里山) Mountain Range (it is in the correct general direction!).
Views of Mountain Range from Lan Tan
The reason why we did not go to Alishan is because of the duration and probably, the “treacherous” journey. The trip takes about 3 hours from Chiayi, making it 6 hours for a return trip. Plus, mountainous roads are usually windy (thus evoking motion sickness). Last but not least, parts of the roads to Alishan have been blocked off for reconstruction due to landslides in 2010. Most locals we asked said that Lan Tan would be the best alternative in terms of cost and time.
After our visit to Lan Tan, we took the same bus (remember to refer to the bus timetable!) back towards Chiayi. Oh, you can also feed the ducks at the pond next to the bus stop and even send a post card back home as well!
Enroute, we alighted at the Chiayi Park…
Chiayi Park / 嘉義公园
The main reason why we stopped at Chiayi Park is because of the Sun Shooting Tower. However, we forgot to check out the opening hours before going. Apparently, it closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. But thank the Lord, there was an exhibition (Alessi) going on and it was open on the Tuesday that we visited 🙂
As you approach (and leave) the Sun Shooting Tower, be careful of the sudden LOUD sounds play through the PA system. We were startled TWICE as we entered and left the Chiayi Tower. However, views from the tower was simply amazing and there’s even a nice alfresco chillax area at the top of the tower…
Zhong Shan Lu (中山路) Shopping Street
From Chiayi Park, our last itinerary of the day was to head back to Duke Hotel along Zhong Shan Lu – Chiayi’s main shopping street…
Our first stop was at the Hong Jia Zhuang Beef and Pork Noodles Restaurant. What attracted us was its cute banner and of course the fact that it had pork noodles in addition to beef noodles at the restaurant. Yes, we tried the pork noodles.
It happened that the restaurant got famous because of the cute twins, grandchildren of the owner of the restaurant. The best part was that they happened to be visiting from Taipei (they have since grown up and shifted to Taipei for their education) and the cute twins served us our lunch! The noodles were quite tasty and the pork was very tender. However, we wouldn’t say that it’s superb. Just good. Perhaps, the “twins effect” bumped up the unique factor of the restaurant. They’re still soooo cute at 10 years of age! 😛
Still on Zhong Shan Lu, we stumbled upon 恩典方塊酥 shop. A bakery that specialises in selling square shaped biscuits – hence the name. We bought a couple because even the prime minister of Taiwan visits this place. When we finally got to try it back in our room, we understood why. The texture was flaky and crumbly both at the same time (how is that even possible?!). Taste was the usual buttery taste but not too sweet. Definitely a great gift to bring back home.
As for the oyster mee sua? We’re featuring it so that you wouldn’t make the same mistake of visiting it. The flavour was bland and the intestines still had the funny smell that remains if you don’t wash it clean. Bottom line, give this joint a miss.
Located at 中山路325号 (325 Zhong Shan Lu), the famous 嘉义喷水鸡肉饭 Chiayi Spurting Turkey Rice is a must try for foodies visiting Chiayi. We’ve tried 3 different versions of the turkey rice in Chiayi and the spurting chicken rice comes up top! This is because of the flavourful fried shallots and bits of turkey skin that are prepared so well that it had a gelatinous crunch along with the firm turkey meats. Wash down with Taiwan Beer? Yum! The garlic squid on the other hand managed only an “ok” rating from us. Somehow, it lacked the fresh crunch that a good plate of garlic squid should have.
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Rounding off the evening, we decided to pamper ourselves to VIP screening of Transformers 4 : Age of Extinction. And yes, it was in English. The seats were actual sofa seats and even comes with “Transformers” cushions. Each VIP ticket (at the cost of 330NT about $13 SGD) comes with a choice of soft drink or popcorn. Since there were the 2 of us, we decided to go with 1 popcorn and 1 coke.
All in all, it was a fantastic day out, visiting all the attractions in Chiayi! We hope that our day 3 post on things to do in Chiayi and day 4 post of Chiayi attractions can be a good resource for you when you visit Chiayi Taiwan in the future!
Stay tuned for day 5 of our Taiwan trip, next!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi was our next destination on day 3 of our Taiwan trip. After our breakfast at 鹿早茶屋, we headed to Chiayi to check out the many things to do in and attractions in Chiayi Taiwan!
Things to do and attractions in Chiayi
The train ride from Tainan to Chiayi takes about an hour and costs NT107 per ticket. After arriving at Chiayi train station, we checked in with Duke Hotel before venturing out in search of the yummy foods in Chiayi!
We also found out at the reception that breakfast was at the McDonald’s downstairs! All you have to do is just bring the coupons down and let the cashier know which burger and beverage you’d like. BUT on the 2nd day, Kate actually lost our McDonald’s coupon! But that’s another story to tell… -_-”
Chiayi Turkey Rice
Chiayi is famous for its Turkey Rice aka 火鶏肉飯. Right round the corner from Duke Hotel, there are 2 traditional Turkey Rice stalls claiming to be around for about 50 years. We popped right in and ordered a portion for 30NT. We also had the braised pork belly rice and fish belly soup for NT60 each. After tucking in, we soon discovered that the secret to a good bowl of Turkey Rice lies in the fried shallots! The fish belly soup on the other hand was really fresh and tender! The fish together with the lining of the belly, literally melted in my mouth on each bite! The only thing that I had to be careful was the small bones that appeared from time to time. Chew slowly!
Wen Hua Night Market Chiayi
After lunch, we went back to our hotel for a short rest before walking to Wen Hua Night Market aka 文化路观光夜市. The night market is simply a long stretch of road with food stalls on the sides. Not many stalls to choose from though. This was probably one of the least interesting night markets during this trip.
We tried the braised items stall with choice of braised beancurd, beancurd skin and liver. We actually wanted to heat up the items but the aunty managed to convince us that it tasted nicer cold – SO NOT TRUE! Nonetheless, it was still quite palatable with the chili and preserved vegetables mixed in. But you should really ask for the heated version!
For desserts, we tried the peanut beancurd. This version was quite tasty, not too sweet and had the peanuty goodness (and flavours) that went quite well with the beancurd. Again, this is a traditional beancurd stall, so expect firmness and not the silky smooth textures of beancurds found in Singapore.
To round up the evening, we recalled seeing eel noodles as a specialty of Chiayi on the in-flight magazine of EVA air. We happened to chance upon a stall enroute from our hotel to Wen Hua Night Market and decided to give it a try (though our first choice was actually 肉羹 which was closed when we wanted to order!). This version was actually quite tasteless and oily. BUT! Nothing a little vinegar and chili powder cant salvage! After adding (incessant amounts of) vinegar and chili powder, the noodle was more palatable and together, we actually slurped up the whole plate of noodles!
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Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Though it was a disappointing first day at Chiayi (except the Turkey Rice), there are many other things to do in Chiayi Taiwan and in fact, our next day in Chiayi turned out to be much better! Stay tuned to find out more!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Things to do in Tainan (That You Cant Miss!) Taiwan Trip Day 2!
There are so many things to do in Tainan and day 2 of our Taiwan trip was when we really started to explore Tainan altogether. Early on in the morning, we decided to set off from 1967 City Central Hotel Tainan to Anping Old Fort by foot. The entire journey took approximately 2 hours but we had several stops along the way, most of them at 7-11 (affectionately known by locals as “seven”)…
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan
Enroute to Anping Old Fort
From 1967 Hotel Tainan to Anping Old Fort, we passed by several attractions in Tainan, including the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Confucius Temple,
Although the walk in Tainan was wonderful (mostly because I was walking with my lover – Kate) but IT WAS HOT!!! We had to stop at several 7-11 along the way to cool down (mostly by enjoying the free air conditioning) and replenish our water lost due to the intense heat. It was about 33 degrees Celsius so if you’re taking the same walk in the June period, remember to pack a bottle of water and probably an umbrella to block off the sun’s rays.
About 2 hours later (and it was still before 10am!), we arrived at Anping District!
Anping Old District and Anping Fort
After crossing Tainan River (台南运河)，we finally entered Anping District! The Anping District is one of the old towns in Tainan and is one of the tourist attractions in Tainan. It can get pretty crowded, especially during the weekends where the stalls are open (with games and food, even during the day) and of course, many flock to visit the Anping Old Fort. Nearby, you can also stay at the Anping Old House for a local feel of the area. Entrance to the Anping Old Fort costs only NT50 ($2 SGD) and you will be able to ascend the Anping Watch tower and visit exhibitions to understand the history of the fort as well as that of Taiwan…
Rui Zhen Restaurant （瑞珍虾仁馄饨）and Anping Tree House
Right next to the Anping Old Fort lies a restaurant by the name of Rui Zhen (aka 瑞珍虾仁馄饨). One could possibly pass by it if not for the persistent calling by the restaurant’s owner. Having seen several features of the restaurant (with local Taiwanese celebrities and even one with Singapore’s 早安您好）， we decided to give it a try and we were glad that we did!
During this visit, we ordered several of the restaurant’s specialties including the oyster mee sua, coffin bread (棺材板）as well as the shrimp dumplings, all at a reasonable price of NT60. The mee sua had many fresh, huge oysters and the garlicky but fresh taste of the soup made it an irresistible dish. The coffin bread was crispy at the toasted edges while the shrimp dumplings had a crisp bite on the outside and a sweet crunch of the prawn on the inside. Yum!
After the scrumptious lunch, we headed towards the Anping Tree House for a visit. Though we did not enter, we were able to catch a glimpse of the tree house as we headed towards 海头…
Si Cao Green Tunnel ? Anping Tong Ji Beancurd
Kate who planned the entire Taiwan trip, remembered that the Si Cao Green Tunnel was in the vicinity of Anping District. After cooling down at Seven, we headed to the bus stop next to it to see if any bus went there. Unfortunately, we did not know that there were actually tourist buses that ply between Si Cao Green Tunnel and Anping District, all the way back to Tainan Train Station. As a result, we took a cab. Though it was not THAT expensive, the 5 minutes taxi ride from Anping to Si Cao costs NT165 (about $6 SGD on meter). Fortunately for us, we caught the bus 99 on the way back for only NT18 per person. There are 2 public tourist buses that ply the vicinity – Buses 88 and 99. Do check out these bus routes for easy access to the tourist attractions of Tainan. But do take note of the bus timings as well. Sometimes, if you miss a bus, you might have to wait for about an hour!
As we did not get to eat the famous Anping Tong Ji Beancurd in Anping itself, we were glad that we were able to try it at its other stall near our hotel back in Tainan city. We tried the traditional beancurd (NT30) and the shaved ice series (NT55) and were quite satisfied with these choices. You can choose 1 “topping” for the beancured (we chose lemon) and 2 “toppings” for the shaved ice (we chose red bean and strawberry sauce). Special mention must go to the beancurd with lemon which was surprisingly nice and refreshing! But do not expect soft silky textures like those in Singapore, this version has the traditional textures with a firm texture to taste!
Hua Yuan Night Market aka 花園夜市 Tainan
Huayuan Night Market (aka 花園夜市）was the first night of many night markets that we would be visiting during this Taiwan trip and it is also one of the must do things in Tainan. At a typical night market, you’d get to shop, eat and play games. Huayuan night market covers all of this PLUS the fact that you can get a HUGE PORTION OF SWEET MANGOES FOR ONLY NT50!
Remember to take 0左 (Zero Left – this bus loops so if you take Zero Right you’d probably still reach Huayuan Night Market but maybe 2 hours later?) from Tainan bus terminal (next to the Tainan Train Station) for NT18. The trip is about 8 stops and most people (after 5pm) would stop here. Do note that the special stop for Huayuan Night Market is only activated after 5pm, so do check in with the bus driver for specific directions.
And here’s a quick snap shot of what we did at Hua Yuan Night Market!
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On the way back from Hua Yuan Night Market, we actually waited for 1 hour before the bus came! We must have just missed the bus as we headed towards the bus stop. Hence, it is important to be about 5 to 10 minutes earlier than the stipulated time in order not to wait such a long time for the bus back!
All in all, we had a fantastic day out in Tainan and there are still more fantastic things to do in Tainan Taiwan. Do tell us more in the comments section below about the fun and interesting things that you’ve done in Tainan as well!
You have just finished a post on our Taiwan Trip in 2014 which started here. Here is the full list of posts written about Taiwan Trip 2014…
Singapore to Tainan : Taiwan Trip Day 1
Things to do in Tainan Taiwan Trip Day 2
鹿早茶屋 Opposite 1967 Hotel Tainan
Things to do in Chiayi Taiwan Trip Day 3
Chiayi Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 4
Changhua Meatballs (彰化肉圓) : Which is the Best?
What to eat at Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市)?
Changhua Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 5
Things to do in Taichung Taiwan Trip Day 6
Things to do in Miaoli Taiwan Trip Day 7
Kuo Tai Glass Park Zhunan Day Trip
Things to do in Taoyuan Taiwan Trip Day 8
Taoyuan Attractions Taiwan Trip Day 9
Things to do in Taipei Taiwan Trip Day 10
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Bandung Indonesia!
Many people think that there aren’t many things to do and attractions in Bandung Indonesia. Well, this post is going to show you what are some of the things to do in Bandung and the attractions in Bandung, Indonesia that we have covered during our recent trip to Bandung!
Things to do in Bandung – Shopping
1. Shopping Malls and Factory Outlets
There are so many shopping options in Bandung that range from huge shopping malls to factory outlets. Trans Studio Mall, Cihampelas Walk (Ci-Walk), Bandung Indah Plaza (BIP), Paris Van Java and Braga City Walk are just some of the malls that we’ve been to. Our favourite? Paris Van Java! There are al fresco dining and shopping options as well as a few levels of underground shopping, including a mega market as well as a cineplex. In other words, all shopping, dining and entertainment options under-one-roof!
Things to do in Bandung – Dining
2. Endless Dining Options in Bandung
There are countless dining options in Bandung and there simply wasn’t enough time (and room in our tummies) to try all of it. In this section, we’ll feature some of the things we ate during our trip!
The Valley
The Valley Bistro and Resort Hotel offers great dining options with splendid views overlooking the city of Bandung.
Local Delights
Other Dining Options
Bandung Attractions
After covering the things to do in Bandung (including dining and shopping options available), we’ll next touch on the attractions in Bandung that you may wish to visit as well.
3. Bandung Attractions – Trans Studio Bandung Theme Park
Trans Studio Bandung theme park is an indoor theme park that includes a 45 seconds roller coaster ride known as the Yamaha Racing Coaster. For approximately $20sgd during week days, a visit to this Bandung attraction is well worth it. Well, less so on weekends at $30sgd.
4. Bandung Attractions – Djuanda Forest Park
Djuanda Forest Park offers a tranquil greenery walk for visitors at Dago. Visitors can enjoy a serene walk, visit the famed Japanese caves or the waterfalls within the park’s vicinity.
5. Bandung Attractions – Dago / Bukit Pakar
The Dago and Bukit Pakar area offers splendid views over Bandung city. There are many dining options, galleries and even a golf course – all of which enjoy marvellous views…
6. Bandung Attractions – Asian African Museum
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The next time you’re visiting Bandung, remember to check out our post about the things to do and attractions in Bandung Indonesia first!
4 Top Attractions and Things to do in Bohol Philippines!
When we think of Bohol, we think “ah…” and its simply because of the things to do and attractions in Bohol Philippines! In this post, we’ll tell you the “ah…” things to do in Bohol!
Things to do in Bohol
1. Bohol Countryside Tour
You may think that Bohol is only about beaches and clear waters? A Bohol countryside tour will change all of that perception and you’ll be thrilled to see some of the interesting things on this tour…
Lush green fields of Bohol
The famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol!
Cute nocturnal tarsiers
Loboc River Cruise
Baclayon Church – Can you spot a face on the walls due to weathering?
2. Bohol Dolphin and Island Hopping Tour
Dolphin watching and Island Hopping is most probably the single most MUST DO thing when you’re in Bohol. On this trip, you’ll be able to chase after the dolphins (have them dance right before you), snorkel with the turtles, laze on the sandbar and just enjoy the deep blue waters of Bohol!
Chasing schools of dolphins in Bohol!
Snorkeling with corals and turtles
Temporary stalls at the sand bar of Virgin Island
Our guide at Balicasag with deep blue waters and clear blue skies
MUST STAY hotels in Bohol?
3. Peacock Garden Bohol
Peacock Garden in Bohol easily ranks among our top 5 hotels we’ve ever stayed in and here’s why (we’ll let the pictures speak for themselves)
Celebrating our anniversary at Peacock Garden Bohol
Awesome view of the ocean and infinity pool
Mojito and Apple Pie at Heidelberg Restaurant of Peacock Garden Bohol
Massage table of Aurelia Spa Peacock Garden Bohol
4. Amorita Resort Bohol
What we love about Amorita Resort Bohol is its close proximity to the Alona Beach. From there, we were also able to book our private day trip for dolphin watching and island hopping. The hotel had a summer vacation resort cum Hawaiian feel to it. Simply relaxing…
Anniversary celebration at Amorita Resort
Pool of Amorita Resort Bohol with day beds
Alona Beach next to Amorita Resort
Marvellous view at sunset with sumptuous seafood BBQ buffet
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Bohol right here!
Before you head to Bohol next time, remember to check back with this post on the things to do and attractions in Bohol!
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8 Things to do and Attractions in Cebu Philippines!
You may think that Cebu is only a base for side trips in the Philippines but there are actually many things to do in Cebu! In this post, we’ll show you the top 6 things to do and attractions in Cebu Philippines!
What to do in Cebu?
1. Cebu City Tour
We hired a local driver by the name of Long (yes that’s his name!) who took us on a private Cebu City Tour!
2. Shopping at Ayala Mall
Ayala Mall is one of the main shopping malls in Cebu City and we got to shop, watch movies and play some arcade. Things that the locals do in Cebu! 🙂
What to eat in Cebu?
3. Golden Cowrie Restaurant
For authentic Philippines food, look no further than the Golden Cowrie Restaurant. The setting and ambience is warm and welcoming. The waitress who attended to us was also very patient, introducing us to the delicacies and translating the various dishes to us. Price was reasonable and the taste was great. Definitely a must-go-to place for great local tastes…
4. Ipar’s Authentic Spanish Restaurant
Across the street from our hotel was a banner that read “Authentic Spanish Restaurant”. We decided to head over to Ipar’s Spanish Restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the authentic Spanish flavours!
5. CnT Lechon – The Best Lechon in Cebu
If you’re in Cebu, you must try the lechon (roasted pork) there. If you ask the locals, more often than not, they’ll point you to CnT lechon – possibly the best lechon in Cebu. The truth is, the meat was normal but the star of the show? The skin! Crispy, full flavoured and of course sinfully fatty! Which is why it went really well with rice. You can actually have mouthfuls of rice with 1 sice of skin!
6. Breakfast at Bo’s Coffee
Enough of Starbucks, try out the breakfast at Bo’s Coffee and you’ll soon realise that this local coffee joint can also give its US competitor a run for its money! Good coffee and food at a reasonable price. Ambience to match at that!
Where to stay in Cebu?
7. Castle Peak Hotel Cebu
Castle Peak Hotel in Cebu was the first hotel we stayed at in Cebu and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay because of its spa!!! Made us go like little chicks…”cheap cheap”, “cheap cheap”…
8. City Suites Ramos Tower
There are several reasons why we enjoyed staying at City Suites Ramos Tower. Firstly, the room was more like a 1-bedroom condominium. It has a small living space, kitchen and even a balcony overlooking Cebu City. We could also see Tops from our room!
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Cebu right here!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our post on the things to do and attractions in Cebu!
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Cebu/Bohol Trip: Day 8
This is our last day in Cebu and we were determined to make the most out of the last 5 hours here! We went to Bo’s Coffee for breakfast and time passed surprisingly slowly as we had time to people-watch and use the free wifi to keep in touch with family back home.
Drip Coffee (10 pesos with any order of mains), Mushroom and Cheese Omelette with Toast (150 pesos) & Corned beef with scrambled eggs and pancake (175 pesos)…
We then head back to the hair salon of the first floor of the Ramos Tower to get our hair done! I had a haircut and wash for only 100 peso, and Kate had a “hair spa” for 250 peso. We will really miss the massages, facial and hair treatments in Cebu when we are back in Singapore.
Though we were not hungry yet, we NEEDED to try the spanish food at Ipar’s Authentic Spanish Restaurant! Or rather, Tom needed. Haha. We had a satisfying lunch at Ipar’s and we had to drag ourselves back across the road to get our luggage and check out.
Starters of Churizo, Garlic Bread and a Big Carafe of Sangria at Ipar’s…
We arrived slightly early for our flight and the flight was delayed! 🙁 An advice for our readers: You do not need to arrive at the airport 2 hours early like how you would normally do for international flights because the airport in Cebu is really really small. And once you go into the waiting area, you have to sit on the cold metal seats to wait for your flight. But of course having said that, please do not be late either!! Please be considerate to your fellow passengers and not be the one who delays the flight 🙂
We hope you have enjoyed reading our posts as much as we have enjoyed our time in Cebu/Bohol and blogging about the trip!
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Cebu/Bohol Trip: Day 7
Today we are leaving Bohol!!! Boohoo 🙁 But before we left, we enjoyed our breakfast in Saffron (we did not get to eat in Saffron the day before because of the dolphin and island hopping tour). The spread was decent but we still prefer the breakfast in Peacock Garden 🙂 But we need to comment on the added special touch at Amorita Resort – the waitress will put a fresh frangipani flower by the ear of female guests during breakfast and this makes the ladies feel pretty and extra special 🙂
Omelette Station and Buffet spread at Amorita Resort…
Our checkout was again fast and smooth. There was no hiccups with the bill and there was even a small box of cookies as a parting gift! I love the confectionery at Amorita resort! Keep it up! 🙂
Soon we were on the ferry heading back to Cebu. Boohoo again. After we alighted, we queued for close to 30 minutes before we managed to get a taxi to City Suites Ramos Tower. The fare was only 90 peso. We quickly checked in, left our luggage in our room, and walked out to the city. We shopped and ate around the Fuente Osmena Circle for a couple of hours before we filled our spare travel bag with local goodies and souvenirs for friends and family back home.
Shopping at Fuente Osmena Circle Cebu
To end the day, we indulged in a “All Meat Pizza” and San Miguel beer while watching the sunset from the balcony of our 20th floor unit.
All meat pizza and Turrones de Cebu for dinner while enjoying the sunset view at the balcony…
Kate dozed off while I watch the Matrix Trilogy!
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Day 7 just whizzed past like that and soon we were at our last day of our Cebu/Bohol trip. Boohoo…
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Cebu/Bohol Trip: Day 6
It was an early start but we were not at all tired as we were looking forward to this trip to the islands and to spot dolphins! 🙂 Below are the highlights from the Dolphin and island Hopping Tour in Bohol…
Virgin Island Sandbar with locals selling coconuts and sea urchins…
We were back in Amorita Resort at around 2pm and we can’t wait to laze in the pool and sip our drinks! Wait a minute! Isn’t this what we already did yesterday???!!! 🙂 This time round we had Mojitos but the bartender took really long to make the drinks and they were greenish in colour. Hmmm…not the usual Mojitos we normally drank. Perhaps most people here go for the beer and the cocktails are not ordered that often. We also felt peckish and ordered a few dishes, but one at a time so that we can enjoy the food while it is still warm. Sorry, no photos of the food because we’ve kept the camera back in the room 😛 We highly recommend the pizza – the thickness of the crust was just right! 🙂
When we went back to the room, we were pleasantly surprised by the pastries in the room for the turndown service. We decided to order a cup of cappuccino (smiley face!) to go with the pastries, as well as the Turon de Bohol which turned out to be the nicest dessert we have eaten. Check out the photo!
Turon de bohol – Banana Jackfruit Springroll with caramel sauce and ice cream (210 pesos)
We did remember to brush our teeth after the sweet treats. Heh. Good night world!
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Bohol right here!
Too soon, it was time to return to Cebu. We spent a couple of days in Cebu to round our trip before returning home to Singapore. Stay tuned for day 7 of our Cebu/Bohol trip tomorrow!
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Cebu/Bohol Trip: Day 5
Day 5 is a lazy day for us. We woke up late and enjoyed the wonderful breakfast at Peacock Garden Bohol.
We had some time to stroll around the compounds of Peacock Garden again before we packed our bags. We really cant bear to leave this place 🙁 Soon, we were at the reception checking out and paying the bills. It was a fast and smooth process. As the reservation included 2 way transportation, the car was ready to bring us to our next destination, Amorita Resort.
Lobby and surroundings of Amorita Resort…
The weather for the day was a cloudy 25deg Celsius and it was a nice walk along the beach. There were many local and foreign tourists enjoying the warm waters and very very soft sand. Many people were doing “mud bath” in the shallow waters, and some experienced locals were looking for sea urchins. I was offered to taste one…fresh from the sea! A new experience! However, my tummy wasn’t feeling too good that night though. Kate enjoyed an one-hour foot massage for 300 peso. It was soooooooo relaxing to lie on the beach, feeling the sea breeze, and getting the soles of your feet rubbed. After that, we went along the beach to share the joy with the kids by giving out our helium balloons. Many kids were thrilled by the balloons 🙂
Swimming pool and view of Alona Beach from Amorita Resort Bohol…
After washing the sand away, we dipped in the pool and enjoyed happy-hour priced San Miguel Light while watching the sun set before our eyes. We felt thankful for what we have been blessed with, and can’t wait to spend the brand new day ahead together.
To end of the day, we had a hearty meal at Saffron.
Grill Buffet Dinner at Amorita Resort…
Romantic Dinner for 2 at the Deck overlooking Alona Beach…
We slept early that night as we have to be at the beach gate at 5.30am the next day for our Dolphin and Island Hopping Tour! 🙂
What a lazy day indeed! Stay tuned for day 6 of our Cebu/Bohol trip! More beach activities and clear blue waters ahead!
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After a good night’s rest in the premier infinity and seaview room at Peacock Garden, we were curious what was going to be offered for breakfast by the hotel. We were pleasantly surprised by the choice of food especially the sides to go with the main course. We had sufficient time for a slow breakfast, enjoying the native sweets with our hot coffee, as our Bohol Countryside Tour started at 10am.
Healthy and yummy breakfast at Peacock Garden Bohol…
Here are the highlights from the Bohol Countryside Tour:
Besides the main attractions of Chocolate Hills and Tarsiers of Bohol, we also visited the Baclayon Church, Blood Compact Memorial, Manmade Mahogany and the Loboc River Cruise!
Visit our Bohol Countryside Tour post for more details on this day trip!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Bohol right here!
You must be wondering why we have not featured the beaches and clear waters of Cebu and Bohol. Well, we will show them in our upcoming posts tomorrow!
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