DAY 3 :
The view outside our room looks even more beautiful in the morning! ( no filter and yet looks good! )
Heading off to Evergreen Grassland ( 清境农场青青草原 ) to see the sheep! The resort driver send us there and by right we have to take a public bus to the grassland but the driver say that due to holiday ( their 2 mths summer school holiday ), there might not be any bus coming so end up he drove us up to the grassland. So nice of the diver.
Following the crowd through the tunnel.
Here we are at the grassland entrance. Super crowed ( due to holiday )!
Queuing up for our tickets to the grassland.
Tickets are selling at :
Adult, NT$160 for weekdays,
NT$200 for weekends and holidays.
Groups ( Min 30 pax ), NT$120 each for weekdays,
NT$160 for weekends and holidays.
For more information about the grassland and the price please visit http://www.cingjing.gov.tw/en/information/index.php
We manage to get the group tickets because while we are queuing up for our individual ticket, a lady approach us to see if we wanna join her group cause she doesn't have enough people to purchase the group tickets. So we thought why not since its cheaper! Haha!
Inside the Evergreen Grassland! ( picture not filtered! )!
Didn't manage to go to the lavender farm but still manage to see my favourite lavender at the grassland!
Vender machine for sheep's food.
We are going to the place where all the people are for the sheep show.
The sheep show starts not long after we arrive.
This naughty sheep ran away while the show is still going on! But of course got caught and went back to continue the performance. Haha!
The sheep follow where the cow boy goes!
Blue sky + Green grass = Beautiful!
Normally these sheep are roaming around freely during the weekdays and non holidays. So if you wants to play with them without them inside the fence, come on weekdays.
Performance ends and they are going back home.
Next is the " grooming " time! This is how our wool comes from!
Ta da! Botak now!
Went to take picture with the sheep.
Not easy to take picture with them because they will only go to people who give them food! Haha!
Happy little kids feeding the sheep.
Look! Those kids are not afraid of the sheep! They are all very friendly animal.
So cute! This little boy is talking to the sheep!
The view while waiting for the bus to bring us down.
Its the windmill festival when we are at Cing Jing, so you can see windmill almost everywhere.
After the grassland, we took the bus down to the Little Swiss Garden.
Souvenir shop outside the Swiss garden.
Bought the entrance ticket at NT$120 ( SG$5 ), gotten our chop and here we go!
Beautiful view even without filter!
Beautiful blue sky and bright colour flowers!
The place is flooded with beautiful and colourful windmill!
The entrance ticket include one food voucher so we had our tea break at the café there before we continue.
Even the pond has windmill on it!
There is another Carton King outside the Swiss Garden.
Going back to the city now! Bye beautiful weather and mountain!
Took the transfer down the mountain and here we are at Taichung. Will be staying here for one night.
Book this big room of Beacon Hotel Taichung from www.agoda.com at a quite reasonable price. Its located at the famous Fengjia Night Market. Lots of shopping around. Good location!
Went downstairs to have our late lunch after we settled down at the hotel.
We had our lunch at this restaurant call 'Long Yen Ju Ji Shan Shi Fang'. They serve lots of nice variety chicken soup!
Price range for a pot of chicken soup is from NT$120 ( SG$5 ) to NT$170 ( SG$7.20 ). One pot can be shared among 2 person.
You can have the chicken soup with either rice or mee sua. ( I choose mee sua )
Our pot of chicken soup! Yummy!
How to go: From Beacon Hotel, you will see a big McDonald around the corner, walk straight for about 2 mins and you will be able to see it.
Feng Jia university is just around the corner too.
People mountain people sea at Feng Jia night market.
Singaporean style : Queue only if the stall has a longer queue! Haha!
Saw people queuing for this so I join it and what I am queuing for is the huge Takopachi which is selling at 2 for NT$55 ( SG$2.30 ).
Chicken, pork, sotong ,corn inside and you can choose 2 flavour for the outside. We bought the original and seaweed flavour.
Had our dessert at this bean curd shop.
My ice grass jelly at NT$30 ( SG$1.30 ).
Teresa's bean curd at NT$30 too. I wonder in Singapore can we still have such dessert at such price?
After eating at the night market, we decided to drop by one of the salon for a hair wash.
Went in to this salon call Mei Lin hair salon because the signboard stated hair wash at NT$100 ( SG$4.20 ). But while we were washing half way, they ask what type of shampoo we wanted to use and different shampoo are at different prices. No matter what we still need to choose one shampoo if not I guess they will only wash with water.
If you want to wash your hair at any of the salon, please ask the actual price before you start. My hair wash ended up at NT$170 ( SG$7.20 ) but its still cheaper then in Singapore for sure.
Went back to hotel to rest early after a long day.
( Night view from our hotel room )
DAY 4 :
Heading off to Taipei after our breakfast! Taichung doesn't have MRT so you have to take a cab to their THSR station.
Took a cab from Taipei station to our hotel and reach there about 11.30am but the hotel staff told us that they can only let us check in at 3pm cause they have not clean the room yet.
We left our luggage in the hotel lobby and we went straight to buy come local snacks.
We purposely come to this Red Sakura ( 红樱花食品 ) to buy the local snacks because of the hello kitty packaging! Haha! ( and of course the food is nice too ) They sells local pineapple tart, sun biscuit, red bean mocha and many more. Price are very reasonable too! If you are not a hello kitty person, they do sell the normal packaging too. Those local snacks are the best gift you can bring back to Singapore for your family and friends.
Please visit http://redsakura.com.tw/ for more details of food they selling and also location of the outlets.
Staff here are very friendly and helpful! They will explain one by one, what is the food made of and most importantly its freshly bake so they will remind us about the expiry date.
By the way, those boxes you see in this picture are all for Teresa! ( I swear non of those is mine! )
How to go: Dong Men station, exit 5 and walk straight for about 2 mins and you will be able to see it. You will pass by Hsin Tung Yang 新東陽 ( also selling local snacks ) and its only 2 shops away from there.
After grabbing the snacks, we decided to go for a high tea as its still very early and we are very sure we are still not able to check in our hotel.
Look at this little kid queuing for train! I wish all Singapore kids can be educate like him.
I read about this small café from my travel book and so we decided to visit this place.
Its call the Rabbit in the garden café ( 兔子在公园 ).
Cute counter!
Its a small and cozy café.
By looking at their hand draw menu just make me feel happy!
This is a café open by a few friends who is either artist or designer, beside selling dessert, they do sell their art piece, their designed tee shirt and other things as well.
My order : Rabbit latte ( without rabbit )!
Teresa's order : Ice blended chocolate.
Rabbit shape scones! So cute and its really yummy! Wanted to try their waffle which is known as their popular dessert, but no stock. :(
How to go: Xin Tian Gong Station, Exit 1 and walk about 5-8 mins.
( Updated : This café is officially close in October 2013 ): )
Went back to our hotel but the room is still not ready for check in yet. So again we left the food that we bought earlier on at the lobby and we went to one of our favourite place!
This is Mirada departmental store, my favourite place, located at Xi Men Ding and they sell almost everything there! Cosmetic, skin care, daily necessities, fashion and food! If you wanna stock up your 'My Beauty Dairy' facial mask, you can buy there cause the price there are slightly cheaper then Watson and the rest.
How to go : Xi Men station, exit 6, walk along the main road for about 5-8 mins till you see it.
Finally can check in to our hotel, Hotel Puri. Book this hotel because of its superb location, its just 3 mins walk from xi men station. Book the hotel through www.agoda.com and this hotel is consider as a higher price range hotel among the many hotels in Xi Men Ding. To our surprise the room we got is very small! The sleeping area and toilet is just a curtain away and once you open the door the toilet is just openly right at the door steps. Kind of weird interior design. The room is so small till that we can't even open both our luggage at the same time ( 26 inch ). Abit disappointed that we gotten the smallest room cause they do have bigger rooms too! But apart from that, the staff there are friendly, hotel is clean ( cause its a new hotel ) and of course it's location. There is a 24 hrs Watson there, so if you got nothing to do in the middle of the night you can just walk down to shop there. Shops in Xi Men Ding basically close quite late ( around 11pm + ), but of course don't expect them to open too early ( normally opens around 11am ). Few small departmental store there, bookstore and even Daiso there.
P/s: This hotel does not provide breakfast because they do not have any restaurant in the hotel ( its a very small hotel ) but they do provide coffee and tea at a corner of the lobby near to the main door. To us its not important cause outside the hotel there is plenty of food to eat as breakfast.
Anyway... this is what I bought from the Mirada departmental store! Gone crazy there! Haha!
How to go : Xi Men Station, Exit 6, 3 mins walk ( inside the ally just right behind the big Watson ).
After we finally settle down in the hotel, we head off to have our lunch at the +Barbie Café .
Operating hours :
Mon to Sun - 11.30am to 10pm
A very very pink café! From the wall to sofa to chair to the waiter and waitress's uniform to toilet is all pink!
This menu remind me of the sticker book I use to have when I'm still a kid. Haha!
Our cute seats!
We didn't make it to their lunch time ( 11.30am to 2pm ) so we ordered sandwich from the afternoon tea menu instead.
Teresa ordered the [ Tuna Tea Time Sandwich ] ( NT$180 = SG$7.5 )...
... and I ordered the [ Smoky Pork Tea Time Sandwich ]. ( NT$200 = SG$8.40 )
For dessert we ordered the [ Hazelnut Tiramisu ] ( NT$120 = SG$5 ),
And [ Macaroons ] ( 3 for NT$160 = SG$6.70 and 6 for NT$300 = SG$12.60 ). There is 7 flavour to choose from... Lemon, Chocolate, Matcha, Tropical fruits, Cheese, Black current and Strawberry.
Price point for the food there are not cheap but its worth trying because the food to our surprise are yunmy. I always have bad impression of the food served are those cute theme café, normally the café is only for people to have fun taking picture and to kill time so they don't really serve nice food. We totally never expect that the sandwiches and dessert we ordered are nice.
This is really the pinkest café I ever been to... not even the hello kitty café are this pink!
The pinky toilet!
Fun photo taking session at the " Barbie Doll box ". ( act like a Barbie but I guess we fail! haha! )
Cakes for take away at the cashier counter.
Barbie thermal flask for sales too!
Barbie cookies...
How to go : Zhong Xiao Fu Xing or Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station, Walk through the East Underground Mall, Exit 12 of the mall and you will be able to see the café once you are out of the exit.
P/s: Zhong Xiao Fu Xing and Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station are link through the East Underground mall.
After our lunch, we went over to Zhong Xiao East road ( 忠孝东路 ) to shop a bit. Pass by this +Lomography Taiwan shop and was attracted by the toy camera that they are selling!
Lots of lots of toy camera there! I wish I could have them all! Price point I guess is almost the same as Singapore but some of their design I have never seen it in Singapore.
Toy camera lover can consider to go there and grab one or two, they really have many variety there!
How to go: Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station, Exit 1, walk straight into the lane 181 ally for about 5 mins and turn right at the 2nd cross ally.
Continue walking and pass by a pet shop, walk in to see if I could buy anything back for my dog.
Look at the pet shop owner's cute cat and dog sleeping soundly in the shop.
After shopping at the Zhong Xiao East road, we went to Sogo ( Zhong Xiao branch ) for further shopping. Teresa had her Jill Stuart +Jill Stuart Taiwan stock up there.
Didn't thought of buying anything from +PORTER INTERNATIONAL but since we pass by, we went in to have a look and we end up buying! Haha! Anyway the porter international there is much cheaper then Singapore so its quite worth buying.
How to go: Zhong Xiao Fu Xing station, Exit 4.
After all the shopping, went back to the hotel, put our stuff, rest a bit and went down for our dinner. Its raining so we don't feel like going anywhere far for dinner so we had it just few steps away from our hotel.
Kimchi hot pot for a raining night is the best!
Side dish to go along with our hot pot. Overall food are not bad and its cheap too.
Bought more flavour back!
No comments:
Post a Comment