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travel
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The boyfriend visited last month for the New Year and we spent our last week of 2018 in a county called Nantou. I've been wanting to visit this county for so long because it's quite a famous tourist spot here in Taiwan. There's a farm called Cingjing Farm where they hold sheep shows and generally just a grassland where you could hang out with a bunch of sheep.

To get to Cingjing Farm, we first need to hop on the High-Speed Rail from Taipei to Taichung, then changed to a bus to get to Puli station where we will stop for around 5-10 minutes before heading our way to the Cingjing Farm. All those commutes took us around 2-3 hours, which was quite tolerable but the ride up to the mountain was a bit rough for me. We arrived at our BnB at around 1 p.m. and we then headed directly to a restaurant just around our BnB to have our long-awaited lunch. After filling up our tummy, we waited for the public bus to get us to the Cingjing Farm which took quite a while since the bus only comes around every one hour, so we have to always keep track on the bus schedule through an app.

When we finally arrived at the Cingjing Farm, unfortunately, we just missed the sheep show; but there were still tons of sheep just chillin' on the grassland and enjoyed their time with the humans.




and of course, I had to take a picture with the sheep.


the boyfie <3
After chilling around the grassland, we went through the traditional market right outside of the farm to have a few snacks. We originally wanted to take a walk on the skywalk but the ticket booth has closed, so we did not get a chance to walk through it. We then wasted our time to wait for the bus (again) to take us back to our BnB.

The next day, we had to wake up super early for the sunrise tour that we're taking. I've been waiting for this moment the most because I've seen pictures of friends who came and the sky just looks amazing with hues of pink and purple. But luck doesn't seem to be on our side on those few days that we're in Nantou. The weather was not very supportive, so we didn't get the chance to see the pink and purple sky, but nevertheless, I still enjoyed the trip (not so much for the boyfriend because he wasn't feeling well that morning due to lack of sleep).








Met a cute corgy and couldn't resist taking a picture with him.
Since we woke up at like 3 a.m., we then took a nap again from 9 a.m. till 12 p.m. Then, we head to a resort called The Old England Resort, which has an architecture like the old English houses to have an afternoon tea/ lunch. But because we did not check the bus schedule in advance, we missed our bus and had to wait for another hour for it (?!!) After considering whether to wait for the bus or walk uphill to the resort, we chose the latter and walked our asses up the hill for around 30 minutes. The walk was worth it though cause then we could fill our tummy with more food.








We learned our lesson and actually checked the bus schedule before finishing our meal so we could get to the bus station right on time. While waiting for the bus, we took tons of photos around the resort and read a few wishes from tourists that hang around the big christmas tree in front of the resort. We also wrote a wish and hang it on the tree because, why not?
When our bus came, we then head to our last stop of the day, that is the Small Swiss Garden. We didn't do much or take too many photos there cause honestly, I was kind of disappointed with the place; let's just say that it did not meet my expectation.


And... we end this trip with hotpot.


To sum it all, the trip was okay. I enjoyed it because I was with my loved one, but there's one downside to this trip that make such a huge impact on the enjoyable factor of this trip, that is, the transportation. They should have more buses going around so people do not have to wait every one hour; every 20-30 mins is more acceptable. But then again, it's on the mountain. The fact that there are public transports available around the area is helpful enough for people who do not travel with private cars. So I guess we should just be grateful instead.







Last Days of 2018

Sunday, November 4, 2018


Last September, I had the opportunity to get away from the city and explore a small island just outside of Taiwan, called the Orchid Island.

Honestly, I wasn't planning on going at first because since the mid of September, things got quite a bit hectic in the office and I was spending too much money on some useless shit that I almost gone broke. But then I thought to myself that I actually am in need of a little getaway from the routine, and I couldn't be happier that I actually went. Those three days were the best days that I've ever had since I started working full time.

Orchid Island is so amazingly beautiful and relaxing, except for the price of the food tho. We just strolled around the whole island with our rented scooter and stopped at places that are decent for taking photos or just places that have the best landscape views.

Since I started my first job, I wasn't in the happiest state, all I could think of is how I hated where I am now and kept finding ways to make myself feel happy again, but I couldn't. However, being in that small island where I know nobody and everybody just seems so friendly, it sort of relaxed and calmed me. I felt happy, free and relieved. I was even thinking of going back in the near future and spend like 2 weeks , or even a month there. I even managed to wake up at 5 a.m. for two days just to see the sunrise on our bnb's balcony. I just couldn't get enough of this island.

After coming back from this trip, I knew that this life right now is not for me. I knew that I should make a change. But there are a few reasons that holds me down right now, and I couldn't do anything about it, except to wait. All I could do now is to wait patiently for the best time to make the change and while waiting, I should think of things to do that could make this waiting seems worthy. Although I am still striving for better days, but at least I knew that it will come and I'll be ready then for a new beginning.



























A Photo Diary: Orchid Island

Sunday, April 29, 2018

It's April and the long-awaited spring break is finally here. Me and 3 other friends of mine decided to go to HongKong for 5 days for our little pre-graduation trip and we had the best time. It's my second time in HongKong so they kind of make me the guide for the trip. We didn't particularly plan ahead on what to do and where to eat, we just winged it and look up for places to go on the last minute (procrastinating to the core), and let me tell you that this is probably my most unorganized travel ever. I usually jot down things to do before my every travels because I can't do an unorganized travel, but it's different this time. Although I do feel like we wasted our time too much on sleeping and searching the web for places to eat, it turns out an okay trip for me, not the best though but just okay. So, here are the places that we go and (not so much on) the food that we eat during our 5-days-stay and hopefully I could be of help in giving you guys ideas on what to do for when any of you who are planning to visit HongKong!

1. Kowloon

Kowloon is our first destination because we booked an Airbnb here in Tsim Sha Tsui. Before this trip, I didn't know that Tsim Sha Tsui isn't really located in HongKong Island, I also didn't know that Kowloon and HongKong are two different islands (correct me if I'm wrong cause I don't really understand this geography thing). So, we basically spent our 50% of the time here in the crowded Kowloon. We went to Victoria Harbour straight away after settling our luggage down in our Airbnb and after grabbing our first dim sum in this busy city. 







After wandering around Victoria Harbour, we then move on to Mongkok and walked around Ladies Market, which I must say is a very crowded place that is full of energy. We saw lots of old ladies singing, dancing, and just enjoying themselves. It was a nice atmosphere, but it can be overwhelming if you stay too long because the crowd is insane. I found the old ladies performing on the streets very unique and cute, they really do enjoy themselves lol.








2. Central (中環)

We spent our second day in the Central of HongKong. We made our first stop at Soho where you can find a street full of people taking pictures around the mural walls.





Also, there is an elevator in the middle of the street! So you get two choices, either take the elevator and be the lazy bum that you are or do some exercise and walk instead. And of course, we chose the elevators lol.


We then visited Bing Sutt style themed Starbucks on Duddell Street. "Bing Sutt" means "ice room" in Cantonese. It is a style of a traditional coffee house in Hongkong. When you walked in that Starbucks, it gives you the vibe of the 90s Chinese coffee houses, as if you've traveled back through time.



Moving on, we went to Victoria Peak. Going up to the Peak on peak hours (around 4-5p.m.) is definitely a mistake. Apparently, we are not the only ones who wanted to watch the sunset up on the peak; everybody else seems to have the same thought like us. A tip for you guys if you ever want to go up the Peak by tram, purchase your tickets in advance! Book it in Klook.com and get a reasonable price for the express ticket. If you decided to purchase your tickets last minute like we did, you either have to wait in line for at least an hour (if you buy the standard tix) or you can purchase the express tix for around 300+ HKD, which is ridiculously pricey. Since we travel on a budget, we search for cheaper alternatives and decided to go up the peak with a taxi instead. We ended up paying for 52 HKD/4 people and felt satisfied with our wise choice lol. We did use the tram on our way back though because the line is not as crazy as it was earlier.
As predicted, the peak is so crowded that we have to squeeze ourselves amongst strangers in order to get a nice picture of the view.



3. Disneyland

I can never get bored of this amazing place. Coming here always gives me a feeling that I'm allowed to go back as a child again for a few hours. What I learned from my second time in HongKong Disneyland is that you've got to stay until the place almost closes and when everybody else is rushing their way to the MTR station to go home; because then you'll get to have your little photo shoot session without hundreds of people as your background. 














4. Macau

It would be such a waste of opportunity if you are going to visit HK for 5 days without squeezing a day trip to Macau on your itinerary. Macau is only an hour away by ferry. I think if you are staying in HK for more than three days, a day trip to Macau is definitely a must. Macau will give you a different vibe from HongKong, HongKong is a city full of skyscrapers and busy men in suits walking around the Central; in Macau, you'll feel like you are on two different continents at the same time; it is a mix of Cantonese culture and Portuguese heritage, all played out against a Las Vegas backdrop. I love it in Macau. Macau had me at the streets and the historical buildings, I'm all about visiting historical places when I travel. There is one thing that I dislike about this amazing city, that is the taxi drivers. We spent around 30 minutes looking for a taxi and when we finally found one, the driver refused to drive us (?!!). When I say that finding a taxi in Macau is hard, I'm not the slightest bit kidding. I asked my Macanese friend about it, and she did say that finding a taxi in Macau is not as convenient as in Taipei. So, I guess that's another thing that I learned about Macau, other than the fact that Portuguese meal is expensive.

Colosseum look alike in Macau Fisherman's Wharf.



Ruins of St. Paul's
Travessa da Paixão(戀愛巷)




The Venetian Macau

5. Choi Hung Estate

Behold, the most instagrammable spot in HongKong.
It is actually a basketball court, but people don't seem to play basketball here, they take Instagram pictures instead. The 'they' that I just mentioned happened to be me and my friends too lol.








6. Tim Ho Wan

Let me introduce to you the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. The food is delicious, the service is good, and most importantly, it's not pricey for a delicious good food. Say no more, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. 









That's all for my trip to HongKong! Till next time, folks.

THE LAST SPRING BREAK