Taipei Eats: Gua Bao, Gongguan

If you are a frequent visitor to night market, you will know a snack called pork belly buns (gua bao). Previously, I mentioned about a famous bubble tea stall in Gongguan (see post). The stall selling yummy gua bao is located just opposite the bubble tea stall. Easy to spot right? =)

What is gua bao? It's a Chinese white bun filled with pork belly. If you don't really fancy the fatty pork belly (肥肉/ Féi ròu), you can opt for leaner meat (瘦肉/ Shòu ròu). Other than the meat, veggie and peanut (yes, peanut) will be added to the mix. And this is how it looks like. 

The appearance does not say much but this snack is good and cheap too. Only 50-60NTD (if I'm not wrong) for one bun. 

And when you are thirsty, just grab a bubble tea. Recipe for disaster but they are yummy indeed. LOL. 

Strawberry Cheesecake Frappucino? Yum!

I think my friend is trying to kill me. By dragging me to gym and asking me to join three group studio classes in a row. Oh my poor muscles...U_U.

When it's over (thanks God!), it is of course my turn to drag here to...Starbucks. XD

Simply because I want to try the latest summer drink from Starbucks, strawberry cheesecake frappucino. ^^

I kinda wish she tried the tiramisu one but she'd rather stick to the old recipe of Java Chip. Oh well. 

I am quite happy with my drink although I don't think there's any coffee in it and it's kinda sweet. =P

Have you tried it? If yes, do you like it? =)

Taiwan Travel: Lao Song Elementary School, Bopiliao, Taipei

Never cross my mind that I'm gonna spend summer holiday by going back to school. What an irony. XD

But this school is no ordinary school, after all it's part of Bopiliao Historic Block. A centuries ago, Lao-Song elementary school was designated as land for school use by the Japanese. The Government has preserved the building and now it serves as a museum.

The classroom kinda reminds me of my elementary school's days where blackboard and chalk are still used in those days.

The medicine cabinet. This classroom is kinda looks like a lab in those days, where people make traditional chinese medicines. 

Other than the above two rooms, there are a lot of things to see here. You just need to go from one classroom to another. Going to school is never as fun as this, right? ^^

The school is also preserved as Heritage and Culture Education Center of Taipei. So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself educated. Hehehe. Fyi, admission is free. Yippie! =)

Taiwan Travel: Monga Filming Location, Bopiliao, Taipei

Did I mention about Monga last time (see here)? We are going to enter one of the building where the movie was shot. It's located near the entrance of the Bopiliao Historical Site. Yup, it's the house with the white sign.

Inside the house. 

Every gangster's HQ should have a fierce looking painting? Hehehe. Pardon the blurry picture. 

All Taiwanese gangster must be able to play mahjong too because this is where important decisions are made. Shoot, I still cannot play one. =(

Photographic proof that the movie was shot here. =P

I think it would be a fun thing to do to watch the movie first before you come here. So you can get the "feel". LOL. But otherwise, it's still fun activity to visit Bopiliao.  There is no admission fee charged at all. So, enjoy!! =)

Taiwan Travel: Bopiliao Historical Site, Taipei

We are going to re-enact Monga movie, a Taiwanese gangster movie (full detail here) by going to Bopiliao today. Muahahaha. Who's with me? =P

In the Bopiliao old district lies Heritage and Culture Education of Taipei. This area has preserved much of its Qing period roots. You can feel the it from the outside I guess.

Spotted artistic wall along the road. 

Preserved old shophouses. Nowadays they are used as art galleries and exhibition spaces.

How the old street looks like. Pardon the spam. Hehehe. 

This place is so full of fun. And this post is just the beginning. 

How to go to Bopiliao: Take Taipei metro to Longshan Temple Station. Go out from Exit 1 and walk through the small park with the fountain towards the Longshan Temple and turn right. Walk straight and you will see Bopiliao Historic Block at an intersection. Cross over and you are there! =)

Taipei Eats: Kao Chi, Yongkang Street

When you crave for something, I suppose you just need to go to Yongkang Street. My friend happened to crave for xiao long bao (I know, a bit too ordinary...=P) so we planned to go to the famous Din Tai Fung but..of course there's a long queue in front of the restaurant.

Since my friend can collapse anytime soon due to hunger, we decided to go next door, to Kao Chi.

There are picture menu in Kao Chi so if you cannot speak Mandarin you can just pinpoint and order. If I'm not wrong, I think they do have English menu. 

For a start, we ordered the spring onion bun. 

We also ordered the pork and prawn dumpling (shao mai). 

Last but not least, the xiao long bao. Yum~~~~

I really think Taiwan is the land of awesome xiao long bao and I haven't eaten a bad one ever since I've arrived here *happy*.

The easiest way to reach Kao Chi is by taking MRT to Dongmen Station and walk a bit from the exit there. 

Taiwan Travel: Lover's Bridge, Tamsui

We plan to wait for the sunset but sunset is like still so far away. So we decided to just go to the Lover's Bridge around 4-ish. As we made our way there, we saw a lot of private boats.

Walk a bit further and you will see the Lover's Bridge from a distance. 

The bridge is called Lover's Bridge because it officially opened on V-day, in 2003. But there's a saying amongst the locals that if you cross the bridge with your loved one, a break-up sure follows. Uh oh. 

Nonetheless, the view from the middle of the bridge is pretty amazing. 

At the other end of the bridge, there is usually some live music performances. Singing romantic songs. Pray hard you won't break up with your loved one after reaching this other end. =P

Taiwan Travel: Lover's Tower, Tamsui

I am in love. With Tamsui in summer. <3

So this time around, I made my way to Fisherman's Wharf area in Tamsui. Oh boy, I was welcomed by the heart sign. =P

Just behind the sign, you'll see a tower which is called Lover's Tower. If you are thinking of riding the tower, I suggested you to go have lunch first (if you haven't had any, of course) at the next-door plaza called..

For a second, I thought I was back in Singapore. Hahaha. 

The prices for the lunch here is kinda too much! But I was hungry like mad so I proceeded to order the beef noodle set meal which comes with a cup of cold milk tea and side dishes (300NTD goodness me). The purchase of a set meal however will give you a free ticket to ride the tower (hooray, save 100NTD!). Okay, I guess that's kinda consoling. Hahaha. 

With a full stomach, I'm ready to ride the tower now. Simply go to the building with the sign. 

And make your way up. Happy there's no queue that day. =)

The view of Fisherman's Wharf from the top is simply amazing. You must see! 

How to go to Fisherman's Wharf:

From Tamsui MRT Station, you can ride Red Bus no. 26 to Fisherman's Wharf (漁人碼頭/ Yú rén mǎtóu).

Where to eat cold noodle in Taiwan?

The hot humid weather is upon us once again. Not sure whether I like it but it is sure the best season to drink bubble tea everyday. Muahahaha.

Other than bubble tea, summer means the appearance of cold noodle. Something that I don't really see in 7-11 in Singapore or Jakarta. But here, in Taiwan, cold noodles are pretty common. So I curiously grabbed a pack.

This is how it looks inside. The pack is inclusive of eggs, cucumbers, sauce and the yellow noodle. The sauce is usually sesame sauce. 

And this is how it looks after I mixed everything in. And yes, it is meant to be eaten cold. It tastes quite yummy especially on a hot summer day. Yum!

If you want to give it a try, simply pop by any convenience store in Taiwan and you'll find them. Happy eating! 

Good Morning from Pamukkale Natural Park, Turkey

The next morning, we drove off pretty early from our hotel. I was still half awake but still have the willpower to snap a picture of the morning road. =P

Pretty much the road in between cities in Turkey. But our tour guide promised to bring us somewhere nice for picture taking. Can't wait. #vaintourgroup

The bus drove into the parking lot of Pamukkale Natural Park. The man in this picture is the bus driver. Haha, I unintentionally captured his picture from the back. 

The tour guide didn't lie. The view from the park is breathtaking. O_O!

The water is oh-so-clear. Even the ducks are enjoying the morning sun. 

I suppose this is one of the place where you can just enjoy the nature without thinking about big-city-busy-life. ^^

Turkey Travel: Covered in White at Cotton Castle, Pamukkale

After our trip in Ephesus (see post), we were literally chasing sunset because we reached Pamukkale (re: Cotton Castle) kinda late. But thanks goodness the sun has not really disappeared yet. The entrance gate to the ancient city of Hierapolis is...unguarded (probably it's because it's already near the closing time).

If we arrived a bit later, we will not be able to see anything in this ancient city of Hierapolis. 

We finally reached the snow white mountain just when the sun is setting. Still have time to play around here. Yeay. 

The snow is white because of the salt minerals. You cannot wear shoes here so get ready to bare your soles. 

Once you take off your shoes, you can walk on top of the mountain and soak in the hot spring. The water was warm at that time. You can show off your sexy figure if you want to like this lady. =P

The town of Pamukkale is located at the foot of the terrains. You can see it from the top of the mountain. Really pretty view. =)