Monday, 24 February 2020

Itinerary 10 Days Taiwan Trip

Yes, this is my 4th trip to Taiwan, and I do not expect it to be my last trip there, as there are so many attractions and food that Taiwan offers. In this trip, I explored mainly Kaohsiung and Taitung, while not missing out the good food in Taichung and Taipei. Stay tuned to my blog for the details!









Here is my itinerary for your reference:


Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sunday
Monday
Breakfast

Hotel Breakfast
Xiao Long Bao etc @ Xing Long Ju
Xiao Long Bao etc @ Guo Mao Lai Lai
Ru Rou Fan etc @ Zhong Hua Zao Dian
Morning

Rainbow Village Travel to Kaohsiung via HSR
Fo Guang Shan
Travel to Taitung via TSR
Hired a driver for the day (8 hours). 

Jialulan Coast 

Water Running Upwards

Pisirian
Lunch

Railroad Bento Box (purchase at Taichung HSR station)
Sipping coffee @ Starbucks Fo Guang Shan
Railway Bento Box (pre-order when booking tickets)
Buns @ Donghe Bun
Afternoon
Reach Taipei, took bus to Taichung Check in Le Parker Hotel
Check in The Tree House Cijin
Dragon and Tiger Pagoda
Check-in Romeo B&B Taitung Forest Park
San Xian Tai Sky Mirror @ Douli Beach
Dinner
Street Food @ Fengjia Night Market
Duck rice @ Duck Zhen Street Food @ Liuhe Night Market
Street food @ Ruifeng Night Market
Street Food @ Siwei Night Market
Rong Shu Xia, Ashui Po Rou Fan
Night
Fengjia Night Market
Liuhe Night Market
Ruifeng Night Market
Siwei Night Market
Taitung Railway Art Village



Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Breakfast
Rice Dumplings etc at Zhong Hua Zao Dian
Ru Rou Fan etc at Zhong Hua Zao Dian
Ru Rou Fan etc @ Tian Tian Li
You Tiao etc @ Yong He Dou Jiang
Bread
Morning
Travel to Chishang by TSR
Travel to Taipei via TSR
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
Ximending
Travel back to Singapore
Lunch
Bento at Wu Tau Chishang Fan Bao
Sandwiches from Zhong Hua Zao Dian
Xiao Long Bao @ Hangzhou Xiao Long Bao
Steamboat @ Wu Lao

Afternoon
Road to Heaven
Mr Brown Avenue Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree
Check in City Inn Ximending
Si Si Nan Village Taipei 101 Chia Te
Taipei Main Station

Dinner
Dumplings @ Wu Hua Ma
Chicken Cutlet Rice @ Emperor Food Heng Yang Branch
Xiao Long Bao @ Taipei 101 Ding Tai Fung
Jiangmuya @ Big Head Jiangmuya

Night
-
Ximending
Ximending
Shilin Night Market


Tasmania Road Trip Part 4 - Back to Launceston

We cooked all our remaining food for a scrumptious breakfast as we are heading back to the city today. Our initial plan is to drive to Devonport, and then back to Launceston, but after 2 long days, we decided to keep it simple and take a shorter route through Sheffield instead.

Our breakfast

Cradle Mountain
Bye Bye Cradle Mountain!

Sheffield
Reaching Sheffield - Tasmania's Town of Mural

Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield
Drawing by Eason Chen - Famous singer from Hong Kong

Sheffield

Sheffield

From Sheffield, its a ~1.5hours easy drive to Launceston, and greeting us at Launceston is our late lunch at MacDonald's, and then some grocery shopping before we head to our accommodation for the night before we fly off to Melbourne.


Instead of a hotel stay, we decided to spend the night at a farm, and found The Cottage at Nutshell Farm, which is situated near Rosevears, and a 30mins drive to the airport. Unfortunately, this farm-stay is now closed. 

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

We spent the afternoon lazing around the house and strolling in the garden where some farm animals were kept. 

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm

The Cottage at Nutshell Farm
Mama duck with her ducklings!

Slightly before dusk, we headed out to Mount George Lookout to view the sun setting along the Bass Strait from afar.

Mount George Lookout

After missing Chinese food for a couple of days, we manage to find a Chinese restaurant in George Town for some Chinese food.

Fried Rice

We visited Low Head next for the Low Head Penguin Tour. 

Low Head Penguin Tour
485 Low Head Road, Low Head
Tasmania 7253

Tips:
- The starting time for the tour differs from day to day (depending on what time the sun sets)
- Make your reservations online first before heading there to avoid disappointment
- Wear thick clothing! We almost freeze during the 1 hour tour
- Penguins sighting and number of penguins are not guaranteed. For us, we saw ~50 penguins coming up the shore during our tour
- Unlike other places, photography is allowed, however, no flash photography should be used to avoid hurting the penguin's eyes!

Low Head Penguin Tour


Low Head Penguin Tour

When the night falls, the guide will bring you towards a waiting spot at the beach to wait for penguins to appear.

Low Head Penguin Tour
Penguin number 1 spotted

Low Head Penguin Tour
More to come

Low Head Penguin Tour

Low Head Penguin Tour

Low Head Penguin Tour

Low Head Penguin Tour

The tour ended close to 10pm, and we drove slowly back to our accommodation. It was quite a challenge driving in the dark, and we were glad that no kangaroos or wild animals came into our way.

We woke up early the next day as we wanted to do some shopping at Tasmania Gourmet Sauce Company and return the car before catching our flight to Melbourne at 12.55pm.

On the way to airport - missing the clear blue skies already


We almost reach the Tasmania Gourmet Sauce Company when we heard weird sounds coming from the car. After we alight to inspect - a flat tire greeted us. Luckily, the hub knows how to change the tire and we do not need to trigger the tow truck.



Despite the flat tire, we manage to complete our shopping, return the car and made it in time for our flight. Bidding goodbye to Tasmania, we headed to Melbourne to visit our relatives and for some adventure along the Great Ocean Road.