Summer Grad Trip 2013 - 3 Day Itinerary & Expenses Table (TaiChung)

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Itinerary excel spreadsheet can be found here :)
Please do not share this without my permission cause I spent a lot of time planning this with my friends, just posting up on my blog for those who will find it useful. Thank you.

Summer Grad Trip- Taiwan 2013: TaiChung Day 3

TaiChung 3 days itinerary: Day 3

Right, it's time for mountainous areas. Such areas, though inaccessible, they always form the best part of the trip. These areas have the best photogenic sceneries for photo shoot with friends and family.

Entrance fees applies for each destination, the tickets can be used for food and drinks though. We booked a cab the day before, the entire trip to XinShe (新社) costs NT3500. We managed to bargain and ended up paying NT3000 which covers the following: 新社古堡 XinShe Castle, 安妮公主花园 Princess Annie's Garden  and  薰衣草花园 Lavendar Farm.

First up, 薰衣草花园 Lavendar Farm. We were there in the month of June, it's kinda sad that we just missed the Lavender Season and the flowers weren't blooming :( If you're there specially for  the lavender flowers, do visit the place between March-May.

 

As mentioned at the start of the post, there are coupons that come with the entrance ticket which can be used to redeem food and drinks in the park. So here's what we ordered; waffle, orange juice and seafood risotto! It added up to around NT500 and we paid only NT300 after using the coupons. The food at the other 2 stops are considerably more expensive and less appealing, so I would suggest you settle your meal over at the Lavender Farm :)

 

Second stop, Princess Annie's Garden. This place is a waste of time and money in my opinion, unless you're one of those who fantasize a lot and dream of living like a princess. Entrance fee is NT100 and there's really nothing much about this place.

Last stop for the day, XinShe Castle. Entrance fee is NT250, one of the most expensive place to visit in TaiChung :p It's a much better place for photo taking as compared to the previous stop. Again, beware of insects and mosquitoes, bring along your insect repellent and spray it as often as possible during this season. The sun was scorching hot, the weather is terrible so do remember to hydrate yourself often as well. Overall, things at these places are not cheap so I would advise you to bring your own snacks and water if you're visiting them during summer. No harm bringing more stuff since you will most likely hire a cab and you can always leave these unimportant stuff on the car while having fun.

And so, we got the cabby uncle to drop us off at this place Chun Shui Tang. This is the birthplace of bubble tea, so it's definitely one of the places I must visit! Before the birth of your KOI and GongCha this is where the very first bubble tea was created! 

Photo credits: Trip Advisor 

Photo credits: Flickr

They sell proper food and snacks as well to go along with your drink. You may visit their website at chunshuitang.com.tw for more details. 

The rest of the night was spent dwelling along the streets, we don't really miss TaiChung that much given the inconvenience we face while getting around. Having to cab to almost every place wasn't that enjoyable. Take a bus you might say but it's not easy, even locals don't take bus often which explains the free ride for first 8km and the empty buses you see on the streets. But it's a place worth exploring, especially if you want to know the life of Taiwanese before development.

Summer Grad Trip 2013- Taiwan: TaiChung Day 2

TaiChung 3 days itinerary: Day 2

Rise & Shine! Our hostel is located along No.16 Mingli Street, and we found this cafe which serves western style breakfast. Breakfast set ranges from NT 100-150 and it comes with choice of drink(orange juice, milk tea or coffee). Though considered expensive in Taiwan, but you definitely can't find breakfast at such price in Singapore so it's worth trying.

First stop of the day, Sun Moon Lake. There are basically 2 ways to get there, either by bus or by cab. Both will cost around NT 200 (one way). Bus is definitely cheaper but the price difference is really small and you get to stick to your own time and pace rather than having to follow the bus schedule. You'll need to get to Taichung train station for both options. Fret not if you don't have enough people to hire a cab, the cab driver will wait for enough people to join before setting off so you don't have to worry about overpaying.

So here it is, the Sun Moon Lake :) Ferry tickets range from NT50-200 and above. The ticket sellers might offer you different packages (some claim that theirs comes with insurance and they start to tell you about stories like how the ferries caught fire and the passengers didn't get insurance, blah blah blah). I got mine at NT100 from a guy who claims to be the cab driver's friend (i think both of them get to split the extra revenue as their comission). 

There's so much for you to do over there; temple visiting, taking the cable car, watch traditional aboriginal performance and many more. Here's a detailed guide on getting around, what to eat and what to do. http://wikitravel.org/en/Sun_Moon_Lake Hope it helps! A map will also be given with all the information when you purchase your ferry tickets. 

The 'must try' for this stop! Ah Ma tea leaf egg, at NT10 each.

Getting back from Sun Moon Lake: we shared cab again at NT200 per pax and this time we alighted near a park and walked all the way to our next destination, Yi Zhong Street.

First up, Pang Zi Ji Pai! One of the famous stalls we managed to Google. It costs NT50  if I remember correctly, not as fantastic as expected but worth trying. I think it's just the high expectation due to the recommendations or I prefer fried chicken more than BBQ ones.

Next up, Takoyaki! The choice of seasoning available for Taiwan's Takoyaki is what makes it so different from Singapore's. 

Another online recomendation from fellow travellers, Dan Bing. If you've been to Singapore, it simply tastes like Roti Prata. But I prefer Roti Prata much more cause it comes with curry. You can choose your own fillings and price ranges from NT25-45.

Summer Grad Trip 2013- Taiwan: TaiChung Day 1

TaiChung 3 days itineray: Day 1

It's never easy to plan a travel itineray and now it's even harder to pen it down together with my experience and thoughts. Hope you find this post useful when you're planning yours :)

Upon arrival, you may choose to purchase a prepaid mobile plan which costs NT500 and comes with 100mins free talk time and unlimited 3G for 10 days.

Basically when you reach Taoyuan airport, head towards the bus terminal and purchase tickets to your preferred destination. The first stop of our trip would be Taichung and the one-way ticket there costs around NT150. 

Traveling around Taichung is not easy since there's no MRT available and bus routes are super hard to understand especially if you're not familiar with road names or you can't read Chinese. But the best thing about getting around in Taichung is that it's almost free if you have a Easy Card (悠遊卡). Bus rides are free for the first 8km, so if you can plan your route beforehand, you can definitely save a lot on transportation costs.

If you don't mind walking, that's another alternative for saving transportation costs as most places within walking distance. That is, if you don't mind wasting the time and energy walking from one place to another. 

First stop, Taichung National Arts Museum. Entrance is free I suppose, we didn't get to go in cause it closes at 5pm and it was already past 5 when we got there. There's a outdoor area which is available 24 hours so you might still want to drop by after closing hours. Beware of insects like caterpillars and mosquitoes and bring along your insect repellents. You won't want those insect bites to spoil your trip. 

Then we took a bus from the National Arts Museum to FengJia Night Market. Can't really remember which bus to take, all I know is you will need to transfer somewhere. That was the highlight of our day- some decent food finally. Here's the 大肠包小肠, one of the most recommended stall by locals and tourists. There shouldn't be any difficulty spotting the stall cause it's just at the entrance and the queue is always forming non-stop. 

Another one of the recommended stalls we found online, bbq scallops. NT45  for 1 stick (4pcs) and you get to choose your own seasoning/flavors. Tastes not bad but the service is slow, like really slow. So I suggest you get some other snacks while waiting for your food.

The last snack for the day, bbq prawns! I think it costs about NT60 for 10pcs and again you get to choose your favourite seasoning. We chose the most popular one, which is the pepper and salt flavor. The prawn can be eaten together with the shell so you can save time trying to de-shell it, and that's what makes it unique.

And so this is Feng Jia Night Market, one of my favourite ones throughout the entire trip.

我與台灣的約定day 0

台灣之旅 21.06.2012~26.06.2012

機票: 欣虎航空  來回票 新弊 440

住宿: Mango53Inn 芒果 客棧 台幣 (5晚)

台幣: 15000元 兌換率: 22.8新台幣

Day 0

起個大清早, 6.50 抵達新加坡廉價航空機場check-in. 第一次程搭廉價航空, 心情有點矛盾 .一方面高興能夠省錢, 一方面又有點擔心安全問題.

8.50a.m. 飛機準時起飛 :) 很高興這一趟旅程有中學老友 clara 的伴隨, 這趟班機還認識了她的大學同學 nina

經過四小時又十分的旅程,終於在兩點多抵達台灣 台北桃園機場,第一撘客大 廈.  

首先記得到服務櫃台申請台灣青年旅遊卡,預知更多詳情和優惠 可上網閱讀 . http://tour.youthtravel.tw/travel2009/main.php

接下來,若前往台北車,可從機場程搭1819號巴士.車票是125元. 路程大約1小時. 我們在台北車站與nina 告別,繼續前往龍山寺. 抵達龍山寺車站,往3號出口處去,經過3條小巷便能抵達芒果客棧. 客棧櫃台服務員非常親切, 知道我們是從新加坡來的 還試著用英語和我們溝通. 客棧甚至免費為我們upgrade 到四人房. 宿舍內設備齊全,電腦電視電冰箱統統都有,環境相當舒適. http://mango53inn.blogspot.sg/

Check in 後馬上放行李, 前往五分埔 和饒河夜市. 從龍山寺車站,可程搭板南線直達後山埤站.

饒河夜市- 須從車站走上好一段路,經過五分埔商圈. 天空下著綿綿細雨,微風輕輕拍在臉頰上,讓我從疲憊中醒來.

美食之旅第一站, 胡椒餅! 脆脆的外皮包裹著燙口的肉餡,充滿胡椒味. 一個只要45元,相當讓人有飽足感. 切記,儘量在傍晚間就購買,否則準備大排長龍!

美食之旅第二站, 麵線! 無招牌,店面也沒有什麼客人.大概是因為時間還早的關係. 冷冷的天氣,來一碗湯暖暖的麵線,為瞬間暖和了起來,胃口也打開.一碗只要40元.

美食之旅第三站, 玉子燒. 蝦沙拉口味一份65元. 才7點多,店面已大排長龍. 這家玉子燒收到相當多媒體節目的推薦,其中包括食尚玩家和你猜!

美食之旅第四站, 章魚燒. 咖哩口味的,一份40元.

再來,購物時光! 回到五分埔商圈逛了大約兩個多小時. 許多人說無人埔是購物天堂,價廉物美.但對我而言, 除非你想大量購買,那裏並不是最理想的購物場所. 那裡的商家大多是批發商, 若你只想買一,兩件服是他們的語氣不會很友善.

我本身在那裡花了695元,買了兩件上衣和一件外套.收穫 並不算多.

就這樣,第一天的旅程到了一個段落.  我和台灣的約定,下一站: 九份,金瓜石,十分,西門町.

06.01.2012
二十一年来 第一次踏上飞机舱
香港之旅 我必须好好记录这点点滴滴。


12:30  出发前往 Keryn 家 最后的收拾
13:50  上计程车前往机场！
14:00  抵达机场T2 傻乎乎的 办理登记手续 行李重量19.2kg
16:00  登机咯! HKX752 (hongkong airline)


第一次的飞行经验，很特别， 很紧张。好险平安起飞 降落，顺利抵达香港！
机舱职员服务都相当专业，设备齐全。我在飞机上 看了《财神客栈》！！


20:00  香港机场!
等待旅行社的接驳车前往饭店 (Rambler Garden Hotel)
21:00  登记手续办托  回房咯!


饭店实在是太闷 太无聊了，我们决定到楼下寻找wi-fi。结果却到便利商店买宵夜去了，instant pasta! 还不错吃。

当天天气大约14度，不是很能适应 晚上很难睡着。

07.01.2012
起个大清早！漫无目的，随心选择了到旺角。
原本很期待饮茶 但却找不到任何茶餐厅！
最后我们选择了到 ‘通速食店’ 落脚
点了 贡丸面，含有花生芝麻浆的猪肠粉，冻奶茶 和酸辣汤，一共71港币。
接着前往“金鱼街” ，“花园街”，“女人街”(通菜街)，开始shopping!
“花园街”算是个相当好逛的地方，比起其他两条街，这里有许多销售便宜服饰的店面。
原本要继续前往“庙街夜市” 但因为迷了路所以决定隔天再来。迷路途中还逛了“上海街”，一条充满华人传统味道的街。


下一站，“赤柱市集” Stanley Market。这可是一个经历千辛万苦才到达的地方。从中环交易广场巴士总站搭乘66号车，车程大约1小时多，在不知到何时下车的情况下穿越许多崎岖的山路，才随着其他旅客下车，找到的地方。我们选择了到赤柱餐厅解决吃来的午餐；点了绿猪肉咖喱，凤梨炒饭，热奶茶，一共121港币。


接下来我们决定提早到“星光大道”欣赏夜景和灯光秀。在这之前，我们先到