Categories
Accommodation

DewyHouse – Clean and Safe Hostel Outside Chiang Mai Old Town

Staying at Fundee Story Guesthouse is a wonderful experience and the host, Pho, is extremely helpful but the lack of air-conditioning is insufferable. I have problem sleeping at night even though I have the electric fan at full blast.  To give myself more flexibility, I did not pre-book the train ticket from Chiang Mai to […]

Categories
Experience

Chiang Rai Day Tour – Hot Spring, White Temple, Blue Temple and Black House Museum

Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is a nice place, but there are only so many temples you can see before everything becomes a golden blur.  After visiting all the must-visit tourist destinations such as Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai Zoo and Sunday Weekend Walking Street, there doesn’t seem to be anything else I want to see […]

Categories
Experience

Chiang Mai Zoo – Animal Feeding, Pandas Snow Dome and More

I am not a fan of zoos. I have always imagine zoos to be smelly and full of noisy schoolkids. But after I visited Taronga Zoo Sydney, I find that zoos are actually quite fun.  After being “templed-out” by the never-ending temples in the Chiang Mai Old Town, I decided to head to Chiang Mai […]

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Accommodation

Fundee Story Guesthouse – Bamboo Huts in Chiang Mai Old Town

When I book travel accommodations, I am more inclined towards guesthouses and homestays than hotels. I like staying in local traditional houses to get a feel of how the locals lived.  Since I was going to Thailand, I was really looking forward to staying in one of those traditional teak houses but I couldn’t find any […]

Categories
Information

How and Where to Get Tax Refund in Taipei Central Station

Foreign travelers to Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) can advantage of the government’s sales-tax (VAT) refund system if they spend more than NTD$2000 in a single shop on the same day.  Although Taiwan’s VAT rate is only 5%,  the savings can be quite substantial if you are buying big-ticket items like electrics or home […]

Categories
Eating

豪品味冰品 – Dessert Shop in Shilin Night Market for Snow Ice

After endless walking and snacking in Shilin Night Market (or have it at 忠誠號蚵仔煎 if you are lazy like me), it’s time for some desserts.  Just a few steps away is 豪品味冰品, a dessert shop that not only has fresh fruit juice but desserts as well.  The first floor is mostly for ordering, there are […]

Categories
Eating

忠誠號蚵仔煎 – Popular Restaurant in Shilin Night Market

Thanks to Taiwan variety shows, Shilin Night Market is one of the most famous night market in Taipei.  Many people come to Shilin Night Market to sample the different Taiwanese snacks.  If you want to sample of the popular Taiwanese snacks without having to elbow your way around throngs of tourists, I recommend 忠誠號蚵仔煎 (蚵仔煎 […]

Categories
Eating

Yong-Kang Beef Noodle – Michelin Bib Gourmand Beef Noodles in Taipei

For some reason, Taiwan is famous for beef noodles. 8 beef noodle restaurants made it into the Michelin Guide Taipei 2018 Bib Gourmand Selection.  Out of the 8 beef noodle restaurants, Yong-Kang Beef Noodle is probably the most famous, having appeared in various Taiwanese variety shows.  I have been to Taipei quite a number of times […]

Categories
Eating

魚丸伯仔 – 70 Years Fishball Shop in Jiufen Old Street

Jiufen was a Japanese mining hub during the Japanese gold rush during World War II. It has now become a tourist attraction where Taiwanese and foreigners like to visit on a day trip from Taipei.  Jiufen Old Street is the main street in Jiufen, packed with teahouses, street-food shacks and souvenir shops. Let me introduce […]

Categories
Eating

三寶大腸麵線 (Taipei) – Mee Sua Restaurant with 30 Years History

三寶大腸麵線 originated from Kaohsiung and there is one outlet in Taipei. It has been around for more than 30 years.  Located in Wanhua District, it is not a place tourists will frequent and only locals will know about this place. As the name suggests, 三寶大腸麵線 specializes in mian xian, which is also commonly known as […]