We were unable to book a whale watching tour in time, so we had a free day in Hualien. Walked down Heping Road from Angel Wings Inn, where we stayed, to Nanbin Park. Came across Fang Yuan Chao Zhou Handmade Wonton Noodles 方元潮州手工餛飩麵 shop along the way and decided to stop for brunch. Had intended […]

Dongdamen Night Market (aka East Gate Night Market 東大門夜市), which opened in July 2015, is Hualien County’s largest night market. Hualien is Taiwan’s largest gateway to the Pacific Ocean, hence the name East Gate Night Market. The current location of the night market (between Beibin Park and Nanbin Park) was once the grounds of the […]

If you want to buy food gifts in Hualien, the first thing that many people think of is probably mochi, because mochi is a snack suitable for all ages, and the most famous mochi in Hualien has to be Tzen-Mochi. Tzen-Mochi only has outlets in Hualien and Yilan County’s Suao Town. If you live in […]

If you ask the locals which dessert shop in Hualien is worth visiting, I’m sure the majority, if not all, will recommend Cai Ji Dou Hua 蔡記豆花 on Minguo Road. Though they mention 豆花 aka soy beancurd or tofu pudding in their brand name, they do not just specialise in that. Surprisingly, the most popular […]

We took a taxi from Hualien Station to Angel Wings Inn, which was only a 6-7 minute drive away. The trip cost NT$130. We booked this inn through booking.com after reading glowing reviews about it. Angel Wings Inn is located in the heart of Hualien, and the best part is that it is within walking […]

We went to Hualien after spending a week in Taipei. We decided to take the train from Taipei to Hualien because it would be the quickest and most convenient mode of transportation. However, as the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) does not operate on Taiwan’s east coast, we can only rely on Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), […]

After spending the day exploring Dadaocheng and Dihua Street, we boarded the MRT and travelled to Shilin Night Market in Taipei’s Shilin District. Shilin Night Market is one of Taiwan’s biggest and most well-known night markets. Anyone visiting Taipei should not miss this ‘attraction’. 🙂 Shilin Night Market 士林夜市 Shilin Night Market is known for […]

Brand new day, brand new adventure! After having breakfast at Yong He Dou Jiang Da Wang, we took a 20-minute walk towards Dihua Street and Dadaocheng, a historic neighbourhood in Taipei’s Datong District. Along the way, we passed by a number of interesting sites. Taipei Post Office (臺北郵局) Tucked away near Beimen, the Taipei Post […]

After dinner at Din Tai Fung, we decided to walk off some of the calories by exploring the surrounding area. That’s when we discovered Soypresso on Lishui Street. Soypresso is a cafe that specialises in drinks and desserts made with soy milk. Aside from regular soy milk, they also offer black sesame soy milk, tie […]

Now, let’s talk FOOD, because you absolutely cannot visit Taipei without experiencing the legend that is Din Tai Fung! Seriously, this place is world-renowned for a reason. It actually kicked off right here in Taipei back in 1958 and has since spread its deliciousness across the globe – yep, you’ll find branches everywhere from Australia […]

We noticed a long line opposite the road, right outside the Tian Jin Onion Pancake shop, while we were enjoying our mango shaved ice dessert at Smoothie House. This modest-looking stall shares the same space with Thanh Ky Vietnamese Restaurant (誠記越南麵食館). Tian Jin Onion Pancake specialises in Taiwanese scallion pancake (also known as green onion […]

We spent the day walking from Longshan to Dongmen, exploring the city. Enjoyed visiting the Lungshan Temple, the Bopiliao Historical Block, the 228 Peace Memorial Park, and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. We decided to end the tour in Dongmen so that we could have dinner at the original Din Tai Fung restaurant on Xinyi […]

After catching a beautiful fountain display at 228 Peace Memorial Park, we decided to make the most of the remaining daylight and headed over to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square before sunset. Liberty Square (or Freedom Square as some call it) is this impressive public plaza in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District. I […]

So today, we made an unexpected but incredibly meaningful stop on our Taipei adventure. As we were making our way toward the iconic Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square, we stopped by this serene oasis in the middle of bustling Taipei—228 Peace Memorial Park. Let me tell you, this place has SUCH powerful energy. […]

If you could only eat one thing in Ximending, make sure it’s Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle (阿宗麵線)! Funny thing is, mian xian (麵線 or mee sua) is never one of my preferred style of noodles previously. But I’m so addicted to Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle after trying it that I had to come back a couple of […]

While exploring Taipei’s Wanhua District, I stumbled upon the charming 剝皮寮歷史街區 Bopiliao Historical Block, and it felt like stepping back in time! This hidden gem preserves a slice of old Taiwan with its beautifully maintained buildings and atmospheric streets dating back to the late Qing Dynasty and early Japanese colonial era. Walking along these historic […]