Soong Kee Beef noodles has been around for a long long time.  Imagine my friend of almost 60 years old says that he’s been eating at Soong Kee since he was in high school.  That’s at least 40 years there ! The modest shoplot is swarmed with dedicated patrons.  Fortunately the turnover time is pretty fast you’ll just have to be patient to get your table.  Remember to check out for more tables upstairs.  

We called a small bowl of mixed offal with beef slices, beef balls, tripe and tendon (RM 7 for small; RM 12 for large).  I am not a fan of offal soups because sometimes the soups can have a strong smell.  There was nothing of that sort to worry about at Soong Kee.  The beef slices were cooked to perfection, just enough to get rid of the rawness, evident from some of the slices still having a tint of pinkness to them when they arrived.  That pinkness quickly went away as the slices remained in the hot broth.  Melt-in-your-mouth kind of tender, the beef slices were utterly thin and supple; a proven recipe to entice you to the moon and back.  The beef balls were light, airy with a crisp bite while the tripe and tendon were satisfactory.

The noodles (RM 4 for small, RM 5 for large) had a copious portion of simple yet flavorsome minced pork; copious enough so that there was a bit of minced pork with every bite.  The noodles though could do better as it had a faint alkaline taste and they were just not springy enough.  Go to Ipoh and try the wantan noodles at Ipoh Stadium then you’ll know what I mean.

It’s Ok if you don’t fancy pork noodles because there is also the popular Loa Yau Kee Porrdige located in the same compound as Soong Kee.

More Info
Address : 86 Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, 56000 KL, Malaysia.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 12 am.  Closed on Sundays.

The post Soong Kee Beef Noodles @ Chinatown, KL appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

The humble food cart of  Loa Yau Kee Porridge (老友记) is parked in front of Soong Kee Beef Noodles.  Despite being much smaller, Loa Yau Kee is not overshadowed and it’s just as popular.  The uncle that manes the stall dishes out a fulfilling bowl of porridge as fast as he could with agility.  I don’t know how old this stall has been around, but perhaps started out some 60 years ago in the same era as Soong Kee Beef Noodles. 

The porridge could not be any plainer.  Just plain, plain plain, enabling one to truly enjoy and focus on this bowl of simplicity that’s soupy, lightly starchy with rice grains that have disintegrated to a fluffy texture.

Unlike Teochew porridge that comes with a variety of vegetables and meats to choose from, Loa You Kee has only three dishes to pair the porridge with – chicken, raw fish slices and pork innards, which are already enough to keep the stall busy.  It is RM 6 per bowl of porridge with one dish.

Raw fish slices are seasoned with oil, ginger slices and scallions; a versatile option whether you would like to eat it raw or add it into the hot porridge to cook it.  The slices are thin enough to be cooked thoroughly.

Silken chicken drizzled with oil and soy sauce ? Sure, bring it on anytime.

More  Info
Address : 86 Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, 56000 KL, Malaysia.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 12 am.  Closed on Sundays.

The post Loa Yau Kee Porridge @ Chinatown, KL appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Shilin Night Market is indisputably the most famous night market in Taiwan.  Not only tourists, but locals too flock here for a vibrant night filled with superb food, dazzling clothes and amusing games.  There are two sections to the market; one section is housed in the Shilin Market Building, while the other section is on the open streets. At Shilin Night Market, traditional and classic foods are showcased you’ll be able to get a gist of Taiwanese Street Food at a glance.  Let’s start off with things to eat at the Shilin Market Building first !

1.  Grilled Prawns (烤虾@迷你钓虾场)


These prawns are not just any prawns; they are prawns that you have fished for yourself.

The vendor will provide you with 7 fishing sticks @ NT100, each comprising of a stick connected to a small hook via a piece of thread.

With the seven chances, you could fish all you want till the thread breaks.  We’ve only manged to fish two prawns with our 7 chances.

2.  Paper Pork （猪肉纸）


I would say this is a variation of “bak kwa”, only this is almost as thin as paper, drier and crunchier, but just as addictive.  The paper pork comes in a few flavors including original, seaweed and black pepper.

While you are busy hunting for food, do take note of these two red-brick buildings on the same floor.  They look old and they are indeed more than a 100 years old built by the Japanese during their occupation.  These two buildings are now classified as historical sites in Taiwan.

In the same building, head over to the food court at the basement.

3.  Stinky Tofu （臭豆腐）


Some call it putrid, some call it heavenly.  It’s an acquired smell.  There’s a stinky tofu stall as you descend from the B1 entrance to the basement.  It’s so smelly pretty much everyone that walks pass this stall covers their noses.  Other than the intolerable / wonderful smell, the dish is truly delectable that’s crisp and puffy with a punch from the pickled vegetables.

4.  Oyster Omelette （蚵仔煎）

A simple egg omelette transcends to an ultimate delicacy with the addition of oysters.  The starchy omelette is mixed with vegetables then topped with sweet chili sauce. You may ask for oysters only, or prawn only, or mixture of both.

5.  Fried Bee Hoon （炒米粉）


The fried bee hoon is basic with a splash of braised minced pork.  Try it for the texture as it is very much different from the Malaysian ones with an extra tad of springiness.  Oh, and the vendor has their unique way of labeling their chili sauce.  The chili sauce on the right says “This one is spicier”.

6.  Seafood （海鲜）





A typical store like this would carry a good selection of seafood.  Sea snails, prawns, scallops, baby soft shell crabs, etc. Most of them are in the range of NT 150 to NT 200 per plate.


Can you imagine these baby abalones are only NT200?  Can’t imagine how much this plate of abalone in Malaysia would cost.  The items are mostly deep-fried or grilled. While you are not getting the “feeling-the-liveliness-in-your-mouth” kind of freshness because the items are prepared from a frozen state, the price is sure uber-affordable.

7.  Taiwan Beer （台湾啤酒）


Taiwan Beer is light and refreshing.  I think ladies would resonate with me on this while gentlemen might think it is too light.  Nonetheless, tick this off your checklist if you life goal is to savor every beer in all the countries you travel to.

Best yet, beer comes in fruity renditions too.  Take your pick – orange, grapes, pineapple or mango (image credit http://www.twbeer.com.tw/).  PS: Don’t drink and drive.

8. Big-Bread-Wraps-Small-Bread （大饼包小饼）


I really don’t know what to call this besides translating directly from its mandarin name – 大饼包小饼 (NT 35)。  The vendor lays a piece of capati-like-pastry (but thinner ad softer) on the wooden board, places the brown crisp bread on the capati, hammers it to pieces, adds a sweet topping (red beans, peanuts, sesame, coconut or yam) or savory topping (curry, meat floss or black pepper) and wraps up the whole ensemble.

9.  Fresh Juices （果汁）


With advanced agriculture, fruits are exceptionally sweet in Taiwan.  Pineapples don’t even have the slightest hint of sourness; lychees are grown with puny seeds to maximize flesh volume and bitter gourds are not bitter.  If you can’t decide which one to drink, try the classic papaya milk drink.  For the adventurous, try the bitter gourd juice or the custard apple juice.

10.  Aiyu Jelly （爱玉）



Most of the drinks stores would have this.  It is made from fig seeds.  Upon washing of the seeds, a gelatinous jelly is formed, best eaten with sugar syrup and a drizzle of lemon juice.  Aiyu originates from the Chia Yi / Alishan region of Taiwan.

Moving onto the streets,

11.  Oyster Mian Xia / Mee Sua （蚵仔面线）

Oyster Mian Xian / Mee Sua is an iconic Taiwanese street food.  The gooey, bonito -laced noodle soup with oysters that impart a note of umami is a national favorite.  Ah Zhong Mian Xian in Ximending is particularly famous with patrons willing to queue; but seriously, it doesn’t really matter where you eat this dish because it won’t go wrong.

12.  Pepper Pork Bun （胡椒饼）


There was a queue even when it was raining.  After trying the bun, I understood why.  The crispy bun envelopes a heavenly bolus of juicy, peppery, succulent minced meat that’s to die for.  After one bite, I was a follower.  The bun reaches your hands as soon as it leaves the oven it’s almost too hot to hold.   Eat the bun as soon as possible because the bread gets a bit soggy with the heat after sometime.  You can also find the original branch at Raohe Night Market.

13.  Phallic Symbol Ice Cream / Pastry / Soap （大雕冰/大雕烧/大雕香皂）

Sex Sells.  It doesn’t matter when, how, what, where, it just sells, even when it’s in the form of food.  Nobody could keep a straight face while walking past this store.  The ice cream ones are of course to be consumed right away while the long lasting ones such as pineapple pastry and soap could be brought home as souvenirs to generate some giggling.

14.  Honey Barbecue （蜜汁烧烤）

Barbecue is made extra sinful with an extra coating of honey.  Literally finger-licking-good.

15.  Braised Food with Shacha Sauce （沙茶卤味）

Taiwanese braise anything and everything.  Chicken wings, chicken innards, pork balls, bean curd, eggs, pig’s blood cake and vegetables are classic items on the braising menu.  The soy sauce based marinade differs from stall to stall; some makes it with an additional herbal accent, while some makes use of “shacha sauce” like this particular one.

16.  Giant Grilled Squids (大鱿鱼）

You could smell the grilling scent from afar.  The scent is like an invisible hand pulling you towards the stall, urging you to try the sensational giant squid.

17.  Fired Mackerel Thick Soup (魠魚羹)

The mackerel fish slices are coated in spiced batter, deep fried, and dunked into a vegetable-based thick soup with a note of sweetness.  The fish slices amazingly taste quite like deep-fried chicken.  Imagine poop-corn chicken (咸酥鸡) but now it’s made with fish.

18.  Giant Sausages （大香肠）

Now sausage lovers can get overdosed with sausages because these sausages now are twice as big.  Another popular item from a sausage stall would be “Big Sausage Wraps Small Sausage” (大肠包小肠), an ensemble of a glutinous rice sausage wrapping a small meat sausage.

19.  Shaved Ice （雪花冰）

Termed as “snow flake ice” ( 雪花冰) in Taiwan, the fine, fluffy texture of  snow  shaved ice is irresistible and tantalizing. Various flavors are available such as mango, chocolate, peanut and sour plum.

20.  Three-Kinds-of-Ice (三种冰)

Before taro balls and herbal jelly became systematic and SOP-ed to form franchises like Snowflake and Meetfresh, the stores were typically your neighborhood dessert stores by the roadside and they all had a generic name called Three-Kinds-Of-Ice, where you would choose three kinds of topping (or more at an additional price) to add on to your shaved ice / herbal jelly /green bean soup.  Trying a traditional one in Taiwan is much different from say, Snowflake.  It reeks nostalgia and it’s easy to add too much topping with a myriad of topping all laid out in front of you.

21.  Bacon wraps （培根卷）

Lightly charred bacon infused with the aromatics of scallion is simply a bundle of joy.  Be careful though because there is a small piece of toothpick inside to keep the bundle intact.

22.  Cow Tongue Pastry （牛舌饼）

No animals were harmed in the making of this crispy pastry.  The pastry resembles the shape of a cow’s tongue and hence the name.  Two flavors are available : savory peanut and sweet malt sugar.

23.  Tanghulu – Sugar Coated Fruits (冰糖糖葫芦)

Traditionally, sourish fruits are coated with rock candy syrup.  The syrup forms a hard coating and as you sink your teeth into it, the combination of crackling sweetness and palate-teasing sourness will win you over.

24.  All the Other Things You Didn’t Get to Eat

Of course it’s not possible to eat everything at the market in one go ! There are bound to be something that you swore to yourself that you will come back again for.  Perhaps that ferocious soup with snakes and turtles;

or that Hot Star Fried Chicken you might have already tried in Malaysia and decided to leave your stomach for something else;

or that fried rice balls and that grilled dice beef and that beef noodles and much more.

More Info
Shilin Night Market Official Website
Getting there : via Jiantan MRT Station.  You’ll be able to see the market once you exit the station.

The post 24 Things to Eat @ Shilin Night Market @ Taipei, Taiwan appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

It’s a mad house at the Aquatic Addiction Development Japanese Restaurant (上引水产) in Taipei. Waiters are almost always walking on a small jog and patrons are always standing whether they are queuing up for a table, or eating.  Yes, eating.  We stood  and ate gourmet Japanese food in an atmospheric set-up.  The enormous  restaurant is located in the Taipei Fish Market, featuring live seafood as key ingredients, drawing foodies to dine at this one of a kind restaurant.  The restaurant is so huge that it is segregated by specialization.  If you want to eat nigiri, go to the nigiri section, if you want to eat yakimono (grill items), there’s a whole section for it and so on.  You pay the bills at every section.  Try to be there earlier so you don’t have to wait.    


We went to the nigiri / sashimi section (立吞美食) first to get a number on the waiting list as this section was extremely popular.  Since the waiting time was about 40 minutes, we moved to the cooked food section (熟食美食)。  The crabs, prawns and oysters looked superb ! You’d be lucky if you could get a place at this counter because that’s where everyone wants to sit stand.

If you can’t get a place at the counter, just stand at a plainer counter next to it.  There are some set meals and a la carte on the menu.  Forget about the set meals and just order the seafood platter which will wow you to the moon and back.

The sashimi salad was an indicative prelude that kicked off our fabulous night with glorious food.

When the seafood platter arrived, it had us in awe.  Priced at NTD 1408 (roughly RM 165), it was mind-blowing and the most stunning plate of seafood ever, dazzling from all angles.  Everything was fresh, fresh, fresh with bursting levels of umami.  If this seafood platter was to be served in KL, it would be easily 4 times the price.  But then again, we did stand while we ate so perhaps the price was so affordable.  The restaurant is actually quite innovative to make you stand so they can speed up the turnover time.

Every piece of element on this plate was luxurious, consisting of one slice of mullet roe, half a lobster, half a hairy crab with absolutely luscious roes, half of another crab that I don’t know the name of that was full of mustard, one king crab leg,

one piece of uni, two pieces of tuna, two raw oysters, one and a half piece of abalone,

and one small plate of unknown raw, crunchy seafood.



We ordered two more pieces of raw oysters because the texture was extraordinary; silken, delicate yet lightly crisp, and truly astounding.

By the time we finished the seafood platter, it was just about time for us to go to the sashimi section.  This time, we got to sit stand in front of the sushi counter, watching the chefs dishing out sushi and sashimi with skill and precision.

This is yet another plate of umami overdose with two kinds of scallops, peony prawns and chef’s selection of sashimi.

The peony prawns were incredibly sweet, even more so at the prawns brains.  Now you see another two pieces of prawns at the back of the plate, I thought they were the same prawns but it was of a different breed with a fancy name similar to “Japanese Imperial Peony Prawns”.  These prawns were unforgettable with sweetness and umami upped yet another notch.  The most amazing part was, that brainy flavor was just not in the brain but infused throughout the prawn.  I was floored and could not believe such intricacy in flavor.

The two pieces of toro sushi was fatty  though it could have been better had it been melt-in-your-mouth.

Here is a list of things we ordered, about NT 1870 (RM 220). And by the way, the menu is all in Chinese, so you might need a bit of pointing here and there to order your things if you don’t understand Chinese.

The restaurant is massive it took us a while to orientate around the place.  Every section has a reception counter where you get your number or wait for your turn.

This is the yakimono section where all the grilling action occurs.  Were totally drooling over other people’s food.

Then there’s the ready-cooked section, the bento section, the soup section which we just had no more stomach to try.

There’s a supermarket in there too with jaw-dropping prices.  This whole packet of crab legs is only NTD 200 !

Nigiri sushi at NTD 150.

Half a dozen of oysters at NTD 660.

and plenty of amazing seafood.

You could also buy the items right away and eat it right there and then.  There’s a whole section for you to stand and eat.  Just bring your own chopsticks an condiments.

If you don’t fancy any of the above, buy a live one and you could either bring it home and cook it yourself or have the restaurant to cook it with additional fees.  It’s about as good as fishing from the sea and bringing it home with you.

More Info
Aquatic Addiction Official Website
Address : 台北市民族東路410巷2弄18號
No. 18, Mingzhu East Road, Lane 410, Taipei.  No MTR stations near the restaurant so you’ll have to get a cab.  Tell the cab drive “Taipei Fish Market”; he should know the place.

The post Aquatic Addiction Development Japanese Restaurant @ Taipei, Taiwan appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Jiufen is an old township on the mountains that was once a small settlement that developed into a township as a result of gold rush.  During the early days, the inhabitants would descend the mountain to purchase their daily necessities like food, salt etc; a to and fro journey that would take three days.  They would purchase 9 portions of everything; 9 portions of chicken, 9 portions of pork, 9 portions of vegetables and so on.  The vendors at the foot of the mountain would refer to them as “people of 9 portions” and eventually, “9 portions” or “Jiufen” became the name of this gorgeous town, perched on the hill and overlooking the sea.

When we reached Jiufen, first things first.  Lunch ! We were so hungry ! We pretty much ate at the first restaurant we saw – at the “Old Street Beef Noodles” (旧道牛肉麵).  Our guide told us this place is famous for its beef noodles with an intense herbal essence.

Well, the herbal essence was there but all of us thought it was overrated.  The beef could have been more tender and the soup could have been livelier.

The side dishes were good though – crisp pig’s ears, crunchy anchovies and well-braised tofu.

This is classic sesame noodles; just plain noodles with white sesame sauce.  I liked it.  But if you are Malaysian, I don’t think you will like it because all my Malaysian friends unanimously thought it was too heavy, too filling and not too much taste on the first bite.

The beef noodles store shares half the store with the taro balls store, so we got a bowl as it was convenient.  Jiufen is famous for the taro balls (芋圆) – chewy, sticky and springy.  You’ll find taro ball stores scattered throughout Jiufen.

It was good that we replenished our energy right at the very first restaurant we saw, because we really needed that to squeeze through a sea of people on the old street.   Jiufen is crazy on weekends and public holidays; best if you could visit on a weekday.  The old street was really narrow, yet filled with all sorts of things to distract you, such as :

Ice drip coffee,

Meat balls (肉圆),

five-spiced tea eggs,

ice cream wrap,

meatballs – all sorts of them ! –  made with pork, with sotong, with peanuts or with milk fish,

snacks,

cute stationery,

bamboo-made utensils,

scary masks and much more !

The Old Street really wasn’t all that long but with everyone stopping to eat something, to buy something or to look at something, there were certain parts that came to a completely standstill ! Don’t give up though because once you get past these stores, the stunning scenery awaits you.

At this section of Jiufen, it is much quieter; perhaps because the terrain becomes much more hilly.

This section is also dotted with quaint retro tea houses and Japanese-styled tea houses.  These tea houses are fantastic places to sit back and to enjoy the exhilarating view.

If you have more time to spare in Jiufen, watch a movie in Shengping Cinema (升平戏院).   The cinema was first built in 1914 and the it was the largest cinema during its time.  Even residents from nearby districts would come by this cinema to watch the movies.  The cinema had its glory days, receiving thousands of movie watchers during weekends.  The cinema’s fate was tied with Jiufen’s.  When Jiufen’s gold mining industry waned, the cinema could also no longer flourish, eventually closing its business in 1986.

Now that it’s been fully refurbished into a 1960’s cinema and back into the game again,  classic Taiwanese movies such as “City of Sadness” and others that had filmed in Jiufen are played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for free.

  
More Info
Jiufen Official Website
Take the train from Taipei Station to Ruifang Station, exit the station and take the Keelung Transit Bus (基隆客运) (about 15 minutes bus ride).

The post Jiufen @ Taiwan appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

The Pingxi Line (平溪支线) would be a familiar railway branch for those that are planning for the Pingxi Lantern Festival.  The Sky Lantern Festival is a highly anticipated annual even typically held during Chinese New year.  The bad thing is, that’s the time when the whole of Taiwan is on holiday and that’s one of the places where everyone wants to go. The good thing is, you could go to Shifen (十分), Pingxi (平溪) and Jingtong (菁桐) in the Pingxi District to fly a sky lantern any time of the year and it won’t be as crowded; just that it won’t be as spectacular as thousands of people releasing the lanterns into the sky.

The Pingxi Railway Line has seven stations, Santiaoling (三貂岭), Dahua (大华), Shifen (十分), Wanggu (望古), Lingjiao( 岭脚趾), Pingxi (平溪 ) and Jingtong (菁桐).  If you’ve purchased a day pass ticket like me, you could travel on both Pinxgxi Line and Shen’ao Line (深奥) with unlimited train rides.  Shen’ao Line includes stations such as Haikeguan (海科馆) , Ruifang (瑞芳)， Badouzhi (八斗子) and Shen’ao (深奥).  You can either buy this ticket at the Taipei Main Station, or the Ruifang Station where you would transit to get to Pinxi.

You can your easy card too if you wish.  There’s no physical “gate” at the stations so you’ll have to remember to swipe in and out of the station at the blue detector.

Shifen (十分)

Typically, the three popular stations to visit on the Pinxi Line would be Shifen (十分), Pingxi (平溪) and Jintong (菁桐).  If you have extra time, take a stop at Houtong (猴桐), which is also known as the cat village because somehow at this small town, there are just cats everywhere.   The Our first station was Shifen Station， popular for its old street and Shifen Waterfall.

As soon as we crossed the railway track, it was the old street filled with retro post boxes, “bamboo wishes” and food.  Lots and lots of food.  You’ll never have to worry about food if you are in Taiwan.

Try this “marble soft drink” (弹珠汽水) if you get a chance.  The drink itself is no different from any other soft drinks; it is fun because there’s a piece of marble at the bottle mouth.  You’ll have to push the marble into the bottle with the pink plastic gadget and by the time you’ve finished drinking, the marble is yours!

“Shifen” literally means “very”.  You could imagine all sorts of puns made with “Shifen”.  “Shifen xinfu” is a classic phrase on post boxes and mini sky lanterns, meaning “very happy”.   Food stalls calling themselves “Very” Yummy and “Very” Delicious are not uncommon.

Flying the sky lantern is definitely the number one activity here ! NTD 150 for singled-colored latnerns and NTD 200 for multi-colored lanterns.

And where do you fly the lanterns? Right on the railway tracks…… I know, it’s dangerous and in fact illegal because there was a warning that states a fine (NTD 3000 I think?) if you are caught crossing the tracks.  With the tracks being so close to the buildings, most people  ignore the warning until the train arrives.  Do be careful though.

Cant get enough of these lanterns? Bring one lantern-inspired lamp shade home with you

Shifen Waterfall (十分大瀑布)

Moving onto the next attraction in Shifen, we went to Shifen Waterfall.  The Waterfall is located about 35 minutes away on foot (so it’ll be about one hour plus to and fro).  If you do not wish to walk, there are motor vehicle service providers at the end of the old street – fully customizable. You could rent a bicycle, a motorcycle, hire a cab to and fro , or walk there and take a cab back.  The cabs don’t run on meters and they just charge a flat rate of NTD 100 per one way trip (less than 10 minutes ride).

The cab dropped us off at a restaurant perched on a slope.  We walked through the restaurant, past the bridge, bringing us to the scenic park where the Shifen Waterfall was located at.

  

The waterfall was really pretty ! The scenic park is organized with a one way trail circumferencing the waterfall so you’ll be able to catch different angles of the waterfall.  The trail takes a minimum of 30 minutes to complete.

For the history buffs wanting to find out more about Shifen history, visit the Coal Mine Museum. Pingxi District once thrived and flourished on the abundance of coal.  As time went by, coal diminished; many coal mining tunnels and infrastructures were deserted and became part of Pinxi District’s story.  The picture below is the ticketing counter for the museum, which is not too far away from the Old Street.  Transport will be arranged to bring you to the museum that’s a 10 minutes drive away.  (Closed on Mondays).
  

Pingxi (平溪)

Our next stop was Pingxi.  It was much quieter than Shifen with an old town charm.  Flying the sky lantern was the main activity there.

Not sure if it was because of Monday, quite a few of shops on Pingxi’s Old Street were closed.  I would imagine the street to be as lively as Shifen had they been open.  I didn’t mind it though as I could just soak up the vibe and walk leisurely without having to avoid bumping into people constantly.

We did manage to find food as usual ! This rice paper wrapped sorbet was superb ith peanut shavings, a dash of sesame seeds and a sprinkle of cilantro.  A perfect savory dessert.  Gary on the other hand, wasn’t too aprreciative about having cilantro in sorbet.

Enjoy a few more photos of Pingxi below : )

Jingtong (菁桐）

Jingtong is another small town with coal mining as part of its history.  There are even more abandoned infrastructures here.  Some are lucky enough to have been converted into cafes and ukelele classrooms while others just remained as is, providing a magnificent backdrop for pre wedding photography.

This is the Jingtong Mining Industry Life Pavilion, unfortunately closed on our visit.  The Jingtong Old Street was even quieter than the one at Pingxi.  Guess Monday is not a good day !

In Taiwan, there are many railway franatics.  They love anything about railway; the trains, the train tickets, even the  bento provided on the train ! The Jingtong Railway Story House (below) is a reflection of such frenzy.  There is a large piece of antique map of Taiwan, framed, with corresponding train tickets of every station in Taiwan.  How crazy is that? No photography is allowed in the shop so you’ll have to see it for yourself.

Enjoy more photos of Jingtong below

More Info
Jingtong Old Street Official Website
Pingxi Old Street Official Website
Shihfen Old Street Official Website

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There’s something undeniably alluring about Ipoh’s White Coffee.  That velvety texture, that hint of charcoal scent and that unforgettable flavor all contribute to Ipoh’s famed drink. There are a few places you could drink Ipoh White Coffee : Ah Chow, Chang Jian, Nam Chau, Nam Heong, Sun Yoong Loong and Xin Xiang Er Nong.  You probably have your own absolute favorite place to go to it’s just got to be that particular kopitiam and no others will do.  I was so addicted to Sin Yoong Loong at one point I was sometimes drinking 2 cups a day before cutting down my consumption.  Have you ever wondered why you are particularly inclined to white coffee from a certain kopitiam ? Perhaps it’s the old coffee stains in the cups that made Ipoh White Coffee so special; or perhaps the subtle differences in acidity, sweetness and bitterness from different kopitiams are enough for you to vouch all out for your favorite white coffee.

I decided to try out all the white coffees to see what’s the difference between them.  Typically, I LOVE my white coffee as kopi-c; i.e. milk and no sugar.  For the first few rounds, all the white coffee seemed to taste the same to me.  So I gave up my favorite way of drinking for this experiment and I drank all the white coffee as kopi-o-kosong – no milk and no sugar.  Here are my findings (in alphabetically order) :

1.  Ah Chow White Coffee

Ah Chow’s white coffee had a distinctive sweet note to it even without sugar.  It was the least characteristic among all the white coffee because neither the strength nor the charred scent stood out.  Having said that about the kopi o kosong, Ah Chow’s one and only alcohol-laced white coffee was remarkably noteworthy.

The slightly milky-looking coffee had a tad of alcohol; not a whole lot of it so don’t expect it to have the alcoholic potency as the Irish coffee.  There was enough alcohol for you to acknowledge it and its chemistry with the inherent sweetness of the white coffee was splendid you could end up asking for seconds.

As for food, chicken rice and noodles are available at Ah Chow.

Address : 31 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak (in Ipoh Old Town).

2.  Chang Jiang White Coffee (Branch )

Chang Jiang’s white coffee was a robust brew, perhaps even one of the strongest.  The coffee had a powerful charred scent with an amazing herbal taste.

The chicken and pork rice at Chang Jiang were decent with a delectable sauce.

Address : No. 171 Jalan Pasir Puteh, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

3.  Chang Jiang White Coffee (Branch 2)

Chang Jiang White Coffee has opened a signature outlet in 2014.  The outlet exudes nostalgia with its marble table tops, old-fashioned panel windows and giant mirrors.  At the same time, it is demurely chic with Tiffany-blue chairs and pink window frames.  The signature noodles topped with chicken feet, tofu, egg, minced meat and vegetable are simple yet exquisite.

Address : No. 7 Jalan Windsor, 30250 Ipoh, Perak.

4.  Nam Chau White Coffee

Nam Chau’s white coffee had a subtle note of sweetness with a hint of bitterness.  I just couldn’t resist and ordered a cup of kopi-c; where the simple presence of milk was like a magic potion, adding bliss to the coffee.

As for food, you won’t be disappointed with Nam Chau’s variety of curries.

Address : 54 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

5.  Nam Heong (Branch 1)

Nam Heong’s white coffee was moderately intense and leaned towards a heavier note on acidity.  The acidity was still recognizable when I drank it as kopi-c.

Food at Nam Heong is one of the best in Ipoh; including dim sum, char koay teow and curry noodles.

Address : 2 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

6.  Nam Heong Food Court (Branch 2)

To drink Nam Heong’s white coffee at a more sophisticated environment, go to Nam Heong Food Court.  Same coffee, same dim sum, more choices for food as the food court has gathered at least 10 popular Ipoh hawker food stalls all under one roof.  The food items here are slightly pricier though.

Address : Blok B, 2-14, Soho Ipoh, Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

7.  Sin Yoon Loong (Branch 1)

I’ve always had an affinity towards Sin Yoon Loong’s coffee and I never knew why.  Now that I have tried a good number of white coffee in Ipoh I think I found the reason.  Sin Yoon Loong’s coffee was very well balanced.  It was a moderately strong brew with hints of bitterness, acidity and charred scent.  There was a bit of everything that you could recognize yet the elements didn’t overwhelm each other, making it my kind of coffee.

Food items you can order at Sin Yoong Loong include charcoal toasted bread with kaya, yong tau fu and pork rice.   Food from next door, Sin Yuan Fong, can also be ordered to be eaten at Sin Yoong Loong.

Address : 15 A Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

8.  Sun Yoong Loong (Branch 2)

Sin Yoong Yoong has two branches; the one in old town is run by the mother, while the one at Medan Bendahara is run by the son.

Address : Medan Bendahara, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.

9.  Xin Xiang Er Nong

Xin Xiang Er Nong’s white coffee was potent and as vigorous as the one from Chang Jiang I couldn’t decide which one was stronger.  The white coffee was predominantly charred with a pleasurable tinge of bitterness.

Food items at Xin Xian Er Nong inlcude Pan mee, economy rice, currey mee (from Dong Gu Teng) and herbal duck noodles.

Address : At the intersection of Jalan Tokong / Jalan Foo Ee Ling, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.

Conclusion

In conclusion,

1.  For coffee lovers who prefer a heavy brew, go to Chang Jiang and Xin Xiang Er Nong.  For a unique herbal taste in coffee, go to Chang Jiang; for an energetic charred scent, go to xin Xiang Er Nong.

2.  For coffee lovers who like a moderate brew, go to Sin Yoong Loong, Nam Heong and Nam Chau.  Go to Sin Yoong Loong for a well balanced coffee with a bit of everything – charred scent, bitterness and acidity; go to Nam Heong if you like a bit of acidity; go to Nam Chau if you like your coffee with a note of sweetness.

3.  For coffee lovers who like a lighter brew, go to Ah Chow.  The coffee there is indeed very light; almost too light.  Try the alcohol-laced white coffee for an oomph.

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Many visit Beitou for its hot springs to unwind in mineral-laden spring water.  Beitou is just a mere 20 minutes train ride away from Taipei.  If I were to live in Taipei I would always be visiting Beitou because I love hot springs ! We went to the hot spring at the Gaia Hotel, unplanned and impromptu because we had a little time to kill before dinner.  (If you wish to plan which hot spring you would like to go, check out taipeitravel.net.)  We took the train, got off at Beitou MTR station, and waited at the designated bus stop just outside the station where many free shuttles from various hot spring hotels would stop by.

Few shuttles from various Beitou hot spring hotels came and went, and somehow I picked the Gaia Hotel shuttle to hop on because the van was a tall van, tall enough for people to get in without having to lower their heads.  I figured if the shuttle was up a notch than everyone else’s, I was pretty sure the facility would be too.  And I was right.  The Gaia Hotel was one sophisticated hot spring hotel.

This is the reception area. The hotel has gender segregated hot springs (NTD 1400, opens from 7 am – 11 pm) and private hot spring rooms (NTD 2400 for 1.5 hours of usage, opens from 9 am to 12 pm; 24 hours during autumn and winter).

We picked the private hot spring room.  This is the hallway to the hot spring rooms.  It’s kinda like going to a hotel room, but instead of getting a bed, you get a big bathtub.

And this is our lovely hot spring private room; exquisite in black and we immediately loosened when we walked into the room.

Shower and toilette spaces.

Borghese products were provided as toiletries.

Just in case we got hungry, two plates of Japanese okashi (pastry) were there so we could fill our stomachs a bit.

And let’s fill the tub and get the party started

More Info
Gaia Hotel Official Website
Address : Address：No. 1, Qiyan Rd, Beitou District, Taipei City
Getting there : Take the train to Beitou Station.  Free shuttle buses will take you to the hotel. The same shuttle can be arranged to bring you back to the train station after your hot spring session.  Shuttle frequency is around every 30 minutes.

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Tai Feng Steamboat @ Cheras (台风火锅) is located among the shoplots next to Aeon in Balakong, on Jalan C180.  To be precise, it is Taiwanese steamboat, from the drinks (Taiwanese fruit beer & health-conscious drinks), to the ingredients used and even the service too are downright Taiwanese.  The interior is the current trend of industrial chic of bare red bricks and raw concrete, but with sprigs of added greens, it reminds me of Taiwan’s “Siheyuan”, or courtyard houses in the shape of quadrangles.

There were 4 kinds of soup bases – tomatos (RM 20), lemon grass (RM 20), tomatos + milk (RM 20) and sour cabbage + pork (RM 25).  We went with sour cabbage + pork as it was highly recommended by my sister.

When the soup was boiling, the staff  scooped a spoonful for us to try  the flavor.  It had the similar taste as “kiam chai” soup (green mustard soup), only more refreshing and less salty.

He scooped another spoonful of soup into the sauce, made of deep fried, crunchy shrimps and sesame sauce – an ultimate dip that adds a hint of umami to anything.

The steamboat set (RM 20.90) is suitable to get you started including basic items such as vegetables, prawns, meatballs, eggs and noodles.  Looking at the three-tiered bamboo basket, for a moment I thought I was having hi-tea ! The amount shown here is for 2 sets.

The top tier.

The second tier.

The third tier.

Our a la carte items were – Australian Beef (RM17) – succulent and inviting;

minced meat with yolk (RM 15.90) – which formed the most wonderful bolus of meat when dropped into the hot boiling soup.  It was delicate without any porky smell even my friend who dislikes almost any kind of pork gave it a positive nod;

and various kinds of pork balls and fishballs (in the range of RM 6.90 – 9.90 for a plate of 6).  Pork balls are classic Taiwanese food commonly seen in Taiwanese households and in Taiwanese cuisine.  The pork balls became more and more creative over time; more ingredients were used instead of solely pork.  In the case of Tai Feng, you see cheese within pork balls, sausage within pork balls and minced meat within pork balls; adding a twist to the classic.

The steamboat set was pretty value for money, at RM 20.90 per set, it came with a scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream too. Would have been RM 12.90 if we ordered as a la carte.

Service at Tai Feng Steamboat was excellent – almost too attentive.  The staff will “report” to you about everything they are about to do; for example they will notify you when they want to add more soup to the hot pot, or they’ll ask for your permission to put in the last remaining bits of vegetables, and they are extremely polite every sentence ends with “thank you”.  Very classic Taiwanese restaurant service.  The boss himself is actually not from Taiwan but has worked sometime there.  I think he’s replicated a successful Taiwanese business model at Tai Feng Steamboat.

More Info
Tai Feng Hot Pot Facebook
Address : A-1-UG, Jalan C180/1, Dataran C180, 43200 Cheras.
Opening Hours : 4 pm – 12 am.

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Yee Fatt’s curry mee does not stinge on its spices used for its famed, piquant curry that’s been around in Ipoh for tens of years.  Before you even enter Yee Fatt , the whiff of multitude of spices will lure you into the kopitiam without further ado.  It’s like walking into a mamak shop but the intensity of curry scent is even stronger than that; strong enough I think after eating at the place, even my clothes might have caught a bit of the curry scent.  Two types of curries are available here – the dry curry and the soupy curry.  There’s a poster on the wall that showcases the two types of curries but let’s just say that’s only for illustration purposes.

Looking nothing like how it was portrayed on the wall; there were no garnishes, no presentation; just a big scoop of curry paste dunked on the noodles with soy sauce; but who cares about all these things when the dry curry mee was smothered to death with a rich, creamy curry paste you could feel a serenade of spices dancing on your tongue.  The curry coated on every strand of noodle, making every bite a gratifying one.  As we worked our way through the curry, the bean sprouts and roast pork (char siew) were all hiding beneath the abundant curry.

The soupy version served in a bowl was similar to the dry curry in terms of flavor, only a tad toned down.  Calling it soupy might be misleading, because it was only soupier in comparison with the dry curry, but still rather viscous.

Other dishes at Yee Fatt include tea eggs and glutinous rice.  Yee Fatt gets jam-packed during weekends and public holidays you’ll need to wait – we’d waited for 30 minutes at one time.  Perhaps that’s the reason why the curry noodles have no decorations at all to speed up the serving process.

More Info :
Address : 39 Jalan Kampar, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.

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The neat and modern Sassorosso with the twin towers as its backdrop and alfresco dining makes it the perfect place for a night of Italian fine dining.  

A basket of flat breads and chewy bread were for starters;

followed by a piquant, silky mushroom soup (RM 24 ),

and pan fried scallops served with cauliflower cream and olive tapenade (RM 64). Delicately textured, the supple scallops were browned beautifully at the edges while the center was translucent.  Perhaps it was a tad too translucent at the center as it was slightly undercooked for me

The shining star of this meal was the unforgettable tagliatelle with shavings of black truffles (RM 128).  I could smell the electrifying scent of the black truffles from miles away.  Alright, I was exaggerating but you get the idea of the scent intensity.  The thing with trufflles is that you either love its provocative scent or find the odor to be offensive.  Big fans of truffles would love this dish to death; especially when a big bowl of grated cheese is at your disposal to notch up the creaminess.  I pretty much used up half a bowl of that cheese.

The grilled maguro tuna in Dijon mustard crust served with lentils was like a happy marriage of the land and the sea (RM 79) – where the earthy flavors of lentils and the umami in maguro tuna complement each other.  The dish was quite intriguing for me too because lentils aren’t exactly a common thing in Malaysian diet, let alone to pair it with tuna.

The pannacotta was lovely.  Usually pannacotta probably wouldn’t be my first choice for dessert.  The only reason I chose this was because of the “fresh plum poached in caramelized red wine” (RM24) as written on the menu.  I was blown away.  Everything was marvelous in this dessert.  The distinctive, reduced red wine with a note of sweetness, the fruity sweetness and mild acidity from the plum, and the creamy pannacotta were made in heaven.

Other items in Sassorosso’s menu include pastas (RM 42 – RM 128), meats (RM 58 – 162), pizzas (RM 42 – RM 68) and fish (RM 79 – RM 162).

More Info
Sassorosso Facebook
Address : 9 Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, 50450 KL.
Opening Hours : Mon – Thurs, Sun : 12 pm – 3 pm , 6 pm – 11 pm.  Fri – Sat 12 pm – 3 pm, 6 pm – 12 am.

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Gardens By the Bay in Singapore is one architectural marvel.  The gigantic compound spans through an astonishing 101 hectares of reclaimed land, with conservatories, gardens and lakes that would guarantee a fantastic visit.

The most obvious structures at Gardens by the Bay are the Cloud Forest (taller dome), the Flower Dome and Supertree Grove.

There’s a reason for the Cloud Forest to be the taller dome – because there is a little “mountain” in there ! We expected trees, flowers and plants in the dome, but walking into the Cloud Forest with a waterfall pouring from the mountain was totally out of our expectation.

The little mountain has different levels you could visit.  Level 4 exhibits various types of crystals and it is also where you would do the “Tree Top Walk”.

At Level 5, this is where you get to walk the bizarre-looking bridge.  The conservatory is cool throughout as it mimics the habitat of tropical rainforest at 1000 m to 2000m above sea level; a bit like Cameron Highlands actually.

Moving to the Flower Dome, it showcases 9 different sections from different parts of the world – the Californian Garden, the Olive Grove, the Australian Garden, tthe South American Garden, the South African Garden,

the Mediterranean Garden,

the Succulent Garden,

the Baobabs (water-storing trees, take a look at the fat tree trunks you’ll know where the water is stored),

and the stunning, beautifully manicured Flower Field.

It might be a good idea to plan to see the Supertree Grove at night, because it’s much more spectacular. Also, the Garden Rhapsody is played twice daily at 7.45 pm and 8.45 pm, where the trees put on a dazzling show of lights at play.

The vicinity is also the perfect place to view the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.

Lastly, don’t forget to check out Marc Quinn’s giant baby sculpture known as “The Planet” located at The Meadows – superbly looking like a floating baby only supported by the hand.  I wonder what kind of physics / mathematics calculations had to be deciphered before materializing this sculpture !

More Info:
Gardens by the Bay Official Website
For Admission Fees and Opening Hours, check out Gardens by the Bay’s Official Website

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Yomi Hotel inTaipei (优美饭店) is located in a vibrant neighborhood, strategically within 2 minutes walk to the bus stop (in front of Ambassador Hotel) and 5 minutes walk to Shuang Lian MTR Station.  There is plenty to explore around the hotel – Watsons, Cosmed, bubble tea shops, 7-11 (lots) and food streets to name a few.   The hotel seems to be very popular among the Japanese because we saw lots of Japanese tourists staying at the hotel.  The rooms and interior have a hint of Japanese vibe too, perhaps to cater the Japanese tourists.

The room was immaculate and natural with pale wood.  It was decently sized (I wouldn’t expect anything bigger really) with a small couch, dresser table, TV and a tiny closet.

I liked the attention to detail such as the multi adptor and the various types of cables you need for Iphone/Samsung/etc.  You’ll be totally safe if you are staying in this hotel without bring your charger.  The hotel even caters to different firmness of the bed upon request.  See the card behind the lamp that says “Memory Foam Topper” ? If you find the bed too hard (which I did), the memory foam is provided free of charge.

The memory form is just among one of the things that’s provided free at the hotel.  Here are a few more : the mini bar is free, washing & drying your clothes is free (free washing powder too), free coffee, free soft drinks at the lobby and the best part is, the the hotel loans you a POCKET WIFI too ! The hotel is also baby friendly, providing items like baby bed, baby bathtub, baby shampoo, baby toothbrush, baby stroller, baby ladder, etc.  Yomi Hotel is possibly one of the most thoughtful hotels we’ve stayed in.

The bathroom reminded me of my stay in Japan with the washlet and the deep bath tub with a slant (perhaps more ergonomic when soaking in the tub?)

The hotel’s breakfast area was combined with the computer area.  Bright, clean and spacious.

Another thoughtful act here – the computers were set in different languages: Traditional Mandarin, Simplified Mandarin, English and Japanese.

Breakfast was classic Taiwanese, consisting of porridge, pickles and dishes such as “big sausage wraps small sausage” and “three cups pork”; and a small section for Western breakfast.

It was about NTD 3000 + per night and well worth it

More Info:
Yomi Hotel Official Website
Address : Address: No. 28, Section 1, Minsheng East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Getting there from Taoyuan Airport : See instructions on taking bus from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei; choose Citi Air Bus (大有巴士); the bus will stop in front of Ambassador Hotel, which is 2 minutes walk from Yomi Hotel.

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Yangmingshan National Park (阳明山国家公园) is pretty throughout the year, and always different throughout the seasons because a multitude of flowers blossom on the hills and mountains.  Cherry blossoms and camellias bloom January to March, callus lilies and Yoshino cherry blossoms shine from April to May; azaleas dominate from May to October, while silver grass blankets the mountains in October and November.  We were in Yangmingshan National Park in April and just in term for the calla lily season.

We took the 260 bus to Yangmingshan, bought a day ticket which would allow us to go on unlimited rides on shuttle 108 (NTD 60), that stops at popular scenic spots on Yangmingshan, such as Yangmingshuwu, Zhuzhihu, Xiaoyoukeng, Erziping, Datun Nature Park, Lengshuikeng, and Qingtiangang.  If you have bought a Easy Card, you can use that too; each bus ride would cost NTD 12 – NTD 15.

Zhuzhihu (竹子湖) was our first stop where calla lilies flourished at the foot of the mountains, taking our breaths away.

Besides roaming about and enjoying the gorgeous scenery, flower picking was a favorite activity.  You could pluck 6 flowers at only NTD 100.

We didn’t pick any flowers but rather, we sat in a quaint cafe with great coffee among the flowers.   You could see there was a difference between different plots of flowers.  Some plots were more scarce while some plots had more impressive flowers.  The ones that had more flowers were usually adjoined to a coffee shop, which would indicate a minimum spending amount.  The coffee shop we took our lunch was called Green Valley (or “Lu Shan Gu” / 绿山谷) with a Japanese vibe.

We took the set meals @ NTD 300 per person, inclusive of a drink, main course and dessert. The food was ok, nothing to shout about; but the coffee was really good; medium bodied with a heartening scent.

From the cafe, we could see some fuming activity afar, which was our next destination – xiaoyoukeng (小油坑).

This piece of active landscape is “alive” because of the post-volcanic activities where underground water is being heated from residual heat from a volcanic eruption, forming fumes

This picture below from Yangmingshang’s Official Website is much more stunning.  Xiaoyoukeng is really a gigantic hole formed as a result of continuous weathering from the heat and the steam, buried within the mountains.

Our next stop was “Lengshuikeng” hot spring area.  Lengshuikeng literally means “cold water pit”.  At 40 °C, it is typically colder than most of the hot springs in the area and hence the name.  Silly me, I never thought of bringing any towels, toiletries or swimsuits (not sure if it’s required) with me so we just hung out at the place for a short 10 minutes.  The gender segregated hot springs and foot bath is free of charge.  Just remember to bring towels

Our last stop in Yangmingshan was Qingtiangang (擎天岗)，a massive flat plain perfect for cows to graze on, and for humans to stroll on.

More Info :
Yangmingshan Official Website

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Garage 51 at Bandar Sunway and St Ali (from Melborune) teamed up today for a Coffee Masterclass and a cafe take over.  The cafe take over by St Ali’s is a two-day event on the 13th & 14th of May 2015 from 11 am – 2 pm.  When Garage 51 first opened its doors, it was sort of in the middle of nowhere amidst a sea of car and tyre workshops; you might even dismiss it as one of the many workshops in the area.

Inspired by the surroundings, Garage 51 incorporated chairs-transformed-from-big-oil-cans, metals and raw concrete, creating industrial chicness that’s one of a kind.

The lofty section upstairs was where the Coffee Masterclass was held today; conducted by Matt Perger from Melbourne’s St Ali.  Matt’s a barista, roaster, cupper, 2012 World Brewers Cup Champion who knows coffee inside out and talks everything coffee; while St Ali has been named the world’s best coffee cocktail maker at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo in 2014.

Three types of coffee intensities (same coffee, but different strength) were laid out on the table and hot water was poured in.

After 3 minutes of waiting, a foamy crust was formed which was then removed so it won’t affect the cupping.

Aroma was the first to be sampled, followed by the sampling of all three coffees with different intensities.

We all SLURPED a spoonful of coffee because that is THE way to sample coffee during cupping.  Matt told us to do it unmannerly as loudly as possible so the coffee gets aerated and atomized.  Typically the sip of coffee is supposed to be spitted out, but it’s not like we are going to be tasting 500 cups of coffee so we all just drank it.  It was the medium and the light coffee that were able to bring out the delicateness and acidity of the coffee while the strongest coffee just had bitterness as that was its inherent character.

Friendly Matt and I !

Barista at work.

And voila, one of Melbourne’s finest coffees was right in front of me !

Great coffee always comes with great food.  Garage 51’s brunch menu is served from 11 am to 6 pm; while there’s a different menu after 6 pm.  The fluffy couscous with succulent chicken piccata was delightful (RM 25); and when topped with a crispy poached egg that was yolkporn-worthy, the ensemble was a striking pleasure.

The salmon croissant sandwich with avocado salsa, hard boiled egg was a simple treat (RM 26).

As for the cake, it was a sensational, three-layered banana cake with cheesy layers in between topped with coconut flakes.  It was full of texture; while bits of raisins and pineapples cohered the overall fruitiness of the cake.

Garage 51’s facade is all painted with funky murals.  And with all those cars parked outside, “garage” seems pretty literal huh !

**This post is brought to you by Tourism Victoria and Garage 51

More Info :
Garage 51 Facebook
Address : 51 Jalan PJS 11/9, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya.

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Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum in Penang houses some of the rarest toy collections.  I don’t even recognize most of these toys because they are way older than me.  My time of toys were barbie dolls, Care Bears, Hello Kitty and Doraemon, which are “too modern” to be exhibited.  The collection started off with Ben’s father, whom traveled around the world frequently, bringing back all sorts of antique toys.  The collection grew even bigger with Ben because Ben continued his father’s passion for antique toys.

When we first went in to the museum, it was dark and gloomy because we were the only ones there and the lights were not switched on.  When the staff switched on the lights for us, it was like abacadabra; the toys seemed to be alive again, illuminated through the cupboards.

The collection spans through the century with toys such as tin robots mostly made by Japanese companies in 1860 – 1980;

space toys made in the 1940’s to 1970’s;

toy ships (this one was made in the 1950’s) ;

coin boxes which were made in between 1880 and 1960;

tin toys first made in mid 19th century ;

die-cast toys which were first made in the early 20th century ;

battery-powered toys which looked a bit eerie to me ;

and game boys.  Aha.  Finally something that I was familiar with !

Ah ! And marbles ! I know you !

The upstairs section exhibits board games and kids vehicles.

Lots and lots of kids vehicles; such as scooters, bicycles, tricycles, and rocking horses.

Some of the pieces do look extremely worn, weathered and rusty – some might even see them as junk.  But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  These pieces are in fact invaluable because there aren’t much of these left.

The oldest piece in the museum is the Victorian era tricycle horse made in 1800’s in England.  That’s like 215 years old and still looking good.

If you love rare and collectibles, I think you will enjoy Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum in Penang

More Info :
Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum, Penang Facebook Page
Address : 55 Lebu Aceh, Penang.
Opening Hours : Tuesday to Thursday, Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 6 pm ; Friday 3 pm – 6 pm.
Entrance Fee : RM 6 for adults; RM 3 for kids.

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Macau’s Historic Center was gazetted as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, comprising of 30 significant architectures and squares that pretty much define Macau the way it is today – a diverse culture of East meets West, and a co-existence of the Portuguese and the Chinese.  
The Macau Tourism Office has a really nifty map that illustrates the positions of each place precisely and all you need to do is follow the map and embark on a hassle-free walking trail. You may download the PDF map here.  All the places look really close on the map and I decided to test out if I could walk this trail in one day.  The answer is yes, provided that you start early in the morning and end late at night.  We only managed to walk through the trail as some of the galleries/museum were closed on our visit; we didn’t get to go in and merely passed by.  If you really want to understand everything on this trail spending some time to visit the galleries and museums, plan a good two days at least and make sure you have good walking shoes !  Let’s check out the 30 architectures in Macau’s Historic Center below :

1.  A-Ma Temple 

The A-Ma Temple was built in 1488, enshrining Matsu – the Goddess of the sea.  With more than 500 years of history, it is one of the oldest temples in Macau.  When the Portuguese first arrived, they landed near the temple.  When they inquired about where they were, the locals gave them the name of the temple, pronounced as “A Ma Gau” in Chinese.  The accidental misunderstanding eventually gave rise to the name “Macau”.  The temple is very popular and seems to be perpetually full of devotees and tourists so be prepared to squeeze through them.

More Info on macauheritage.net, macautourism.gov.mo
Address : Barra Square
Opening Hours : 7 am – 6 pm.

2.  Barra Square

The square in front of A-Ma Temple with tiles mimicking undulating waves is known as Barra Square. The Maritime Museum is located there as well.

3.  Moorish Barracks


Besides Chinese and Portuguese architectures, the Mughal-influenced yellow building with accents in white  was once the barracks of Indian policemen from Goa.  It is currently the Marine & Water Bureau and only the veranda is open for visits.

More Info on macauheritage.net, macautourism.gov.mo
Address : Calçada da Barra
Opening Hours (veranda only) : 9 am – 6 pm.

4.  The Mandarin House

Built in 1881, Mandarin’s House was the former residence of Chinese scholar Zheng Guan Ying.  The main entrance into the house may not look that big but in fact the house spans over 4000 m² with more than 60 rooms, making this the biggest Chinese traditional housing in Macau.  Mandarin’s House is unique for its Chinese architecture with Western influences.

More Info : Mandarin’s House Official Website
Address : No. 10 Travessa de Antonio de Silva.
Opening Hours : 10 am – 6 pm.  Closed on Wednesdays.

5.  Lilau Square

Lilau Square is located net to the Mandrain House.  Lilau means “mountain spring” in Portuguese and story has it that an old lady during the Ming Dynasty built a well here to provide water for the villagers in the vicinity.  With the availability of water source, Lilau Square was one of the earliest settlement places for the Portuguese.  From a popular Portuguese saying “One who drinks from Lilau will never forget about Macau”, it is obvious that the Portuguese were very fond of Lilau Square with sentimental values.

The square was hardly crowded, and there were only a few passersby, perhaps also trying to complete the full historic center trail on foot with the map.  The square is simple with modest ,pastel-colored buildings.  While the squres doesn’t give you the wow factor compared to others surrounded by much more grandiose buildings, it exudes tranquility subtly and it’s the kind of place you want to sit down for a while to soak up the atmosphere.

6.  St Lawrence’s Church

St Lawrence Church is among one of the oldest churches in Macau.  Originally built in wood in the 1600’s, it was rebuilt in 1864.  The church’s Chinese name is called “Shun Feng Tang”, meaning “Church of Smooth Sailing Wind”, so that’s kinda like the Western equivalent of the Matsu temple, providing moral support for the seafarers.  The family members of the seafarers used to wait at the church for the husbands or fathers to come home.  The small garden outside the church adds a sense of serenity.

More Info on macauheritage.net, macutourism.gov.mo
Address : Rua de Sao Louranco
Opening Hours : 10 am – 5pm

7.  St Joseph’s Seminary & Church

The construction of St Joseph’s Seminary & Church took 12 years and was completed in 1758.  It shares a resemblance to St Paul’s Ruins as both are Baroque architectures.  An important piece of religious relic – the right-hand bone of Saint Francis Xavier is housed in the church.

More Info on macauheritage.net , macautourism.gov.mo
Address : Rua do Seminario
Opening Hours : 10 am – 5 pm  (Seminary not open to the public)

8.  St Augustine’s Church (圣奥斯定堂，龙须庙)

  
St Augustine’s Church has an amusing Chinese name – “long song miu”, meaning “Temple of Dragon’s Whiskers”.  During the olden days, the priests used to use Chinese fan palms to cover the roof when it rained.  With the wind blowing and everything, the fan palms looked like dragon’s whiskers and hence the nickname.   Every year in Feburary, St Augustine’s Church is also the starting point of the religious event, Procession of Our Lord, the God Jesus, where a statue of Jesus carrying a cross is transported in a procession to the Cathedral for an overnight vigil, then transported back the next morning.  The event is celebrated in Macau since the 16th century.

More Info: macuheritage.net, maucautourism.gov.mo; double check on Macau Tourism’s Official Webpage for the exact dates for the yearly event as the date varies.
Address : No. 2 Santo Agostinho Square
Opening Hours : 10 am – 6 pm.

9.  Dom Pedro V Theatre

Dom Pedro V Theatre is one of the “younger” architectures being built in 1860.  The neo-classical building in pastel-green accentuated with white frames is timeless and even as I see it today, it really doesn’t look like more than 100 years old.  The functioning theatre looks quite similar to a modern-day theatre and shouldn’t take you too long to walk about the premise.

More Info : macauheritage.net, macautourism.gov.mo
Address : Largo de Santo Agostinho
Opening Hours : Theatre 10 am – 6 pm, closed on Tuesdays.  Garden 10 am – 11 pm.

10.  St Augustine’s Square

St Augustine’s Square has St Augustine’s Church, Dom Pedro V Theatre, St Joseph’s Seminary & Church and Sir Robert Ho Tung Library in its vicinity.

Opening Hours : 24 Hours.

11. Sir Robert Ho Tung Library

  
Sir Robert Tung Ho was a prominent business man in Hong Kong who bought over the mansion in 1918 and it was originally used as his retreat.  During 1941, when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, he moved to Macau and stayed at the mansion permanently.  The mansion was donated to the Macau Government and converted into a library.  The library is the largest library in Macau after an expansion of the new wing, merging the new and the old, housing contemporary books and also a rare collection of antique books from the imperial dynasties.

More Info: macauheritage.net, macutourism.gov.mo
Address : No. 3 Santo Agostinho Square
Opening Hours : Mon – Sat 10 am – 7 pm, Sun 11 am – 7 pm.

12.  Leal Senado Building


I never got to see the Leal Senado Building properly when I was in Macau because it was under renovation and veiled with a green net.  This picture credit goes to wikipedia.org.  The building served its original purpose as a municipal building when it was built in 1784 and remains so today.

More Info: macauheritage.net, macutourism.gov.mo
Address : 163 Av Almeida Ribeiro (San Ma Lo)
Opening Hours : Gallery 9 am – 9 pm Closed on Mondays, Garden 9 am – 9 pm.

13.  Senado Square

Senado Square has got to be the most popular square in Macau.  It’s very strategic with many hotels within walking distances, making it a prominent meeting place.  It’s right next to the main road “San Ma Lo” with many retail stores, souvenir shops and historical buildings it’s got something for everyone – for the hungry, for the shopaholic and for the history buffs.   With the continuous stream of people, it is guaranteed that you will never be able to take a proper picture without people blocking you.  It’s either you take it very early or very late at night. I don’t know how early because I’ve never been on the square early enough, but if it’s at about 11.30 pm at night, you’ll be able to get a decent shot like the one above.

More Info : macauheritage.net, macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 24 Hours

14.  Holy House of Mercy

The Holy House of Mercy was first established in 1569 as a social welfare institution to care for the sick, the orphaned, the hungry and the ones in need.  Today, the Holy House of Mercy still carries on its original mission, establishing a day care center, a home for the elderly, a rehabilitation center for the blind and also a museum centre.

By the time you’ve got here, it’s probably lunch time if you started the trail in the morning.  There are a few prominent (but touristy) eateries around the square that you may choose to eat at, or head over to Sao Domingos Market to get some super affordable and scrumptious local eats.

More Info : http://www.scmm.mo
Museum Opening Hours : 10 am – 5.30 pm.  Closed on Mondays.

15.  Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple (Kuan Tai Temple)

The temple was originally a gathering place for the merchants in Macau known as “Sam Kai Vui Kun'; or “Meeting Place at Three Streets”.  For the merchants, they worshiped “Kuan Tai” God, whom was of particular importance to them because Kuan Tai God holds the virtues of loyalty and justice.  Eventually, the meeting place became less of use and evolved into Kuan Tai Temple for everyone to worship.

An interesting feature to note at the temple is that there is an inner door as you enter through the main entrance.  The inner door is only open during festivals and celebrations.

More Info : macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 8 am – 6 pm.

16. The  Cathedral

The magnificent Cathedral was built in 1622.  During the annual religious event, Procession of Our Lord, the God Jesus, a statue of Jesus carrying a cross is transported in a procession to the Cathedral for an overnight vigil, then transported back to St Augustine’s Church the next morning.  The event is celebrated in Macau since the 16th century.

More Info : maucautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 7.30 am – 6.30 pm.

17.  Cathedral Square

The square in front of the Cathedral is known as the Cathedral Square.

Opening Hours : 24 hours. 

18. Lou kau Mansion

Lou Kau Mansion was once the residence of Chinese merchant, Lou Kau.  The mansion amalgamated the architectural styles of both East and West, and has also incorporated feng shui considerations into the design.  The indentation of the entrance on the facade is classic Chinese style, while the windows are of Western influences.

More Info : macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 10 am – 6 pm.  Closed on Mondays.

19.  St Dominic’s Square

St Dominic’s Square is not too far away from Leal Senado Square and it is one of the places you will pass by if you are enroute to St Paul’s ruin.  With many local eateries and retails shops nearby, Needless to say, Dominic Square is another popular spot for hanging about.

Opening Hours : 24 Hours.

20.  St Dominic’s Church

Built in 1587, the Dominic’s Church with its ornate facade has incorporated both Baroque elements and Macanese features into its architectural style.  The Church is much more peaceful at night minus all the people; but this is at about 11.30 pm at night so you’ll have to stay up late to catch this glorious scene.

Opening Hours : 10 am – 6 pm.

21.  St Paul’s Ruin

  
Ruins of St Paul’s is Macau’s most iconic heritage building.  The amazingly preserved facade with intricate sculptures is an unforgettable sight.  A visit to Macau is incomplete without visiting the Ruins of St Paul’s.

Having seen the facade many many times, I’ve always wondered what’s behind the facade. There was not much left behind, except for the remains for a few columns, covered and protected by glass panels.

The Sacred Art Museum is housed beneath the ruins, exhibiting sacred arts from the 16th to 20th century.  Some artifacts from St Paul’s Ruins are found here here as well.

More Info : macauheritage.net
Opening Hours of the Museum : 9 am to 6 pm.

22.  Company of Jesus’ Square

The square in front of St Paul’s Ruins is known as Company of Jesus’ Square.

Opening Hours : 24 hours.

23.  Section of the Old Walls (next to St Paul’s Ruins)

The city wall dates back to 1569 when it was built by the Portuguese as a maritime routine to circumference Macau.  Similar defensive walls are also found in Africa and India.  The wall is unique is its composition because local materials known as “chunambo”  which consisted a mixture of clay, rice straws sand, rocks and oyster shells were used.  Today only a small section of the wall of 18.5 meters is left.

Opening Hours : 24 Hours.

24.  Na Tcha Temple (Next to St Paul’s Ruins)

The tiny Na Tcha Temple was built in 1888 during the time of epidemics.  The residents built the temple, hoping Na Tcha would be able to protect them from the plague .  A small Na Tcha Museum is located next to the temple.

More Info : macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 8 am to 5 pm.  Closed on Wednesdays.

25.  Mount Fortress

Built in the 1617, Mount Fortress is located centrally on the Macau Peninsular, making it a strategic defense mechanism with an excellent vantage point. It fended off not only the pirates, but also the invasion of the Dutch in 1622.

The Museum of Macau was built in 1999 and situated in the same vicinity as Mount Fortress.

More Info: macauheritage.net
Opening Hours (Fortress & Garden) : 7 am to 7 pm.
Opening Hours (Museum) : 10 am to 6 pm.  Closed on Mondays.

26.  Camoes Sqaure / Camoes Garden

If you are around Camoes Square, take a stroll in Camoes Garden, the largest park in Macau, named after the Portuguese poet Luis des Camoes.  The bronze statue on Camoes Square is titled “Embrace”, which signifies China and Portugal’s relationship.

More Info : macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 6 am – 10 pm
(Camoes Square, Casa Garden and Protestant Cemetery are all located next to each other)

27.  Casa Garden

In soothing colors of pink, white and greenn, Casa Garden was considered one of the most exquisite mansion in Macau, once belonging to a Portuguese merchant.  Today, it is the home of Oriental Foundation.

More Info:  macauheritage.net
Opening Hours : 9.30 am – 6 pm.
(Camoes Square, Casa Garden and Protestant Cemetery are all located next to each other)

28.  Protestant Cemetery


The cemetery was the first Protestant Cemetery in Macau.  It is the final resting place for many renowned people such as Robert Morrsion, the author of the first Chinese-English dictionary and George Chinnery, a British artist.

More Info :
Opening Hours : 8.30 am – 5. 30 pm
(Camos Square, Casa Garden and Protestant Cemetery are all located next to each other)

29. St Anthony’s Church

St Anthony Church is one of the earliest churches in Macau built in 1560.  The present form of the church was renovated in 1930.  The church has a wonderful Chinese nickname – Fa Vong Tong, or “Flower Church” because many Portuguese weddings were held at this church.

More Info: macauheritage.net
Opening Hours : 5.30 am – 5.30 pm

30.  Guia Fortress

  (Image Credit : macautourism.gov.mo)
We actually didn’t get to visit this fortress because it was past its opening hours and we got hungry.  (I’m sorry Guia Fortress.  We went for pork chop bun instead).  Shame.  I was really hoping to see the white chapel and the white light house by the sea.

More Info : macautourism.gov.mo
Opening Hours : 9 am to 6 pm.

The post 30 Places to See @ Macau’s Historic Center appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Rasa Lain in Ipoh (怡保味不同) serves as one of my earliest food memories.  In fact, I’ve eaten at Rasa Lain before it was even called Rasa Lain and before its present location in Bercham.  It was called “Gao Xiung Seafood” (高雄海鲜) back then and located at today’s Soho area not too far away from Ipoh Parade.  My family was always going to Gao Xiung Seafood with their friends and the two distinctive dishes that were imprinted in my memories since 20 years ago were the crab tungfun (glass noodles) and fish porridge.

On our recent visit to Rasa Lain , the crab tungfun was sold out by 8 pm – can you believe that? So we settled for the next in line, the prawn tungfun.  If you don’t specify how you want your tungfun, the default is tungfun soup – splendid with prawn flavors infused into the soup and superbly aromatic with spices like ginger and scallions.

The fishballs are Rasa Lain’s signature dish.  If you shake the plate, the bouncy fishballs are like dancing on the plate.  I am not sure if it would bounce high if I throw one of these on the floor – but that would be a wasteful way to find out.

Both the squid stir fry and the intestine stir fry had a similar flavor inspired by Thai cuisine – with onions, lemongrass, chili and plenty of dried shrimps.  The squid was thick, crunchy and full excitement.  The crisp intestines were exceptionally refreshing, especially when it was Thai-inspired.

Feeling somewhat unfulfilled because the crab tunfun was sold out, we went back again a second time for stir-fry crab tungfun – though I must say I was a bit disappointed because it was too far off from my childhood edition.  It wasn’t that this version was terrible or anything; the crab was juicy which was the essence of the whole dish but the tungfun was liveless.   The version that I remember vividly from my childhood was much more stunning – where the crab was accompanied by tungfun that was thoroughly stir-fried and lightly charred .  I think perhaps the bald-headed boss is no longer doing the cooking himself and hence the difference.  You might be better off with the soup version of crab tungfun.

Anyhow, Rasa Lain will always be one of Ipoh’s restaurant, but note some amount of MSG was most likely used.

More Info
Address: 69, Persiaran Medan Bercham 2, Pusat Bandar Baru Bercham, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

The post Rasa Lain @ Ipoh (味不同) appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Ante Kitchen & Bar @ Publika serves an array of porkilicious dishes, from pork ribs to pork burgers to char siew pastas.  We thoroughly enjoyed everything that we ordered I was already planning for what to eat for the next visit before even finishing off the food on our table.  

Crispy Trotter Salad (RM 29) – A complex salad with fun textures of crispiness and chewiness from the trotter shavings, and crunchiness from toasted pecans.  Despite the substantial amount of trotter shavings in the salad, it was made less sinful (or I try to convince myself that) with refreshing popping pomegranate seeds, lightly pickled papaya and mango slices.

Tomasco Soup (RM 17) – A harmonious marriage of flavors of sweet bell peppers and acidic tomatoes with a hint of herbs.

The chargrilled pork steak (RM 56) was a generous cut of substantial thickness, full of porky goodness.  The pork steak had me at first bite.  As I sliced through the crisscrossed steak, I could feel the plumpness of the pork;  it was sheer succulence with a dash of pink.  The pork was as plain as it could be; no fancy marinates;  no fancy herbs; just perfect grilling skills with a bit of salt to present pork at its best.  A quick dip into the buttery truffle sauce made it even more luxurious.

The tender slab, the glossy sheen, the enticing BBQ sauce made the Chargrilled BBQ Ribs (RM 52) a lavish dish that would elate any carnivores.

A few things that I am already planning on for the next visit include the Ante Burger (RM 42) featuring slow braised pork cheek medallion with gorgonzola cream cheese on brioche buns, Braised Pork Collar with red wine reduction sauce (RM 43) and handmade gnocchi pastas (RM 32 – RM 35).

More Info
Ante Kitchen & Bar Facebook
Address : A2-G1-09, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Opening Hours : 11 am – 11 pm

The post Ante Kitchen & Bar @ Publika, Solaris Dutams appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Danshui in Taiwan, is also known as “Tamsui”(淡水).  This seaside town once played a critical role in international trading.  Danshui was not without turbulence where many countries and authorities try to take control of it for the past 300 years.  Foreigners came and left.   
The foreigners might have left Danshui, but their existence had since been incorporated into Danshui’s history, culture and architecture.Today, Danshui is a top spot to explore in New Taipei City, where modern structures like the Lovers’ Bridge at Fisherman’s Wharf and red-bricked old buildings co-exist as if meant to be.    The lively Danshui city awaits with plenty of things to do. Here are 13 things to do start with :

1.  Stroll on Danshui’s Old Street (淡水老街) and enjoy local street food that are unique of Danshui.

As far as old streets are concerned in Taiwan, old streets are usually synonymous with food.  Lots and lots of food.  As you exit the Danshui / Tamsui MRT Station, just follow the crowd and pretty much everyone is going towards the direction of the old street.

   
A few classic Danshui street foods include fishballs with meat fillings (淡水鱼丸), “a gei”  (阿给), braised eggs (铁蛋)and fish crackers (鱼苏).   “A Gei” is basically fried tofu stuffed with glass noodles, named after the Japanese pronunciation of tofu – a ge.  The braised eggs are a must try because the texture is rather peculiar.  The eggs are braised over and over again in soy sauce, resulting in concentration of the braising source in the egg white at the same time toughening it.  The eggs are available freshly braised or in ready-packs.

2.  Enjoy the Breeze Along the Riverbank of Danshui / Tamsui (and Feast on Street Food, again !)

Parallel to the Old Street, the Danshui Riverbank is a vibrant section of Danshui.  Food stalls, quaint cafes, and ice cream parlous proliferate the place it’s a sin not to eat anything there.

3.  Cruise on Danshui River.

The ferries are operated by Shun Feng and there are six routes: Danshui Ferry Pier – Bali(淡水渡船头 – 八里), Danshui Pier – Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水客船码头 – 渔人码头), Fisherman’s Wharf – Bali (渔人码头 – 八里), Danshui Pier – Bali (淡水客船码头 – 八里), Fisherman’s Wharf – Guandu Bridge (渔人码头 – 关渡桥 ), Guandu Pier – Danshui Pier – Fisherman’s Wharf (关渡 码头- 淡水码头 – 渔人码头)。  Ticket price ranges from NTD 45 – NTD 60 depending on which route you take; EasyCard is accepted.

4.  Visit the two wharfs of Danshui – a.  Fisherman’s Wharf (渔人码头) and b. Customs Wharf (海关码头).

4 a. Fisherman’s Wharf  (渔人码头)- The massive compound including the Lover’s Bridge, souvenir shops, food stalls, cafes and a Chocolate Wonderland will take you some good time to walk about. The Lover’s Bridge was named as it was inaugurated on the 14th February 2003, Valentine’s Day.  And all those yachts that you see? Some are private; while there are also ones you could hire as party boats or for marriage proposals.

4 b. Customs Wharf (海关码头) – The Customs Wharf was once an important international port during the 1860’s.  The customs office was situated right there and then on the riverbank.  The mooring stones that once anchored the boats and the red-bricked buildings that once served as warehouses and offices still stand  strong today, only that their functions no longer apply but instead, the buildings have been transformed into cultural and exhibition spaces.

5.  Visit Fort San Domingo (红毛城)

The original fort was built by the Spaniards in wood in 1628.  The fort went through a series of change hands, being ruled by various countries and governments in a span of 300 years.  The nine flags in front of the fort illustrate this history, with the flags of  Spain, Koxinga era of Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty Netherlands,  UK, America, Japan, Australia, and lastly the ROC Taiwan.

Next to the fort is the Former British Consular Residence, a Victorian house built in the 19th century with Chinese elements.  The former residence has been refurbished and it is now a museum that’s open to the public.

6.  Visit the Customs Officer’s Residence (Little White House) (前清淡水关税务司官邸/小白宫)

In the 1860’s, foreign officers were appointed as customs and this colonial style white mansion was where they stayed.  There were originally three buildings that were of the same but two were demolished.  The last of the remaining was saved by the “Save the Little White House Campaign” by the general public.  The corridor exudes a romantic atmosphere that’s often a popular spot for pre-wedding photography.

7. Go on a Mackay Trail and Discover the Legacy He’d Left Behind.

Danshui would not be the same without George Leslie Mackay, a Canadian Presbysterian missionary that came to Danshui in 1872.  He’s contributions will always be remembered by the Taiwanese.  You’ll find his statue around Mackay Street and on Danshui riverbank, which was his landing spot when he arrived Danshui.

Mackay founded the Danshui Church (淡水礼拜堂),

the Hobe Mackay Hospital (滬尾皆医院) which has new dual functions of serving as Mackay Exhibition Hall and a nostalgic cafe,

the Oxford College (牛津学院) (now turned museum) situated in Aletheia University (真理大学) which was the pioneer in education that taught many comprehensive subjects,

and he also founded Taiwan’s very first girls school – The Danshui Girls’ School (淡水女学校).  Other Mackay-related sites in Danshui include The Residence of Mackay (not open to tourists), The Residence of Misses (not open to tourists) and Mackay Family Cemetery.

8.  Visit the Hobe Fort (滬尾巴炮台)

The fort was built during the Qing Dynasty in 1886 by German engineer Max E. Hecht, appointed by Ming-Chuan Liu, the first appointment governer of Taiwan.  The inscription of “Bei Men Suo Yao” (Key to the North Gate) by Ming-Chuan Liu still remains on the entrance to the fort.  The fort was never used in any wars and is beautifully preserved with secret tunnels that are also used for exhibition purposes.

9.  Visit the Danshui Art & Cultural Park (the Former Storage of Shell Oil Company ) (原英商嘉士洋行仓库， 淡水壳牌仓库)

Many foreign companies came to Taiwan when the Danshui Port opened for international trading.  Shell built the warehouse and operated their petroleum business at Danshui.  The warehouse was almost demolished at one point but narrowly saved by preservationists.  Today, the Former Storage of Shell Oil Company is put into good use and transformed into Danshui Art & Cultural Park to hold cultural activities and exhibitions.

10.  Visit the Douglas Lapraik & Co. Warehouses (得忌利士洋行)

Douglas Laprak & Co shipping company was established by Scottish traders based in Hong Kong.  The warehouses today are exhibition halls for Chinese stone lions.

11.  Visit the REAL Old Street of Danshui – Chongjian Street (重建街)

The sloped Chongjian Street was once the flourishing city center of Danshui.  It is much less commercialized than the old street that’s listed at No. 1, and it definitely looks a lot older with many ancient buildings dotted along the street.

12.  Visit a Temple

There are many temples in Danshui; Fuyou Temple, Longshan Temple, Qingshui Zushi Temple and Yinshan Temple.  The Fuyou Temple that enshrines the Matsu Goddess and it is the oldest Temple (since 1796) in Danshui; shown in the picture below.    Don’t overlook the stone that’s opposite the temple.  It is thought to be the “Matsu Stone” which smoothened the construction process of Zhongzhen Market located opposite the temple.

13.  Enjoy the Beautiful Sunset at Danshui

Pictures speak louder than words.  Nuff said.

The post 13 Things to Do @ Danshui, Taiwan appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .