BabyBoss & Hello Kitty Sweets

01 December 2015

Ash was only 3 when we first visited BabyBoss (中保寶貝城) in 2013. I still remember how she cried her lungs out while playing "Police" then.

Two years on, I couldn't be more proud to see her enjoying herself with all the activities she set out to do.

Her "achievements" for the day...

I decided to reward ourselves with a cutesy dinner at Hello Kitty Sweets. I guess the boys didn't share the same sentiment! Look at the distinct difference in our facial expressions...

Boys vs...

Girls...

The food was actually quite nice although I find it to be on the pricey side.

Overall, it was a good experience :)

Addiction Aquatic Development & Ximending

30 November 2015

We left for Taichung HSR station shortly after breakfast. Our initial plan was to travel by their local train but looking at the number of luggages we were lugging along, we decided to take a cab instead.

Fuss free collection of our pre-booked train tickets to Taipei using the automated machine.

The journey to Taipei via the high speed rail took us slightly more than an hour. Our first stop... CityInn Hotel - Taipei Station Branch III to drop off our luggages!

Addiction Aquatic Development 上引水產

A must visit place if you are here in Taipei! Fresh seafood, restaurants with different dining styles, Japanese supermarket, all under one roof!

After much deliberation, we decided to dine alfresco at the outdoor charcoal grilled restaurant and also packed some to-go food to be savoured later.

Orders for food were placed at the counter and then BBQ-ed over slow fire making it all juicy and flavourful.

Kaeden gave it a thumb up!

Round 2: Kaeden's Garlic Fried Rice & Walker's Sashimi Platter

The trip to Ximending 西門町 was meant for some shopping to work off the calories and fats. We ended up with more food instead!

Cingjing - Swiss Wonderland Tour

29 November 2015

Our itinerary for the second day included the following:

(1) Guanyin Waterfall
(2) Old England
(3) Small Swiss Garden
(4) Cingjing Farm

A quick stopover at Guanyin Waterfall and Old England.

The Old England (老英格蘭）is a traditional English mansion featuring all things Britain. It's one of the most luxurious and expensive B&B in Taiwan! Sadly, we weren't able to enter the building and admire it's interior as its exclusive only to guests staying at the mansion.

Small Swiss Garden (瑞士小花园）is known as "Taiwan's Little Switzerland" due to its beautiful Northern European atmosphere.

Upon entering the garden, we were greeted by animals and decorations constructed of cardboard materials.

Flowers were blooming everywhere, what a pretty sight!

It was a wonderful hour spent exploring the garden. The cooling weather made everything so perfect.

Entrance fee is NT120 for adults and NT90 for children.

It was a crowded afternoon at Cingjing Farm (清境農場). We alighted some distance away from the main entrance and walked in instead.

Entrance fee is NT200 for adults, NT120 for children and NT20 for children under 6 years old (Weekend rates).

The farm sits 2000 meters above sea level and its high altitude scenery is simply breathtaking!

Herds of sheep were roaming and grazing freely on the huge grassland. The kids had great fun feeding the sheeps as many of them were not 'shy' and came forward to 'approach' us.

Just had to be extra careful of the sheeps' poop though, they were practically EVERYWHERE!

Other than sheeps, there were also many beautiful horses and ponies in the farm where you can ride on them for an additional fee. Daddy brought Ash on a short ride around the open-air amphitheatre and she was elated!

Do avoid sitting on benches in the same row where the horses/ponies are parked if you do not wish to have your shoes/feet soak in big puddles of urine! *yeeks* 

Our next destination, a crowded Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市) on a Sunday night. Despite a long Q of people at almost every food stall, we managed to try quite a variety of food!

Taichung - Purple Lavender Tour

28 November 2015

For our two days here in Taichung, Mr Lu was our driver assigned by RoundTAIWANRound to bring us around.

Today's itinerary covered the following:

(1) Rainbow Military Dependents' Village
(2) Lavender Cottage
(3) Xinshe Castle
(4) Carton King
(5) Miyahara

We made a quick stopover at 彩虹春村, took some pictures and left. Didn't really find the place interesting, probably due to my lack of appreciation for art.

It wasn't an easy drive up to Lavender Cottage due to the narrow, winding mountainous road. Both Kaeden and I were on the verge of puking but thankfully we managed to hold it in!

Entrance fee is NT100 per person (inclusive of NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

I wish we had requested for more time to slowly explore and enjoy this beautiful place in Taichung City. One hour was barely enough at all!

Xinshe Castle (新社莊園) is a European style castle that overlooks a stunning huge lake and is surrounded by lush greenery surrounded. Despite the crowd, we had a wonderful time strolling around the compound.

Entrance fee is NT250 for adults, NT150 for children between 7-12 years old and free entry for children under 6 years old (inclusive of  NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

Next stop was to Carton King where almost EVERYTHING from furnishings to crockeries, were made from corrugated cardboard.

These cardboard made tables and chairs were actually sturdy enough to accommodate an adult's weight, so amazing!

Thankfully, the drinks inside wasn't made from cardboard!

Entrance fee is NT200 per person (inclusive of  NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

Miyahara (宫原眼科) is one of the must-visit places in Taichung. It used to be an ophthalmology clinic during the Japanese occupation period of Taiwan. Decades later, the building was taken over by "Dawn Cake" and remodeled into today's ice-cream joint/restaurant.

Different selection of ice-creams... Chocolates, Milk Teas, Fruits/Sorbets. Just the chocolate ice-cream alone has 17 different types to choose from, varying according to their place of origin and cocoa percentage *speechless*

They have no less of toppings too...

Conclusion, it's definitely worth queuing for!

On our way back to the hotel, Walker and I decided to check out the 台中肉員 stall that our driver highly recommended to us when we drove past it this morning. Doesn't it look more like 肉包?

And the chilli... Not red wor???

We gave this a 10/10!