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 :)

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!

Goodbye to Flying Cow and Hello to Taichung City

27 November 2015

I was glad to have arranged for the pick up at 1 pm as this gave us ample time to enjoy our lunch and to do another walk about of the ranch before leaving for Taichung.

En-route, our friendly driver gave us an informative introduction of Taichung city, made some recommendation of the to-visit places that are within the vicinity of our hotel and also taught us how to get around places using public transport.

We arrived at our hotel, CityInn Hotel Plus - Taichung Station Branch few minutes before the designated check in time hence we were spared from a long wait at the lobby.

Each level of the hotel was decorated with a different theme and we were so tempted to stop the lift at every level to check it out! (but we didn't lah)!

The room was on the small side but very clean and tastefully decorated.

Cab was readily available outside our hotel and we headed straight for 一中街夜市 where Walker finally got to taste some local 臭豆腐. Can you see the look of blissfulness all over his face?

Dinner was some dabao food from eateries near out hotel as all of us were tired from the day's travelling. Got to have an early night rest in preparation for the next two days of fun filled activities!

Flying Cow Ranch

26 November 2015

Our morning hike into the ranch began after our breakfast at 飛牛餐廳. It was a particularly cold day due to some 寒流 passing through Taiwan. Thankfully, we had enough thick clothing to keep us warm.

The rabbit's house was along the way to the main activity area. Foreseeing that Ash will probably spend a loooong time here since she loves rabbits, we persuaded her to come back later instead.

Her grumpiness was soon forgotten by the sight of baby goats feeding on milk bottles!

There were 2 types of food meant for the adult goats, some green leafy plant and the usual pellets. We bought both! It cost NT10 for each bundle/packet, just drop the coin into the container placed next to the food and its all yours to feed!

10am - Duck Parade. Not only was Ash not afraid of the flock of ducks charging towards her, she attempted to catch them!

Another species of goat at the ranch which Kae had taken a liking to. The pulley system used for feeding the goat was nothing new to the kids (they played with it during our previous trip to the ranch) but they still find it amusing how the "sound of food" can make the goats go the distance...

Cow milking session @ 11am. Ash was still too young to attempt milking the cow so Kae got to do it again.

As promised, we came back to the rabbit's house to feed them.

Playground filled with sand are becoming a rare sight in Singapore. No wonder the kids couldn't resist the temptation to have some fun. Poor us has to weather the strong winds just to watch them play...

Our afternoon were spent making ice-creams and chiffon cupcakes at the DIY classroom.

We have decided to sit around and watch the kids performed some magic...

Since we didn't help, we weren't offered any... Ash told me it was the best ice-cream she ever had! I guess making it with your own hands simply made it tastier.

The kids went on to bake chiffon cupcakes after our lunch break. I left the tough job of beating 4 egg whites to stiff peak using ONLY a hand whisk to the Daddyman. I did offer some advice by the sideline though @_@

"Nap-time" was the next item planned by Daddy. The cold weather plus an entire morning of activities must have made everyone drowsy BECAUSE there were no objection at all!

Our hotpot dinner for the night. We ordered two soup based - the fresh milk and kelp so that the kids can try both. The kids and I preferred the kelp based over the milk based. Somehow the taste of meat and vegetables in milk just doesn't appeal to us...

Don't be mistaken. We love their milk especially the Malt-flavored. Its a die die MUST TRY if you are there!