[Day 2] Pear Picking and Hsitou Monster Village, Taiwan

[Xiang Ye Orchard @ Zhuolan (卓兰)]

After a hearty lunch at Yehliu , our day 2 trip continued with pears picking at Xiang Ye Orchard (乡野观光果园), a stopover at Hsitou Monster Village (溪头怪物村) and lodging for the night at Sun Link Sea Resort. And since it takes some traveling time from Yehliu to the first destination most of us on board began to take a short nap in order to refresh ourselves.



One of the benefits of joining tour group is just like what my mum always said; we do not need to worry about the our 3 meals, transport and lodging. We can ease our mind, relax and enjoy the scenery along the way, get to try most of their tourists’ recommended food and stay in at least a 4 stars hotel.

[Xiang Ye Orchard @ Zhuolan (卓兰)]

After about an hour plus of coach ride, we reached our first destination at Xiang Ye Orchard. Although it was drizzling but it did not effect our mood and everyone was still full of excitement to explore the orchard as well as the pear picking.

Read more »

Read more...

[Day 2] Exploring Jiu Fen Old Street and Yehliu Geopark, Taiwan

Day 2 of our Taiwan trip features places like Jiufen Old Street (九份老街), Yehliu Geopark (野柳地质公园) and Hsitou Monster Village (溪头怪物村) where we sit back and enjoyed the coach rides that bought us around the attractions. And moreover going with familiar group of tour mates (almost the same group of people from our previous Taiwan trip ) and guide also makes planning of the itinerary much easier during the whole road trip.

[Harbour View Hotel, Keelung] Breakfast Buffet Spread

[Harbour View Hotel, Keelung] My breakfast

[Harbour View Hotel, Keelung] Bread and Mantou

Waking up feeling refresh after a good night rest for our stopover at Keelung , Harbour View Hotel (基隆華帥海景飯店) made it a great head start for Day 2. For breakfast we had Taiwan style porridge with side dishes such as pickles, peanuts, chicken floss, stir-fry vegetables and etc together with ham, bread and steamed bun.

[Harbour View Hotel, Keelung] Our Family

After the hearty breakfast, everyone gets ready to move on to another town to start off with today's attractions around Jiufen, Yehliu and etc.

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] View Of Jiufen

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] View of Jiufen

Jiufen was only an isolated village until 1893, when gold was discovered in that area. It is a beautiful town located at the top of the mountain near Ruifang district. The town soon gets popular after the filming of the movies “A City of Sadness “ in 1989 and Japanese anime "Spirited Away" which shaped the town into a tourist attraction.

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Entrance of Jiufen Old Street

Jiufen Old Street (九份老街 ) is one of the tourists attraction with local street food and souvenir stalls squeezing through the narrow streets on both side of the 2 – 3 stories traditional shop houses.

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Jiufen Yu Yuan (九份芋圆)

Located near the entrance of the Jiufen Old Street, this old 老友号芋圆 had being there since the 1st generation of the boss years back. According to the stall helpers, their taro balls (芋圆) are freshly made on the day itself and it comes in either hot or shaved ice version for individual preference.

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] My favourite Jiufen Yu Yuan (九份芋圆)

And if you are fans of “blackball (黑丸嫩仙草)” this is a “must-try” dessert at Jiufen because their taro balls (芋圆 ) are more fragrant and “Q (chewy)” in texture as compared to those in Singapore.

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Making of Jiufen Yu Yuan

Other than dine-in customers can also purchase their “uncooked” dumplings in assorted flavour like yam (taro), sweet potato and huai shan (淮山) which packed in a box at around NT$60 (SG$2.50). Even though we love to get a packet or two back home as gifts but then since it was only our 2nd day of the trip we just have to give out that idea.



老友号芋圆

新北市瑞芳區九份基山街4-3號(7-11旁入口處)

電話: 02-24972600 / 0930-275892


Opening Hours:

8.30am - 8.30pm

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Chiu Chun BB (九重叮民宿) at Jiufen Old Street

Further down the street you would find Chiu Chunt Dint Inn (九重叮民宿) which was established in 1996 and the themed of the inn mainly focuses on the past of Jiufen. The interior decorations of the Inn were equipped with antiques and classic songs that lead guests way back to the era of 1970s-1980s.



Besides that, guests can also enjoy traditional cuisine at the restaurant located on the 2nd floor or enjoy a fantastic view of Jiufen’s mountain and sea scenery on the 5th floor. Whereas for those who are keen to stay for a night at Jiufen, Chiu Chunt Dint Inn also offers comfortable rooms that are located on 3rd and 4th floor too.



Chiu Chunt Dint Inn

No. 29, Jishan Street, Jioufen, Ruifang District

New Taipei City 224, Taiwan

Reservation: 02-24967680



Email: a19502741@yahoo.com.tw

Website: http://www.cwcm.com.tw/

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Street Food

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Steamed Yam Cake

[JiuFen Old Street, Ruifang] Street Food

Other than taro balls, there is also a famous Handmade Fishball Soup (九份传统鱼圆) stall near the entrance of the food street. The soup broth is fragrant and tasty and their handmade fish balls are very bouncy too. As we arrived quite early in that morning, most of the stalls are still preparing their food so we don't get to try as many things as what we did like our trip. But if you are going in the afternoon, be prepared of the tourists crowds and at the same time enjoy their yummy street food too.

View of JiuFen

Despite of the raining weather, my two "models" still happily request to have their photo taken before heading up the coach for another destination.

View of Keelung (基隆市)

After the stopover at Jiufen Old Street (九份老街) which is in Ruifang District near to Keelung (基隆市), we continue our coach ride to Yeliu Geopark (野柳地质公园) to widen our knowledge on their sedimentary rocks and its amazing views along the coastline.

Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园

At Yeliu (野柳) there is a well-known Yehliu Geopark (野柳地质公园) which is about 1.5 hours coach ride away from Taipei. And the distance measured from the entrance of the Yehliu Geopark to the end of the cape is about 1.7 km which might be quite a long walking distance for some elder folks.

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Ticketing area

For your information the park opens daily from 07:30 to 17:00 all year round and tickets can be purchased at their ticketing counters near the entrance. During May - September the park also extended their visiting hours too. Please refer below for the entry fee:



- Adult ticket @ NT$50 (SG$2.10)

- Half-fare ticket @ NT$25 (SG$1.05) apply to Student (Taiwan only) and Children (below 115cm)

- Group ticket (thirty persons upward) @ 20% discount

- Courtesy entry for Disabled

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Magnification View of the Mushroom Rock

When visiting the Yehliu Geopark, tourists often being attracted to the "Queen's head" which is the most famous mushroom rock in Yehliu. And according to our tour guide; Tony the neckline of the queen's head seems to get thinner and thinner each year and somehow it might just break off anytime in a couple of years down the road.

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Elephant Rock

The elephant rock behind (submerge in the water ) is the lime concretion which being formed under the influences of differential erosion. There is a legend saying the fairy forgot to bring the elephant back after she defeated the turtle which resulting the elephant being waiting and refused to go ashore.

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Uncle James and Aunty Lily

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] My cheeky boy

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Aunty Lily and Mum

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Types of Rocks

[Yehliu Geopark - 野柳地质公园] Our family

Although this was our second visit to Yehliu Geopark but the magnificent views of those beautiful rocks still look great and we just cannot resists ourselves to snap a few more photos back as memories. And also due to the gloomy weather, it makes our presence with those rocks look so poster feel.

[Yehliu] Lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美觀園)

After spending an hour or so at the Yehliu Geopark, we had seafood lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美观圆海鲜餐厅) which was the same restaurant we dine-in during our previous trip there. To our surprised when the food arrived it was almost all the dishes as what we had two years ago (our 2010 Taiwan trip ). My boy on the other hand who heard our conversation made a joke that perhaps even in ten years' time when we revisit this restaurant the dishes might still be the same as what we had on that day.

[Yehliu] Lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美觀園)

[Yehliu] Lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美觀園)

[Yehliu] Lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美觀園)

[Yehliu] Lunch at Mei Guan Yuan (美觀園)

Overall both the quality and quantity of food that they served are still quite pleasant for a varieties of 10-course seafood lunch. Even though nothing fancy about those dishes above but they do have a special country food charm that lure our heart.



美观圆海鲜餐厅

207 Taiwan

新北市萬里區野柳里港東路156號

Reservation: （02）2492-2181



Opening Hours:-

9.00am - 9.00pm (daily)

Itinerary of our 8D 7N Taiwan (2013) travelogue are as follow:-

~ [Day 1] Our Family Trip to Taiwan 2013

~ [Day 2] Exploring Jiu Fen Old Street and Yehliu Geopark



Upcoming Posts

~ [Day 2] Pear Picking and Hsitou Monster Village

~ [Day 3] Sun Moon Lake and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

~ [Day 3] Feng Chia Night Market

~ [Day 4] Mei Non Hakka Village, Fo Guang Sha and Liuhe Night Market

~ [Day 4] Dinner at Royal Family Steak House and Liuhe Night Market

~ [Day 5] Fruit Farm and Pacific Ocean (Da Niao)

~ [Day 5] Dong You Ji Hot Spring Resort

~ [Day 6] Ku Cha Shu Outlet and Taroko National Park

~ [Day 6] Qi Xing Tan

~ [Day 7] Train from Ruifang to Taipei and Jin Che Orchid Garden

~ [Day 7] Tamshui Old Street and Fisherman's Wharf

~ [Day 7] Xi Mien Ding

~ [Day 8] Zhong Zheng Ji Nian Tang

Read more...

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

I always wanted to try making this type of streusel muffins which I often come across in cafes like Starbucks, Paris Baguette and etc which cost around SG$4 each. And what attracts me most is that top layer of golden crispy buttery streusel topping which contrast well with the soft and moist exterior of the cake.



Moreover homemade muffins actually does not require much effort and time if you have all the ingredients ready in your pantry as what you have to do is just stir, mix and bake. So why not join us to bake a tray of this Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins for afternoon tea or breakfast which I bet you will love it just as much as we do.

BLUEBERRY LEMON STREUSEL MUFFINS

For this recipe is quite similar to the previous one that I did for the Chocolate Chip Muffins but instead I replace about half of the plain flour with organic wholemeal flour for a healthier version (if you could replace with all wholemeal flour will be better ). On top of that if you prefer a stronger lemon fragrant, you can also add in 1 whole lemon zest instead of ½ into the cake batter.

Read more »

Read more...

One-For-One Main Menu Item @ Erwin's Gastrobar

[Erwin's Gastrobar] Fish Fingers

Festive season is always a great time to catch up with some old friends whom we seldom get a chance to meet during the year. So last week I managed to meet up with one of my girlfriend who work around Marina Bay Financial Centre area and we had a great lunch over at Erwin’s Gastrobar which is located on the ground level of Marina Bay Link Mall .

[Entertainer App] One-For-One Deal

While sourcing our lunch venue using the Entertainer App , I managed to find a good 1-for-1 deal at Erwin’s Gastrobar which is just a few minutes walk from her office.

Read more »

Read more...

[Christmas Bake] Cranberry Almond Shortbread And Christmas Donuts

Christmas is just another 4 days from now and I am sure most of you are busying with the festive bakes such as Christmas Fruit Cake , Fruit Mince Pie, Gingerbread Man , Christmas Stollen and etc to share as gifts for friends or serve them together with the festive feast. Here with our recipe collaboration with Bake King , we have another two Christmas Bake ideas which might comes in handy for your last minutes bake too.

Shortbread is one of my favourite cookies to enjoy with a cup of freshly brewed tea and in order to make some good quality of shortbread it is very important to use quality butter and pure vanilla extract to enhance the taste. Furthermore you can have different flavour and texture by adding cocoa powder, espresso powder or lemon zest plus a small amount of cornflour to the all-purpose flour to achieve that melt-in-your-mouth shortbread.

Read more »

Read more...

[Wordless Wednesday] 3 Cup Chicken - 三杯鸡

Three Cup Chicken - 三杯鸡

3 CUP CHICKEN

三杯鸡

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)



Ingredients:

1/2 Portion of Chicken, cut into bite size

50g Fresh Ginger, sliced

Handful of Thai Basil Leaves (九层塔)

2 - 3 Dried Chilli (辣椒干), soaked till soften

Read more »

Read more...

Chocolate Chip Muffins - 巧克力豆松饼

Adding a handful of chocolate chips to the usual vanilla scented muffin batter always turn them into great tea snack. These moist and fluffy delicious muffins can be eaten either warm or at room temperature together with a glass of cold milk or tea. And beside the chocolate chips filling sometime we also love to sprinkle extra chocolate chips or nuts on top of the batter before sending them into the oven.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

If you take a look at some of the muffin recipes, all you need is to combine two bowls of ingredients such as “dry and “wet” together to form the batter. But in order to achieve a light and fluffy texture for the muffin, you have to take note not to over mix the batter or else it will be tough.

Read more »

Read more...