xia's travel diary

Exploring S'pore - the southern ridges

2008-06-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well finally both me and deez took leave to explore around S'pore...we've decided to go and explore around southern ridges which link from Marang Trail near Harbourfront all the way back to Clementi and there are many nature spots along the link...We took much longer than expected to complete the whole journey...6 hrs in the hot sun! and we took abt 400 photos on the way...so here goes the journey of discovering the southern ridges...

It all began with a good breakfast @ xin wang cafe @ harbourfront where we replenish our energy to start the long long walk....and its here that we start our crave for phototaking...

After a full breakfast, we are all ready to find the starting point to start our trekking...

And here's the first point of the trail...MARANG TRAIL...!!!

and we've got a BIG map ready in our hand just in case we get lost in S'pore haha...

and there seems to be countless steps ahead of us...somehow my breakfast has already digested with all the climbing...

then we reached FABER WALK...and we realized that the flowery walkway setting here reminded us of our stay in cameron highlands...kinda miss that place...

nice seaview...

there goes deez new hairstyle...haha suits her hua chi image...;p

simply luv the scenery here..

and upon further walking, we finally reached HENDERSON WAVES...!

and the design of the bridge is really creative...! the bridge will be lighted at night so I guess it will be more beautiful during night-time...

and of cos we took pics at every angle of the waves...

as ahead of Henderson Waves is HILLTOP WALK...the surrounding is quite nice but again there are many stairs to climb...I'm really craving for lunch...

@ Hilltop Walk...

and then we reached the FOREST WALK...just as the name implies, we are surrounded by many trees and some workers who are constructing the walkway that we are walking on...we were wondering if we are allowed to walk in but were assured after seeing other ppl walking too...anyway it was a really long walk way...

and as we are walking, we noticed a very long line of white cloud in the sky...

and here is ALEXANDRA ARCH...!

and then we reached HORTPARK...aka the gardening hub...and this is the place i liked the most...and it is also the place that we stayed the longest as we've walked to and fro the same path 3 times while trying to find the link to canopy walk...

and along the path to HortPark, we noted an exception (look at this unique tree below)...!
and we've became so tanned and hot..!

and in HORTPARK, there is a display house centred on the theme of nature which everybody can enter and take a look...this is the small cosy little garden outside the house...
and we continue to explore the dreamhouse...and we saw the campus superstar shawn inside the house...so qiao...

and here's the floral walk in HORTPARK...and old deez is reminiscing her days as a baby...

and then she tried to practise kungfu by hitting the bamboo sticks...oh gosh, I think she must have gone mad under the HOT sun...still have to bear with her for another half of the journey...poor me...so scared that she display her kungfu on me later...haha

hmm the floral walk is really beautiful but somehow the office building behind me makes the nature walk seem kinda weird...

there are nice flowers everywhere...

...the flowery pose...

and we took many pics at the big glassland...

and ahead of the floral way lies the path to the Canopy Walk @ Kentridge park...

well...I think I have fully depleted my energy...I keep wondering if lunch will arrive soon?

and we finally finally reached THE CANOPY WALK...!

and

Having walk so many hours, i felt sooooooooooooooooooo hungry.........but the torturer (deez) still make me walk all the way from canopy walk to nus to eat subway! haha on the way we asked many passer-bys on how to get to NUS subway.......this is the FIRST time in my life that i craved for subway so much (oh gosh, i must be really hungry cos i usually don't eat one)......and the passer-bys all advise us to take bus cos it is really a long walk....we walk from kent ridge park to NUH and then to NUS.......

And when we reached NUS, i asked a NUS student where is subway and this is his reply........"oh is quite far, about 3 bustops away better take bus lar" and we reply......." thks, its ok we'll walk"....but then he emphasized that it is really far leh....on hearing this, I've a urge to tell him that........" oh actually that is very near le haha cos I've been walking like 6 hrs ago from vivo to clementi" but i surpress that urge to say that cos i'm more interested to find FOOD than anything else........

the LONG walk to hunt for SUBWAY (our super late lunch cum dinner)

and soonnnnnnnn we reach subway and I feel so Xin Fu after eating....!

BACK to Dee's House...!

and finally we're back to deez house and as seen above, both of us have gone mad after the long long walk! we have became so tanned after baking 6 hrs in the sorching sun! well finally the energy-depleting walk ended and that marks the start of our baking time! we baked brownie and blueberry tart but..........our baking attempt failed this time round so better not put any pics to scare ppl.........haha everytime bake with deez sure can't make it (plz try harder deez then teach me ar =p haha)...........and I headed straight home after baking as it is midnight le...........what an 'adventurous' day..........! though I'm really tired but it was a great trip around the nature spots of S'pore as I really enjoyed myself...!

2008-05-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Day 9 (20.05.2008): Last day in Taiwan---last min shopping @ Xi Men Ting...
We went for shopping in the morning till afternoon at Xi Men Ting to spend finish our NT Dollars...anyway there was not much left for us to spend since we've already shopped so much for the past few days...so we satisfied our hungry stomachs in a stall where they cooked cup noodles for customers...

this is ju luo mian, a healthy type of noodles...

and then we head back to pack our HEAVY belongings and went to the airport...and that is the end of our 9 Day Taiwan Trip...Holiday is always so short...Hope to travel soon...and I shall update the blog after my nx trip...when will that be...???

2008-05-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Day 7 (19.05.2008): Eat in Ding Tai Feng, Ice Monster and Jay's secret-themed italian restaurant, view Taipei 101 and shop at Taipei Main Underground Mall and Jian Tan
Well the last second day is basically a day to try all the nice food and shop all we can...so here's some pic taken at the places we dine at...

it was raining so it was quite cold but we still ate ice monster becos it is too gd to be missed at least for the Mango Jumbo Ice which I still have no idea how it taste like but i do agree it looks good..!

my kiwi ice is pale in comparison to above and it was really sour...but too bad i'm allergic to mango so i shall compromise with this...

Lunching in Jay's restaurant...this is the set meal which I ordered...think it tastes not bad...the ambience of the place is good...quiet and creative place to lunch in...

and here is Taipei 101...it was a drizzling day so the effect is kinda hazy...

2008-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Day 7 (18.05.2008): Hot Spring @ Beitou and Walk Around Dan Shui, Fisherman's Wharf & Lover's Bridge and Shopping in Jian Tan Area
Early in the morning, we had a full breakfast at KFC and set off for wen quan in Beitou...well it is really hot to be immersed in 40plus degrees celius...in conclusion, xp has the thickest skin among us as she managed to get herself fully immersed in the hottest pool..hee =p

we looked so 'HOT' after hot spring...haha our face is so red...

After hot spring, we headed straight for Dan shui...I quite like the place as it is very re nao and filled with live and there are nice food and fun games to spend the day...In Dan shui, we also explored historical sites like the fort canning, various schools (including the school where Jay filmed his movie!), Fisherman's wharf and lover's bridge...

The tallest ice-cream we've eaten...mango & strawberry flavoured ones...! yummy...!

Finally, we Graduated from Oxford College...!!!

reminscing our times as students...

the classroom walkway where Jay filmed his movie 'Secret'...

Lovers' bridge

Sunset at Fisherman's Wharf is short yet beautiful...

and after sunset, once again, we end the night with shopping @ jian tan and ate our hao da ji pai in Shi Lin once again...

2008-05-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Day 6(17.05.2008): Yang Ming Shan, Leo Foo Village & Shopping @ Taipei Main Station Underground Mall
We set off in the morning for yang ming shan asking Mr Policeman for directions how to get there...and xp malu herself by asking the police xian sheng where to board bus 206 when it is suppose to be 260...and the policeman tell her bie ruan jiang..haha and she proved herself to be a 'number dumbie' for the day after mixing up numbers for a fews times in that day..

we toured around yang ming shan for less than a quarter before we decided to call it off and head directly to Leo Foo Village...yang ming shan seems more like the bigger version of Singapore's bukit timah hill where uncle and aunties go there for workout...maybe we have not reach the age of appreciating such activity...or maybe we are plain lazy for the day as honestly, we did not explore the major part of yang ming shan...perhaps the beauty lies deep within...hee but still we manage to take a few pics to prove our presence there...

Then, we took a cab to Leo Foo Village, a place where we Experience a few rides and See the majority of thrilling rides...we can't help but to admit that we are really getting old as we could no longer take on thrilling rides like those roller coaster than goes 360degrees...haha nevertheless we graduated Lee Foo Village with a cute elephant trophy(see below) by riding a few and seeing alot...

this is one of the challenging rides which we've seen...

and this is the most challenging ride we took...
we also tried this invertor which I let out a scream upon XP's request haha...

somehow my camera change mode and all the pics taken during the steamed train tour around the zoo became blur...but nevertheless, I particularly liked the effect of this pic which I thought resembles a real-life drawing of a deer...

and lastly, we bought an elephant each for souvenior...and we headed back to Taipei Main Underground Mall for shopping...and ended the day by eating seafood fried rice somewhere near Taipei Main...

2008-05-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Day 5 (16.05.2008): Shopping in Xi Men Ding and Wu Fen Pu...!!!
well did not take much pics today cos we are all busy shopping!!! bought clothes from wu fen pu and we walked until we have no energy and replenished our depleted energy by treating ourselves to pizza hut buffet for dinner...and then we continue to shop for more...the shopping queen for the day goes to YS who had the most shou huo...

we have a great breakfast @ kfc...had portugeese egg tarts of 3 different flavours...simply luv the original flavour...!

and here is our pizza hut buffet for dinner...

2008-05-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Day 4 (15.05.2008): @ Taroko Gorge in Hua lien
We spend the whole day @ taroko and I agreed that this is a must-go destination in Taiwan...This is the day where I took so much pics till my 2 batts also died off...haha so let the pictures do all the talking ba...

In taroko, we saw mountains and rocks that depicts resemblance of animals, humans and objects...well can only say the place is an abstract piece of art...so are u able to guess what the below pics represent? time to think out of the box...!

and after seeing so much...xp also has her own wild imagination...she saw one of the round stones as a xiao long bao...i guess she is really HUNGRY after walking so much...haha

and it's our turn to prove that we can be creative too...

@ the entrance of taroko gorge inside shui lian dong with our new frenz from SG that we met in taiwan and with the big colourful umbrella provided by our tour guide
and the day ended at Ci Xing Tan where the sea is so beautiful and the weather is so breezy...hee accordingly to our tour guide, that is a great place to 'pao niu'...so guys out there rmb this spot...!

...and that also marked the end of our Hua Lian Trip...we headed back to Taipei to continue with our shopping trip in shi da ye shi at night while the guys head for their hotel and left for Singapore the next afternoon...

2008-05-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

Day 3 (14.05.2008): Rafting, touring scenic spots, playing with fireworks and releasing tian teng in Hualien
Well basically we did not manage to capture any pic in the morning and afternoon as we were asked to keep our valuables in the mingsu when going rafting...so well the memories shall remain in my mind...a few highlights of the day were that YS and XP drop into the water during rafting and got saved by their 'Jiu Ming En Ren'...(and I really did not kick your into water haha I m Innocent!!!) And during rafting we met a nice tour guide 'Xie Xian Sheng' which is one of our tour guides for the nx day @ taroko)...oh and we made 4 new friends after the rafting trip and we formed a 7-ppl tour grp @ taroko...haha though most of them are younger than us, the 3 of us felt that we behaved like we are younger than them...haha hope our hysterical laughter provided good company for them...

That night spent at stone house was fun as we get to play with fireworks and fang tian teng...

@ the swing in stone house...the people there are friendly and nice...will definitely stay there if i'm going back hualien...

well and guess what is the rot dot in the below pic...? its my tian teng flying high high up in the dark sky...haha xp and yen initially thought I anyhow click my camera so got this dark pic...unleash your creativity gals!! haha...

and above is the video showing one of the fireworks that we've captured in action...

2008-05-22T11:27:00.001-07:00

Day 2 (13.05.2008) : Ye liu, Jiou Fen and Hualien
We woke up at 5plus in the morning and ate our cup noodles before we set off for ye liu...the rock formations there are amazing as they are naturally formed...after ye liu we headed directly to jiou fen and slacked the whole afternoon there...we tried a few types of ball there...taro balls, fishballs...n bought muah chee there...haha i tried to catch the qi zai in a basket before we left but my attempt failed...the qi zai only topple down...haha at least it moved a little lar... we headed for our rizichu mingshu in hualien and settled our dinner there...

we started taking many pics at ye liu...what is xp trying to do?!? haha

and here is the famous stone that people usually take @ ye liu...

the rock formation is stunning but what i like most about ye liu is the long stretch of ocean that accompanys the rocks..makes one feel so relaxing and carefree...

and then we landed in jiou fen lao jie...a place where u can eat lotsa nice food like the taro ball below...

and this is the overview scenery of jiou fen...a place away from the bustling town...good place to catch a hi-tea and relax...

after jiou fen we took a train to hualien and this is the 24hr xiao long bao stall in hualien...cheap and nice...its costs like about S$0.30 for a xiao long bao...

taiwan trip..!!!

2008-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just came back from taiwan...and i'm beginning to miss the weather in taiwan..it was so much cooler as compared to singapore...and now its time to update my 9-day taiwan trip with yen and xp...haha it didn't started very well for me as I made the silliest mistake at the airport as I thought I have left my HP in the luggage but end up its in the secret compartment of my hand-carry pouch...so paiseh to trouble the air stewardness and cargo staff to unload my luggage for nothing and I missed my lunch becos of this blunder that I've made...so hungry on the flight...

Day 1 (12.05.2008) : Shilin Night Market

We arrived at taipei at around 7pm and we found our way to the Taipei Travel Hostel in Zhong Xiao W.Rd...the lady who welcomed us was super-friendly and gave us the VIP Room which we could see the taipei scenery from our 22nd floor through the glass panel...taiwanees are really friendly people..after we settled down we made our way to the famous shilin night market...i luv the Hao Da Ji Pia there...the guan cai ban was not bad either...then we went to shop at the shilin commercial district before we head back to our hostel for a good rest...

we bought cup noodles on our way back for breakfast nx morning...

Our VIP hostel room...the room was cosy and nice...like the place very much...