Tulip Time : Bowral NSW

Our next NSW destination? Southern Highlands: BOWRAL! My friend Cyril and I went for their annual tulip festival: Tulip time.

Bowral is about 1.5 hrs drive or 2.5-3 hrs by train from Sydney. We opted to take the train because we expected that there will be lots of people coming to the festival and parking might be limited. Also, no tired driver! We can take a nap during the train ride. 😅

For this annual event, several promotions are being offered. One of them is riding the Old steam trains from Sydney Central to Bowral station. This included the High tea experience during the trip. I think it was around $100+ per person. We didn't want to spend that much hence we opted for the normal (modern) trains. We did have the chance to take a picture of the old trains. Train to Hogwarts anyone? 😆

Entrance to the garden is free. There are donation box at every entrance though. If you have spare change to donate, you can drop them on those boxes. Unfortunately, due to the sudden cold weather, the Tulips have not fully bloomed at the time of the festival. The garden volunteers said that it might take one to two weeks more before they get a full bloom. Nonetheless, I still think it was very pretty! It this is how it looks like now, how prettier will it be during full bloom? 😍

There was also a parade in the afternoon for the event. The festival is for 2 weeks but the parade is only done on the first Saturday of the event. This is the reason why we went on this specific day even though the tulips have not bloomed yet.

Note: Most buildings here are really old. They have the European/historical building feels. 😊

Hotel Puri : Taipei Station

For our Taipei Trip, we decided to stay at Hotel Puri, Taipei Station. It was about 10 minutes walk from Taipei station. We booked a standard twin room for 2 adults. While we were searching for our accommodation, we noticed that most affordable rooms in Taipei are dormitory style with shared bathroom. We wanted a room where we have privacy, own bathroom but still at an affordable price. I think Hotel Puri is the only one that fits these criteria. 

Location: 

Location is near the central station. It is around 10 minutes walk from the station. There are several 7/11 shops around and small restaurants / food stalls where you can buy your meals.

Price: 

I think the price for this is really great. We paid P5,478.86 (144 AUD) for 2 nights standard twin room with private bathroom. There were 2 single bed, safety box, water heater (for tea), complimentary tea bags, coffee, and water. 

Cleanliness: 

The room is very clean. They also do the beddings every day, change towels and refill the supplies. 

Others:

There is no breakfast included for this booking but they do have a mini pantry/kitchen near the reception area. There you can get extra water, tea, coffee and they have snacks available in the morning. I think I saw cereals, milk, and popcorn there (didn't go there for breakfast because we always eat out). If you arrive earlier than the standard check-in time, they allow guest to leave their luggage at the hotel. We did advise them that we might come back late and they said it's ok to do late check-in because they already have our luggage in their storage. Overall, I think this is a great place to stay at an affordable price and does not sacrifice privacy.😁

Taipei : Maokong Gondola

The Maokong Gondola has three (3) stops. Taipei Zoo Station, Zhinan Temple Station, and Maokong Station.

First stop, Taipei Zoo Station. We stayed and went around the zoo for about 2 hours. We didn't spend a lot of time here because our main reason for going is to experience riding the "Gondola" 😉. I'll post the picture from the zoo in a separate blog post. 

We also went down at Zhinan Temple Station because we saw the Giant Dragon Statue from the gondola. We thought since we're already there, why not take some pictures with the dragon? (Insert Dragon Ball Z OST here!😀). The station is still far from the actual temple. There are a lot of Taxis waiting near the station though. So if you're planning on going to the temple and haven't arranged a service in advance, you can take the taxi here. We didn't bother to check how much they are charging. We are in a hurry to get back to the Gondola to reach Maokong Station. 😁

Finally, after 2 stops, we reached Maokong Station! There is a tourist information centre inside the station. There is also a convenience store and several souvenir shops. However, the best part is across the street from the station. They have lots of different tea houses offering a variety of food and drinks. The whole road (maybe about 1-2 km) is filled with tea houses. If you are not keen on walking, there is a big food court (hawker-centre style) just a few minutes from the station. We tried their oyster pancake, milk tea, and lemon tea. The oyster pancake was so yummy! You can also try this pancake at Raohe Night Market. We saw several stores selling it there as well.

  

Sofitel Sydney : The Garden Court Restaurant

Another night in Sydney CBD. It's supposed to be just a normal weekly dinner with Nadine. Coincidently, she won a restaurant gift voucher from her company as the "best-performing employee" of the month earlier that week. So what to do with $500 gift voucher? Spend it somewhere expensive! We just have to pick from one of their partner restaurants. Our choice? Garden Court Restaurant from Sofitel Sydney.

Before going, we already checked their menu online. Needed to make sure that we at least know what they have and if the voucher is enough. lol. It was our first time eating in a fine dining restaurant in Sydney as well.

Rating (out of 5)

Price: -

I won't give a rating for the price because I didn't actually pay for this meal. As I have mentioned, Nadine won a gift voucher from her company. Also, because there was just the two of us, we went all out and just ordered whatever we want. However, I saw online that estimated cost for one person is around $65. Compared to our usual meal, around $15-$30 per person, this price is expensive.

Ambiance: 3

Food is Instagram worthy 😉. However, they used dim lights around the restaurant. Again, we were not able to get pictures with us on it. It did have a cozy feeling.  

Service: 5

Service was great. The staff was very attentive and they were able to cook and serve our order within a reasonable time. They also offered free starters while we wait for the entree.

Food: 5

Love it! The highlight for me was the dessert. We went all out and order all the dessert that we want. I think the staff was a little shocked when we said that we'll order 3 different desserts. This is after finishing the starter, 2 entrees, and main dish (steak and salad). 😆

Taipei: Taipei 101

Taipei 101 is Taiwan's highest building and was actually the World's tallest building until 2010 (before Burj Khalifa in Dubai). It is a couple of minutes walk from the train station. The building is so tall, you'll need to find a spot few blocks away if you want to snap a whole picture of it. 

On our quest to find the best spot, we passed by some cool decorative balls which were great for wide angle mirror pics. 😉

Sakura Festival 2017 : Video

Hi All!

Here is the edited video of our Sakura Festival Trip at Auburn Botanic Garden last spring.

Enjoy! 😁

Max Brenner : Sydney

After staring at the Cherry Blossoms and spending the whole day in the garden, we decided to have our afternoon tea at Max Brenner Parramatta. Thanks Cyrl, for the afternoon tea treat! 😘

Max Brenner is one of my favorite Chocolate Cafe. I won't tell the ranking because that will be too biased. 

For this tea break, we ordered hot chocolate, a mixed chocolate fondue, and waffles!

Sugar rush anyone?! Lol and that's exactly what happened. I think we had too much sugar!  😊

AN: I had to drink camomile tea before I went to sleep. Need to burn all that sugar. 

Auburn Botanic Garden : Sakura Matsuri 2017

It's another Sakura Festival in Sydney! Yay! 😁

I really love seeing Sakura in full bloom. That is why I always make sure to go to Auburn Botanic Garden every year during their annual Sakura Festival. It doesn't matter if there are a lot of people. I enjoy looking at the flowers and staring at them for hours. I feel relax and happy to see them.

There is an entrance fee of $5 per person. The festival lasts for two weeks but the program/performance are only on the weekends. The program includes Japanese Art Class, Flower Arrangement Class, and Sumo Exhibition.

Polka and Checkered

Auburn Botanic Garden : Sakura Matsuri 2017 OOTD

Beanie from The Landmark Store

Coat from Zara

Dress from Uniqlo

Ankle boots from Forever 21

Taipei : Jiufen

After our hike in Shifen, we continued our journey to Jiufen Old Street. From Shifen, we took the train to "Rui Fang" station. Then take the bus to Jiufen Old Street. 

This location is included on the list of places to visit for first-time traveler to Taiwan. 

In my opinion, Jiufen is more suitable for Food Trip. Most of the establishment are selling snacks and native delicacies. You can also find stores selling souvenirs and local products. The streets are bustling with people, mostly tourists. 

However, our main reason for going to Jiufen is to see the inspiration behind a set in "Spirited Away" Movie. It's supposed to be a Tea House looking over the ocean and Jiufen view. It took us a while before we actually found the Tea House. There is no signage to show you the way. But, because this view is very popular there are a lot of people going. 

Tip: Follow the crowd and they will lead you to the Tea House. That's what we did! LOL. The struggle of not being able to understand/speak Chinese... 😤 

Warning: There are a lot of people going in the area, master your Ninja Moves to get a good spot and take instagram-worthy pictures. 😅

Home Thai Kitchen : Sydney

What's for Din-din? It's THAI FOOD! ^_^

Since I've finished watching 2 Moons the series, I've been wanting to try "Thai Pink Milk" (Nom-Yen). Hey! It looks yummy (and it's Pink)!

Luckily, my friend Nadine was in the mood to eat out. I searched the net for all Thai Restaurant's in Sydney who has Nom-yen in their Menu. That's hard work I tell you. Not all Thai restaurants have it. I think I've actually only seen two restaurants and one of them is a little far from the city proper.

And the restaurant of choice? Home Thai Kitchen near Townhall Station. 😁

There was already a queue by the time we arrived (around 6 pm). We waited around 20 minutes before we were actually seated. 

Of course, I ordered nom-yen! Along with stir-fry pork belly, bbq ribs and steamed rice.We also had mango sticky-rice and durian with sticky-rice for desserts. BTW: It was my first time tasting Durian. It tastes weird. emoji

Rating (out of 5)

Price: 4

Medium range. It costs us about $70 (P2,800) for 2 people.

Ambiance: 3

Food is Instagram worthy 😉. However, they used dim lights around the restaurant with spotlights around major places (kitchen, stairs, and rails). Hence, we cannot get a good picture with us on it.

Service: 4

Service was great. The staff is very attentive and they were able to cook and serve our order within a reasonable time. The only thing negative about it was that we had to wait a while before we were seated.

Food: 5

Love it! Especially my Thai Pink Milk! My friend said it's too sweet though. I think it's fine because Thai-food is a little spicy. The sweetness of the nom-yen negates/lessens the spiciness. AN: Well, at least that's how I see it. (sweat drop). 

Taipei: Shifen

Shifen Old Street is one of Taipei's most popular tourist destination. Tourist flock the streets for their wish lanterns! The old railway is still operational. The shops do know the daily schedule so they will advise their customers when they need to leave the railway. 

After lighting/flying your lantern, you can take a walk to Shifen Waterfalls. It took us around 45 minutes -1 hour to the falls. We did stop for short breaks and picture taking in between. If you are not keen on going for an hour walk but still want to see the waterfalls, you can take a taxi. It will take you to the closes drop point and from there you just have to walk for about 15-20 minutes. The Taxi cost around 100 NTD each. We walked from old street to the waterfalls and took the taxi going back. We were too tired to walk the whole way back to the station. 😂