Travel diary: Guangzhou 广州

I came back from Guangzhou early this March and I have not stopped missing it. Never expected to miss it even after so long but I really do because everything about the trip was nice, the weather, food, places we visited. The only thing I hoped for was more time! I literally told everyone that Guangzhou is really, really nice & I would want to go again.

This trip was a learning class trip to visit & I wasn't very keen to go to China because my first trip to China (Beijing to be exact) wasn't a great one. Even though it was 10 years ago, the memory seems to stick so freshly in my mind as I instantly stereotyped China to have polluted air, dirty streets & rude people. Thankfully, I had the nicest mainland Chinese classmates who changed my perception and made me believe that maybe, the country with one of the biggest economies in the world has changed over the decade.

DAY 1:

We landed in the middle of the night & not sure what I was thinking to not wear a jacket because it was pretty chilly but lucky I brought face masks & it did help keep my face warm. All of us only got to check in & finally sleep at around 4-5 am & we had to head out again at 11 for the factory visit.

Btw, if you're thinking about heading to Guangzhou but don't know where to stay, stay at NOMO Apartment Hotel @ Beijing Rd., above Jiedeng A-Mall. *Remember to book the Beijing Road one because they have another location which isn't as convenient.* OMG the metro is just below & there's plenty of shopping underground. Plus it's only a short walk away from the famous shopping street along Beijing Road! There's plenty of restaurants within the mall (we ate at a random cantonese restaurant & everything was yummy! + South Korea's famous emcee, Kang Ho-Dong's Korean BBQ outlet is there too!) so no need to worry about ever feeling hungry. The room was really clean, the amenities were new & the price is pretty affordable as well. I'd definitely stay there again on my next trip!

I was so amazed with the weather in Guangzhou because the skies were blue & there were plenty of greenery by the road. We were quite fortunate that the weather was pretty good during the time we were there but I really did not expect to see this much greenery by the road, even more than in Singapore! There were even luscious hanging plants all over the pedestrian bridges. I was so amazed!

I previously visited TORAY's huge factory in Penang (fabric supplier for UNIQLO Malaysia) when I was doing my diploma & so visiting this one was a different experience. We got to see the whole process from using yarn to make fabric to rolling freshly made fabrics, then cutting with a template cutting machine up to the human sewing production. We also visited a clothing printing factory nearby & got to see how screen printing was done. TBH, I was really shocked with the smell of the chemicals because they were so strong & toxic smelling. Higher quality printing are done with even more layers those chemicals & it's just scary that workers don't wear masks when handling such tasks. Sometimes we all see the end product & find it appealing but we should try to be aware & ask, who made my clothes & how are they made?

With 80 billion clothes produced annually, I wonder, do we even need all of them? I came across a video with a similar concept but about food (watch here) & I feel like it's the same with clothes. Stores fill their racks with clothes which will not be completely sold off, but the only difference is, food expires but clothes doesn't. As a fashion student, I am guilty of following trends & buying pieces I'd only wear once just the sake of being trendy. Ever since my exposure to sustainable living, I definitely feel like I'm less likely to impulse buy as I were before. Some times a good discount or bargain is hard to give up, but we should all at least try to "buy less, but buy better".

After the factory visits, we headed off to our final stop which was one I was really looking forward to - Shamian Island / Guangzhou's little Europe.

Too bad the factories were quite far from the city, by the time we arrived at Shamian Island, it was almost sundown so we had to rush our photo taking session. :( Sad me who really was looking forward to a nice ootd here! Anyway, we were supposed to eat there but all the decent looking restaurants had too long of a queue so some of us headed back to our stay which was conveniently beside a shopping mall with plenty of restaurants to choose from.

We went for Korean food on our first night in China ahahah! It was pretty good tho, affordable too!

DAY 2:

The second day of the trip coincided with Chris' & my birthday! It was We had a really cute birthday song at the metro which was nice before we headed to Guangzhou's international textiles town.

OH MAI GOD is all I can say when I arrived. I was in awe by the size of the place & the variety of fabrics I could find. Not just that, there's even a building dedicated to accessories for bags, clothing & other things. I didn't have enough time to explore that area even though I really wish I did (one reason to go back again! ;) ), but I had to source for fabric for my final major project at that time. There were so many free fabric swatches throughout the mall, I took home quite a few just for aesthetics! The visit made me really appreciate my parents sending me to a Chinese primary school (I hated it & called it hell haha) because it made buying fabrics & negotiating a lot easier, plus I got to help some of my classmates liase with sellers.

We ate at a random noodle restaurant at the textiles town before heading to our next stop. This place served really huge portions at a cheap price. Totally worth it!

We headed to a high end mall where we were given an hour to observe some shops. Within that short one hour, I completed the task & even managed to do some shopping afterwards. The photos were taking on our way to visit a branded lifestyle store & it was sunset at the time, the skies were so pretty we couldn't miss out on this photo opportunity.

The visit to GOFUN 就试潮店 吉祥物 was interesting especially for an Instagram addict like myself because every corner of the store is so aesthetically pleasing in a hipster way. The staff there were even really nice to explain to us about the store in which (if people who know me personally would laugh at the next sentence...) I was the translator. HAHAHA! Anyway, GOFUN is a multi-label lifestyle store that features trendy, hipster, streetwear brands. The lower floor holds the latest ht items from international brands like SUPREME, BAPE & Moschino while the top floor is filled with one of a kind merchandise & clothing made by Chinese designers. Even though I aint much of a street style person, but I was truly intrigued during my visit there & it's definitely a place to not miss out if you're a hypebeast or hyperbae to be.

Of course I did not miss this opportunity to take plenty of photos!

I was pretty exhausted throughout the day having to drag my heavy fabric everywhere, but my birthday still ended on a sweet note. With my musketeers teaching me how to dance while on IG live (which was my first time ever), to some classmates coming in my room to surprise me with sponge cake snacks & chatting about all things random, I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my first overseas birthday celebration with them.

DAY 3:

I enjoyed my ma la hotpot dinner the night before a little too much & had really bad stomach ache the next day. We headed to Guangdong museum to visit an exhibit. The main focus was Art Nouveau & it was an art movement that I truly enjoyed. The pieces had flowy, simplistic lines with uses of soft colours, making it a very romantic art movement.

After exploring the exhibit, we strolled along the open spaces outside the museum which overlooks Guangzhou’s central business district. With such a perfect backdrop, a photo shooting session was not to be missed! Getting a touristy photo with Canton Tower was a must as it’s the tallest TV tower in the world.



We then headed to Redtory Art & Design factory which is a large space filled with rows & rows of museums, cafes & all things art & design. A place perfect for creative minds to easily spend half a day exploring every photo worthy corner. I loved how the place had a very industrial feel to it & it was just really relaxing to stroll along the streets. I really wished we spent less time at the museum & more time at Redtory because there was so much yet to be explored. Another place I would definitely go again!

The last stop of the day was at Shangxiajiu shopping street which from the name you can tell is a shopping street filled with stores offering fashion apparel, accessories & street snacks. It’s pretty hard to find a washroom there as both sides of the street was full of shopping & more shopping. We went to some sketchy looking cinema to go to the toilet. It was old, dark, no ticket checking needed to access the toilet & I could totally see drugs or some sketchy business being dealt there LOL.

DAY 4:

Approaching our last full day in Guangzhou before departing back to Singapore, it was pretty bittersweet as I was starting to really like this place. Although I was pretty unlucky this trip as I had stomach ache & bruised my toe from kicking the edge of the bed (which resulted into a black toenail which later came off), I still had a great time.

We had the morning off where we used to shop at the underground mall at where we stayed. The prices for clothing are pretty standard, around RM20-30+ per piece. It may be around or slight more expensive than buying on Taobao, but it was nice to touch & feel what you’re getting first as we’ve all bought something online that doesn’t appear like what the photo shows. Most shops do not have fitting rooms & usually come in free size only so you really have to know your size well. Pants & shorts sizes there are quite small so get a size up from what you usually wear. Also, do check thoroughly because sometimes there could be defects. I didn’t bother to haggle prices because I felt like it was pretty fixed since most shops are selling at around the same range.

We headed to Bluespace which is a fashion consultancy firm that helps brands better their merchandise buying, public relations & marketing. They were kind enough to give us a talk on the fashion scene in China as well as share with us a workshop program that is held at emerging fashion cities such as Seoul & Bangkok. (search on Wechat for 时尚家学院 to find out more about Bluespace & their workshop program) It was a cool experience learning that becoming a brand that makes profit doesn’t mean high markups but better buying strategies to reduce leftover stocks as much as possible.

The last stop of the day was to 方所 Commune lifestyle store which was at Taikoo Hui mall. We accessed the mall through its rooftop garden which was so pretty. No surprise because Taikoo Hui is a high-end mall on par or even higher end than Pavilion.



Visiting 方所 Commune lifestyle store made me relive my childhood days where I loved to stay in the bookstore for hours because there was just so much to see. The lifestyle store features unique, design-esque apparels, knick & knacks alongside international magazines & photography & art books. Creative minds would definitely enjoy coming here as there’s just so much to see. There’s even a café inside for you to enjoy your read while sipping on a cup of coffee.

Overall, the trip really bonded all of us & gave us the get-to-know time we never really got to have when in college since it was always work, work & more work. Guangzhou, you surely surprised me in the best ways & I’ll be back for you very, very soon.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT MY GUANGZHOU FINDINGS ON MY PORTFOLIO BLOG

Travel diary: 马妹逛台记 ❤️ Taipei, Taichung & Yilan

I literally cannot believe that my ji mui's & I went on our first trip together! It's been almost a year now but the memory feels so fresh like it was just last week. I still get hyped up just by looking at our photos. It was our first trip & it was to somewhere overseas & it was to celebrate the mark of our 21st birthdays. To be honest, I just felt extremely blessed to have most of my high school gang at the trip & it was all our first time travelling with friends. We went to Taiwan during the end of September which was quite a low season since the weather was as hot as KL, but it was nice because most places weren't as crowded & there are less photo bombers.

Disclaimer:
Why am I blogging about it eventhough it's been so long? I guess I just wanted to keep something for me to reminisce the memories as I can be quite forgetful, it would be nice to read this again in a few years & remember how nice of an experience this was. If my experience & tips on the trip could even help a reader or two, I'm happy. :) I would love to be updated with my current trips when I'm done with writing my past ones!

Of course, when on a trip with a bunch of girls, selfies anywhere & everywhere are unavoidable. Dont say I didn't warn you in advance ok.

DAY 1 (KUL-TPE-TC):

Exhibit A: at the airport

Exhibit B: in the plane

Exhibit C: when landed & heading to train

TBH if we planned in advance that we were going to Taichung, we could have booked a direct flight there instead. But it was nice experiencing the high speed train too which took only 1 hour to reach Taichung (ticket: NT600). If you're not in a hurry, it takes about a little more than 2 hours by bus (国光1860 / 统联1623 / 和建明5503) at NT240.

How to take the high speed train from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung (Taichung HSR station):

• Purchase an Easycard (used for trains & buses) for NT100 (no value in card) as within a short distance traveled by bus, the fare is free of charge! The remaining balance can be spent at convenience stores & any remaining payment can be paid using cash.
• You'll have to take a bus (a very, very bumpy bus, you have been warned) to the train station because there isn't any direct high speed trains from the airport. Ask around the airport staff if you're unsure because they are really helpful!
• There is one train every hour so if you're like us who missed it, spend some time snacking at the convenience store at the station.
• Be sure to wait at the station 5 mins prior to avoid missing the train.
• Check if the train arrived is yours because several trains share the same track.

Also, the data plans in Taiwan are really affordable & they offer unlimited data plans that are priced by how many days needed.

The first stop we headed for after getting off the bus was to Fengjia Night Market, also where we would be staying for the next 2 nights. Eventhough the travelling time from Taichung station to Fengjia Night Market was about an hour, the fare was free because we had the Easycard! (remember to buy because it's way more convenient with it!) Our Taichung Airbnb was really convenient as it was just above Fengjia Night Market. You would think that it being in such a happening location would mean it would noisy, but surprisingly it wasn't! The room was quite small but it was cosy because it was like a sleepover for us. The downside is there was a flight of stairs before the lobby to the lifts and it wasn't that easy to find if you're unfamiliar with the place so you'll have to get the host to bring you over. If you're lucky, the host might get his employee & his employee is a tall, handsome Taiwanese boy. hahahahah!

We dropped off our bags & headed straight to get our late dinner. The best part about staying near a night market is you can always get food till late! Here are some food & drinks to try while at Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市:

• Food: Taiwanese sausage wrapped with glutinous rice 大肠包小肠, Minglun pancake 明倫蛋饼, Taiwanese stinky tofu 台灣臭豆腐, Taiwanese fried chicken chop 台灣炸雞扒, Egg shape pancakes 雄爺雞蛋糕, Fengjia sweet potato balls 逢甲地瓜球, Cheese potato 起司马铃薯, Fried squid 酥炸大鱿鱼…
• Drinks: Taro iced drink 芋头冰, Bubble Tea, Papaya milk 北回木瓜牛奶…
• Nearby eats: Overlord Taichung / 台中市西屯區福星路528號 – Kobe beef, fries & coke

The thing I noticed about Taiwanese street food is a lot of it is fried. Do drink loads of water when there because you wouldn't want to fall sick during a trip. I don't eat fried food or snack food as much because I need rice to fill my tummy (hands up if you're a rice bucket too!). Thankfully there is always braised meat rice (Lu rou fan 滷肉饭) available everywhere & happy girl is happy when she eats her rice. Another thing is, you'd expect night market food to be cheap but it really really isn't. The price of food in Taiwan surprised me because I didn't expect it to be pricier than Malaysia (eg. RM14 for 1 cheese potato). My estimated budget on food was less than expected so all of us almost went broke towards the last few days & ate mostly convenience store meals for breakfast.

DAY 2 (RAINBOW VILLAGE 彩虹眷村 | TUNGHAI UNIVERSITY 台中东海大学 | TAICHUNG NATIONAL THEATER 臺中國家歌劇院 | LIHPAO 麗寶 OUTLET MALL | ZHONGSE FLOWER MARKET 中社觀光花市 | GAOMEI WETLANDS 高美濕地): 

We hired a driver, Mr Chen for a full day (because we tai tai & enjoy life like that, jk.) because most of the places we wanted to head to wasn't far but it would take a crazy long time by bus so we figured it wasn't worth saving several bucks. He was super nice & bought us all drinks + treated us some food too! + he didn't solely play his role as a driver but he helped us take plenty of IG worthy group photos & all had the stamp of approval by the very picky me. If you're travelling in a small group like us to Taiwan soon & would be interested in getting a driver, I highly recommend Mr Chen. (drop me an email at kimmiemaey@gmail.com or insta dm me for his contact!)

So we started our morning trying out breakfast food nearby our airbnb. It was right outside a university nearby where we stayed called Fengjia University. After trying out every stall & filling our tummies, we headed to Rainbow Village, a former veteran's village painted colourfully by a former soldier in order to save it from being demolished.

Taken by our driver Mr Chen! Told you he's good. The best part is he's super patient & kept giving us plenty of variety like portrait & landscape shots.

If you're lucky, you might meet the former soldier aka Rainbow grandpa, Huang Yung-Fu himself. He's super friendly & young at heart as he posed cheekily with us AHAH! How cute!

We spent less than an hour there since it wasn't very big & headed for our next stop, Tunghai University to visit Luce Memorial Church. Well we intended to but did not make it in the end as we spent way too much time taking photos while walking in. If you do intend to visit Luce Memorial Church, allow 20 minutes of walking time to slowly enjoy the nice surroundings because the university grounds are pretty big & the church is situated deep inside.

This is why we didn't make it to the church. LOL.

Then, we headed to Taichung National Theater, famed for its unique architecture. Finally a place with aircond for us to cool down for abit. There isn't any entrance fee if you're just wandering around the place, but if you love dome like ceilings & minimal staircases, this is the place for you.

We had our lunch at a small noodle shop recommended by our driver while we were on our way to Lihpao 麗寶 Outlet Mall. To be honest, Lihpao Outlet Mall was a waste of time to go because the shops were pretty dead & you can probably get the same or even better offers at our local outlet malls. The most time you can spend there is just outside the mall because it's painted in the prettiest pastel shades & has a ferris wheel on top of the building.

Pretty but not worth to go all the way just for a photo in my opinion.

Since our visit at Lihpao Outlet Mall ended way quicker than expected, our driver recommended us to visit Zhongse Flower Market 中社觀光花市 which was a short drive away. I previously been to Amsterdam's Keukenhof festival & saw plenty of giant almost the size of my face kind of tulips so at first I felt okok visiting Zhongse Flower Market.

But as I walked around, I just felt really good & instantly lifted my mood as I walked in a garden full of flowers. We felt like we rented the whole place out because it was low season & there really weren't many people around.

We spent around an hour there before heading to Gaomei Wetlands 高美濕地 because we wanted to arrive just in time to catch the sunset.

We had a quick photo stop at some paddy fields by the road side because they were so pretty!

We first arrived at Gaomei Wetlands scenic bridge which allows you to take closer photos with the windmills.

We then took the car to Gaomei Wetlands itself (there's a wooden walkway & the spot at the end is the best for photo taking) because the walk was too far to make it for the sunset. I saw this cute couple infront of us & had to sneak a shot of their cute moment!

We didn't walk all the way to the end cuz we found a nice spot to get a great shot. The sunset was so beautiful I cant even!

I actually came back again three months after this trip to Gaomei Wetlands during the winter & the sunset wasn't nice at all! Super gloomy & greyed out. Compared to this photo which is 100% unedited! So I'd definitely recommend maybe the spring or autumn time to visit will be the best.

DAY 3 (TC-TPE, WU FEN PU FASHION DISTRICT 五分埔商圈 | RAOHE NIGHT MARKET 台北饶河街夜市): 

We spent our third day travelling by bus to Taipei. It was a really relaxing day & time just flew by as we napped our way there. Our Taipei Airbnb was more spacious & was at a great location as well. However it was on the 4th or something & there was no lifts so carrying the luggages were a pain. This Airbnb is pretty convenient as well since it's nearby public transport but no handsome host to bring you there. AHAHAH! I remember when I was hunting for Airbnbs, most of them usually only has 1 toilet so it was a pain every morning because 6 girls... It's okay we made it & we're all still friends LOL.

After checking in, we headed out again to Wu Fen Pu fashion district. No photos here because once we arrived, we went straight to shopping because girls being girls... It's best to shop here during off season whereby most stores are clearing stocks for the new season. Most shops sell in bulk but you can still purchase them at a higher not very worth it price. Usually what we do is just to look at those on the sales rack as you'll be able to find bargains from RM7 onwards! Most of our purchases were under RM28 because we only looked out for stuff at NT200. There were even offers for 2 for NT100 (RM7 each)!

Raohe Night Market was just a short walk away from Wu Fen Pu & the night market was very easy to walk at since it was a big U turn. Look out for a stall selling grilled turkey wings. They look like mutated chicken wings because its huge hahah!

DAY 4 (YILAN DAY TOUR - HAPPY TRAIN STATION 幸福轉運站 | LANYANG MUSEUM 蘭陽博物館 | MEIHUA LAKE 梅花湖風景區 | LUODONG NIGHT MARKET 宜蘭羅東夜市):

We traveled to Yilan by hiring a driver as you can only travel around Yilan by bus which is too time costly. I think the weather was the hottest on this day because there weren't any clouds to be seen. We wanted to go to Artemis Garden cafe which is a super pretty IG worthy cafe but there was a minimum spend per person & an entrance fee which wasn't worth to pay. Apparently alot of pretty cafes in Taiwan has a minimum spend per person rule which I didn't know about.

We ate elsewhere & headed to Yilan's happy train station 幸福轉運站. There's a really cute pastel pink playset beside a cafe which if the weather is too hot, you aren't allowed to enter. Unfortunately for us we couldn't enter, as the playset was burning hot at 45.5 C°.

Desperate for a photo since we came all the way, I still went to sit on it even though it was so hot. HAHAH! In the process of climbing, my dress actually broke. Whoops.

The happy train station doesn't just end at the pastel pink playset but there's more photo spots along the same street to take photos at.

We then headed to lunch at Yilan's famous hot spring chicken 甕窯雞 which btw, was yummeh! It's cooked in an urn & served as a whole.

It was so fun to de-bone the chicken myself!

After filling our tummies with good food, we headed to Lanyang museum for more photo taking! Lanyang museum is famous for its angular structure & its location which is in the middle of a lake.



After Lanyang museum, there was still extra time before Luodong night market opened so our driver recommended us to visit Mei Hua lake.

The view was so pretty but all of us melted in the weather.

Luodong market wasn't much difference as I guess since we've went to Fengjia night market, Luodong's  doesn't feel very special anymore.

DAY 5 (DI HUA STREET 迪化街 | XI MEN DING SHOPPING STREET 西门町商圈):

After several days of sightseeing, our 5th day was a more laid back one, filled with shopping nonetheless. I realized that I didn't get to take many scenic & building pictures since I was the tour guide so forgive me... :(

We had our brunch at a random zhap fan (economy rice) shop along Di Hua street 迪化街 & it was good! They had plenty of choices like a buffet & different types of soup to choose from! I literally poured a bunch of lu rou cuz its my fav fav fav ever even if it's fattening AF.

Di Hua street was pretty quiet & had a lot of old buildings which felt like we went back in time. It's definitely the place to get Taiwanese souvenirs like cute packet tea, yummy pineapple tarts & even the popular TTL Hua Tiao chicken / pickled vege beef Noodles 台酒花雕雞 / 酸菜牛肉麵! It has real meat in it & the packet form tastes better than the cup noodle one. Must try cuz its so, so good!

After souvenirs shopping, we walked over to Xi Men Ding shopping street 西门町商圈 for beauty shopping! Beauty stores in Taiwan often has lots of great deals like buy 1 free 1 or special discounted items with purchase. The 6 of us bought too much till the cash register actually reached its limit twice & jammed LOL. Epic but paisieh as well. AHAHA

All of us easily bought a year supply of masks that day & have to eat convenience store food for the rest of the days but happy then can liao. :D

DAY 6 (BEITOU HOT SPRING MUSEUM 北投温泉博物馆 | GEOTHERMAL VALLEY 地热谷 | TAMSUI OLD STREET 淡水老街):

Going to Beitou Hot Spring museum 北投温泉博物馆 in a weather like KL's was not the best idea ever. There are plenty of hotels around the area providing hot spring private rooms so just go to any that suits your budget. Thankfully there's a hot spring & a cold spring which saved us from the hot weather.

Our skin felt soft after a good hot spring & we walked to the Geothermal Valley 地热谷. People usually go there to feel the natural steam but it was too hot to handle with the weather & sun!

The last stop of the day was to Tamsui Old Street & initially the Fisherman's Wharf & Lover's bridge but it was too far to walk, so we ended up not going there & spent our time shopping along the old street. Most shops were selling stuff priced mostly at NT100 (RM14) which was so affordable because you could get bags, accessories & shop for affordable souvenirs. I never expected it to be a nice place to shop because it's called "old street" so I assumed the stuff sold wouldn't suit us.

DAY 7 (XINYI SHOPPING DISTRICT | TAIPEI 101):

Approaching our final 2 days, we finally visited the iconic Taipei101. There are lots of malls along Xin Yi shopping district like ATT4fun, the flagship Eslite bookstore, Neo19, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place & Breeze. ATT4FUN is more for youngsters & there's a Zara home there! One of my favourite Japanese brands GU is there too & all of us bought stuff there. We also went to Eslite bookstore where we saw Lee Dong Wook!!

JKJK. We saw a cardboard version of him only la. Chill. If I really saw him in person & got a photo with him, I think I'll mention it in all my blog posts for a year. LOL...

I mean, who wouldn't?!

Since it was our second last day & we had some ah gong money left, we enjoyed a hotpot buffet feast! We had to end the night early since we were set to fly home the next day.

DAY 8 (JIUFEN 九份 | SHIFEN OLD STREET 十分老街 | SHIFEN WATERFALL 十分大瀑布):

We were so lucky that it didn't rain during our visit to Jiufen & Shifen as a friend of mine told me that it rains there 80% of the time! You can find lots of eateries there & some shops selling traditional cheong sam too! We only ate & didn't buy anything because most of us were already broke by the second last day.

The streets at Jiufen can be quite narrow & uneven so best to avoid weekends & peak seasons.

We headed to a quick detour to Shifen Waterfall which our driver recommended us to take a short visit. I feel like it wasn't anything special & could have skipped it.

It was quite a long walk so we didn't go all the way to end since we have yet to visit Shifen & we had to rush to the airport after. The bridge was kinda shakey & slightly scary.

After that, we proceeded to Shifen Old Street which we were more excited about as we could finally light up our paper lanterns & take photos on the popular railway tracks! The railway tracks were actually quite dangerous because it is still being used! They should warn tourists not to go too far because there isn't much space to stand at the sides. The first time the train approached, it came way too sudden & we were quite far from the exit so I was trapped at the sides because the rocks on the ground were too difficult to run on. I had to support myself on some rough terrains which was not fun. :(

Us & our paper lanterns! A must do thing while at Shifen. I drew all of us including Yilin & Huiting who couldn't join.

Grabbed some stuff to eat & a cute stray doggo kept staring at me. So weird that all the stray dogs that I've seen throughout the trip were mini sized like this one!

Finally after a good 8 days of fun, it was time to head home & end our holiday. I still think about it everyday & how time flew by so quickly! Even if we went on holiday for a month, I think we would still be chatting endlessly everyday.

I guess that's the beauty of true, lasting friendships. ♡

If you're interested in my Taichung, Taipei & Yilan itinerary (includes added night market locations, food places not in blog post), feel free to drop me an email at kimmiemaey@gmail.com :) Note that the itinerary is mostly in English with some Chinese terms & names for convenience in finding certain places. Also, some places were changed last minute & are not shown in the itinerary but you can find it in the blog post.