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Taiwan Travelogue: Day 1, H132 Hostel Review

Finally managed to get a proper breather and we decided to head to Taiwan! It was a country I had never been to, and had only heard about its amazing food and beautiful scenery. Was it just a myth or were all the raves about Taiwan true? Only one way to find out :P

We flew Tiger Airlines as there was a flight at 11am ish which landed in Taipei on a Saturday around 2pm? That was perfect because we could sleep in yet reach in time for the night markets! We landed at Taoyuan international airport, and grabbed an express bus into the city which dropped us off at Taiwan Main Station, where our first accommodation was at. Was reminiscing a bit when Roommates (korean variety show) went to Taipei! It's really cheap to take a bus out (around SGD$6) and it comes at frequent intervals (15-20mins), plus takes about the same time to get to the city centre, so you can consider it over taking a cab. For more information on transport out of Taoyuan Airport, check this website.

Our plan for the day was to check into our hostel, freshen up a bit, head to the night markets, head back to the hostel to shower, then partyyyy! We kind of followed that plan, well, continue reading about that and you'll find out what happened.

We stayed at H132 Hostel the first night as hotels we wanted to stay at were all fully booked, and this 5 rating hostel opening suddenly came up, so we thought, why not? This was the first hostel I had ever stayed in, in my entire life, and I thoroughly scanned through the reviews before deciding to go for it. All comments was that it was clean, and the only complaint was that it was a little tough to locate because their entrance was a little obscure.

They were right. I completely walked past this the first time and had to walk backwards a bit because the numbers jumped lol. The hostel is on the second floor, so you have to be prepared to carry your luggage up! My room was on the 4th floor so you can imagine me lugging it up for 4 levels... This place is a short walk from Taipei main station, which makes it very convenient to get around!

The reception on the second floor. One thing I really really liked about this hotel was how friendly the staff were and how homely the whole atmosphere felt! We later bumped into this lady while she was going home from her shift and she still greeted us happily, even giving us suggestions on where to go! 

The room was very basic, a bed, a small table, a tv, a small window, a clean toilet and shower, which is basically everything we needed. The room had enough space for me to open my huge check-in sized luggage. The toilet also smelt like disinfectant, and there were no traces of any insects around. Love how the place looks really modern and new, which is always a plus!

One of the only qualms was that the pillow was reaaally soft, which took a while to get used to. There were english channels on the TV for nights when we were bored!

We paid more for a private, en-suite bathroom because I don't really like communal toilets and sharing dorms with strangers after my experiences in NTU. Here's a picture of our simple and clean toilet. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided in the form of sachets, which were pretty decent though they ran out really fast. Water was hot and the power of the shower head was pretty good. Towels are provided at no additional charge!

Cute house rules haha. Free Wifi yay!

The communal toilets are on the 3rd floor, which I snapped a picture of just in case any of you were interested! There are two showers! If I remembered correctly, they're unisex.

Back to the second floor, there is a chill out area for people to mingle, talk or just plan their day's activities. Love the colour scheme which injected fresh liveliness in the place!

The other side of the relaxing area. While we were there, we saw many guests from different countries like Korea, China and Hong Kong!

The second floor also comes with a kitchen where you can get complimentary breakfast made up of bread and some fruits. Their tap also supplies hot water for your coffee or tea!! The only thing that ticked me off was that some guests did not wash up after themselves, or that they washed up in a disgusting manner. What do I mean by disgusting? Well, let's just say that they basically scooped everything off their plate into the sink and thus clogging it with butter/strawberry etc. It was NOT a pleasant sight. Kudos to the staff there who cleaned it up though!! This is a hostel, and the staff aren't your personal maids geez.

Everyone removes their footwear once they step into the hostel! Was a little worried for my shoes hahah.

Overall, it was a really comfortable stay and I would highly recommend H132 as a great, value-for-money location to stay at in Taipei. This review was not sponsored and neither did H132 engage me to write for them. Directions were provided to us once we made our booking via hostelz.com 

H132 Hostel

2F., 132, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road
Zhongshan District
Taipei

Thanks for reading! Keep checking back to find out more adventures!


Travelogue: Tebasaki wings Nagoya's famous food for dinner

Tebasaki. Soooo good.

The evening after visiting the girls at Kinjo Gakuin University, I went to Nagoya main station to meet my friends for dinner! I wanted to try Tebasaki, which is deep fried chicken wings, and is one of Nagoya's must try signature dishes, so they searched for a famous one :D Being nice, I will share it with you hahah.

どて家西口店 (Doteya Nishi Guchi Ten)

Sun Nagoya Noritake Buld. 2F 2-3-2 Noritake Nakamura-ku 
Nagoya city Aichi

愛知県名古屋市中村区則武2-3-2 サン・ナゴヤ則武ビル2F

Just copy and paste it into Google Maps and you'll be able to navigate it smoothly!

One thing I reaaaally dislike about Izakaya's in Japan is that they can smoke indoors :( It made my clothes, hair everything stink and made me want to finish eating as soon as possible so I could get out. Everyone around us was smoking. We quickly ordered and waited about 20minutes before our food came trickling in. In the meantime, we camwhored. 

Left: Sari, Middle: Me, Right: Junko! I hadn't seen Sari in like, forever (almost 5 years) and she lost so much weight!! Also she has long hair now so different! When we knew each other we were all still students, but now we're all working adults. Insane!

Japanese sausages, some were spicy so we had to guess the flavours lol. It was reaaally good. Or maybe I was just hungry. 

 Fried prawns. These reminded me of wasabi prawns that we have in Singapore! The prawns were really fresh though :) So-so gyoza in the background. Oh, and beer is like, a must with tebasaki, fried stuff and all.

Potato salad! Having some carbs are a must.

More salad! Sari is watching her diet so more greens I guess.

The highlight: Tebasaki chicken wings!!! These were slightly sweet but the meat was really tender! Ordered extra servings of these hahah. You have to eat the Tebasaki wings in one mouthful. Super good. Worth going to Nagoya just to have this?? Yes.

Think we're pretty pro at it haha!

As mentioned, I wanted to get out of the Izakaya as soon as possible because of the smoke so we went to Denny's which was nearby. It had a smoking and non smoking corner, and the sections were separated by a glass door so the smell wasn't too bad.

Sari was introducing me to popular japanese make up products and I ended up buying her recommended eyeshadow! Have been using it ever since.

Junko! She's a great housewife material. Cooks awesome meals, independent, caring and hardworking, 10/10 man. Then we started to take photos to make up for lost time.






We make a good titanic couple.

Why are japanese women so fair?!!? Okay I know it's the sunblock but I am so envious!!

After talking about old times and getting an update on each others lives, Yuhei came. He was positively starving (think it was like 10pm??) and he came straight from work. 

That's him gulping down his meal. Think he started smoking since the last time I saw him, which was also about 5 years ago?

Junko's crazy huge sundae that she shared with Sari.

My hokkaido ice cream dessert! The green tea was quite bitter but that was balanced out by the rich vanilla. I was surprised at how good it was!

Our reunion shot!

Everyone smiling happily here :) Til next time, Nagoya!

Oh had to take our mandatory shot.

It was pretty chilly outdoors hence the layers and scarf. When it's indoors it's quite hot so I usually take off all the extra layers. So troublesome!

I put the previous photo here for comparison. Pardon the crap resolution when digital cameras were just starting out and this was 5 megapixels. The photo was taken when we met up 5 years ago! See how much we've changed?? I think I look the same just with more makeup now.

Edit: Okay my face has definitely gotten rounder. Damnit.

Thanks for reading! Come back soon to find out more about my onsen trips in Gifu!

Love hate relationship with Taiwan

My June holiday to Taiwan was my first ever trip there, and I must say there were a few things I really liked and disliked about the place! You can call it a love-hate relationship. Singaporeans are really blessed to have such a clean city, not just on the streets but even the air. Sure, we get the occasional haze which makes all of us terribly unwell, but we don't have as much vehicle and factory pollution as other countries. Many Taiwanese nationals actually wear masks around as the air is quite polluted, and even your nose will show some symptoms too. Here are some things to note about Taiwan before heading there.


Will be releasing my detailed itinerary soon so check back again!

Hate/Dislike

Let's start off with what I disliked about Taiwan, before moving to what I really loved!

  • Toilets

While toilets are clean in departmental stores and some restaurants/cafes, all of them have one thing in common. You can't throw anything in the toilet bowl. And that includes toilet paper. That results in a bin next to it that either smells like a mixture of pee and poop OR if you're lucky, a bin with a lid on it, that only smells like that when you lift the cover up. Either way, you're gonna smell it. This is due to Taiwan's drainage system that will likely choke and cause the whole toilet bowl to explode, which you want to avoid even happening. I also really dislike how squatting toilets are still rampant here!!

Tip: Bring tissue paper wherever you go, and if possible, a sanitizer spray.

  • Motorists don't always follow traffic signs and drive recklessly
They even get in the way of my photos

Saw a motorcycle do a U-turn when the light was red. Was almost knocked over many, many times. Read in an article somewhere that it is possible for Taiwanese to get a driver's license without actually physically driving, so you have been warned. Motorbikes can travel anywhere, even through the crowded night markets, so it's a little annoying when you have to keep an eye out on the road even while shopping. There was a night market in Kaohsiung where motorists (still sitting on their bikes) would rummage through the racks!! As someone who's been burnt by a motorcycle engine, I was very, very cautious. Always look left and right before you cross the road and pause if you think a motorcycle is going to go. Traffic lights aren't the most reliable as motorists dare to run lights and are very unpredictable. Don't text while crossing the road!!

  • Money changing issues

Changing money at the airport is the most convenient way, but if you're in the middle of your holiday and you need more Taiwanese dollar, you have to change at a bank. Not only are these banks hard to find as many of them are just ATM's, they also close around 3pm. Argh!! Especially in more rural areas, you might not even have a bank at all. Bring lots of cash before you go!!

  • Erratic weather
The storm just before this almost made us give up coming here

One moment it's bright and sunny, five minutes later it's storming cats and dogs. The weather has more mood swings than a lady on menopause. You're never safe without an umbrella, and I'm pretty sure umbrella stores have the most business all year round. Weather forecasts were frequently wrong, so we gave up and just decided to wing it while travelling to outdoor places. Result? Missing the sunset at Tamsui but a pretty sunny afternoon at Hualien.

  • Trashcans

Where are all the trashcans?? Even in night markets, where you're supposed to be buying lots of street food, eating and walking at the same time, it's soo hard to find a trashcan to throw your rubbish. When you ask the stall vendor for the nearest trashcan, usually (if he's nice), he will offer to throw it for you in his own trashcan. I've given up looking for one. Do the taiwanese carry plastic bags in their bags so they can consolidate their trash at the end of the day or something?? Actually, I do think they carry plastic bags as many supermarkets and stores don't provide bags for free, unlike Singapore. To combat this, bring a few plastic bags in your bag.

  • Mosquitoes

I'm fine with spiders, scorpions, earthworms as long as they don't bother me, but the MOSQUITOES. Man, once it rains you're certain to have them following you around, especially in less city areas. As someone with really sweet blood who frequently gets bitten, I had to carry insect repellent around and even so sometimes I couldn't avoid them :( Please fog the drains, Taiwan. I scratched some mosquito bites until they bled and now the scabs are healing. My leg looks hideous. DO NOT underestimate the strength of these insects and don't try to act tough.

  • Stinky Tofu
So smelly I couldn't endure long enough to snap a photo

This one is probably me being touristy, but I asked a bunch of my friends and none of us can take the smell. One commented that she tried Stinky Tofu but it made her mouth smell like that after, so she had to brush her teeth like 8 times before it went away. I went to Taiwan excited to try it for the first time, but the smell was too pungent to even make it to the counter to order. If you've never had the privilege of encountering this, it smells like the sewer, and probably something rotting. It is tofu that has been fried and fermented and most Taiwanese LOVE this. They claim that the stinkier it is, the better it tastes. *shudder*

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Love/Like

On to my favorites!

  • Food


Taiwanese food is famous for a reason. You can find a wide food selection from their famous Taiwanese Beef Noodles to Japanese sashimi to Western Steaks, and their night markets never disappoint. Even desserts like snow ice, Chinese taro(yam) balls delicacies are widely available and a pleasure to the taste buds.

Best of all, the food in Taiwan is so cheap!!! Even SGD$4 beef noodles are enough for 2, and they are very generous with the meat. Will be doing a post on my favourite Taiwanese snacks soon :p

  • People
They are so patient!!

The people in Taiwan are generally one of the friendliest I've met, out of the countries that I've travelled. When I looked a little lost, someone would usually come up to me and help me out. Even the cab drivers would chat us up, ask us where we're from, give us some handy advice. It was a great experience!

Tip: If you ask cab drivers for recommendations for food, you won't be disappointed. They are well versed in the art of making tummies happy!!

  • Clean train stations

Train stations in Taiwan are as clean as Singapore!! No vandalisms, graffiti and strange looking stains that you see in Europe. Happy!! Signs are all in English and Mandarin with arrows pointing you in the right direction every 100m or so. Fast trains even have a train service lady who will come around collecting your trash!

  • Never going thirsty
Kaohsiung's famed Papaya milk drink

Almost every corner has a bubble tea store or a convenience store, I was never thirsty for very long. Do try their Aiyu jelly which is very refreshing especially in summer! Koi in Taiwan is almost half price cheaper, so have as many milk teas as you want before you come back! I kind of have a phobia of pearls because I swallowed too many without chewing and felt them sticking to my throat. Not fun.

  • Scenery
Hualien's abundant marble rocks

Taiwan is gorgeous. Singaporeans are used to an urban landscape, but in Taiwan even in Taipei you can see mountains in the distance, peeking out from your photos. In spring you get to see pretty pink cherry blossoms, in winter everyone dresses up in cute trenchcoats and boots. There's always something to see in every season!

  • Free Wifi

Even though I bought an unlimited data plan sim card from the airport (yes you get UNLIMITED data!!), there were many cafes and shopping malls that offered free wifi as well. You can easily stay connected to friends and family, and some places even provide power plugs for you to charge your phone if needed.

  • Nightlife
The bar at Hotel Quote

This one is a bit of a mix between like and dislike. What I like about the nightclubs is that there are offers for free flow alcohol at certain clubs for a fixed price. After exchanging your initial drink coupon, you just keep returning your previous glasses to get another drink of your choice. What I dislike is that not many people in the club actually dance. Most are just people watching, yes even on the dance floor, and only the front bunch nearest to the DJ are dancing. Too concerned with looking sexy? Not sure.

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If you have suggestions on what to add to this list or any comments on the above, please feel free to leave a note below!

Thanks for reading!

Travelogue: Nagoya: Kinjo Gakuin University


I was completely exhausted the night before due to my hectic Tokyo Disneyland adventure, then travelling to Nagoya in the evening but woke up bright and early the next day feeling fresh and energized because I was in Japan!! There's so much to celebrate about that. I was living at Junko, my pen pal's place and she teaches English at an all-girl university called Kinjo Gakuin University, which is a 45 mins drive away. She kindly invited me to co-teach her class with her, as a guest, and was quite excited because she figured the students might not have spoken to many foreigners due to the rural area.

Now, I've never been to an all-girls university, and coming from an all-girls school myself for 10 years made me extra nervous. It was crucial to set a right impression from the start!! I picked a dress I had bought the week earlier from Zara and paired them with black leggings, a scarf, boots and threw on my trench-coat as it was quite chilly. Ironically, the moment I stepped into the school, it was really hot and I slowly started to peek the layers off. I was actually perspiring in the class because it was that hot indoors!!

Junko went to the class first as we were almost late (Japanese are like never late!), but I was so jittery that I had to stop by the ladies to calm myself down. Took a deep breath, and walked into the class. At that moment I heard girls squealing "Aahh!! I forgot that we are having a guest today!!" in Japanese and I was so shy that I just took the first seat I saw, which was right in front. 

After the class settled down, Junko introduced me and the class started from there. She wanted me to help correct pronunciations and read aloud so that they could imitate my sounds! I was really apprehensive at first but loosened up as the students are just so eager to learn, which makes it a pleasure to teach :) I really hope the girls continue to press forward and not give up on English!! 

A shot with the pretty girls :) I don't know how they can wear sweaters because it was really hot!!
Bought them bak kwa to try and they loved it. So happy!! 
みんな,元気ですか?:) みんなにあいたいです!!♥(✿ฺ´∀`✿ฺ)ノ

After class, Junko and I drove to a nearby shopping mall to eat one of the famed dishes in Nagoya - Miso katsu!

This place is famous for its miso katsu :)

Having a hard time deciding what to eat!

Since I wanted to try everything, I settled on a mixed set, with fried pork cutlet, squid and minced pork! It was sooo freaking good. The miso makes everything a little sweeter and we just sat there chatting away even though we hadn't seen each other for quite a long time :)

Doesn't this make you want to eat it already?!

We still had some time to kill, so I decided to go bra shopping lol. Seriously girls you'll be spoilt for choice in a shopping mall because there are just so many brands and soo many cute designs!! Before I came to Japan I didn't even know that Wacoal was a Japanese brand. :X They are really affordable though, like $20 for a pair, when they're on sale??? Really great quality too! Think I spent like 2hours in the shop and bought 5 pairs hahahah. Went back to Junko's place to freshen up before we went for dinner.

Walked by this wall of vending machines and just had to take a picture. So much variety!!! Singapore needs to be at that level.


Stayed tuned for more of my Japan posts!


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