I’ve been a huge fan of The Coveteur & The Selby for a while now, always delighting me with a tease & glimpse into some of the world’s most coveted homes & closets (I so wish to own one someday!).

So when I chanced upon The Glow recently (thanks to blog links on my reader list), I was too excited and in awe that it featured wonderfully photographed moments of fashionable & stylish moms (coupled with fascinating & fab snippets of their little tricks of the trade or their thoughts of the moment). I’ve always wanted to be a stylish mom when the time comes (or at least an inspiring one to my future bubs) – and hopefully this will encourage me in some little way or another :) …or at least motivate me that its possible to still have lots of fun on days when I’m all weary from feeding, cleaning & crying :x

Loving these lovely moments that are being beautifully documented. Can’t you just see the glow on the moms’ faces (pun intended)?

Gorgeous Painter Jemima Kirke & her bub, Rafaella enjoying moments together – bliss!

Designer Consultant Laura Garcia getting a lovely kiss.

Lovely inspiration for future bub’s room

Absolutely loving & secreting coveting designer Lynn’s apartment & Marc Jacobs dress.

And absolutely fantastic preggy advice from Meredith on beauty…

“Use your natural glow to your advantage and reduce the amount of make-up you wear while pregnant. The most radiant you will ever be is during pregnancy so don’t waste your time covering it with make-up. When you become a mommy, make-up becomes last on your list; the quick application of foundation and under eye concealer is key. Then, all you need is basic blush, lip moisturizer, and mascara.”

I’ve always had a soft spot for all things moms and bubs, so this will definitely be on my blog radar for a long time to come. :)

[Source: The Glow]

Everyday together is a special one.

And celebrating love need not be fixed on an exact day nor date.

Today, it was our wedding anniversary and we thought what better excuse to take a day off from our daily grind and just spend even more time together.

We got off to an early start, went some good ol’ dim sum breakfast for the Cantonese boy,  reminisced a little about our wedding day on this day exactly 3 years ago, took a walk around Raffles Hotel (where our wedding suite & dinner was located at), did more walks, drove around, caught a movie, discover some new places, took more walks, went for pre-dinner cocktails & had one of the most amazing dinners. We ordered 7 meat & seafood dishes to be exact to accompany our alcohol beverages. Goodness, even simple curried mussels tasted SO GOOD.

To say that we were on cloud 9 would be an understatement.

Dim Sum: Old Hong Kong

Dinner: The Disgruntled Chef

Today when I looked at Andy’s blog to gain some inspiration, I was blown away by not only her (always) lovely choice of outfits but by the destination she is currently at right now : Santorini, Greece

I’ve been lusting to give the European cities another visit since our maiden one in Oct 2008, but when I saw the backdrop of Santorini in Andy’s I couldn’t help but go ‘WOW’! and kept clicking for more photos of the place.

The blue skies, the Aegean sea, the tall cliffs, volcanic remnants.  Something we’ve definitely not experienced (yet) and (I) would love to for a 2nd honeymoon perhaps?

If not this year, probably in the next 2! Perhaps another big motivation to get me considering job offers again and to take my mind off some trivial worries I’ve been having of late. After all when you get to go to a paradise like that, you want to excite all senses and taste buds without constantly worrying about budget, right? Ideally.

Source | Style Scrapbook

Did a walkabout with Liew (& Cindy) yesterday and captured a few shots which got me realizing…how beautiful Singapore has progressed into.

…and protected we are from natural disasters.

(Please help Japan in any little way you can)

Disclaimer: I tried doing the more photos, less talk kinda thing only to realized that I was too busy shopping and carrying stuff that I didn’t have time to take as many photos as I usually would. Blame it on the cheap, fashionable shopping bug baht

I didn’t really give it much thought when my colleagues warned me a day before my flight to Bangkok on Friday morning at 7am (oh goodness, I practically slept at 1am and woke up at 4.45am just so I won’t miss my flight, again) that protests were still ongoing and that I should steer clear of wearing anything red/yellow/orange and away from shopping malls.

All I did was sent a SMS blast to my 3 other girlfriends/travel-mates not to pack those colours (red/yellow/orange) into the luggage, rushed home to pack my suitcase, do online check-in, change money (only changed $300, the least cash ever in my BKK trip!) and get as much sleep as I could. Apparently 4 hours was as much as I could squeeze in – but I sure was proud that I was first to arrive at the departure hall the next morning though :)

Marg & Fi waiting for Daph at the airport

I had been to Bangkok last year (2010) during the protests and it was so safe that if we hadn’t knew about it from the media, we would have no idea about the reds vs. the yellows. Thankfully they left blue & black out of the picture because that’s what I packed my suitcase with this time. Except that I only packed 2 sets of clothes to be worn on 4 days. I decided that I would be a little more adventurous this time…and shop for the rest of my outfits despite being fatter than before. So glad I stuck to that plan beause my luggage went from 11kg to 22.2kg on the way back home. Although I do think tailoring the 3 pants for Luke must have contributed to the additional weight… :]

So it turns out that travelling on a bigger plane did shorten our flight from the usual 2hr 40min to 1hr 50min – DUH, pretty sure we all didn’t know that judging by the surprised look on our faces when we found out we didn’t even have time to finish our inflight movie! We landed in Suvarnabhumi Airport at 08:30am, queued up at customs to get our stamps for about 30 minutes before we could hit the expressways and to the land of cheap & fashionable shopping!

We were rather surprised to be greeted with a face-lifted Grand Diamond Hotel (our usual choice of accommodation) that had a nicer looking entrance, a plaza of shops and STARBUCKS at the lobby!

at Grand Diamond's lobby

And of course, our very affordable Suite on the 24th floor. Hooray!

Rushed to the shops right after we settled our bags, bladders & bowels; and it turned out that I had brought the least value in cash ($300) vs. 1 x $500 and 2 x $700. Why does anyone need that much money for anyway!!! – I digress.

Day 1 was awesome.

We spent little, reaped lesser than before, but somehow felt a lot more happier & rationale with our purchases….maybe except Margie who probably purchased 6-7 dresses in a single afternoon. We even bought similar sleeping Tshirts – talk about a Pyjamas partay!

Day 2 was not quite what we expected.

Margie & Fiona wanted to go to the 4-faced Buddha (word has it that once you ask for blessings, you have to visit it every year…) temple. On the way there, I saw some ladies in red tees, didn’t think much of it until I realized it was one of the meeting & protest points for the reds which was happening in less than 2 hours.

Daph & I outside the temple waiting for the girls

Needless to say, Daph & I contemplated taking a high-priced tuk tuk back from the temple to Platinum Shopping Mall as soon as the other 2 were done. Except that we couldn’t find a tuk tuk or taxi in sight. We saw the police and their shields closing in all directions, while the sea of red just got bigger. One of the girls suggested cutting through the reds to get out. Thankfully we deided to make a detour through another entrance of the mall and seek shelter & safety there instead. I got to admit that seeing them deck in red from head to toe with a flag in the toilet too felt quite intimidating. I had almost silly thoughts running through my mind at that point.

The girls took more than an hour shopping at Naraya and by time we left the mall by the side entrance, we could quickly walk past the protest and brisk walk our way to our destination. But our adventure didn’t quite end there.

Later than evening when we took a taxi to MBK, we were told by the driver that we were lucky because every 19th & 20-something of the month was the Reds protest day and that it had ended at 5pm (it was 6.45pm when we boarded the cab). We were  so relieved to hear that, only to experience the driver making a stop at the side of the road and telling us that the roads were blocked till 8.30pm at all major shopping points, including MBK and that he could not take us there. What a waste of time.

We contemplated going for a massage at a place I frequent nearby MBK, but taxi driver had a better suggestion of taking us to the #1 massage place in Thailand. For a moment I did think he was referring to the massage place I was talking about, until I saw him turn into a much quieter lane with a big massage center. Didn’t feel quite comfortable because the massage prices were double of what was supposed to be the usual price, and seeing a group of Thai men at the counter loitering just threw me off completely.

Glad we agreed to walk out of that place after I haggled the price with the lady who refused to budge, went to the nearest 7-11 shop to ask for directions to MBK, was told that it would take us 2 hours to walk there. Flagged down 2 cabs who had no idea how to go back to our hotel and by Grace, managed to get a 3rd one who would finally take us to MBK.

Guess what. It turned out that MBK was only 2 baht worth of a taxi journey away from where we were! And there weren’t road blocks!!! Although on hindsight, I remember the first driver pointing to his ‘red shirts’ decal while telling us how the yellows will strike at the airport while the reds do it in town…I digress again!!!

We heard a loud shot as our taxi passed by MBK though. The girls started asking if it was a gun shot, which I told them not to speak nonsense especially not in a Thai taxi. My heart was fearful though, as we noticed that the McDonalds’ at MBK had its shutters down. Good thing the location which we wanted to alight at was a few hundred metres away so by time we alighted from the cab, it was surrounded by shops and eateries (like a bigger version of Holland V).

Had a satisfying meal (recommended by the massage parlour) that night followed by a good foot massage. This was probably the next best highlight after a day of shopping!

us waiting for a seat at Som Tam (Soi 5)

Day 3 & Day 4 was just like Day 1. Good fun shopping, lots of bargaining, buying, carrying, achy backs and packing. And soaking our tired feet in the tub over cans of Chang beer in the night.

soaking our feet in the tub at the suite

All in all, a very fun & fufilling trip albeit terribly exhausted one since we were up at 8am every day and out cold only by 11ish pm.

My only regret(s): Wished I had more Thai baht with me and took more photos to capture more of the trip!

If you’re considering whether its safe to go Bangkok during this period of time, just be mindful to avoid the 19th and I think 28 or 29th of each month (so we were told by the taxi driver) at malls like Central World & MBK etc. Or you can be like us, avoid packing any red/yellow/orange in your bags and just stay indoors during the afternoon (indoors = shopping) with some coffee breaks in between.

I enjoyed this trip so much, I’m contemplating another one end of the year. But we’ll see…baby-making plans are still priority :D

I’m loving every moment of Tokyo. The people, culture, food, meeting up with family, the fresh experience of eating in a local izakaya, skipping on the powder-snowed grounds, staying in a quintessential Japanese hotel – its just filling my heart to the brim with joy.

entrance of Sensoji temple

Day 2, we’ve no proper itinerary planned, except to know that we wanted to get some scenic views of the city before going crazy shopping on Day 3 & 4.

I heard from colleagues that Yangmingshan was a good bet to experience nature at its beauty. So to Yangmingshan we went. Took a train to Taipei Main Station before switching to bus 260 at the bus-stop right aside the HSR (HighSpeedRail) station. If you’re unsure, just ask the information counter at the Taipei Main Station, they’d give you easy to follow directions. :)

Waited about a good 20 minutes for the bus under the scorching sun. The weather in Taipei has been rather erratic, it was supposed to be autumn but for the past few days it was at 31 degrees celcius! Managed to land ourselves a seat right at the back – thankfully – because we later realized that the Taipei culture of always being ready to give up seats to the elderly, preggy, and those with kids was starting to put us in a spot. Especially when we needed a seat BAD. And in Taipei, they actually have the priority seats in another colour (which usually occupies about 60% of the bus or train carriage). So we were so glad that we managed to land a seat on the ‘normal’ seats.

55 minutes bus ride later, we reached the entrance of Yangmingshan. Didn’t quite know what to make of it because we were stopped at a bus bay, and the other routes were either to take a 2.4km stroll to the visitor centre under the hot sun, or to wait for a shuttle which would take us to the various stops around Yangmingshan. We opted for the shuttle of course, despite the queue. Was a little taken aback when a siao (small)-bus came along instead (those that can only sit 10 pax), with the rest of us squeezing for a standing space. P/s: the frequency of the bus is about 20-30 min so we really didn’t want to wait for the next round, because even if we did  get a seat we would prolly have to give up to one of the many old foggies visiting the park as well.

And just like the Trip Advisor reviews, boy the bus ride really sucked! If you can opt for a private driver, or rent a car to drive around Yangmingshan – please just go for this option. The roads were extremely windy, throwing us to the right & left (even with both hands grabbing the bars) each time it turned. Roads were very narrow with 2-way traffic which nearly got the bus off the cliff at one point when one of the cars from the oncoming traffic steered too much into the other direction. #(!)@!*@!.

I was getting rather irritated from the lack of air-conditioning in the bus, windows shut and cramped space. I don’t think I’ve ever been so claustrophic before. So glad when we finally decided to stop at one of the destination: Er Zi Ping. And trust me when I say that we had no friggin idea what this destination was about, except that we saw a lot of people hanging around. Hence we assumed that the place should be popular. 2nd p/s: they don’t have a friggin’ visitor map nor english description of what each place is about

this sign freaked me out a little as we begun our walk. 'Snakes??' I exclaimed.

start of the 1.6km route.

We walked for about a good 2.2km before contemplating if we should make a turn back. Didn’t know what we were supposed to look for, plus we were not in proper trekking attire. A lady we stopped along the way encouraged us to walk right till the end because she couldn’t exactly explain what the destination was about. Besides, we were left with about 30 more steps hence we went for it.

And here’s what we saw:

copious amount of mist. apparently the perfect balance of air known to the locales and known to have relaxing benefits

 But I suppose for a couple whose seen the beautiful Swiss mountains and taken in the fresh air of a LOTR lookalike venue, this wasn’t quite what we were expecting. But nevermind, we were on a holiday anyway…so open minded we left ourselves to be…

We decided to catch the rest of YMS park using the small bus but when we finally managed to board one some 20 minutes later after our long & disappointing walk out to the busstop – lo & behold we saw a group of older folks. And we knew what that meant – giving up all seats in the bus and standing as the bus driver took on the winding road like he was in some competition. ppppfffff !

The entire jouney up and down YMS takes about 35-40 minutes and it was only when we were at the foot of the mountain did the husband lament how he didn’t manage to snap any shot of a good view due to a lack of recommended lookout points. We decided to hop on the bus for the 3rd time, this time seeing if we could stop elsewhere to take in the view. Only to our horror when we realized that the bus stop to our soughted lookout point would require a 40 minutes WALK although the bus made it seem too short a journey.

As I mention, both of us were NOT in our hiking wear and that included footwear. I was whining and grumbling as I took on the upslopes and steep stairs. Brrr.

just before that long 40-minutes walk in the heat

the walking begins

time for a break

the long, long road

please don't rain! we didn't bring a brolly!

how far more do we have to walk??

 After several brush with near-death experience either from motorists who weren’t keep to their lane, or near delicate-looking cliffs, we finally ended at where we wanted.

 It was the prettiest view at YMS alright, and we even attracted other motorist on ‘em scooters to stop for the scenic view at one point. While I wished that we were here during the cool Spring, where one would be seeing colours and colours blooming from the mountains and trees, looking at this view which was facing the sea did it for me too.

Thereafter, it was another 40 minutes of hiking to find a bus stop to get ourselves down. Oh boy, my feet were killing me.

i was huffing & puffing

We did get to our destination in the end (thank goodness!!!). I told the bobo that the next time we want to do something like this, we had got to be more prepared – and that includes hiring our own private transport or renting a car or something!

We also managed to grab a cab at the foot of the mountain, to the dismay of other passengers who were also waiting for cabs. But hey, we were willing to pay the cab driber +20% additional as he quoted because there was no way we could withstand another trip in the bus!!! And boy we were famished.

we finally reached civilisation again!

heading towards Danshui for dinner

serenity at Danshui

husband's fave

allegedly 'King'

Danshui was not too bad. Gave us a sense of old Taipei as we walked through the night market, sat by the wharf and took a boat to the ‘Lover’s Bridge’. Gave out an ‘old-school romance’ vibe.

Ended our night by taking the train back to Shilin for our favourite snacks again (its only 3 stops away from our hotel) before heading back for more Taiwan variety drama on the hotel TV (it’s an addicition!).

If only Singapore TV entertainment could inject such ingenuity…

One of the highly sought ryokans in Hakone has finally replied me that they do have availability after all.

But this will cost me 888 sgd / person because it is known as ‘SEASONAL price’.

And strange enough, the normal price (which is approx. 30% cheaper) will be valid if I choose to go 2 days later.

[note to self: willing to spend for Bo's birthday but not to this extreme. already bleeding from other costs involved].

As you can tell (again), how madly excited I am about Japan. I had better be laughing myself silly-happy if I do re-read this entry some time in the future, post the trip.

I know, I know, its at least 2.5 months to Xmas and I’m already crazy researching & booking Japan-related stuff almost every day for the trip that takes place after Christmas. I even think about it in the shower.

But its only because every Japanese folk out there is going to flock to these popular destinations for their short break & new year celebration as well (since they don’t celebrate CNY), and at last check about an hour ago, all the ryokans with onsens in Hakone & Kyoto, even the pricey ones are booked out. Grrrrr.

So, I’ve decided on plan B. To incorporate some skiing on our trip instead. Bo has been wanting to try, and experience lying on, holding, smelling, feeling powder snow for a while, while I’m just a sucker for power snow, available onsens, snow deers and trying out snowboarding. Plus its only 77 minutes ride on the Shinkansen from Tokyo! Wheee.

I’ve been to Japan twice, and I’ve never been as hardworking as I’ve been in the past 2 weeks with burning the midnight oil, reading all sorts of guide books, researching on the Internet just for our upcoming trip.

Perhaps its the fact that I am travelling with my spouse this time, and I really wanted to make it a very memorable 2011 beginning and a special birthday celebration for him which is why I’m saving every dime I have for this trip, and researching madly just so I ensure every cent spent on this trip is well-spent. Its a birthday present to him after all.

And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about planning for a trip, to the extend of drawing up a detailed itinerary, consuming more & more information by the minute of any spare time I’ve got, and emailing ryokan/inns/guest houses wildly. My enthusiasm to read up on more stuff seems to be piling up by the minute, and I’m all smiles even knowing that I can’t buy as many misc. stuff as I usually would subconsciously just so that we can enjoy the trip comfortably.

So, left with just deciding if its worth to purchase the JR pass (which cost a friggin $460 per person!), and some logistics on our side trips (a basic accommodation costs $550/night in each of the 2 cities we wanna go!), I’m trying to motivate myself by psyching up and saying ‘I’m almost there!’.

Finally, one task down! 4 more to go. Note to self: jiayou!!!

The first of a series of travel notes & experiences I hope to jot down in this blog, hopefully to provide some idea, inspiration & feedback to others who may be interested to read another opinion of my vacation destination outside of trusted Trip Advisor reviews (which I intend to participate in the community really soon too – look out for links!). And of course, photos to do the talking best…I hope my little way of contributing to like-minded travellers will help in some way!

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Here’s my first attempt.

With my limitation of only being able to take 4 days off for a short getaway due to the current work arrangement, I decided to treat the bo & I to a city getaway (we were still pretty much OD-ed from the beach in Bali), to take a step back from everything else, and spend some time alone together.

We decided to head to Taipei for few reasons. (1) Jetstar was offering reasonably priced tickets, (2) both of us haven’t been there for a vacation before, (3) we could definitely understand the local language which meant no problem getting our way around, (4) plus we heard lots of rave reviews on the street snacks (one of our fave foods to munch on in Singapore (5) beach vacations wasn’t really on our list next after our recent indulgent trip to Bali.

If you’ve anything more than 3 days to spare, it may be worth the while to take a short day trip out of Taipei city during your vacation. This can be done via a 40-min train ride to TaiChung, TaoYuan, SunMoonLake or anywhere nearby to take in the sights instead of coping yourself up in a city, which (imho) can get a little too much like Singapore especially on months when its neither Winter, Summer or Spring (when you don’t get to see the colourful flowers in bloom from afar such as Taipei 101 on any mountains, nor at the mountain itself such as Yangmingshan). You may end up hanging out at XiMenDing, which attempts a mini version of New York Times Square but is more of a Bugis Junction with a much higher chance of celebrity spotting. Or shopping at Sogo or Taipei 101 which is every bit glamourous and sufficient for fifth-avenue lovers but every bit the usual flare which can be spotted at any other shopping meccas of asia such as HK & Japan. And by that comparison, there is already a lack in excitement. Coffee is not as lovely an affair as in the western countries but you’ll find your dose of Starbucks and other ‘trying-to-be-different’ boutique cafes nonetheless (we’re quite the sucker for prime locations to people & sight watch).

So back to our itinerary.

Day 1: departing for Taipei

Wake-up call was at 4am (can’t complain when you opt to travel via a budget carrier) as check-in was 5.30am – 5.45am. I was barely 70% awake and was practically stoned as we settled for a light breakfast & coffee at Starbucks Terminal 1. All shops at the departure lounge were closed, with only DFS cosmetics, liquor, tobacco & a bookstore open so that didn’t excite me at all…until 6am when the shops started opening one by one. With 30 minutes left to scurry from shop to shop, I fell in love with a Gucci Heritage bag but could only do as much as to give it a second glance as we hurried to the gate realizing that we were way past the final call for boarding. Boo.

light breakfast before boarding

After 4 hours and 35 minutes of flight, we finally landed at Taoyuan International Airport. Saw hordes of fans waiting for some Korean superstar which made navigation around the arrival hall a little challenging. Got ourselves a pre-paid mobile card for unlimited wireless internet & some minutes of IDD phone calls for just in case before heading for the airport express. We took the ’kuo kuang’ bus as it seemed to sell the cheapest tickets (plus we read several reviews on the exhorbitant taxi fares to Taipei City which could tally to as much as S$60). While a bus ride to Taipei Bus/Main Station would only set us back by about NT$250 = $10 SGD (for 2 pax).

long queue for the airport express

the bus showing the route its taking

After a 45 minutes bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination: Taipei Bus Station. There were already a line of taxis eagerly waiting to pick up passengers. We hopped into one and realized that the drive to our hotel was only a short 7 minutes ride which cost us about NT $75 (est. $3 SGD)

“]

taking the bo taking me :

san want residences

the bathroom was filled with L'occitane ameneties

a flat screen tv faces you for much needed tv before sleep

As the hotel caters  mainly to business professionals and Japanese guests, the toilet bowl came with an advanced system where you can hit a few buttons to dictate the pressure of the bidet spray to wash and dry your arse (like the ones they have in Japan). There’s even a sensor to detect when someone’s approaching the bowl so the lid opens up, warms up and you’re all set to do your lazy business. Bathroom suckers will also enjoy the Japanese-styled bathtub & rainshower head in the shower cubicle, coupled with lovely L’occitane amenities.

The only grouse about the 5/5 hotel that we probably had was the same echoed in most of the reviews on Trip Advisor. It was a 10-15 minutes walk to the Zhongzheng station (which you’d be so grateful eventually as its only 1 stop from Taipei main station and 4 stops away from Shilin Night Market without having to change lines). Which wasn’t so bad since it was really just a straight line walk where you’ll pass Macs, Mosburger and a bunch of shops before reaching the department store (where the MRT exit 3 is as well). So seriously, you won’t feel the distance nor the sun shining directly in your face. It’s bearable.

With famished tummies and taiwan food cravings, we headed for Ximending – the ultimate hangout for the youth. Taiwanese celebrities such as Jay Chou & S.H.E also stage performances here over the weekends (so bear that in mind if you can’t stand the insanity of crowds).

fried street snacks are always a fave

look out for this famed mee sua sign: ah zhong mian zian

ah zhong mian sian

mee sua up closed

bo enjoying his bowl of mee sua

public phones

It was also at Ximending where we saw a very cool 3-storey Starbucks building which. I thought the dark wood accents and furniture was just awesome and wished that Singapore had a similar concept. Wanted to snap some shots…but as I took my first, I was told by one of the staff that no photos were allowed (seriously, Starbucks being such an international name and images popping everywhere in the web, its  ironic that that they disallowed any photos). Boo.

Here’s the only shot I managed to get:

a view of the busy Ximending

After Ximending, we decided to get all touristy and seeing that it was one hell of a weather (but a good one nonetheless), we decided to head to Taipei 101 to get an aerial view of the city.

While sunset is probably one of the best times to get yourself up there to experience the cool breeze as evening gets ushered in, together with the magnificent beauty of the sun setting, you may wish to avoid weekends where possible and of course if you see hordes of tour groups heading for the entrance, let your legs carry you as fast as possible so that you don’t end up queuing behind too many people. There are 3 lifts (the fastest in Asia, so I’ve heard) that will take you up, but the queue to get there can get pretty insane. We waited about 25 minutes when we were there.

admission tickets to observatory deck at Taipei101

aerial view of Taipei

aerial view of Taipei's night

And because we waited and paid quite a sum for the admission tickets, the bo decided that we had to sit out and capture pre-dawn, dawn, post-dawn, evening lights as much as possible. It was really windy at the outdoor observatory, and I did have a little regret wearing a dress instead of a pair of shorts. But all in all, it is quite an experience to take in the various views from the top. And if there’s only one place that you want to go to get a feel of Taipei without having to buy a postcard, this may just be it.

Some 90 minutes later, we decided to hit the road to the Shilin Night Market. IMHO, this night market was probably one of the better ones which offered a good variety of shopping & food without boring or exhausting you out too much.

Thankfully for the existence of the Internet, forums & blogs, we were mindful to get off the Jiantan MRT station instead of Shilin. Its pretty easy to navigate with the assistance of their brightly illuminated directional signs.

stall selling smelly tofu and pig's blood

taiwanese sausages which were so delicious we had them everyday!

one of the many fruit stalls selling fresh & sweet fruits. I practically ate 3 bags full

the famous chicken cutlet

We had so much to snack that these food were practically our dinner for the night. Unfortunately our exhausted feet could only managed half of the market before we surrendered and headed back to the hotel at 9.05pm (on a friday!!!). We decided that if we really wanted to enjoy the rest of our trip, we weren’t gonna screw up our system & legs on the first night.

Good call I must say, to head back to the hotel because we felt so damn good as our heads hit the sofy & comfy hotel mattress.

I also received a call some 10 minutes after we checked into our room. It was a call from reception, and they asked if it was convenient to bring us an anniversary cake. I was quite taken aback by the arrangement as the only time I casually mentioned that we’ve been married for about 2 years was during our email exchange during the room reservations. Nice touch I must say, that San Want actually bothered waiting up for us to arrive before springing a very pleasant surprise.

They held a cute anniversary cake with a no. 2 candle on top, walked in, congratulated and wished us an ever blissful marriage. Offered to help us take a photo on our camera, before taking one on theirs for records, their website, and as we later found out, to print a hard copy keepsake which they presented to us when we checked-out 3 days later.

From san want residences to us

Happy 2nd anniversary!

We were so greedy that we ate half of the cake while watching the many local variety shows available on TV.

Ended the night by looking through the photos we took during the day, watched more TV, soaked in the Japanese tub to soothe our tired feet and jumped right in to the duvet for a good night’s sleep.

Day 1 was good.