Product Review: Grapini Grape Juice

Living in a hot and humid weather, we must ensure that we have sufficient intake of water to keep ourselves hydrate and take in nutrients to keep body parts functioning. Hence, our diet plays an important role in supplementing the body with important nutrients. One of the healthier option we often considered is fruit juice as fresh fruit juice contains vital vitamins and minerals found in the whole fruits.

I received my first parcel for 2018 from United Nature which contains a bottle of Grapini Grape Juice (100ml, $13.90).

Grapini’s grape juice is 100% natural with no preservatives and sugar added. It is made from fresh grapes witj no fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides added. The bottled juice is sealed in safe vacuum facilities.

Each bottle of Grapini’s grape juice is prepared from 1.7KG of grapes, which are a splendid source of potassium, a mineral salt. The grape juice is also much richer in Resveratrol, polyphenols and antioxidants than any other juice. 

Benefits of Grapini grape juice:

- grape juice is 100% natural 

- no preservatives

- no sugar added

- Good for our brain, heart and liver

- splendid source of potassium

- enhances the body's alkaline reserves

- stimulates kidney functioning

- keeps fatal diseases (like Antiscorbutic, rheumatism, arthritis, hypertension, constipation, anemia, depression, hypercholesterolemia, eczema and hepatitis) at bay

Grapini Grape Juice are made from dark purple colored grapes which are grown in the native farms of Brazil, The dark purple colored grapes give a distinctively sweet taste to the grape juice even though no sugar is added.

Each bottle of Grapini’s grape juice is prepared from 1.7KG of grapes, we should drink 200ml of juice per day which is good for our health.

Time to take note of our food and drink intake to maintain good health. 

Health is wealth.

Grapini’s grape juice is retailing at S$13.90 and can be purchased through online at www.unitednature.com.sg

Alternatively, you can also visit their office to purchase: 

362 Upper Paya Lebar Road #05-09. 

Dajin Factory Building. Singapore 534963

Taiwan Day 6, 7 and 8: Taipei - Taipei Zoo + Raohe Street Night Market + Tamsui

I have come to my last post for my Taiwan trip. As my photos were gone and I don't have many photos to share with you guys, hence I have combined the remaining Taiwan journey in one post. Though there is limited photos, I still want to document this travel journey down.

Thursday 18/1/18

Good morning, day 6. We woke up at about 9am to prepare ourselves for another day of exploring. We stepped out of our room at about 10am and headed down to the basement of Taipei Main Station to hunt for breakfast. We settled for KFC breakfast.

Both of us have this set meal - 吮指嫩鸡烧饼饼套餐 which comes with a ice milk tea and topped up NT$20 (or S$0.93) for hashbrown. The breakfast was delicious and I enjoyed it a lot, it's a croissant wrapped with crispy fried chicken. Breakfast fare totaled up to NT$196 (or S$9.07).

After the hearty breakfast, we went to train station and took a train down to Taipei Zoo. Zoo seems like a must visit place whenever we go overseas.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Taipei Zoo is a easy accessible place by public transit, we just need to change to MRT Brown Line and take all the way until the end stop. The train was crowded in the morning filled with working adults.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Taipei Zoo is a famous zoological garden in Taiwan (even have their own MRT station) and one of the largest zoos in Asia, with a total area of 165 hectares. It was indeed a very big area and we covered the area by foot without taking the tram.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

We arrived at Asian Tropical Rainforest Area and spotted Orang Utan, the long-armed ape.

The tropical forest scenery allows the visitors to experience the humid air, the smell of animals and plants, and the howls in our ears.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

We spotted Malayan Tapir which has white patch from their shoulder to the end of their body.

The warm from the sun combined with the cooling weather made the temperature just right. I can shed off my cardigan and just walked comfortably in the breezing weather.

Today's outfit was a denim long sleeve top with black legging.

Heading up next was Desert Animal Area. The bare terrain is home to the oryx, various antelopes, and the two species of camels.

At the camels viewing spot, this was my second time seeing a camel. The first time was in Zoo Johor.

I love the eye catching details on the back of my denim top. This top is definitely a statement that will make people take a second look at you. Moreover, the material was comfortable too. Thanks GF for getting me this top from Japan.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

A close up of the camels. Camel is known for their humps on the back which consist of stored fat to metabolize when food and water is scarce.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Reaching African Animal Area where the exhibit simulates the East African savanna. There is a pond with nearby shady trees and bushes nearby for the animals to gather during day time. Here at the Elephants enclosure.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Moving on to Australian Animal Area where we spotted zebras and giraffes.

When we passed by the home of Giant Tortoise, we noticed that there were some onlookers looking down at the home of Giant Tortoise. Naturally we went over to take a look as well. To our surprise, we saw that one of the Giant Tortoise flipped on back and was having difficulty getting back. There was another Giant Tortoise (assumed to be the partner) was trying very hard to push the flipped Giant Tortoise and helped it to regain back its position, but was unsuccessful. Crowds starting to form and trying ways to help the Giant Tortoise, we eventually managed to help the Giant Tortoise flipped back with the help of an umbrella and the combined strength of a few men. That's how heavy the Giant Tortoise is. It took about 20 minutes to free the Giant Tortoise.

I felt exhausted after conquering Taipei Zoo, my feet was feeling tired from the non stop walking and my stomach was screaming for lunch. We initially intended to travel up to Maokong but skipped that idea as time has overrun. 

Taipei Zoo (台北動物園)
No. 30號, Section 2, Xinguang Road, Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 11656
Operating hours: 9am to 5pm daily
Nearest MRT: Taipei Zoo (brown line)
Entrance fee: NT$60 (or S$2.78)

My next stop was Wufenpu, we took MRT all the way to the last station of green line, Songshan. Before we began shopping, we have Lu Rou Fan for our late lunch at opposite Wufenpu, it was the nicest lu rou fan we have during our entire Taiwan trip.

Wufenpu is a wholesale market in Taipei with many lanes and alleys full of racks of clothing. Things were not exactly cheap unless it was those on clearance items. I bought a sport pant and 2 tops for myself, and a sweater for my dad. We also tried on taro bubble tea and mee sua. The shop owner of mee sua was kind of rude which spoil our mood a little.

Wufenpu Shopping District (五分埔)
Alley 9, Lane 443, Yongji Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Operating hours: 2pm to 11pm daily
Nearest MRT: Songshan Exit 3 (green line) about 7 minutes walk

Since we were at Songshan, our next stop was definitely Raohe Street Night Market which was 15 minutes walk away from Wufenpu. Both places are located at the same MRT station and a must visit place in Taipei.

We met up with Ah Yip, Jane and their driver to explore Raohe Street Night Market together.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Raohe Street Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei, best known for their foods and snacks, and carnival games. We tried on Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang (大腸包小腸) which was actually glutinous rice wrapped over a smaller size sausage. It was a populate street snack in Taiwan.
Since we have spare coins, we went to try the plushie claw machine but luck wasn't at our side. It's a trap.

One interesting thing we tried at Raohe Street Night Market was Dragon Breath - Liquid Nitrogen Corn Chips which creates the effect of smoke coming out of one’s mouth and nose when consuming it. It looked like the breathing of dragon when we exhaled the nitrogen. Stand by your camera and capture the image quick because the smoke vaporised fast.

This was the effect we got when we dropped one of the corn chips on the floor.

Be careful when consumed the corn chips because it might burn our tongue if we didn't handle with care. The corn chips are not exactly tasty, but the effect was video and photo worthy.

I got my mum a handbag at NTS299 (or $13.84) and my bro a white sweater at NT$200 (or $9.26).

It was drizzling when we went to purchase a pack of Salted Mushroom (盐酥菇), we felt so full after finishing the mushroom and ready to head back to hotel.

Raohe Street Night Market (饶河街观光夜市)
Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Operating hours: 4pm to 12am daily
Nearest MRT: Songshan Exit 5 (green line) next to Ciyou Temple


Friday 19/1/18

Good morning, day 7. We woke up to a gloomy and raining morning, hence we borrowed an umbrella from our hotel before we headed out. We began our day with Mos Burger for breakfast at Taipei Main Station underground, the same place we have our lunch at day 4. I have ham and egg burger set. Upon from the set each, we ordered a crispy drumstick for sharing and our breakfast totaled up to NT$205 (or S$9.49).

After the breakfast, we made our way to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
It is a national monument that was erected in honor and memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China, located in Zhongzheng District of Taipei.

I love this memorial hall because the surrounding setting resembled the Chinese dynasty period, it looked like a palace. I still joking said that I'm a 格格 when taking photos at the palace.

The rain has turned from smaller to drizzle and we were able to walk without using the umbrella.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂)
No. 21號, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm daily
Entrance fee: Free
Nearest MRT: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (green or red line)

My next stop was Tamsui where we took the train and sat all the way to the end of red line. We were hungry by the time we reached and stopped by to purchase sushi from Sushi Take Out located at Tamsui Station.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Tamsui is a sea-side district in New Taipei, Taiwan, it is known for their beautiful landscape and home to a large array of restaurants, cafés, shops, street stalls and the sight of North Coast.

It was still drizzling when we reached so we decided to give Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf a miss and went to Tamsui Old Street. It bounds to rain in all our overseas trips.

Tamsui Old Street is a stretch selling lots of street food. I stopped by to purchase twister potato which I didn't enjoy it very much as I feel the one selling in our pasar malam fare better. We purchased lots of other street food too.

We also went to check out Believe It or Not Curiosity Museum where entrance ticket was NTS89 (or S$4.12). It is not a museum to visit for weak heart as it showcased specimens of rarest creatures (four legs chicken and 2 headed animals), weird living animals, poisonous animals, mummy preserved and pictures of unique human.

We chanced upon a white snake in the museum, it was rare to see a white snake. Seeing the white snake immediately linked us to the show, Legend of the White Snake.

Tamsui Old Street (淡水老街)
Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251
Nearest MRT: Tamsui (red line)

We then took a train down from one end of the red line and travel to the other end of the red line to Taipei 101. We slept in the train because it was such a long journey.

The first thing I did when I reached Taipei 101 is to use their toilet. I'm actually quite particular in using toilet at overseas, it has to be clean and seated (first world problem). I'm not comfortable in using the squad one which is commonly found in the toilet here, I nearly slipped and fell when using one of the squad toilet in Taichung.

Apart from being a office tower, Taipei 101 is a multi-level shopping mall, food court, various restaurants and branded stores, just like our The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, where all the high end brands are located.

We have our dinner at Din Tai Fung where we had fried rice and Xiao Long Bao. The bill came up to NTS682 (S$31.57). The price was similar to Singapore.

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Taipei 101 spans over 101 stories and is on of the world's tallest building. It is the icon of Taipei. We didn't went up to Taipei 101 Observatory because it was foggy and drizzling. Today has been a drizzling day.

Taipei 101
No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Nearest MRT: Taipei 101/World Trade Center


*Photo courtesy from bro.

Since the time was still early, we went back to Ximending again which is one stop away from our hotel. We bought some street food from Ximending and went back to purchase some more local snacks to bring home. It was already 9pm when we reached Taipei Main Station, we went to purchase Krispy Kreme at NT$84 (S$3.89) before heading back to our hotel room. We went back early to pack our luggage and to rest.


Saturday 20/1/18

Good morning, day 8. We woke up feel Saturday blue because we have came to the end of our Taiwan trip. We are heading back home today, back to reality and the hectic work cum school life again. Happy times always passed so fast.

Today we woke up slightly later since we will be staying in hotel until checkout time at 12pm.



Before we checkout, we went up to the rooftop to see the day view of our hotel surrounding. The weather was very windy at the top.

We checked out our room at 12pm, we immediately headed down to Taoyuan International Airport via taxi. Our flight was at 3.55pm.

After we were done with the check-in registration and my luggage at about 1.30pm, we went for our lunch at the food court. I have Teriyaki Chicken Rice at NTS140 (or S$6.48) from a Japanese stall. We also bought a cup of bubble milk tea to go with the meal.

Before boarding the plane, we spent our remaining money in our EasyCard to get some bread as our dinner on the plane. We bought 3 breads at NTS118 (or S$5.46).

Scoot was having flight delay, we were supposed to board the plane at 3.10pm but the boarding was delayed until nearly 4pm. Nevertheless, we still managed to reach Singapore in the stipulated time 9pm.

My 8D7N travel to Taiwan has come to an end. It was by far my most enjoyable trip. The only regret was the lost of photos. Oh well, time to create new memory again.

Taiwan Day 5: Taipei - Yehliu Geopark + Jiufen Old Street + Shifen Waterfall and Old Street

Rise and shine early at 7 plus in the morning to prep ourselves for a full day tour with Ah Yip and Jane who just touched down in Taipei this morning. They were here to attend a fitness workshop which will start 2 days later. We were supposed to meet at 9.30am but they reached early, hence we hastily went to McDonald @ Taipei Main Station to tabao 2 sausage mcmuffin with egg set at NT$214 (or S$9.91) to eat in the car. What I like about their breakfast set is that it comes with a cup of ice milk tea which is not available in Singapore.

We met up with Ah Yip and Jane together with their driver outside our hotel. We booked a private driver for a day at NT$5,000 (or S$231.48). A hefty price to pay I must say.

Yehliu Geopark (野柳地质公园)

We traveled out of Taipei to the outskirt area, to Yehliu Geopark (野柳地质公园). It was about an hour drive from our hotel. Nature and city don't coincide together, they are usually located apart from each other. We will need to travel for a distance to get away from the city.

We were approaching Yehliu Geopark soon, the coastal road lead us to a scenic view and slowly the North Coast and Pacific Ocean has came to sight. 

My favourite activity in Taiwan was to visit all the scenic locations and captured all the beautiful moments. Taiwan has so much to offer and every place leaves a deep impression that makes me want to come back to Taiwan again.

We stumbled upon this big cat looking alike rock formation and stopped by for a photo. This scenic Geopark is definitely a must visit for travelers looking for photo worth place in Taiwan.

There was a market street outside Yehliu Geopark selling souvenirs and some local food products. I bought a packet of Brown Sugar Lollipop at NT$50 (or S$2.31) for office sharing.

We spent about 2 hours plus at Yehliu before proceeding to our next destination.

Yehliu Geopark (野柳地质公园)
No.167-1, Kantung Rd., Yehliu Village, Wanli District, New Taipei City 20744, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Operating hours: 8am to 5pm daily
Entrance fee: NT$80 (or S$3.70)

Jiufen Old Street (九份老街)

It was another 50 minutes ride to our next destination, Jiufen Old Street (九份老街).

*Photo courtesy from bro.

Jiufen Old Street is a popular destination located on a mountain area in Ruifang District, New Taipei City. Jiufen resembled the downtown in the Japanese anime movie 'Spirited Away' and attracted many Japanese tourists there.

We stopped by Jiufen for some food and souvenirs, it was really crowded over at the cobbled street. I got 2 Minion's draw string pouch for my bro at NTS200 (or S$9.26) and 4 Kaonashi's pens for my lunch kaki NTS120 (or S$5.56).

We have tried on the Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐), it was actually fermented tofu with a strong odor. It was my second try on Stinky Tofu. The smell was really bad, make sure to add chilli sauce to cover the smell. It tasted like normal tofu with crispy exterior. This is a must try food when come to Taiwan.

This trip has brought me many fond memories and spectacular scenery. Being close to the nature, away from the hustle and bustle of Tapei, allows me to relax and appreciate the natural beauty. I spent some quiet moments taking in the beauty of the tranquil atmosphere.

Jiufen is a very laid back place, it is another must visit place if you want to experience the cultural side of Taiwan. Time seems to freeze just by enjoying the scenery from the top.

Jiufen Old Street (九份老街)
Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224

Next, we went to another shop to purchase sparklers and firework crackers. We then proceeded to the nearby suspension bridge to set off the sparklers and firework crackers. The price of firework crackers were not cheap, it was NTS1,000 (or S$46.30) and it required skill to set off. 

Once we ignite the firework, we have to run off to the further point immediately for safety purpose. The fireworks were beautiful and we have so much fun playing with it. These are the fun we don't get in Singapore, lighting up firework is prohibited in our country.

Shifen Old Street (十分老街)

226, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Pingxi District

The time was 7 plus and we booked the driver only until 8pm. The driver sent us to Ah Yip and Jane's hotel, and bid goodbye to us. After they were done with the check-in, we then walked towards the nearest MRT station, Guting. 

*Photo courtesy from bro.

While walking, we passed by Wellcome Supermarket and I went in to purchase a packet of 麻油雞 maggie mee and a cup noodle to bring back home at NTS184 (or S$8.52). 

We made our way to Jiantan MRT station for Shilin Night Market where we just walked around for street food and shopping, it's just a mega version of our Pasar Malam. Shilin Night Market is one of the most popular night market to visit for the locals and tourists in Taipei, there are so much things to look at for shopping and eating. I got myself a white pullover at Shilin Night Market and moisturiser cream from 康是美. The time was 10.12pm and we slowly made our way by MRT back to our hotel.

Taiwan is definitely a place I will be going back again. I love exploring the nature, seeing beautiful landscapes and sightseeing and eating our heart out at the night market. I miss all the sight seeing in Taiwan, something I don't experience in my city.

With that, I ended my post for day 5.

Taiwan Day 4: Taipei - Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall + Ximending + Shida Night Market

We woke up to our last day in Taichung, which means we have reached the half mark of our Taiwan trip. Even though each day were packed with many activities, it has been a wonderful 3 days at Taichung and by far, my favourite destination among all the countries I visited.

First thing we did after freshened up was to head to level 2 for our complimentary breakfast.

Though the breakfast spread was the same for the past 3 days, it comes with an extensive spread which I enjoyed having. Unlike the past 2 days which we were rushing for time, I did not fully enjoy the spread of the breakfast offering. Since I have nothing much today, I spent a little more time than usual and tried out more food at different stations.

After the breakfast, we went back to our hotel room and rest a bit before we checked out our hotel at about 10.45am. From Twinstar Hotel to Taichung Station was about 7 minutes walk. We reached Taichung station at about 11am and have half an hour of waiting time as we purchased the Tze-chiang limited express ticket for the train at 11.33am. The 2 hours 17 minutes train ride from Taichung Station to Taipei Main Station cost NT$375 (or S$17.36).

The high speed rail traveled at a fast pace and the passengers can enjoy countryside scenery as the train passed through.

After an hour of journey, my eyes started to feel tired and sleepy, I slowly dozed off into during the ride.

We alighted at Taipei Main Station at nearly 2pm, the first thing we did after alighting was to look for food as we were hungry. Taipei Main Station is home to the main transportation hub, shopping facilities, plentiful of food stalls and restaurants. We stopped by at The Eslite Spectrum shopping mall basement for our lunch. I have my favourite Popcorn Chicken Rice at NT$130 (or S$6.02) for lunch while he had Lu Rou Fan and we ordered a chawanmushi at NT$39 (or S$1.81) for sharing.

We then made our way to our hotel which is situated directly at Taipei Main Station, Caesar Park Hotel Taipei. After our lesson learnt in Hong Kong, we decided to book our hotel as close as possible to MRT station. We settled for Caesar Park Hotel Taipei which is the only hotel in Taipei with the direct connection to Exit M6 of MRT station, it's really convenient for us to travel around since MRT will be our main mode of transport.

Upon entering our room, I was awe by how spacious and cozy the room was. Caesar Park Hotel Taipei is a luxury 5 stars hotel and they provide the best hotel room we ever stayed so far. Not only that, staying at the high floor gave us a nice city skyline view.

After a short rest, it's time for us to explore Taipei. The first stop we went was Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館). The memorial hall is a memorial to the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

The park surrounding the hall is named Zhongshan Park, after the well-known Chinese name for Dr. Sun Zhongshan (孫中山). It includes gardens, decorative historical walls, exhibition and performance area. From the building, we can spot Taipei 101.

The main hall contains a statue of Sun Yat-sen. Every hour, there is a formal changing of the guards, which attracted lots of onlookers to gather for the ceremony. We were just in time for the ceremony.

The guard changing ceremony was impressive as the guards displayed their professionalism. They have to stand on guard for an hour without fidgeting. 

Pay a visit to this memorial hall and learn about Taiwan's history as some of the exhibition will provide us a depth of the past history.

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館)
No. 505號, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm daily
Nearest MRT: Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall Exit 4 (blue line)
Entrance fee: Free

Our second stop was Ximending, a development center of fashion and subculture in Taiwan. It is also known as "Harajuku" of Taipei. There are plenty of stalls selling fashion stalls and street food, definitely a shopping paradise. The area is very popular among tourists and the local youth.

*got this photo from my bro as I lost my photo.

We tried the famous Ah Zong Mian Xian (阿宗面线) at NT$55 (or S$2.55) which attracted lots of crowds, but luckily the queue moved very fast. The vermicelli was flavoursome with vinegar and pig intestines added, especially good as it kept us warm.

The first thing I have almost daily was bubble tea, it can go up to 2 cups a day. Never in my life did I have so many go of bubble tea.

I purchased a top at NT$190 (or S$8.80) for GF, 2 tops for my dad and bro at NT$198 (or S$9.17) at Ximending. Besides that, I also bought the local delicacy at NTS470 (or S$21.76) to bring back to Singapore. Thankfully, the store provides free delivery if our purchase hit a certain amount. We don't need to carry the bulky bag for the remaining hours spent outside.

Ximending (西门町)
Chengdu Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108, Taiwan
Nearest MRT: Ximen Exit 6 (blue and green line)

Our next stop was Shida Night Market which is a small scale night market popular among university students as the night market is near National Taiwan Normal University. It focuses more on fashion boutiques, bars, cafés, and restaurant. I don't really recommend coming here as the variety is lesser compared to other night markets. We didn't purchase anything or street food over here as my stomach was feeling unwell.

Shida Night Market (师大夜市)
Lane 39, Shida Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Nearest MRT: Taipower Building Exit 3 (green line)

After I was back to normal, we went to Burger King at Shida Store for dinner since we were lazy to walk back to Shida Night Market. It was nearly 8pm. I tried on their Pork Burger Meal at NT$79 (or S$3.66). We then went back to Taipei Main Station to explore K Underground Mall in our area.

Since our bathing supply was running low, we stopped by at their health care and beauty care store to purchase Ma Cherie travel size bathing cum shampoo kit.

Before we went back to our hotel, we bought 2 donuts from Mister Donut at NT$80 (or S$3.70) to snack in hotel room. It was one of the earliest timing that we reached our hotel at about 9pm. Since we were still early, we went up to the rooftop garden at our hotel to check out the night view of the surrounding.

Good to reach home early because we need to wake up early the next day for a joint excursion with his friends.

I love Ma Cherie Moisture Shampoo which is formulated with Rich Pearl Aesthetic and Honey Jelly Unique Ingredients to achieve moisturized hair with shine-enhancing benefits, love the scent especially.

That's all for my day 4. Good night.

Taiwan Day 3 Part 2: Taichung - Xinshe Castle + Carton King + Rainbow Village + Wang Gao Liao

I have lost majority of my Taiwan's trip photos due to thumbdrive corrupted, and here are the only photos that I managed to retrieve back. The food, scenery and selfie photos are all gone. Hence, from this post onwards, I only have limited photos for sharing. Despite that, I still want to document down whatever I could remember about the trip.

***

After the lunch, we traveled down to Xinshe Castle which was just 2 minutes drive from Mushroom Garden. It was about 1.20pm when we reached Xinshe Castle (Summit Resort, 新社古堡). The entrance fee was NT$250 (or S$11.57) which comes with NT$100 to offset our purchase in the castle.

The temperature was warming up in the afternoon, hence I shed off my sweater.

Despite being in the winter season, we still found a tree with red and yellow leaves left from the fall. It was so beautiful, even spectacular if all the trees were filled with red and yellow leaves.

With the charming European style mansion, lake and romantic garden as a backdrop, Xinshe Castle is like fairy-tale fantasy brought to life. Every corner of the castle was picturesque. How I wish I could live in such a castle and accomplished my dream of becoming a princess. I'm sure all the girls have this fantasy of being a princess when we were young.

All structures here were made of red stone blocks. It was a relaxing afternoon taking a stroll at Xinshe Castle, away from the crowds and bustle of the city.

My clothes were made of thicker fabrics, it kept me warm and cozy without the need to put on sweater in the afternoon. So glad that I brought my sunglasses along to, it helped me blocked off the bright sunlight.

We climbed to the top of the castle and were greeted by the marvelous view of the greenery and mountains, we also imagined ourselves being the knight guarding the defensive tower of the castle. The surroundings were stunning and serene. I enjoyed every moment of this trip, it was filled with many unforgettable sights and new experiences.

Standing here, enjoying the chilly breeze and the scenery ahead made me feel peaceful. The best photography spots are around the tranquil lake, it captured the panoramic view and the beauty of the castle.

*photo courtesy from bro.

We also purchased 2 packets of fish food from the vending machine to feed the fishes in the lake. Once you threw the food into the lake, you can see 10-20 fishes surfacing the top of the water to snatch the food. It was fun feeding the fishes.

We used our vouchers to exchange for 2 Ice Black Tea and sat by the bench enjoying our drinks. We just sit and relax as the time ticked by. We took one last photo of the beautiful castle before leaving to the next attraction of Taichung.

Xinshe Castle 新社古堡
No. 65號, Xiezhong Street, Xinshe District, Taichung City, Taiwan 426
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm daily
Entrance fee: NT$250 

Since the time was still early, Ah Kun drove us to Carton King (紙箱王), a Creativity Park in Taichung City where the furnishings and decorations are all made of corrugated cardboard. The entrance fee was NT$200 ( or S$9.26) which comes with a voucher of NT$100. The entrance ticket also come with a mission game for us to complete, we can exchange for a gift after collected all the 8 chops.

We took a stroll around the garden outside, where a windmill, horse carriage and even the Eiffel Tower. Some of the creations were impressive. My dream of being a princess was fulfilled today with a visit to the castle and being in a horse carriage with my Prince Charming, just like Cinderella. 

We spotted famous landmark from various countries including Leaning-Tower of Pisa. It looked like a massive wedding cake that seems to be falling. Me to the rescue.

Took a photo with Taipei 101, the landmark and skyscraper of Taipei. Taipei 101 is also a place that I will be visiting during my trip to Taipei. Can't wait to see the real skyscraper.

Even the train was made of cardboard too. Though this train was only for showcasing, there was an operating train (similar to this) that we can purchase ticket and take a ride in the carton train around the park.

There is a Honey Museum in the park and we used one of our vouchers to purchase 2 cups of honey ice cream. It was our third ice cream we have in just a day, ice cream overdose.

I used my voucher to exchange for this Handmade Danish Biscuits, I am bringing it home for my snack consumption. 

Time for class, sit down on cardboard chairs at your cardboard tables. The furniture was actually safe for sitting. It was very sturdy even though it was made of cardboard designs. Speaking about class, I going to start school next week. Sigh.

 Carton King 紙箱王

No.2, Aly. 2, Sec. 2, Dongshan Rd., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 406, Taiwan

Operating hours: 9am to 10pm

Entrance fee: NT$200

Our next destination was Rainbow Village (彩虹眷村) which was about 25 minutes drive away. It was nearly 5pm when we reached the village. No entrance fee required.

Rainbow Village used to be a military veterans villages. 

The government tried to demolish the villages one by one, giving the land to building companies. It was all torn down until the last village residents owned by Mr.Huang Yung-fu. He started painting animals, dolls, manga characters on the walls and alleys using vibrant colors. After the protests of the local residents, and also realizing that the village was becoming one of the attractions in Taichung City, the local government decided to suspend the demolition.

The colourful art has brought livelihood to the village, we spent about 20 minutes exploring the village including having Tea Leaf Eggs in one of the houses.

Rainbow Village 彩虹眷村
No.56, Chun'an Road, Nantun District, Taichung 408, Taiwan