Geez. Can't believe that my previous post was actually in January, and now is like almost the end of November. Oh how time truly flies!

Anyways, without further ado, let me update my most happening(?) trip of the year, where I traveled to 3 countries in 16 days.


First leg: Taiwan - Taipei; 29/10/2016 to 01/11/2016


With flight delay and bad turbulence, we managed to reach Taoyuan International Airport about an hour later than our original arrival time. Was expecting a much cooler weather, but I was slight perspiring the moment we hit the air outside lol.

Was picked up by our driver who drove us straight to our Airbnb in Ximending. Our Airbnb was at a old (?) looking building with this old school lift so I was skeptical, but surprisingly the interior of the room was pretty nice and spacious (the most spacious living place we had for the entire trip lol). 

Dropped our bags and made our way out to explore Ximending, a shopping district filled with mostly youngsters. Spent the rest of the night with food and drinks from Ah Chung Mee Sua (famous for their mee sua with intestines - tasted great just by itself, but I liked it with a hint of black vinegar), 50 Lan (bubble tea akin or rather the original KOI of our shore), Dream Cool (was totally mesmerized by how pretty the drinks looked - taste wise, I preferred the juices), and other noms by street vendors. 

Woke up the next morning and travel down to Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan for their famous braised pork rice. Can you tell it's my first time tasting this dish? Haha. It was surprisingly oily in a good way hahah. After breakfast, we traveled down to Wu Fen Pu with the intention of shopping.

However, we were too early and the stores were not opened yet. Coming up with a back-up plan to kill the remaining time, we walked our way to Carrefour (close to 30 minutes). Shopped for snacks and stuff in awesome Carrefour before cabbing back to Song San Station for a quick lunch at Sushi Express.

Made our way back to Wu Fen Pu before making a stop at Raohe Night Market (for me to have a glimpse of how different it is in the day compared to the night). Trained all the way down to Tamsui, where there is a lot of people. Took a stroll around Tamsui, taking in the scenery and also stuffing ourselves with fried cuttlefish, mua chee, and other street delicacies.

Managed to squeeze into the crowded train and arrive at the ever famous Shilin Night Market. I was totally traumatized by the amount of people at the night market. It was sooooooo crowd that we were literally pushed out of the night market! Seeing that it was impossible to continue walking around the night market, we cabbed back to our Airbnb and took a short rest before heading out again.

Walked to Ximending for Dream Cool (again) hahah and made our way down to Wanhua Night Market (as recommended by the cab driver). The journey took us about 20 minutes with lots of uneasiness because the streets were so quiet and dark, but was glad that we spotted the night market from afar. Wanhua Night Market was totally a different sight from Shilin Night Market. While the former was filled with people and was a lot larger in scale, Wanhua was a lot quieter and smaller. It seems that it was frequent by mostly the locals and has a lot lesser food that we wanted to eat.

Cabbed our way back to the Airbnb and rest for the night.

The following day was our day trip. The driver took us to a place that sells Liang Mian with sesame sauce for breakfast (tasted not bad, perhaps because I liked Japanese sesame sauce? Hahahha). Our first stop was this spot that overlook King Kong Mountain and Ying Yang Sea (going uphill is never without bending road *le sighs*). Took a couple of photos before heading to Golden Waterfall, a destination just a couple of minutes away. Made our way to the next stop, Jiufen. It was ever raining as we made our way around the shops of Jiufen (it was crowded with people too). Had Lai Ah Po Yu Yuan, a dessert made of Yam before heading down to Shifen.

Visited Shifen Waterfall before heading to the main highlight of the trip - to release the sky lanterns at Shifen. Was drove to Keelung Miaokou Night Market where we settle down for our dinner. Had seafood at this stall named Lao Bing, which is known for their cream steamed crabs. To be honest, it was palatable but my absolute favourite have to be the Cheese baked scallops - yummy scallops drowned in lots and lots of cheeseeeeeeee (shameless cheese addict lololol).

The driver dropped us of at Shida Night Market before we head back to Ximending.

Our last morning was spent on eating dan bing and soy milk from an eatery below our Airbnb before heading to Taoyuan airport for the next part of our trip.

Second leg: Korea - Jeju and Seoul; 01/11/2016 to 07/11/2016



It was a rush on the first day as we had to get to Gimpo from Incheon for our flight to Jeju. We arrived at Jeju at night with the cold air blowing in our faces. Cabbed down to our accommodation for our days in Jeju - Amber Central Hotel - a five minutes drive away from the airport.

Checked in and made our way out to explore and get some food. Our first stop was at Emart near the hotel before getting Takoyaki (which was pretty good by the way - at least better than the ones we had at Keelung Night Market) outside of Emart. Settled our dinner at MacDonald before heading back to the hotel to rest for the night.

Our second day in Jeju was spent on our day tour. Had breakfast in the hotel (limited choices, but they have awesome cereals and fruits) before meeting our driver for the day tour. First stop was at Soingook Park, a miniature theme park where we took lots of photo of the miniature wonders and architecture of the world. Next stop was at O'sulloc and Innisfree Museum (they are next to each other), where we breeze through in less than an hour (had the Cold Drip Green Tea from the O'sulloc, and it was so awesome - the fragrance of the green tea deserve a thumbs up).

Lunch was our next pit stop, and our driver took us to this restaurant that serves seafood in a pot. IT WAS SO HEAVENLY OHMYGAWD. I am not a huge fan of seafood, but this glorious pot of fresh goodness won me over. The broth was sooooo sweet because of the amount of seafood (fresh crabs, clams, abalone etc.), and the side dish was great tooo (damn, I am missing the food already). One downside was that we ended up smelling like fried fish for the rest of the day LOLOLOL. 

After lunch, we drove down to Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls before heading down to Alive Museum where we went crazy posing with the exhibitions lol. Our last stop ended with Teddy Bear Museum before we were drove to Grand Hotel to visit their casino (Paradise Casino) as requested by Elaine's mother hahah. The casino was pretty small so Elaine and her mother just randomly chose a slot machine and play a round before we head down to Emart to begin some shopping.

Dinner was at Emart's food canteen. Had korean style chinese food before heading back to the hotel to prepare for our flight to Seoul the next day.

Seoul is kinda like our second home so I will just pick a few notable things we did hahah. Our resting place this time was an Airbnb in Hongdae (as usual - cheap and great location, plus we were quite familiar with the area already lol). Place was okay, very near to the train station (but not as near as Ann's which is literally above the station lol). Downside was that it lacks of a washing machine so we had to hand wash everything and pray that it will dry hahahha.

Notable events in Seoul include that we finally visited Bucheon Hanok Village after so long hahah. The place was so scenic, I have to say, and it is filled with people or rather, tourists in hanbok lol. We are not that gung-ho about wearing hanbok like the rest of the tourists though. Oh, one thing that I am pretty errr proud of? is that I managed to get back to the Airbnb alone because I was not feeling that great on that day (and Elaine has to meet her friend so we split ways). It's not really complicated to get back though LOL, but I still feel like I accomplished something big lolololol (Shhhhh, just let me have my moment).

Another will be our journey to Nami Island. It was a tough journey, to get to Nami lol. We had to transfer train after train before changing to bus to get to the ferry terminal. It took us like two hours or so and another hour? waiting for the bus just to get to the ferry terminal. Decided on getting lunch before boarding the ferry to Nami Island, was the best option we ever made hahah. We landed ourselves in this restaurant that sells awesome chicken meat BBQ with tteok. The meat was so well marinated and the tteok actually tasted awesome after BBQ - soft and chewy on the inside and slight crispy on the outside. It also helps that the meat was pre-cook so all we have to do is to BBQ it warm and slightly charred lol.

Spent the next half an hour or so to get on the ferry that brings us to Nami Island. The foliage was absolutely gorgeous, but the amount of crowds was totally insane. Basically most of our time was spent on waiting and queuing for the whole journey. Managed to get back to Hongdae via cab from ferry terminal to train station, then ITX to Yongsan (left with standing tickets though), and train back to Hongdae.

I guess the main highlight of our trip in Seoul will be Boys24 Concert? Hahahha. To be honest, I was not that excited for the concert - I mean there are 28 boys in total and I barely recognize half of them lololol. BUT, oh lord, something must have gone terribly wrong during the concert because now they totally grew on me that I am actually making an effort to know all of them lololol (I prolly can recognize errr 3/4 now?) HAHAHHA. But but but, I was soooo glad that we went for the concert because it was totally worth more than the price I paid for.

I truly enjoyed the performance (though I could not understand most of their talks), and my favourite performance by the boys are Starlight (by the white team), Haru, Champ (face-off between Jinseok and Yonghyun - Jinseok sounded damn badass here), Tomorrow (such an emotional song), Rising star, and of course, 24. Hahahah. The concert ended with a hi-touch session with the boys sooooo I actually held hands with 28 boys lol (record breaker eh, my first time holding hands with 28 guys at one go hahhahah). It's weird seeing them up close though hahah - can't help but to notice how thick their make-up was lololol. I remember it started out with Jaehyun (and I offered him a handshake like so business like the heck) and I was mostly awkward the whole time.

Notable happenings from the short period will probably be Issac asking where I was from (I was so glad that he spoke in English HAHAHAH), Hongin and Inpyo sticking their hands out to me at the same time lol (Hongin totally shot Inpyo a dirty look lmao because he was supposed to go first), errrr someone who spoke to me in korean, but saw that I (am) looked confused, kindly translate to English for me (aww so sweet of him - but who is it I can't remember - Haejoon? or who? lolol), and of course, angel Doha flashing his dimples when he took my hand (lol the lighting makes him looked as though he was glowing hahahhah).  So to sum up, it basically started with an handshake, ended with hand holding (which somehow started in the middle?) and me dazing through. They are all nice kids omg.

Ended our days in Korea on the 7th of November, from Incheon International Airport to Kansai International Airport.

Last leg: Japan - Kyoto, Nara and Osaka; 07/11/2016 to 13/11/2016



Trained our way down to Kyoto straight after we touched down in Osaka. Our Airbnb in Kyoto was located near Karasuma Oike Station so transport wise, it was pretty convenient to move around (it helps that transport in Kyoto was still manageable for us to navigate around). The place was very small though, with very little space available for us to move around the house. Another downside was that it was located at the fourth floor without lift so we had to carry our luggage up and down the stairs. Other than that, I still find it okay (and the owner was sweet to leave us a welcoming note).

Left our luggage in the Airbnb and we walked down to Teramachi Shopping Arcade (about 15 minutes walk from our Airbnb) to explore around. Personally, I like atmosphere in Teramachi, it's not very crowded (perhaps it was near closing time, and it was really quiet at some parts). Popped by Mina Kyoto to take a look at the Line Pop-up Store and we stopped by Mos Burger (I actually think Singapore's tasted better hahah) nearby to have dinner before heading back.

Breakfast for the following day was at this cafe named Fukumimi near our Airbnb. It is a cute little place with palatable food - we ordered a buttermilk pancake set (I preferred Hotel Kai's), a french toast set (it's pretty interesting because toast was totally soft and gooey in the inside) and a savoury crepe (this is so niceeee). Headed down to Kyoto International Manga Museum, but we decided to forgo it last minute since Elaine's mother was not interested (so not to waste money).

Headed to Gion-shijo Station by bus with the help of a very nice grandma. Wanted to head to Nishiki Market, but we realized it was actually near to Teramachi so we skipped out and went crazy shopping at a Disney Store lol. Walked back down to Gion before heading down to Kiyomizu-dera. It was raining by the time we got to the temple so it kind of dampen the mood, but the scenery was still so beautiful. Tour around the temple before bus-ing down to Kyoto Station, where we had lunch at this Udon place in the underground shopping centre.

Walked around Kyoto Station, but there were nothing much for us, so we decided on getting early dinner at Katsukura before heading back to our Airbnb. Katsukara is famous for their pork katsu so we order a set with some other sides to share (sharing of the set is actually prohibited because the rice is refillable so be discreet). The pork cutlet was really great - it's juicy and crispy, and I really love the fried prawn hahah. On a side note, combini in Japan is really our friendly companion for food lol. It's basically our to-go for breakfast and snacks hahahah.

Made our way to Nara for a short side trip the next day because Elaine requested to see the deers. Had lunch at this relaxing cafe - Mellow Cafe. Food and service deserve thumbs up. After lunch, we did some shopping before heading to our Airbnb in Osaka. The Airbnb in Osaka was located at Shinsaibashi, near to one of the exit of the station. I love how comfortable the place feels and it is a lot more spacious than the Airbnb in Kyoto.

After dropping off our stuff, we had Gincado Takoyaki (best tako everrrrrrrr, I am craving for some right now *sad face*) to fill our stomach a little before we head down to Craftholic hahah. Walked from Craftholic to Orange Street, then to Dontobouri where we started to shop like crazy. Dinner was at Matsuya or Songwu (because of the characters lol) that we called affectionately. THEY. HAVE. THE. BEST. GRILLED. PORK. SLICES. EVER!!!! (Damn I miss food in Japan). Went back to Airbnb after a hearty dinner hahah.

The next day was spent at Universal Studio Japan. Highlights in USJ will probably be the Harry Potter Ride I took. Went on with the simulation ride without much thoughts and oh boy, it's prolly the best and worse decision I ever made hahahha. Best because it was really interesting and shrilling. Worse because the first minute on the ride and I was already dizzy from all the swirling that I have to close my eyes so that I can focus and not puke hahahah. But I will totally recommend the ride hahah. Another will be Moppy, a character from sesame street that is exclusive to USJ. I totally fell in love the moment I saw the mascot hahahah. It was so adorable that I bought a stuffed moppy (useless, but whatever hahah).

Had takoyaki from Takoyaki Museum after USJ, and to be honest, the Takoyaki does not taste nice at all. We went back to Dontobouri and had Ichiran (BROTH IS SO YUMMY. ICHIRAN IS SO AWESOME. GIMME SOME RIGHT NOW) before shopping around.

Spent 11th November at Momofuku Ando Instant Noodles Museum (was delayed at Umeda because there was an accident in the morning - spent the time at Kinokuniya while waiting for train service to resume). Lunch was at Gudetama Cafe at HEP Five before we trained down to Namba for shopping. Had dinner at Kura Sushi where by we anyhow order because we could not understand most of the Japanese hahah (food was pretty good though). Trained back to Shinsaibashi and went for round two of shopping.

Last full day in Japan was spent on packing in the morning, brunch at a nearby restaurant (had gyoza, ramen and fried chicken) before training down to Greenwood Hostel at Izumisano (where we will be spending our last night at). The hostel was pretty cozy and clean, but I couldn't sleep well for the night because it was too bright for me. To be honest, it was pretty hard to share a room with other people (aka strangers) so I guess I am not made for hostel lol.

As we were early for check-in, we left our baggage with the hostel and trained to Rinku Town for Rinku Premium Outlets. Managed to get a Samantha Vega bag that probably costed a fraction of what it costed in Singapore so I am pretty proud of my purchase hahah. Had dinner at Saizeriya (I actually like it a lot, and it's kinda different from ours) before another round of shopping. Headed back to the hostel for packing and rest for the day.

Woke up damn early or rather barely slept for the night and prepare ourselves before heading down to the airport. Our flight took us from Osaka to Taipei, where I rushed to Starbucks to get an expensive tumbler before flying back home from Taipei.

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Two weeks in other countries really changed us because we got so used to right side of the escalator that we totally forgot that Singapore was on the left side HAHAHAHHA.

Nonetheless, it was an exhausting and fun two weeks, with it being my first ever trip to Taiwan and Japan. Taipei is pretty charming with all the yummy food, but it's not exactly calling out to me? But, I will explore it again, looking at how little time I had with this country. Japan, on the other hand, has totally won me over hahahah. I am already looking forward to my non-existent plans of going back to Japan hahahahah.

Alrights, I shall end my post here. All these typing is making hungry and sleepy. Can't believe I actually spent days to finish this post.

Tsk.

Errrr....

Okays, I have to admit that I almost forgot about your birthday... so here I am, trying to squeeze some words out?

Anyways, you had a fulfilling year - from concerts to collaborations - I am sure that you are having a blast so all I wish (for this year), is for you to be healthy and happy always.

Continue to shine bright as you always do, bakayeol. I will see you at MAMA 2016 then.