Taichung – The Wknd Travel

2019 Rewind: Crossing Borders & Making Dreams Come True

Another year of travels is coming to an end. Those of you following me since 2016 know that I always post a year-end blog detailing what happened to me & where I went in that specific year. 2016 was all about travelling solo, exploring places by myself; 2017 was exploring relatively known & unknown places & 2018 was all about reuniting & travelling with friends. 2019 is a mix of all 3 years of recaps. I went & explored places by myself, I flew & took trains to both & unknown places & I had a few trips with my friends. I can say 2019 is my best year yet for travelling – I’ve crossed many borders & made my long-time dreams come true.

Allow me to share with you details of my 2019 in terms of trips taken. I will also give insights of the interesting content developments here in my website.

trips recap ✈️

SORSOGON 🇵🇭

I started off the year with a day trip to the beaches of Matnog, Sorsogon. I didn’t post about this day trip in this website but I believe it’s worth sharing here. My cousins from Australia welcomed the new year in our hometown. Days after the new year, we took them to the islands of Subic, Matnog in Sorsogon. We first went fish feeding in a sanctuary then continued to Subic Beach. It was a fun day spent with cousins in the beach.

JAPAN 🇯🇵

Back in February, I flew to my favorite Japan for 9 days. My supposed-to-be trip to Nagano, Kanazawa & Toyama turned into a family trip around Tokyo & Kansai Region (Osaka, Nara & Kyoto). I flew with them to Tokyo then took a side trip to Nagano then met my sisters in Osaka afterwards. It was a delight seeing the snow monkeys in Nagano & spending some alone time in a very cold & snowy place in Japan. I then flew to Fukuoka to spend a day around the city before catching my flight back to Manila. I may not have been to Kanazawa & Toyama in this trip but I’ll make sure to go next time.

I didn’t post much about this but I went to Japan again a few months ago. My friend & I decided to surprise another friend in her flight to Fukuoka & to ruin her first ever solo trip. We spent 48 hours around Fukuoka, Japan, went to pretty interesting places, savored every Japanese meal & drowned ourselves with the Lipton milk tea drink.

Blog List:
Japan Highlights 2019: TOKYO – 36 Hours In The Land Of The Rising Sun’s Most Famous Metropolis
Japan Highlights 2019: NAGANO – 48 Hours In The Inland Prefecture Of The Snow Monkeys
Japan Highlights 2019: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN – A Theme Park That Brings You Back To Being A ‘Kid’ Just For A Day
Japan Highlights 2019: KYOTO – Japan’s Ancient Capital In One Day
Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park
Japan Highlights 2019: MATSUMOTO & FUKUOKA Stopovers

BACOLOD 🇵🇭

Office friends & I went on a spontaneous Bacolod weekend trip last February. We flew to the city & went to the famous Ruins then had chicken inasal for dinner in Manukan Country. We then went to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto to check out Negros’ Little Baguio. After a few hours around the mountains, we went back to the city & decided to just eat out until we flew back to Manila.

Blog: Spontaneous BACOLOD Weekend: 48 Hours In The City of Smiles

MELBOURNE 🇦🇺

I flew to Melbourne, Australia with Leng & Shane (from Sydney 2018 trip) during the Holy Week break last April. I spent 8 days around the city & the nearby suburbs. We also went to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Country. My friend Lord, who I was with on It’s The Ship 2018, joined us on our first few days in Melbourne.

We didn’t make out Melbourne itinerary that busy compared to our Sydney one. We just enjoyed our time there, strolling around the beautiful city, trying out different cuisines & hoarding every single interesting item in the supermarkets.

Blog List:
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas
N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb
N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial
N9 In Straya Series: PHILLIP ISLAND – A Perfect Day Out With Nature & Australian Wildlife
N9 In Straya Series: PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY & YARRA VALLEY WINE TOUR – Victoria’s Heritage Steam Railway & Wine Region In A Day

TAIWAN 🇹🇼

It’s been years since our last family trip to Singapore. My parents decided to bring the family to Taiwan for the Fathers’ Day weekend. We went to the city of Taichung on our first day as per my sister’s request. She wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung plus take nice photos with the family. We then went around the city on Fathers’ Day – went to church, strolled around Daan Park, ate at Din Tai Fung, hiked the Elephant Hill & walked around Raohe Night Market.

On our third day, we took the Klook guided tour to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street & Shifen then finished the day around Ximending. We spent our fourth day in Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Liberty Square & in the airport for our flight back to Manila. I met with my good friend Richard, whom I knew in Komodo, Indonesia in 2018, for a few nights in Taipei. He was also in the city waiting for his flight back to Europe. It was fun catching up with this man over food & drinks!

Blog List:
TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei
TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei
YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN Klook Tour – Perfect & Hassle-Free Taiwan Northeast Coast Day Tour

YOGYAKARTA 🇮🇩

One spontaneous trip I took this year was that to Yogyakarta. I saw a piso-fare ticket to Jakarta last June for an August trip & decided to buy that ticket. I contacted Yudi, a friend I met on Its the Ship 2018 who is now based somewhere in Indonesia. We then agreed to meet in Yogyakarta & volunteered to take me around.

Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, who joined me in Melbourne last April, decided to join me a week before the trip. We then met with Yudi & his friend Dallin in Yogyakarta & we went around the city. We went to different temples (Borobudur, Prambanan, Taman Sari) & also took the lava trail tour in Mount Merapi. We ate in different local restaurants & tried several local dishes. We spent most of our time in Yogyakarta in the road, in restaurants & in our hotel. It was a relaxing trip; not the usual busy one. It’s nice to step back for a while & just enjoy chilling.

Blog: The Wonderful Indonesia Series: YOGYAKARTA – A Relaxing Weekend In Indonesia’s Special Monarchy Region

BORACAY 🇵🇭

My buddy Rick & I flew to Boracay last September to surprise our high school friends having their holiday in the island. They didn’t know that we were coming so we decided to show up on the afternoon of their 2^nd day, right after arriving in the island. We ate in nice restaurants, walked along the shore, swam on the beach & spent some quality time with the group.

Rick & I stayed for 2 more days in the island & just spent most of the time relaxing, eating, walking & drinking. I didn’t expect this September trip to have its 2^nd part after the Bohol weekend in 2018 but I hope there will be a 3^rd installment in 2020, 4^th installment in 2021 until this becomes a regular trip with them. By the way, I didn’t join my family in Hong Kong to join these people plus I also don’t have my passport during this time.

E-U-R-O-P-E!!! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰

Finally, A TRIP TO EUROPE! This is the highlight of my 2019. It was a dream come true. I haven’t posted anything about this trip in the website but I’m happy to share that this long-time plan of going to Europe happened last October to November 2019.

One of my Europe trip highlights – a trip to Český Krumlov. This town is picturesque & peaceful. 🇨🇿

It all started with an affordable ticket I got from the Singapore Airlines & BPI promotion last January 2019. I got tickets flying from Manila to Amsterdam, Netherlands & leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark, both via Singapore. I saved up the whole year, planned my itinerary, booked my hostels & booked the inter-country flights ahead of time. I applied for a tourist visa on my own – no help from any agency & got it after a week.

Nyhavn – my favorite place in Copenhagen… It’s where the Danish Christmas market is found! 🇩🇰

And the trip happened. Due to busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to do more research & make my final itinerary. I arrived in Amsterdam with no plans, not even a single idea how to go to my hostel. I got scared at first but I ended up having the best days of my life around Europe. I went to 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic & Denmark), explored cities & small towns, reunited with friends I met from previous trips, met cool new friends along the way, took walking tours in every city / town, drank more beers than waters in a day, walked thousands of steps & tens of kilometers a day & ate all local food I can in every place. I did all of these alone! Yes, I FLEW TO EUROPE ALONE & I SURVIVED. It was probably the bravest thing I did this year.

Obligatory photo with the canals of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.. Can’t wait to go back here! 🇳🇱

I have so much to share about this trip but I am reserving that for the individual posts. I hope you’ll watch out for those write-ups.

Blogs: TO FOLLOW.

blog highlights ✨

Aside from the usual blog contents I post, there were 2 significant developments in this blog. First is the continued posts for the Tuesday Tips & Hostel of the Day features. I had 3 Tuesday Tip posts & 7 hostel of the day features published in my website solely for 2019. I still have a long list of Tuesday tips to share & hostels (especially the ones from Europe) to publish so watch out for those. My main goal of posting these Tuesday tips & hostel features is to show the world that there are nice things out there that don’t need hefty amounts of money. You can have the same fun & memorable experiences by paying small amounts.

Blog List:
Hostel of the Day: DOT HOSTEL NAGANO – Wooden House Turned High-Rated Affordable Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: KHAOSAN WORLD ASAKUSA RYOKAN & HOSTEL – Clean & Affordable Traditional Japanese Accommodation In The Heart Of Tokyo
Hostel Of The Day: NEW WORLD INN OSAKA – Simple, Affordable & Modern Property Near Tennoji
Hostel Of The Day: FUKUOKA HANA HOSTEL – Fukuoka’s In-Demand & Best Valued Tourist Accommodation
Hostel Of The Day: FLINDERS BACKPACKERS MELBOURNE – Budget-Friendly & Extremely Popular Hostel In The Heart Of The City
Hostel Of The Day: UINN TRAVEL HOSTEL – Modern, Space-Themed & Excellent Taipei Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: MAD MONKEY HOSTEL BORACAY – Paradise Island’s Hidden Party Hostel Gem
Tuesday Tip: 4 TRUSTED HOSTEL GROUPS To Check When Looking For AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION in JAPAN
Tuesday Tip: 6 WAYS To SAVE MONEY In MELBOURNE
Tuesday Tip: Do-It-Yourself SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA Application With VFS NETHERLANDS

This year, I introduced a section in my website called Flight Reports. You guys know I love flying & my interest in aviation is something else. I thought of sharing my flight experiences with different airlines – how the service is from check in to boarding to in-flight services & cabin crew service. Since I started the section in June, I already published 8 flight reports about 5 local & international airlines. I didn’t expect this section to get hits but I’m happy that I get regular website visits for these specific posts. I still have about 5 or 6 flight reports to share with you, most of them from my European trip. I hope you’re excited for these flight reports as I am!

Blog List:
Flight Report: EVA AIR BR 277 – Taipei to Manila – Taiwan’s 5-Star Airline For An Affordable Fare
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 328 – Legazpi to Manila – ₱600 ($11.50) Flight Back To Manila
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 759 – Manila to Jakarta – ₱1,236 ($24) International Flight To Indonesia
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7550 – Jakarta to Yogyakarta – Low-Cost Domestic Flight To Indonesia’s Royal City
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7551 – Yogyakarta to Jakarta – Redemption Flight Back To Indonesia’s Capital
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 905 – Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) – Short & Relatively Empty Flight To Paradise Island
Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6244 – Caticlan (Boracay) to Manila – Quick Turboprop Flight Back To The Metro
Flight Report: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 915 – Manila to Singapore – 5-Star Economy Class Experience In A New Generation Boeing Dreamliner

By the way, this just came in. This website has finally hit 90,000 site views! This is another milestone hit before the end of the 2019. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the endless support – from sharing my articles & posts, to commenting & liking the posts that appear on your timelines to your comments & questions. I appreciate all of these.

Thank you for giving me the reason to continue sharing more content in this website. I can tell you this is not the end, it is just the start of more tips, flight reports, itineraries & blog posts. I have a long list of topics to share & upcoming trips & flights to take. You’ll definitely see more in this website next year.

Here’s to an adventure-filled 2020. Happy New Year, dear readers!

PS. Some photos were taken using my HTC U11. Shout out to my friends Junelle, Mark & Richard for allowing me to use your photos in this post.

TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei

Over the last few weeks & months, I shared with you details about our Taiwan family trip last June 2019. The whole family went on a 4-day weekend in Taiwan, also to celebrate Father’s Day for the first time outside the country. I’ve already been to Taiwan twice in the past – one in 2015 with my high school friends & another one in 2017 with my colleagues at work, but I didn’t mind going back with my family to this beautiful country. Besides, our last family trip was in 2016 when we welcomed the new year in Singapore.

Allow me to share with you the details of our tour around Taipei City. We had a flexible itinerary because we were travelling with our parents, aunt, uncle & a 2-year old baby. We missed a few historical places & parks, but we definitely enjoyed each others company. Check out the trip details below.

ticket

For my past 2 Taiwan trips, I’ve flown with Cebu Pacific Air. Both tickets were at less than ₱3,000 return. Since Taiwan became visa-free to Filipino passport holders, airfare to Taipei & Kaoshiung became expensive. I found a good deal with EVA Air, Taiwan’s 2nd largest airline, last February. Return tickets only cost $127.32 (about ₱6,600+) & the fare already included in-flight meal, baggage & in-flight entertainment. Know more about my EVA Air experience in this flight report.

Accommodation

We stayed in Uinn Travel Hostel for 4 days & 3 nights. We booked 4 spacious double rooms that came with private bath & toilet. The hostel offers a superb breakfast & has modern facilities. They also have dormitory rooms for those who are travelling alone or on a budget. I’ve featured Uinn Travel Hostel as a Hostel Of The Day in this website. Check out this post to know more about the hostel.

Update: Uinn Travel Hostel has ceased operations.

taichung day trip

My sisters have always wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung. To make them happy, we rented a car through ACWorx Tours Taiwan. We got the car for 10 hours, went to Taichung, visited the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm & the Rainbow Village. Check out the photoblog of our Taichung Day Tour here.

around taipei

Taipei has a very efficient transportation system. All places in the city are connected by either a bus or a train. We used EASY Card, their own version of tap card, in going to different places. We bought the tap cards at the airport train station & just added value / credit when needed. This tap card can also be used in establishments like supermarkets & convenience stores.

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH

We started our day around Taipei with a Sunday English mass at Holy Family Church. It was also Father’s Day that weekend so we decided to attend the mass as a family. The church was packed with people from all over the world. I’ve been to this church in 2015 when I first went to Taiwan with my high school friends.

Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2

DAAN PARK

After the mass, we decided to have a stroll around Daan Park. The park had a nice pond with ducks & wild birds. My baby cousin enjoyed walking around the park, spotting the animals around. It’s a perfect place to relax & walk around on a cold winter morning or afternoon. Too bad it was sunny & too hot during our visit.

Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2

TAIPEI 101 MALL

We headed to Taipei 101 Mall for lunch & for sightseeing. The massive Taipei 101 welcomed us upon leaving Exit 4 of the metro station. We went around the different boutiques & shops while we waited for our turn in Din Tai Fung & our Taipei 101 Observatory schedule.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

DIN TAI FUNG

We had our lunch at Din Tai Fung in Taipei 101 Mall. This world-famous restaurant originated in Taipei back in the days. The restaurant is famous for its pork xiao long bao, braised beef noodles & steamed chicken soup. We waited for about an hour before we finally had our table. It was Father’s Day lunch so the family had a feast.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

TAIPEI 101 OBSERVATORY

After lunch, we all headed to the Taipei 101 Observatory. We bought our tickets through Klook on the same day & even got a discount for the large booking. Each ticket only costs about ₱600+ per person after the discount. Ticket redemption was easy; it was through an automated machine located near the ticket booth. We stayed on the 88th floor for about an hour & enjoyed the 360-degree view of the city.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN

My sisters & I decided to hike up the Elephant Mountain after going up the Taipei 101 observatory. We wanted to see the city & Taipei 101 from a different angle. The hike up to the viewpoint took about 30 minutes & another 30 minutes going down. The viewpoint provided stunning images of the city & of the skyscraper. I’ve been to Taiwan twice, but it was only until this trip when I was able to go up the mountain. The best time to go up is either in the morning or during sunset. However, expect more people going up during these times.

Access: Xiangshan Staion – Exit 2

RAOHE NIGHT MARKET

We went to Raohe Night Market to have authentic street food for dinner. We got the famous pork pepper buns, pork sausages, fried milk & a lot more. The market was packed with tourists that Sunday night & we haven’t had the chance to try all the food around.

Access: Songshan Station – Exit 5

HUAXI STREET NIGHT MARKET

I met up with my good friend, Richard, after dinner to catch up & have some drinks. I met Richard in the overnight boat tour in Komodo, Indonesia. We’ve been really good friends since then. He was also in Taipei that weekend, waiting for his flight to Spain to be with his family on his birthday. Richard & I literally just walked everywhere until we reached Huaxi Street Night Market. It is a small local market, practically selling everything. This market catered mostly to the locals. Believe it or not, we had a hard time looking for a place to eat up to the point we ended up having pork dumplings & beer in a restaurant near Longshan Station.

Access: Longshan Station – Exit 1

YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN KLOOK TOUR

One of the best day trips outside Taipei is the trip to the northeast towns of Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu. Going to these places is not easy, especially if you’re a big group like us. We decided to avail Klook’s transportation package to make the day trip easy & comfortable. Know more about the tour price & itinerary in this separate Yehliu-Jiufen-Shifen Klook Package post.

Meeting place: Ximen Station – Exit 4 in front of GaKuDen Bakery

XIMENDING

A trip to Taipei will never be complete without a visit to the city’s shopping hub – Ximending. This area is where there young people go for shopping & food trip. It has also become famous for the tourists because of the shops & stores located in this area. The place is full of colorful lights & billboards at night; making it a vibrant hangout place for everyone.

Access: Ximen Station – Various Exits

CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL HALL & LIBERTY SQUARE

The last place we visited before we left Taiwan was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall & Libery Square. This memorial hall was built in memory of former President Chiang Kai-Shek. The hall has different display rooms & galleries where you will know more about the former president. On the other hand, the Liberty Square is Taipei’s largest public square. It is a place used for public gatherings during national holidays & important days in Taiwan.

Richard & I already went to this place the night before our family went. There were no other people there at around 12 midnight. However, the ground gates looked stunning with those lights.

Access: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station – Exit 5

This sums up the places my family visited around Taipei during our weekend visit last June. I know we haven’t been to everywhere but we had a great time building memories with each other. Have you been to these places in the past? Which one is your favorite & why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can send me anything, as in anything about this post / blog / website, via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei

3 weeks ago, I shared with you a flight report on how our EVA Air flight from Taipei to Manila went last June. I mentioned in the post that my family went on a 4-day trip to Taipei to celebrate Father’s Day. I know I haven’t posted any detail about our whereabouts in Taipei but allow me to show you the details (& photos) of our 1st day in Taiwan. After arriving at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, we rushed to our accommodation & left our bags. We immediately boarded the car to Taichung. Let me show to you which picturesque places we went to in this short day trip to the city.

TAichung city

Houli Flower Farm – one of Taichung’s top tourist attractions.. Such a beautiful place to visit!! 🙂

Taichung City is an industrial city located in central Taiwan. It is located 2 hours by land from Taipei, also 2 hours by train via the TRA (Taipei Railways Administration) train & about an hour by train via Taiwan High Speed Rail. The city has gained a lot of attention from international tourists because of its unique & picturesque spots. It is in fact a famous day trip taken by people outside Taipei.

day trip around taichung

The fastest (but also the most expensive) way to go to Taichung from Taiwan is via the high speed rail. The most affordable (& slow) way to reach the city is via the TRA rail. We were travelling with a 2-year old kid & we thought taking these trains will be very inconvenient. Going around Taichung on our own is also a different story.

What a picturesque scenery in Green Fantasy Forest – a relatively unknown Taichung spot! 🙂 🙂

We opted on renting a car (with driver) that will take us to Taichung (from Taipei), bring us around selected places & drive us back to Taipei. I searched the internet & found Albert Corrales of ACWorx Tours Taiwan. I arranged the transportation & itinerary with him & bargained for an affordable day tour rate. While Taichung has a long list of places to visit, Albert recommended that we only choose 3 so that we can make use of all our time in these places. We chose to visit the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm (of course) & the Rainbow Village.

The whole Taichung day trip took us about 10 hours. We arrived back in Taipei before dinner time. The package included all parking & driver fees. It didn’t include entrance fees (which we paid on the specific places) & lunch. In case you’re interested in the services of ACWorx Tours Taiwan, feel free to send them a message on Facebook or message Sir Albert on Viber at +886903021282.

Allow me to share with you some of the photos I took during this day trip.

GREEN FANTASY FOREST

Entrance fee: 300 NTD per person

HOULI FLOWER FARM

Entrance fee including 2-hour BBQ lunch buffet: 350 NTD per person

RAINBOW VILLAGE

Entrance: Free of charge

We may only been to 3 places in Taichung but we definitely enjoyed our time in these selected spots. We made the most of every place without thinking of making it to the next spot. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Albert of ACWorx Tours Taiwan for arranging our transportation & driver for this trip & for the safe day trip.

Have you been to Taichung? What do you think of the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm & the Rainbow Village? Which is your favorite spot? I find the flower farm to be just alright. The Rainbow Village was too crowded. Will I go back? I don’t know – maybe to the other spots in the city! You have anything to say or share? Make sure to utilize the comments section below. You can also send your thoughts directly to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.