Lavender Cottage 薰衣草森林 (Taiwan)

We wanted to do a day trip out of the main area in Taichung and went to Zhongshe Flower Market in the morning by public transport. We hadn't included Lavender Cottage in our itinerary because it would take too long by public transport and we simply didn't have sufficient time. We flagged down a taxi at the train station, directing him to drive us to Carton King. However, instead of driving us to Carton King, he managed to convince us to go to Lavender Cottage instead (of course paying much more) because it would be a waste not to visit the cottage. 

The entrance fee was 150 NT per person and you would get a coin each. You can use the coin at their stores and get 100 NT off.

Lavender Cottage was started by two girls who love coffee and travelling. One worked 6 years in a Taipei bank and the other was a piano teacher in Kaoshiung. They bought a hill and started to grow lavender.

As it was already late afternoon, we decided to grab lunch first before visiting the attractions. Lunch at 森林咖啡馆 was a very relaxing affair and it felt as though time just stopped. We were surrounded by forests and mountains as we enjoyed our lunch. You can have a look at the menu here.



We ordered a Lavender & Pomelo Tea 薰衣草香桔茶 (NT$170). It was a refreshing citrus drink with a hint of lavender.

As I was feeling unhealthy from the previous night of snacking in the night market, I ordered the Mushroom Hotpot (NT$360). The soup was light and the guilt of eating all the deep fried food instantly fell away (who am I kidding). There were different kinds of mushrooms in this healthy hotpot, which was served with a bowl of purple rice.

To end the meal, we ordered an Orange Upside-down Cake with Rosemary (NT$100). I was hoping that it might taste like the magical Orange Pie we tried in Greece but alas, it was not meant to be. This was a butter cake with orange rind in the cake. It was decent but nothing to rave about. 

After lunch, we started to explore the Lavender Cottage.

This has to be my favourite place of the attractions. At 年轮邮局, there is a wide selection of whimsical postcards.

You can purchase the postcards and the staff will help you send the postcards (no additional charge, for international addresses as well) in whichever way you want it. It could be today, a month later, 2 years later or 5 years later. You could send it to yourself, your family or if you want, not send it out at all and keep your inner thoughts a secret forever. There is a table with colour pencils, pens and colourful tapes for you to write your postcards. 

We then proceeded to have our ice cream fix. There was a selection of ice cream, including lavender, berry yoghurt, mint chocolate, lemon grass and rose. My husband opted for the lavender flavour and said that it was pretty ordinary.

You can also redeem a free drink (with a marble in it) per ticket.

One should not come here with the expectation of seeing beautiful lavender flowers because they will be disappointed. I'm glad I read reviews and had moderated my expectations. To begin with, this board states that lavender likes cool weather but is afraid of the rain. However, as Taiwan's summer is hot and rains often, they have purple flowers to replace the lavender between May and September. The lavender is supposed to be in full bloom between January and February.

That said, I think one should not expect much even in the peak blooming season. The lavender patch is rather small and will cause minimal excitement, if any. That said, it was nice to just breathe in the cool air at the higher altitude.

Our last stop was the souvenir shop, which of course sold lavender products.

I felt that my trip here was worthwhile not because of the lavender, but because how this place makes me feel like life can be slower and that we can take our time to be one with nature.

Lavender Cottage 薰衣草森林
No. 20 Zhongxing St
Xinshe District
Taichung City
台中市新社区中兴街20号
Taiwan 

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Blue Sky Bay B&B 蓝天水湾 (Taiwan)

Many tourists choose to do a day trip to Sun Moon Lake. However, as we wanted to throw in some cycling, we decided to spend a night at Blue Sky Bay B&B 蓝天水湾. Only one word can be used to describe this place- Exceptional. 

1) Location 

We took the Nantou Bus from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake. The bus dropped us off at a bus stop around a 7-10 minutes walk away from the B&B. We initially walked past the B&B without knowing as it was a rather skinny building. The location is great- next to a convenience store and within 3-5 minutes walk to eateries. There was a bicycle shop next to the B&B and a whole lot of other bicycle shops within a 4 minutes walk. The Shui She Pier was also around a 5 minutes walk. In other words, this was a perfect location. 

2) Room 

My husband is usually not picky (and typically has no comments) when it comes to accommodation. However, when it came to Blue Sky Bay B&B, he said "Wow, this is the best B&B I have ever stayed at".

The bed was extremely comfortable, the room was stylish, clean and spacious. There were also plenty of channels on the TV. The only minor inconvenience was that our room was on the 7th floor and the lift only served rooms up to the 6th floor. As a result, we had to climb up a flight of stairs. That said, it is a very minor issue which we didn't mind.

The basin was located not in the toilet but in the room itself. Some may be concerned with water splash but it was alright because the floor at the basin area was a different material from the floor at the sleeping area.

3) Toilet 

I get excited every time I see that the shower is Grohe brand- it shows that the accommodation emphasises quality furnishing. I have never encountered a bad accommodation which uses Grohe. The water pressure was strong and the heat consistent.

4) Breakfast

After a 2 hour cycling trip, we came back to the B&B famished. We were happy to see that there was quite a bit of food for breakfast. There were both a small selection of continental breakfast (e.g. ham, cheese, hash browns, nuggets, toast and coffee) and Taiwanese / Chinese breakfast (e.g. tofu puffs, fried omelette with spring onions, soya bean milk). There were also fruits.

5) Service

The lady boss was happy to render her assistance when needed. The people at the reception counter were also ready with a smile. It sure doesn't hurt that there is always nice music playing in the reception area!

For around S$130 a night, this stay was worth every cent.

Blue Sky Bay B&B 蓝天水湾
No. 21 Zhongxing Road
Yuchi Township
Nantou County
南投县鱼池乡中兴路21号
Tel No.: 0919-805071， 049-2856815 

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Hotel Nafore (Seoul)

Hotel Nafore was one of the cheaper hotels that we saw with a pretty good location and did not look too cramped. 

1) Location 

Finding this hotel was a slight nightmare for me. The taxi driver dropped us off at some random building and while after walking around for some time, we could see the hotel but could not figure which alleys to take to reach the hotel. Do yourself a favour and download the directions from their webpage and/or the instructions given. 

Other than the fact that I reached the hotel with a fever which contributed to my irritation of finding out that cars cannot drop passengers off in front of the hotel (and that you have to navigate alleys to reach the hotel), the location of the hotel was good. It was a 5 -7 min walk away from Jongo 3(sam)-ga Station and a 10 min walk from Euljiro 3(sam)-ga Station, both of which connect to 2 lines each (Line Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5). It's pretty much in the city so you can easily reach the attractions (e.g. you can walk to Myeongdong in around 20 minutes). It is also one minute away from Cheonggyecheon, a stream that looks particularly beautiful at night. 

2) Room

I thought that the room was slightly small but recalled that the floor area of similar hotels in Seoul was smaller. The room was clean and they had international channels available on TV. The beds and pillows were also comfortable.

The toilet was fine, nothing too fancy.

3) Amenities 

This is basically a no frills hotel with limited facilities. They have a simple rooftop garden. There is a restaurant and cafe but we didn't try the food there.

The staff are courteous.

Overall, if you are looking for somewhere which offers good value in Seoul and is not too small, with a good location, Hotel Nafore is a good choice.

Hotel Nafore 
17 Supyo-ro
18 ga-gil, Jongo-Gu
Seoul 

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Indochilli (Zion Road)

Indochilli is my favourite place to go when I crave Indonesian food, so much that I have been there at least 4-5 times in 2017. 

I suggest that you make a reservation if you want to dine there because it is often full by 7 p.m. 

We always order the Tahu Telor ($8.80). Who can resist the crispy eggy beancurd with abundant sweet peanut sauce drizzled over it?

The Kacang Panjang Balado ($9.80) is a simple dish of long bean fried with fiery chilli and aromatic shrimp paste.

The Sate Ayam Madura (S$10.80) is also a must order. It is a juicier, sweeter and chunkier version of the satay we usually eat. It's almost like a grown up version. Instead of the usual sauce with the peanut bits, the accompanying sauce is a smooth peanut sauce, which consistency is like peanut butter. Squeeze a bit of lime over this dish and you get a dish which is sweet and tangy.

The Ayam Pangang Padang ($9.80) is a nicely grilled chicken dipped in Padang style chicken curry. The meat is very tender and falls off the bone easily.

The Nasi Goreng Seafood ($13.80) was a dish I would gladly eat on its own. A slightly sweet, moist and aromatic fried rice with fresh prawns and squids, topped with a a fried egg. 

I tried their Kue Lapis Legit ($2.10) and absolutely loved the layered goodness which was not too sweet. However, the Kue Lapis Legit is always sold out and they always try to sell me the, not so legit, Lepit Legis Surabaya ($2.20) which lack of layers just makes this cake so much less desirable.

Food is good, service is excellent and prices are reasonable.

Indochilli (Zion Road)
54 Zion Road
Singapore 247779
Tel No: 6445 1766 

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Spirited Garden (Jeju)

Sung Bum-Young was born into a poor family in 1939. In 1963, he set foot on Jeju to visit a friend. He purchased land at Jeoji-ri and in 1968 started to develop the wasteland covered with stones, with no water or electricity supplied to the area. During those days, residents in his neighbourhood called him a "madman" as he developed this garden. And today the Spirited Garden is a well-maintained garden exuding a zen-like feel. Entrance fee is 12,000 won per adult and 10,000 won for seniors (65 years old and above). 

Even at the entrance, we spent some time there as my father-in-law was interested in the bonsai plants. There was also a guide on how to appreciate bonsai. Unlike how I usually just walk cursorily from plant to plant, according to the founder, you have to observe the tree, looking from the bottom to the top. There are also several etiquette to observe, including not asking the price the bonsai might sell for as beauty cannot be expressed in monetary terms.

There were nuggets of the founder's own wisdom at the signs next to the trees.

One example is this: "In spring, flowers bloom and leaves sprout. Before the blooming and sprouting comes the formation of a bud or germ. When does this germ form? Many assume that it must be either winter or spring. The correct answer is autumn... Trees prepare for the next spring as early as the previous summer or fall (mostly in June or July). And then against the cold winds of winter, they temper themselves. When spring arrives at last, they bloom their beautiful flowers. In human life, only those who prepare well for the future by enduring hardships seem to be able to enjoy the beautiful blooming season of life just like the trees that must withstand the cold winter before sprouting. It seems that resolutely enduring hardships are a prerequisite to all successes and achievements."

For a quick walk through the gardens, it will probably take around an hour. However, if you want to take a more leisurely walk through the gardens, give it around 2-3 hours.

As we completed our walk around the garden, we saw the founder and spoke to him. He was a kind-looking elderly gentleman and was happy to speak to us through his translator.

I did not have much expectations of this place but this place turned out to be rather thought provoking, and allows you to draw parallels between nature and how we should live our lives.

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Myeongjin Jeonbok (Jeju)

When tourists talk about the food that you must try in Jeju, the two items that will definitely surface are black pork and abalone. 

We asked our Airbnb host whether there was any place in particular she recommended for abalone. While she was happy to share the names of restaurants for other kinds of food, she said that locals usually typically did not eat abalone in restaurants as these abalones are farmed and they would rather buy the wild abalones from the market. 

We decided to try Myeongin Jeonbok in any case because we weren't about to head to the market to buy some abalones. When we reached, we were told by the lady at the counter that we were to return in 45 minutes. She then said, "One five!" We thought that she changed her mind and that we were now to return in 15 minutes. It turned out that she really meant five minutes past one.

There was a small hut next to the restaurant, where there was free water and coffee for the loads of people who were waiting for their turn to enter the restaurant. If you prefer, the restaurant is right next to the sea and you can take a stroll by the sea.

When asking for a seat, you also have to place your order. If it is easier, you can just tell her "one", "two", "three" and "four". These are set out on the wall.

(1) Abalone Sizzling Stone Pot Rice

(2) Rice Porridge with Abalone

(3) Grilled Abalone

(4) Slices of Raw Abalone

We ordered Grilled Abalones (30,000 won). This was the first time I ate abalone in its shell instead of eating it out of a can. The piping hot abalones were thick and chewy.

If you order both the porridge and the stone pot rice, I think you would have a preference for either by the end of the meal. I preferred the Abalone Sizzling Stone Pot Rice (15,000 won) as the rice was flavourful with more ingredients (such as pumpkin) and there were always the crispy bits of rice that you can always scrap off. The Koreans next to us poured some water into the pot, covered the pot for a while, then finished the rest of the rice.

The Rice Porridge with Abalone (12,000 won) was comforting to the hungry stomach, but was otherwise rather unexciting.

We also got a complimentary fish which was nicely crisped and had a delicious smoky taste to it (but plenty of bones).

If possible, do check the opening hours. While some websites state that they are open until 9 p.m. at night, other websites say that they open till 6:30 p.m. only. You don't want to be making a wasted trip! It is also supposedly closed on Tuesdays.

Myeongjin Jeonbok 
128 Haemajhaean-ro
Gujwa-eup
Jeju 

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Gamcheon Culture Village (Busan)

Gamcheon Culture Village was easily one of the more interesting places that we visited in Busan. 

I suggest that you pick up a Stamp Map (2000 won) at the Information Center for a couple of reasons. 

Firstly, the profits made from selling these maps go towards providing free shuttle bus services for locals who face difficulties in using public transportation, providing house repair services etc. 

Secondly, for obvious reasons- it is a map so you don't get lost in the labyrinth of colourful houses. There are 3 recommended tour courses (marked out in different colours on the map) of different durations- 40 minutes, 1h 20 minutes and 2 hours. 

Thirdly, the map ups the fun factor by letting you collect stamps (those with ink, not postage stamps) at several locations. However, to collect the complete set of stamps, this requires you to take the Stamp Course which is around 2 hours. I am sure that children will enjoy walking the route even if it's just for collecting the stamps! 

Take your time here to wander around the nooks and crannies. Lots of interesting art works screaming with vibrant colours. 

This had to be one of, if not the most, popular artwork in Gamcheon Culture Village- Little Prince and Fennec Fox. I read The Little Prince at least 3-4 times in the past 2 decades, each time trying to see if I get a new understanding out of it- nope. All I remember was quoting this passage from the book "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye". 

There was a long queue on the right of the Little Prince, where people were waiting to take a picture with the little prince- every single one of them with the exact same pose. While I initially intended to join the line as well, I decided that it was perhaps best to leave the little prince and the fox the way they are, without an intruder between them. 

There were also plenty of cafes and food shops for you to rest your tired legs and enjoy some refreshing drinks or fill your tummies. One shop sold these interesting cotton candy in various animal shapes! There were also souvenir shops with absolutely beautiful items. 

Our elderly parents were not that interested in walking the trails (everything looked the same to them and bearing in mind the slopes as well) and were more interested in sipping their aromatic coffees. 

Overall, if you are the kind of person who likes to wander around and are interested in colourful artworks, this is the place for you. 

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