Yun-Hsien Park & Resort (雲仙樂園) - An Old Fashioned Theme Park @ Wulai [Taiwan]

To be honest, i am quite excited when i heard of an amusement park known as Yun-Hsien in the rustic hot spring territory of Wulai even though there wasn't much online information related to it.

Guess this blog post would help to give the general public a better idea of Yun-Hsien Park & Resort and decide for themselves if it would be worth a visit. My first piece of advice would be: "be prepared to walk quite a fair bit".

Similar to Genting Highlands, it's situated on top of a hill (albeit a much shorter way) and boasts a similar temperature (or even cooler) at certain seasons. Options to get to the place seem really limited and from what i gathered from the map, it does appear that the only way was to take the gondola ride! 

Shall share more on the ride in another post! One of the first few attractions was the haunted house ride i touched on previously! To reminisce the ride that was popular in the 1980s, click here. 

After which was the start of a tiring climb up and up the hill - it was almost as if we were on a temple pilgrimage and this walk was a litmus test for our sincerity! 

Thankfully, the weather wasn't very hot (note the word "very") and it was quite relaxing to take in the sights and sounds of surrounding nature as we slowly trekked up the steps. 

Along the way, we came upon a small temple built into the hill. Nothing in particular caught my attention except for the three urns by the side which have Chinese characters; 好運來臨 (good luck is coming), 快樂滿滿 (full of happiness) and 幸福洋溢 (full of blissfulness).

Step by step explanation on how to achieve the above was given via this wooden tablet. As expected, a token of appreciation (in the form of NT$10) was part of the deal. 

Sigh... i think it is like the dozen time i am complaining about the many walks i had to endure for this Taiwan trip! For those thinking of free and easy, do invest in a good pair of walking shoes! 

This was supposed to be part of a natural stream but i guess the man-made dam was necessary to control the flow of water. To get to this location, you actually have to veer off the main route for only a very short distance. 

Frankly, it didn't take us long on foot to reach the secondary entrance from the cable car station. I counted less than ten minutes; however, it was extremely daunting to see the many flights of stairs! 

This was the actual scene that greeted us when we walked past the archway; a mesmerising enclave that seemed to take away our tiredness and entice us to soak in its calming atmosphere. 

Mere seconds later, Alex insisted he wanted to take the sampan for a ride (cost: NT$60 per person for a small boat big enough for two persons)! Bloody ass still has the energy to row when he was complaining like hell just a few minutes ago.

As you could see, his full concentration was on rowing and i must admit he did a pretty good job! I attempted and only succeeded in getting the wooden boat turning around in circles.

He was skillful enough to navigate past the low-lying bridge! 

For me, i found it frustrating to waste my time on the boat where the only benefit was a nice tan and requested our capable boatman to let me off the vessel. Which he did, in an effortless manner that was almost insulting to a man with poor motor skills.

By the way, this lake is not a natural lake and was constructed sometime in 1970. One key feature was the island in the middle of the lake which was accessible using a connecting bridge. 

The pavilion on the island had an interesting name; 命运好好玩 (play with your destiny). 

Shall share the instructions here; in a way, this would be our usual divination method used in many Chinese temples for one to find out the luck / fortune / destiny.

Say in your heart what you would like to ask but instead of drawing out the lots by shaking the bamboo container, you are required to use your fingers to pick one out. Note the number.

Check out the bamboo wind chimes surrounding the pavilion and find the one with the selected number. 

A light tug at the free hanging bamboo tag and you would be able to decipher the outcome of your wish, provided you have a deep understanding of the Chinese characters and sayings, including their idiosyncrasies. For sure, my understanding is only skin-deep. 

Alex cut short his rowing which was supposed to be for twenty minutes! Anyway, the building in front was the hotel block for those interested to stay a night in the amusement resort.

I don't think there would be much activities at night (save for the firefly-watching tour from April to June). It's a different story in the daytime; besides the amusement park with its attractions, there are also two forest trails for nature lovers! 

Spotted this again! For those who remember, the first time i saw this was at Ita Thao, Sun Moon Lake! Check out the separate blog entry here. 

A major difference was the figurine used to dispense the fortune slip! Instead of a monster, it's now a fairy! Makes sense too since the name Yun-Hsien is taken from two Chinese characters; cloud and immortals. 

套住你的幸福 - to trap your happiness! In many places, this should be chargeable. However, no one was manning the kiosk and there wasn't any indication of a price.

The ever capitalist - Alex took the helm and started charging passersby. Kidding lah! We are not that mercenary and Alex, as usual, was fooling around.

Guess you don't need further elaboration on the instructions for this easy game.

Cross the bridge to another section; the amusement park was huge and attractions were not very close to one another. I actually didn't manage to cover the whole place as we still have a packed day ahead of us. 

Supposed to be a paddling pool; again, no one was manning it and i suspected it has to do with the fact that we visited on a weekday when children are in school. 

I could not help wondering if some of the attractions were indeed closed for good as maintenance was an issue. Put it this way, i was thinking it might be great to convert this quiet place into a paranormal theme park or to bring in a concept similar to USS Halloween Horror Nights for a few months a year! 

Children's World! 

No one stopped Alex! We asked one of the staff members if attendance has always been so low. Apparently, the park comes alive only on weekends and school holidays! 

This was a performance stage for the aboriginal warrior dance. We were the only two customers there so i guess there would not be any performance for us.

Oh well, we are not into cultural performances anyway; more interested in activities that brought out the macho-ness in us. Like archery! 

I can't remember how much we paid to play this. No matter what, we were given a crash course on how to shoot an arrow from the stringed bow. Sounded easy, as always.

To be able to hit the target was another matter altogether! 

We both shared the arrows and none of the arrows on the coloured zones belonged to me! Sad to say, i didn't live up to the historical reputation of my surname; 张 is a combination of two Chinese characters that collectively mean long bow. 

See how shamelessly proud he was!! 

Time to leave as we were running short of time. The tiring upward climb earlier would now be exchanged for an easier downward walk! Phew.....

With such an impressive view (that we have conveniently overlooked on our way in), Alex commented this would be an appropriate place as described in many wuxia novels for a person to train, absorb the essence of nature and gain immortality.

He decided to try it out. For maybe a minute? 

As i was drafting this post, the question i kept asking myself was whether the park is wheelchair accessible. From what i have seen, it doesn't appear to be so. The website didn't offer much information either. 

Last stop - the gift shop! You are entitled to redeem for a gift using a voucher attached to your entrance ticket. Aiyah, nothing much; the free gift was a pearl and as in Singapore's OG department stores, you would be encouraged to weld it to a necklace, earring, ring, etc. Of course, be prepared to pay separately for the materials.

Before you take the gondola to the foot of the hill, you would have go through this section. I am unsure if the content would change on a periodic basis but i thought the photo exhibition was really valuable to have a better depiction of the amusement park in its heyday. 

Personally, i feel that this exhibition should be shown to visitors when they first entered the park; this would educate them on the unique ecology of the park and provide information from the construction stage to its eventual opening. 

Next up - the gondola ride! Click here to read further! 

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Location

Yun-Hsien Park & Resort, Wulai,

New Taipei City [Taiwan]

Website

http://www.yun-hsien.com.tw/webe/html/about/index.aspx

Map

As above (i covered around half only)! 

Price

Adult (above 19) - NT$220

Children - NTS$150

(Inclusive of Gondola Ride).

For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.

KBox K Lunch Buffet - Valid Till 31 October 2014 @ Orchard Cineleisure [Singapore]

The Teo siblings had not been out for their singing sessions for the longest time ever and a date was finally set for us to embark on tone-deaf screaming that would be somewhat masqueraded as professional singing.

Our intention was for the cheap K Lunch but when we heard of the K Lunch buffet promotion, we jumped on it! The price differential was almost non-existence with free flow makan and nett pricing (including the copyright surcharge)! In fact, i thought it was more worth the value than the lunch sets!

I know many of you would be curious on the buffet variety and i shall keep this post as short and as sweet as possible. By the way, only two K Box branches offer the K Lunch Buffet and they are Cineleisure Orchard and Marina Square.

Sufficient to whet your appetite? There wasn't any foie gras, sushi etc but seriously, what would you expect for only S$15.80 nett and this included 3 hours of non-stop screaming singing!!?

The food pictures so far do not reflect ALL the dishes we tried! Some were left out because the photographs eventually didn't turn out well. Anyway, it might also please you to know that there were soft and hot drinks like coffee, cappuccino etc! 

After singing ourselves hoarse for 3 hours, i must say we left the place feeling incredibly satisfied and full. Darn, we were actually supposed to go for ribs at Tony Roma's!!! :(

Notice indicating no fighting allowed!? Tsk tsk tsk, person sings that badly also cannot be violent what...

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Website

http://www.kbox.com.sg/

Price for K Box Buffet

Weekday Lunch - S$12.80 nett per person

Weekend Lunch - S$15.80 nett per person

Additional Information

Reservations are strongly encouraged! Call K Box Cineleisure Orchard @ 67563113 and K Box Marina Square @ 65623113. The K Lunch buffet promotion would be valid till 31 October 2014!

Day Seven of My Taiwan Trip 2014: Xinbeitou, Yongkang Street, Taipei 101, Wufenpu & Raohe Night Market!

<< Day Six

I detest it when hotels provide movie channels as i would likely spend the entire night catching movie after movie, even ancient ones that i could have watched a thousand times! This exaggerated statement would explain why we only got out of CityInn hotel at 9.30am on day 7 of this seemingly never-ending Taiwan travelogue. 

Let's kick start the day by taking the efficient public transportation network to a place renowned for a relaxing, therapeutic activity; hot springs! When you talk about hot springs in Taiwan, the most popular spot would have to be Beitou given its position well within the capital of the potato-shaped island. 

There were many resorts to choose from and you may even consider the outdoor hot spring bathhouse! In my case, i didn't feel exceptionally rejuvenated although it was more a personal trait of mine; why waste time soaking indoors when there was so much more to do outdoors!?

The highlight of the Beitou expedition was the visit to Hell's Valley. Click here for a separate post on my visit. There is also a more detailed itinerary for Beitou itself; check out the link here. 

Took the train back to downtown Taipei and chanced upon this iconic building; The Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店)! I almost wanted to book my accommodation with this hotel as it was featured heavily in some of the Taiwanese comic books i read when i was younger! In addition, the place was rumoured to be haunted! 

Reached Dongmen Station - navigation within the MRT stations was similar to the North East line in Singapore. For Yongkang street, take exit five! 

Besides counting the food-filled, experience-rich Yongkang Street as its residents, Dongmen has another notable landmark; the award winning Din Tai Fung restaurant. I didn't get to dine there though. :( 

We initially wanted to be eco-friendly by riding the U-Bike to Taipei 101, which appeared to be pretty near from Yongkang Street. Sadly, i think we need to register our EasyCards and the instruction was in a full chunk of Chinese characters! Forget it, easier to tap our cards and take the train to the Taipei 101 / World Trade Centre stop four stations away.  

Yeah, we conquered Taipei 101! Was it worth a visit? Well, to me, it was more a matter of doing what tourists would do when they are overseas and we can't deny that Taipei 101 is a Taiwanese icon! For a more detailed post, click here for my visit. 

It's dinnertime! I have heard wonders about the food court at Taipei 101 mall and after circling the food arena twice, it was decided our dinner shall be this NT$220 Korean gold plated BBQ! 

Bar counter seating - this restaurant had its own dedicated seating that was separate from the food court seating right next to it. Didn't try any stalls from the food court as the food at this Korean BBQ appeared more appealing!

Frankly, it felt a bit like having Thai mookata with Korean marinated meat! I didn't have any complaint about the overall experience even though i would like to add that the side dishes were really tasty! 

Walked past one of the many upmarket shopping centres in the area; for your information, we were on our way to Taipei City Hall MRT station.   

Taipei 101 in the night time was like a gigantic beacon! Bet many vessels on the shipping route use the beauty like a lighthouse to determine their directions. Haha.

You wouldn't believe it; my already full stomach had to endure another food session! The famed braised pork rice from Formosa Chang (Huxuchang); thankfully the portion was quite small. For my review, click here. 

Time for some much-needed digestion; shopping at Wufenpu! As expected, more pictures and information of this wholesale garment market have been posted on this weblink.

Like many visitors to Wufenpu, we walked over to the nearby Raohe night market after shopping! Now, i did mention in my Raohe post that the Ciyou temple would be an easily identifiable landmark for the night market.

Pay it a visit if you have time as it has a long history; having been constructed in 1753, well before Raffles chanced upon our small island. There was a lantern exhibition within the temple compound! p.s. decided to enter as i was looking for a washroom. :P

Without further ado, Raohe Night Market! 

It was close to midnight when we were finally done with Raohe! We were contemplating if taking a cab would be a better option when i suggested taking the local train from Songshan station which was just two roads away! Don't be misled by the construction; the station was indeed underneath the building! 

Money saved; only NT$23 (roughly S$1) per ticket and the local train would bring us to Taipei Main Station where our CityInn hotel was situated. 

In a way, taking the local train also meant that i have conquered all modes of public transportation in Taiwan; taxis, high speed rail, MRT and buses! Oh wait, i took the local train in Taichung too! 

The concept of MRT trains and local trains might sound confusing for some, especially Singaporeans who are more familiar with MRT trains. Local trains are actually railway trains; they travel a longer distance and act as a connection between towns, cities and even countries like the KTM trains that used to traverse Tanjong Pagar railway station.

Another key difference was the seating arrangement; all passengers must be seated unlike MRT trains where we are required to stand and be squeezed like sardines in a tin.  [Appreciate the correction from my rail-crazy friend, Andrew, who personally sent me a message to say there were standing tickets and he personally purchased it during a morning peak in Taiwan]. 

Oh, one thing i dislike about Taipei Main Station is its vastness!!! Elevators were far from one another and many exits did not have escalators!!!! The good thing about it was the constant exercises i had by climbing up the staircases so often in that few days of stay! 

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For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.

Savoury Squid Ink Waffle + Sweet Buttermilk Waffle @ Waffle Slayer

Savoury waffle?

Just looking at the mere words were sufficient for me to turn the menu to the next page. In my honest opinion, a waffle should belong rightfully to the 'sweet' category and any attempt to classify it otherwise would be sacrilegious! 

Hence, i wasn't that delighted when friends suggested ordering a savoury waffle from Waffle Slayer. On one hand, i was really curious to know how it would turn out to be; on the other hand, i am rather stubborn when it comes to adhering to my food principle. 

Passionfruit White Chocolate 

Let's talk about the buttermilk waffle first! I stand by my first review of Waffle Slayer where non-waffle ingredients highlighted as the saviour to the dull, could-be-improved waffles.

The passionfruit sauce was a tad too sour for our liking and i honestly could find any trace of white chocolate (blame it on my inexperienced taste buds)! The strategy to manage the sourness was to eat it with the sweet-based vanilla ice cream. 

Squid Ink Waffle w Dijon Maple Bacon

The taste of the squid ink waffle was quite acceptable with a slight acrid aftertaste but the star for this savoury waffle has to be the bacon! Yes, i never did know bacon can taste so absolutely delicious! Those who love gourmet bak kwa would find the taste similar although the texture for this dijon maple bacon was much softer and juicier! 

On second thought, this would be great to go with plain congee! I was so excited about this new discovery; i was already contemplating in my mind then if it would be easy to make my own dijon maple bacon! Knowing my dismal cooking skill, Kon said he would check out the recipe and attempt to make it. 

Thanks in advance, Kon! 

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Location, Map, Menu

Check out my previous post here. 

Price

Passionfruit White Chocolate Buttermilk Waffle - S$14.90

Squid Ink Waffle w Dijon Maple Bacon - S$18.90