Sun Moon Lake Ropeway (日月潭纜車) - A Must-Go @ Taiwan [Yuchih Township]

On the ferry ride towards Itashao from Shuishe pier, one of the buildings that would have caught your attention would be the station of the heavily advertised sun moon lake ropeway.

Its location, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, was actually easily accessible via a side route from Itashao town. And that's the route we took after dumping our luggage at the hotel in I Ta Thao (the aboriginal name of Itashao)! 

Ita Thao Lakeside Trail - with a length of 900 meters, there was honestly no need to hurry along this scenic trail even though i was painfully aware that my schedule was super tight that day. On the other end of the cable was a humongous theme park that i was so looking forward to but the only problem was that the ropeway closes at 4.30pm, leaving us with only roughly four hours to explore.

Nonetheless, the relaxing sight of calm turquoise water coupled with the laid back atmosphere helped by a temperature that hovered less than twenty degrees (in Celsius) kind of forced me to slow down my footsteps.

I wasn't complaining as there could be so many things we would have missed out in our haste to do something (this is relevant in our day to day life as well; neglect for family when we are just too involved in our work is one classic example). Have you spotted the hairy caterpillar yet?

To truly enjoy sun moon lake, especially for those who want to explore the different trails, temples etc, i would strongly recommend a stay of at least two nights. 

If budget is an issue, maybe you can consider staying in any of the camping sites. There was one located right beside the ropeway! I tried searching for more information on this specific camping ground but the website (http://www.rock-camp.com.tw/) appeared to be unavailable.

Opened to much fanfare in year 2009, this cable system travelled across a path of 1,877.15 meters that involved climbing a 43-degree elevated gradient to cross two peaks of Mount Buji! 

Okay, not really a big deal for me since the basic purposes of cable cars are to bring you over hills and mountains, cut short the journey taken from one end to another and provide a bird's eye view of the surroundings. 

Without further ado, let's continue our journey by purchasing the tickets first! Now, there are basically two types of tickets; the sun moon lake ropeway (single / round trip) and the combined formosan aboriginal culture village with ropeway (round trip).  

Time permits? Just go for the combined tickets! You only need to top up NT$480 for each person and this would give you access to the aboriginal village which is in fact a theme park by itself! I don't know what happen but there was a promotion when i visited; i only paid NT$580 each for the combined tickets (which included discounted coupons that could be used in the village)! 

04 April was Taiwan's Children's Day; a national holiday yet it didn't take us long before we stepped into the cable car! Heng ah as i heard the queue to enter the ropeway can drag for hours on some public holidays! The staff was also very accommodating if you prefer not to share the cabin with strangers!

Why did we bring a bear to the cable car?! Nope, it wasn't us! There was a classic teddy bear exhibition in the aboriginal village and this was part of the publicity campaign; a large bear was placed in every cable car! So cute right?! 

View was stunning although it was still too cloudy to take a decent picture that would have taken your breath away. Being physically there was a totally different story of course (truthfully, pictures can only do so much).

Those health freaks i know can consider taking the mountain trail. I bet it would be an invigorating experience that would guarantee to result in a few days of leg sore.

Reaching the "smile valley" which was 786 meters wide! Its name came about because the suspended ropeway formed a curve across the valley; representing a smile. So, there's nothing even remotely historical about its origin! 

Each cable car was given a coat of paint representing the primary colours; red, yellow and blue. However, they also symbolise the red sun, yellow moon and blue lake! Notice how they all link up to be the word sun moon lake! To complicate the colours even more, red also means happiness, yellow for enjoyment and blue for ecology!

Why ecology? Maybe it has something to do with the vast greenery surrounding both sides of the ropeway although ecology didn't quite gel with the two 'emotional' representation of red and yellow. 

Unlike most cable car systems that have numerous stations / stop, Sun Moon Lake Ropeway serves only two stops; the ropeway station where we embarked, and the formosan aboriginal culture village. 

I shall talk about the village in a separate post as there were over sixty pictures! As you could probably see from the above photograph, there was another cable car system but that was for use only within the cultural village.

Please be assured that the "village" is going to be way more modern than the above and not as boring as you would have expected. In fact, i thought a name-change is required to increase the number of foreign visitors; it is definitely more than just a "village".

Had to take this picture as i am the fire safety coordinator in my workplace! The placement of this fire extinguisher would have failed the fire safety inspection in Singapore which requires unblock access to firefighting equipment! Tsk tsk tsk! 

Fast forward to a few hours later - we were back at the station for our return ride back to Itashao. I am so going to arrange for a two-night stay the next time i visit Sun Moon Lake; with the second day reserved purely for the formosan aboriginal culture village.

One cable car can seat eight persons; with the big bear taking up more than the space of a regular person, please note that during this period, every car can only seat seven persons. 

I am just going to show one last picture; Alex was marvelling at the beauty of this place by the shore where little islands made up a really unique pattern on the lake. According to my checks, the place is called 大竹湖 (Dajhuhu) and it is known for a short 80-meter path leading to Sun Moon fountain; a pool of bumbling water. Interestingly, it was man-made and came from an underground pipe! 

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Website for More Information

http://www.ropeway.com.tw/en/en_menu.php

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.

Dancing Crab @ Singapore's Old Turf Club (The Grandstand aka the Old Turf City)

I am not known to be a clubber but when one of my friends heard i am going to the Dancing Crab; his immediate response was "New club? Where ah? Got chiobu?" 

NO, my dear, clubbing crazy friend, "Dancing Crab" is one of the newest seafood restaurants to hit the over-saturated food industry in Singapore! By the way, i am way past the clubbing age! 

The Gang of Four was initially keen to try out Crab in Da Bag although a fellow friend's recommendation for Dancing Crab, which came strong and convincing, was eventually the deciding factor for our abrupt change. 

I shall save the crap (pun intended) for later and bombard all of you with pictures of the food we had yesterday; a virgin experience that could only be described as over-indulgence!

Anyway, the first thing you should do is to proceed to the hand wash station to clean your hands! You are right, there isn't any cutlery and you are required to eat using your bare hands! If being barbaric is not your cup of tea, too bad! 

Cornbread

This was hard to stomach and that's my general verdict when it comes to any cornbread; so it could be just me. I would prefer the soft and fluffy madeleines from DB Bistro anytime! To be fair, Mrs Kon loves them!

Truffle Fries

Featuring skinny fries that had the added benefit of being crispier than other types of fries, they proved to be irresistible given the comfortable hint of truffle oil! I am not so impressed with the dips provided for our snacks though; most were bland tasting. 

Crab Cakes

Most of us in Singapore were disappointed when we had our first taste of so called crab cakes that didn't appear to have any crab meat! To be honest, it would make better sense for those operators to have a normal cake shaped like the beloved crustacean; it would have made felt less cheated! 

However, this was strongly recommended by my friend who suggested Dancing Crab (yes, Clarence, that's you i am talking about).

Boy were we surprised by the hot filling that was oozing with loads of crab meat! The flavour wasn't as sweet as i thought crab meat should be even though it was still a mouthful of satisfaction compared to the lacklustre ones we had so far.

Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips

Despite the firm endorsement from my friend, i thought it was a tad too expensive for two small servings of fried fish with a handful of fries and salad.

The oil that spurted out as i took a bite should have been an anti-climax moment but this was cod fish for goodness sake! Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, it was as delicious and as yummy as all cod fish are! 

Combo Bag #1

The star of the meal was finally on our table; bagged up and served in a plain looking metal pot that grandma used to use as a water scoop for the well in our old kampong house. 

Open up the bag and be prepared for the puff of spicy aroma and an enticing display of seafood ranging from crabs to mussels to prawns! 

Three types of sauce were available; namely dancing crab signature (mild, spicy or extra spicy), herb butter and buerre blanc. Don't need to guess which one we choose; the signature it shall be (mild one though, since Alex cannot really take spiciness).

Seafood is seafood; freshness is what that matters most! On the account of freshness, disappointment wasn't in the dictionary and it's super rare to have the Gang quietly enjoying the food! 

The mess that was expected. The spiciness wasn't the sambal balachan type Asians are more accustomed to; i thought it was more similar to the cajun chilli pepper type that has a numbing effect! Buffalo wings lovers would like the kind of chilli used here! 

Compared to the dips given for our snacks, the mildly spicy dancing crab signature sauce would have been a much better alternative! Save a bit of your truffle fries and dip them for that extra oomphness! 

Notwithstanding the food we had so far, our tummies were literally crying for more!! So, we did the most logical thing; we ordered a second bag.... 

Herbs and Butter! Must try a different one mah. 

What's in combo bag #1 that cost S$80 for each bag? 1 good sized Sri Lankan crab, 300 grams of prawns, 250 grams of mussels, potatoes, corns and sausages! 

It's not easy resisting the buttery fragrance! Do note that unlike the dancing crab signature sauce, the herbs and butter left in the bag at the end of the meal was a scene of greasiness that brought me back to reality; damn, how to control my cholesterol like that!?

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Location

200 Turf Club Road, 

#01-20/21, The Grandstand

How to go?
Most motorists would know where it is, since parking is free and there is a huge Giant hypermarket where we can shop in a relaxing manner. For those who don't drive, check out the shuttle bus services at the following link; 
http://thegrandstand.com.sg/shuttlebus-schedule.aspx

Opening Hours

Tuesdays to Fridays and Eves of Public Holidays

- 5pm to 10.30pm

Saturdays to Sundays and Public Holidays

- 11.30am to 3pm 

- 5pm to 10.30pm

Mondays

- Closed

Price

Cornbread - S$5.00

Truffle Fries - S$7.00

Crab Cakes - S$13.00

Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips - S$22.00

Combo Bag #1 - S$80.00 each

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Menu 

As above

Additional Information

Wear the plastic aprons provided for free! It would save you from unnecessary embarrassment! Alex didn't want to wear it and he was the first person to have the spice-soaked crab landing on his crotch! Haha.

There was a reason why we were so game to have another order of combo bag #1. There was a 30% discount for ala carte items (except for drinks) and we figure that just one crab in Asian seafood restaurants like Seafood Paradise would have already commanded a price around the range of a combo bag #1 after discount! 

Note: promotion ends by 04 May 2014 (in two days time) and you are required to show that you have "liked" the facebook page of Dancing Crab! Hurry, the page is https://www.facebook.com/dancingcrabsg.

Tonkichi Pork Loin Katsu - A Worthy Competitor for Saboten? @ Takashimaya Shopping Centre [Singapore]

I often waxed lyrical about the epic, totally delicious pork loin katsu in Saboten and one of the many comments received after that was that i should give Tonkichi a try as well. 

Boasting four outlets, i am aware that Tonkichi has been around in Singapore for quite a number of years (longer than Saboten i think) and its continual presence does give one the impression that its food must be of a certain standard. 

With that in mind, the 吃喝玩乐 gang (comprising of colleagues, both current and former, from the arts and social science faculty) decided to give it a try after being superbly impressed by Saboten in our previous food outing. 

Nope, i didn't take up the jumbo katsu set! Instead, i opted for the Hire and Rosu Katsu set, which was essentially deep fried pork fillet and loin. 

Similar to Saboten, we were given our own armoury of sauces to play with and a bowl of sesame seeds to grind. The dressing for the freshly shredded cabbage was unfortunately too zesty for me and i could not help comparing it to the nicer sesame dressing available in Saboten. 

Now coming to the all-important meat. 

For the pork loin, i was denied the thick chunkiness signature of Saboten's pork loin and it was obvious the juiciness was simply not on the same level. I was in fact more thrilled with the hire (fillet) that was surprisingly tenderer than the pork loin. 

It also didn't help that the layer of pork fat was so thin! Hello, you need the fats to boost the "shiok factor"!!

Lastly, a few slices of sweet watermelon to conclude the meal. As with Saboten, the rice, miso soup and cabbage were refillable but service could be a bit slow; so do be patient! 

Wait, not yet! There was a birthday cake! 

For the three April babies of which ah hem, i am part of! Haha. I seriously didn't realise i have so many friends who were born in the month of April! Anyway, some introduction; the middle lady is Ms Boo while the left one is Ms Wee who has a blog at http://wkiahui.blogspot.sg/.

p.s. we were so noisy; the staff had to ask that we toned down our volume! 

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Location

391 Orchard Road Ngee Ann City, 

#04-24, Takashimaya Shopping Centre

Price

Hire and Rosu Katsu Set - S$26

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]