Turtle Mountain for the View @ Kaohsiung City in Taiwan

While walking towards the famous lotus pond at Kaohsiung City (Zuoying district), I noticed a hill with pathways going up. The amateurish photographer in me immediately thought there's a chance to be blessed with a great panoramic view on top! So, here we go! 

The sign confirmed what I had assumed and from the look of it; a 90-meter climb, in less than three minutes, would be totally manageable, and wouldn't elicit much complaint from the lazy ass (Alex, that is). 

Onwards we forged ahead! 

Information plaque stating that the hill we were on was known as the Turtle Mountain due to its shape and it's part of a route known as the Old Fongshan City Wall historic route which connected two ancient city walls with history spanning back to year 1722. 

Arriving soon! 

The scenic outlook platform; not exactly a good time to visit even though it was only about 9.30am. The problem was the unblocked sun! Temperature was surprisingly quite hot for January and I was breaking into a sweat. 

Scenery was fabulous; in addition to the iconic Dragon and Tiger Pagodas (龍虎塔), we also soaked in the sights of the Spring and Autumn Pavilions and the humongous statue of Xuantian Deity at the far end! 

Satellite map for ease of reference; there's even a confucius temple which we didn't manage to visit. In actual fact, we only visited (partially) the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and the Spring and Autumn Pavilions.

No time to explore the rest, not even the interesting path leading up to a higher spot! Oh well, a valid excuse for me to spend more than just the four short days we have in Kaohsiung back in January 2025! 

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Address

Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

港式皮蛋燒 - Century Egg with Garlic Sauce @ Tainan Garden Night Market [Taiwan]

I enjoy stinky tofu, adore blue cheese, love durians and there's more to the smelly, apparently gut-wrenching food items that I can accept wholeheartedly. 

Like century eggs! Hence, when I saw this stall at Tainan Garden Night Market which focused on nothing but just century eggs, I nudged Alex towards it for a closer look!

燒 means many things in the Chinese language; it could infer cook, boil, roast, heat or even burn! From the wrinkly looks from the above, I am guessing the century eggs would likely be fried, albeit without any batter.

And it came with five types of flavors; seaweed, lemon, spiced salt, wasabi and garlic. Something else is missing! Where's the signature ginger, the usual companion for century eggs!? 

Whatever the case, we should always be adventurous to get out of our comfort zone. Therefore, here's our small serving of century eggs, with garlic sauce for flavoring.

Now, I love deep fried stuff and while these pile of half century eggs differed from the raw, peeled fresh version I am more accustomed to, and didn't taste too bad; they just didn't result in a flavor explosion I was expecting.

After a while, they were just cloying and I thought to myself then; the originally raw, peeled fresh version, with gooey insides and topped with strips of raw ginger with sauce, would have resulted in much higher satisfaction from my taste buds! 

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Address

Within Tainan Garden Night Market,

No. 533, Section 3, Hai'an Rd, North District, 

Tainan City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Century Egg with Garlic Sauce - NT$50

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Annie 1 Wanton Mee with Char Siew @ Petaling Jaya in Malaysia

After a not too satisfying nasi lemak at Village Park (it used to be so good, as per my first visit here), we proceeded on foot to just about 120 meters away; location of the interesting named eatery known as Annie 1 (or anyone if I may).

Time was 5.40pm and for a dining establishment with a google maps review rating score of 4.1 from more than 1,800 reviewers, I was expecting a much bigger crowd! To be fair, customers did start streaming in after 6pm. 

Dry Wanton Mee with Char Siew - signature wanton mee with a serving of char siew that was said to be really good. One thing about wanton mee in Kuala Lumpur (and its surroundings); it was mixed with black sauce which could be cloyingly sweet for some. But this one appeared lighter in color. 

Let's start with the good-looking char siew that featured a nice level of fattiness and charred exterior; it was thick cut but pity not as breathtaking as I thought it would have been. Decent tasting for sure though. 

I did clean up everything; waste not would be my objective, so long the food wasn't nasty. Noodle was oily yet palatable. I would say the sweetness was manageable even though I would very much prefer wanton mee mixed with ketchup! An abhorrence, according to some.  

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Address

20, Jalan SS 21/58, Damansara Utama, 

47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

Dry Wanton Mee with Char Siew - RM 12.50

(Subject to Tax)

Additional Information

You can buy boxes of ready to eat pork lard from the eatery! They were not bad tasting but definitely not as unforgettable as the ones from Ah Jie Hokkien Mee in Singapore! 

Aromatic Garlic Bread from 禾马烘焙 @ Tainan Garden Night Market [Taiwan]

Imagine walking in a crowded night market, surrounded with the mish mash of smells and the sensitive nose suddenly picked up a familiar whiff of deliciousness coming from the above stall. 

Stepping closer to see what it was all about, I noticed the industrial ovens out in the open! Don't Tainan rain at all or their meteorological station is way more accurate, comparing to Singapore, in predicting bad weather?! 

Whatever the case, my focus was on the bakes giving out all the addictive scent! The rectangular blocks of garlic bread! When I was young, this would count as my favorite kind of bread, especially in a bowl of creamy mushroom soup! 

Got one for NT$45 and I am loving the colors; where five sides were smeared with the garlic spread. I immediately took a bite; while it was aromatic, the insides were just plain bread that didn't excite (it was soft though) and a tad too thick for my liking. Maybe I would like it better if it was piping hot, fresh from the oven. 

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Address

Within Tainan Garden Night Market,

No. 533, Section 3, Hai'an Rd, North District, 

Tainan City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Garlic Bread - NT$45

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Boiled Muah Chee from 董家烧麻薯 @ Tainan Garden Night Market [Taiwan]

Close friends would know I love our local muah chee and even though I do know how to make it myself (recipe here); the portion is usually too much, and it's too troublesome. Hence, I would buy, especially when the craving hits! 

The pans filled with sesame seeds with sugar, and peanut bits with sugar definitely attracted my attention as I was strolling past stalls and stalls of street food at Tainan Garden Night Market.

Knowing for sure that Alex shares the same deep love for muah chee, I requested for a serving! Aside from freshly boiled muah chee, there's also another option for shaved ice with muah chee, condensed milk and brown sugar! 

I am a traditional at heart, and eating ice in such cool weather wouldn't be a choice I would willingly take. Something hot would have been very much preferred to warm the throat, amnd tummy! 

Our serving of two pieces of handmade muah chee, each sprinkled with peanut bits and sugar, and sesame seeds and sugar at NT$55. Contrary to Singapore's version, each piece was cut into long pieces, AFTER the sprinkling.

Stretchy and didn't stick to the teeth; I love the texture but found that they were less sweet than their Singapore's counterpart, given the reduction in surface coverage for the peanut bits / sesame seeds with sugar mix. Personally, Singapore's version is better! 

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Address

Within Tainan Garden Night Market,

No. 533, Section 3, Hai'an Rd, North District, 

Tainan City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Additional Information

The stall operates at a few night markets. You can find them at Tainan Garden Night Market on Thursdays and Sundays. 

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Phở Liến Nga near Nguyen Hoang Night Market @ Hoi An [Vietnam]

Travelling with my mom is not hard but when it comes to food; she prefers soupy stuff whereas I am less inclined, especially during the hot summer season! Who would drink hot soup on a hot day!? Not me. 

Nevertheless, I would usually compromise and decided to check out this pho restaurant at Hoi An, Phở Liến Nga, which was right next to the touristy Nguyen Hoang Night Market! 

A family business where the younger generation, who spoke English, doubled up as waitress and cashier; I felt that I am stepping into a family home! p.s. Phở Liến Nga has been in business for over 70 long years! 

Reason for the slim sizes of most Vietnamese; the provision and abundance of complimentary vegetables and in this specific eatery, they were the bean sprouts, basil leaves, limes and pickled guava! I can just be a herbivore and get full without ingesting any pho. 

Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo) - let's start with mine which my mom couldn't take as she doesn't take beef. For me, the original pho must be beef based, and I have had my fair share of lousy chicken pho that simply smelt and tasted strange. 

Simple yet nice broth that had a sprinkler of peanut buts and a pinch of refreshing sourness from the squeezed lime! Heart warming for the tummy for sure! By the way, I am not huge on the noodle, which I would describe as narrower form of kuay teow, and Phở Liến Nga used dry pho, instead of fresh pho. 

Honestly, I can't taste the difference since it's never my objective in the first place. Personally, I would have gone for just soup, sans the noodles anytime. Adding in the vegetables for extra fodder. On the beef; they were sliced thin, not super tender but at least not tasteless as in the case of some places. 

I did my best for someone who resists taking carbohydrates at night. 

Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga) - my mom's order and it's a bit like sweetened chicken soup, and you definitely need to squeeze in the lime to make a huge difference to the flavour. Which was better between beef and chicken? Former for sure, in my humble opinion! 

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Address

02b La Hối, Phường Minh An, 

Hội An, Quảng Nam 560000, Vietnam

(Super near Nguyen Hoang Night Market)

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Noodle Soup

Beef Noodle Soup

Thảo Laundry - Normal Cleaning Service at Just 20,000 Dong a Kilogram (Minimum 3 Kilograms) @ Da Nang City in Vietnam

Laundry services are so exorbitantly priced that I always haul my dirty clothes back to Singapore whenever I travel; that's until I chanced upon laundry services in Vietnam, specifically at La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa!

So, in my most recent trip to Central Vietnam, with my mom, I decided to seek laundry services when we were on our last leg of the 9-day tour; Da Nang City! Found one near our hotel; Thảo Laundry, with a Google review rating score of 4.6 from over 200 reviewers. 

It's in one of those small alleys and co-located with Dam Phuc Hotel (man, the name makes me giggle); super close to the famous Golden Lotus Oriental Organic Spa.

Clear infographics with just two prices to choose from. I am not hardup for the sun-soaked aroma, and the normal cleaning service would be sufficient at just 20,000 dong a kilogram! That's like only S$1 a kilogram; note, a kilogram and not a piece! 

Our dirty clothes; my issue wasn't with my usual tees, my underwear, or even my socks. As I make an effort to jog in the gym, the stench my sweat soaked sleeveless tees was really no joke. 

Using a conventional weighing scale to confirm the weight; please be assured that 500 grams were deducted from the overall, given the red plastic laundry basket. 

Receipt - total weight of dirty clothes was 4.5 kilograms, a delivery fee of 10,000 dong (that's like 50 cents) to our hotel; costing us just 100,000 dong (S$5)! 

In less than 24 hours, the clothes were delivered to our hotel reception; packed tightly and smelt so clean and good! Even my mom was impressed; bet she harbored thoughts to stay in Vietnam for good since she is always doing her laundry in Singapore!

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Address

30/1 Hà Bổng, Phước Mỹ, 

Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng 550000, 

Vietnam

Map

As above.