Hanxi Night Market (旱溪觀光夜市) @ Taichung City in Taiwan

The most famous night market in Taichung City is without a doubt Feng Chia Night Market. While it is popular amongst foreigners; I read somewhere that the locals actually prefer the Hanxi Night Market, named after the river running alongside it. 

Located in an open-air carpark that's about 100 meters x 90 meters, do keep in mind that Hanxi Night Market is open only on Tuesdays, Thursdays to Saturdays, from 5pm. CLOSED ON SUNDAYS!

I went on a Saturday; arguably the busiest day of the week for the night market! It was said that up to 30,000 people can throng the market on a good day! The crowd was comparable to the Flower / Garden Night Market at Tainan. 

Sharing the array of food stalls in the night market.

Saw anything that fancies your stomach?

These jellied fruits looked so delicious.

NT$60 for five, NT$110 for ten! 

Dumplings! The problem with dumpling is that they are usually sold at a bundle, whereas I am only interested in just one piece, just to see if it was any good, and that I want to save my tummy for other food. 

Spring onion wrapped with bacon! I remember having this for the very first time at Shilin Night Market and remember it was "spicy"! 1 for NT$15 and 7 for NT$100. 

Stinky tofu! Stall name is 臭屁仙臭豆腐 but the review score on Google was actually quite bad; only 2.4 from about 95 reviewers although someone did point out that food was good, just that customer service was lacking.

Games for both adults and kids!

Bouncing castle cost NT$200 per person.

Unlimited time. Sadly, only if you are below 40 kg.

My favorite activity as a kid; the thrill and excitement of driving a vehicle before reaching the legal age! For small car, it's NT$100 for 8 minutes! Quite pricey right?! 

Other items on sale at Hanxi Night Market.

More than just food and games. 

I am at a dilemma when I saw the above stalls selling pet food and accessories! On one hand, I love animals and can't wait to have a pet at home. On the other hand, it's heartbreaking when they die though.... Not to mention I would likely overspend if I ever keep another pet....

But, so adorable right?!?!?

So what I had at Hanxi Night Market!? I had to be selective as I already had dinner earlier yet couldn't resist checking out the most popular night market among locals in Taichung. 

I had the fresh cheese corn which was alright. What surprised me more was the serving of candied sweet potato cubes; so amazing I can't wait to have them again! 

More photographs for your viewing pleasure! 

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Address

Section 1, Hanxi East Road, 

East District, Taichung City, 

Taiwan 

Map

As above. 

Operating Days

Closed on Mondays, Sundays and Wednesdays

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)

Buffet Breakfast at La Cote D'Azur @ Bana Hill in Da Nang [Vietnam]

I had the fortune to stay over at Sun World Bana Hills last year for two nights; an experience I would strongly recommend to any visitors given that a single-day trip is sorely insufficient to explore the place. 

One problem we faced was that the hotel rooms were all over the place, and it beget a very important question the next morning; where the heck would be the buffet breakfast!? 

La Cote D'Azur was a name I don't recognize and find it hard to remember. Thankfully, the receptionist did try her best to share with me the directions, and we found it near the gym and the beer plaza! 

Interior for your reference; one was taken on the first morning when we were a bit delayed and the second photograph was shot on the second morning, after our early visit to the iconic and absolutely stunning Golden Bridge. 

Variety for your reference; as the hotel is managed under the Mercure brand of the Accor group, you can be assured that breakfast selection wouldn't be too lousy.

There's also local specialties like Banh Bot loc Hue; a Vietnamese steamed rice cake that I was super impressed with when I first had them at Bánh Bèo Tâm at Da Nang City.

You also get live stations like the noodle!

Pity, I am simply uninterested in pho. 

Now that I am older, I appreciate whenever plain porridge was served; so long it came with a selection of condiments and toppings that I could freely add. And I am ecstatic to see century eggs here!

And of course, fruits were important as I always doubt the hygiene conditions of fruits sold outside! Not to mention that they could also be quite pricey, whereas I can freely indulge over here. Would love some bananas though... 

p.s. impressed to see this wheel of cheese.

Where you can scrape as much as you want.

Our meals throughout the two mornings! Friends and colleagues who know me well would be aware I don't eat breakfast; but I can't resist when they were provided for free whenever I travel. So, it's no wonder I get fat whenever I return back to Singapore! 

Mom's different.

She looked forward to breakfast.

Every, single, morning.

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Address

An Son Hoa Son Commune, 

Bana Hills, Hoa Vang District, 

Đà Nẵng, 550000, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Breakfast - 6.30am till 9.30am