MiaoLi Itinerary and Minsu

Miaoli is quite a quaint town and it is usually just a short stop for families to enjoy the Old Mountain Line Rail Bike (read about our review here). Because our kids are pretty young, I decided to do a full fledge stopover - 4D3N. I really wanted a good rest so I picked a nice airbnb - Zhuo Ye Cottage.

Zhuo Ye Cottage itself is an attraction. It is like a hobbit land with lots of small houses and beautiful gardens. I decided to spend a day (against my difficult driver wishes) within the compound. And it was one of the best decisions. I felt utterly recharged. 

Most tourists are here at Zhuo Ye Cottage for their dip-dye experience which my local driver insisted was over-priced and unsuitable for children. All I can say he is just full of shit. We took a less hectic slots and the teacher was extremely patient with the kids. My son especially had a lot of fun working on his own piece. My daughter did hers with a bit of help from my husband. Price-wise, I don't think it is particularly affordable for locals but this is around "Thailand dip-dye price". Both our tissue holders cost S$20+ each and it make a great, practical souvenir for me to bring home. 

Within Zhuo Ye Cottage, there was also a cafe which served pockct-friendly food (note the food outside are really cheap). You can get to see the beautiful mist either really early in the morning of mid-day. (We caught ours mid-day while savouring their insta-worthy flower ice-cream and coloured bread among others).  Zhuo Ye Cottage serves only vegetarian food, but it was really good. I really enjoyed their pumpkin soy milk, sesame soy milk etc.) It was one of the most wholesome "hotel breakfast buffet".

My only grouse would be that I got bitten by some really itchy black mozzies (had to see a doc and it left a bit of scars). Somehow, only I got bitten. :'( Maybe because my mozzie patch wasn't pasted at the right place. But I would 100% recommend this place if you want to take a slower pace in Taiwan. I did a bit of research given this isn't the typical place many people would wander, but driver refused to respect my itinerary. He brought us to some places that were out of our plans, some were fortunate hits. Phew. 

Places outside MiaoLi (Read my reviews here)

• Lu Kang - Lots of temples etc. Personally, I prefer to spend a day there instead of doing a touch-and-go. I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the driver. (You can read my review here.) Not suitable for families. 
• Gaomei Wetlands - I love the whole vibe of this place - the windmills and marsh land. It is nice to slow down 

** My driver squeezed these 2 within a half-day period which I felt was too rushed. 

Places within MiaoLi

• Mountain Line Rail Bike
• Remains of Longteng Bridge
• XinShe Castle
• Zhuo Ye Cottage

** Can be completed within 2 full days

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Personality Test: Lim Simi?

My obsession with silly personality test is real. Given that National Day is around the corner, it is no surprise that a new test is out. Basically, it means your go-to drink and mine is pretty accurate just that I take Siu Siu Dai. The questions are interesting enough and relatable. Graphics are pretty good too. Also, at the end, there is a link which links which let you view all the different personality. Singaporean or not, I think it is pretty fun -> Go try it out here! Be the first among your friends to share it hehe. 

Best Food at Katong (Part 2)

We ate so much during our staycation at Katong. But it defeats the purpose if I am going to write about every single one. Cheeky Bee Hoon is a must-go. You can read my past review here. This time round, my food tasting journey was equally eventful. I will focus on 3 other places that are equally good. :D

1. Chin Mee Chin Confectionery

This came under our radar because Ya Hui raved about it. And rightly so. Given its name, we tried its confectionery and they were really good. For an Asian breakfast, Ya Kun would be the gold standard  and most barely come close. This one is a gold standard Kaya Toast Set. The bread style is different from Ya Kun, so you can't compare them apple to apple. 

Usually there is a long queue and you can barely get anything by lunch. We were lucky because we went on a weekday. We even tried the lunch menu. The Hainanese Pork Chop was alright but the beef brisket was mind blowing. Love it. I might just come here just to eat it <3

2. Lim Cha

The last time we saw the smoking tea was during the Teo Chew Festival. The queue was so ridiculously long, it was sold out. It felt a little like a life regret. So when I heard about Lim Cha, I just had to check it out. It was as expected to be visually spectacular. This place is also very serious about the tea because there were quite a bit of variations available and they were all fragrant. 

We didn't expect ourselves to grab any snacks but ended up doing so because they just seem to go hand in hand. We tried the Orh Nee Chicken Floss Cake as it seems like a unique fusion. I don't particularly like the 2 together. Better on their own. I found the grass jelly tea desserts much more palatable. To be fair, I love this teahouse but the owner was a little on the rude side. (This was even before they went viral.)

Staycation at Katong (Part 1)

One of my favourite places to hang out is probably Katong. It has so much good food, I probably can eat there for days. Hence, it is my ideal place for a staycay. We were back at Village Hotel Katong because we really love the location and its spacious room. You can read our previous review here. For those who don't know, it is linked to Katong V mall. 

Katong V Mall itself has a good selection of food and most importantly - Fairprice Finest. For every item which we forgot to bring, we would just get it there. It was just so convenient. This time round, we did a 2D1N, mainly to eat around. Here's what we did: 

Day 1

• Lunch at Cheeky Bee Hoon
• Trial Classes for the children at The Music Circle (Katong V Mall) - Read our review here!
• Check-In at Village Hotel Katong
• Swimming
• Tea at Lim Cha - Read our review here!
• Coffee from June
• Dinner at Yun Ga (Katong V Mall)
• Cakes from Ree Connect (Katong V Mall)

Day 2

• Breakfast (Village Hotel Katong)
• Bubble Bath in Bathtub (Village Hotel Katong)
• Wan to Play (Read our review here) and shopping (i12Katong)
• Lunch at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery - Read our review here!

We will do our top 3 food finds and the activities we did on a separate post. Otherwise, this will be way too content heavy. As for the complimentary buffet breakfast at Village Hotel Katong, I found it to be really yummy. It even had a Japanese section and Tea Eggs. It doesn't have a huge variety, but I find the quantity at the sweet spot and has what everyone in the family likes and needs to start the day right. It probably serves one of the best breakfast in the hotel chain's Singapore operations.

This might now be my yearly staycation spot given how much I love the stay and the food. Unlike other staycations, this is not what I would consider a "recharging" session. It has a lot to do, look and see, for you to behave like a tourist at home. :D Next year, more food reviews. There is only that much I can eat each round. Haha. 

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Peace of Art: Winged Barbie Creation

I wouldn't exactly consider myself growing up with Barbie. But a part of me always dressing and designing clothes and looks for my dolls (now my daughter). When Wings of Art popped up in my feed, there was quite a bit of excitement on my end. First of all, some of my favourite artists contributed designs to the auction collection. They all looked great in photos and I really wanted to check it out!

Secondly, these were all for charity. And so, I decided to do my part too and bought the family a doll to dress up. Each ticket was pretty hefty (cost about $85), it is definitely cheaper if you were to buy your own doll and materials. As they were an approved beneficiary, the donations allowed a tax deduction of up to 250% of the donated amount (the norm).  

At the event, we were basically given a doll (no choice) - I got a black unicorn doll which wasn't too bad cos my old collection (from the 90s) were not that inclusive. My son went to pick the fabrics and materials (which was quite varied in nature) and I was bossed around by the kids to create the "masterpiece". It was pretty hard because no thread was provided. We ended up bringing a good deal home for me to continue working on it. 

For the auction pieces, I thought it was interesting that the auction price was pretty much determined by the "artist perceived value" instead of the popularity of the artist itself or the actual design. Wonder what mine would be valued. But probably priceless and not for sale. Overall, I personally thought it was a nice event, just that it might be priced a little above most Singaporeans' budget. Even for if it is for charity, it is not that easy to folk out that S$85. Fingers crossed, let's hope they Peace of Art raise their desired funds!