Sketch of Melaka

This place brings back fond memories... chendol by the roadside, eating cockles at the backstreet alley, Jonker Street, chicken rice balls, Assam Laksa, Muah Chee :)

Itinerary for my 5 day 4 night Taipei - Hualien Trip

I went on a 5 day 4 night trip to Taiwan in 2010. Our group of 9 pax did it free and easy style :)

The flight to Taipei Taoyuan airport took about 4.5 hours. Being a big group, we had arranged for airport transfer prior to arrival, hence there was a driver waiting for us at the airport. Two ways at NT 4000.

We reached our hotel at Ximending area (TS Hotel) after about 1.5 hours, due to heavy traffic in the evening. TS Hotel is a 2-star hotel that is centrally located at No. 170-172, HanZhong St., Taipei (near ChangSha St.). Rather economical and in a good, accessible area. 

Below is my itinerary for the 5 days:-

Day 1: Reach Taipei. Ximending - Longshan temple - Huaxi night market

Day 2: Hualien via high speed rail. Arranged for driver to take us to the following attractions:

• 清水断崖 Qingshui cliff
• 太鲁阁国家公园 Taroko Gorge
• 砂卡当步道
• 长春祠
• 燕子口
• 九曲洞
• 慈母桥
• 白扬步道
• 七星潭

Day 3: Driver took us to the following places:-

• 野柳 Yehliu
• 九分 - 九分老街，黄金瀑布，阴阳海 Jiufen
• 十分 - 十分瀑布， 十分老街，天灯 Shifen
• 五分铺 Wufenpu
• 饶河夜市 Raohe night market

Day 4: We took the metro to the following places:-

• 淡水 - 渔人码头, 情人桥, 淡水老街 Danshui
• 北投温泉 Beitou Hotspring，Hell Alley
• 保安寺 Baoan Temple
• 士林夜市 Shilin night market

Day 5: We went to Taipei 101 and spent the day around Ximending area. Red House is a must go!

Souvenir Coin - Mona Lisa from Musee de Louvre, France

I am not a magnet person, as I think that they are rather fragile and take up quite a bit of space.

I am a coin person, meaning that I collect souvenir coins and pressed pennies from the places I visit. I love coins as they are hardy - they will not break and be destroyed by a clumsy person like me. Plus, souvenir coins are shiny and usually gold or silver in colour, much like real gold and silver coins. And they do not take up much space hence easy to take along during travels and to store as well. And the coins tend to be cheaper than magnets. And it is such fun to work the coin machines :)

This is one of my favorite coins which I obtained from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Back view:
Picture of Mona Lisa and the words "Mona Lisa" and "Musee de Louvre" indicating the place where I had gotten the coin.

Front view:
The words "Reunion des Musees Nationaux" and "Grand Palais"

I googled and found out that Réunion des Musées Nationaux is a French organization, uniting 35 national museums. Founded in 1895, it's a very prestigious establishment, and one of the main cultural institutes in France. It was founded to raise and administer the funds required for the acquisition of works of art by national collections. 

The museums range from the immense, with the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Château de Versailles, through medium-sized institutions such as the Musée Picasso, Paris, the Musée de la Renaissance at the Château d’Ecouen and the Musée Message Biblique Marc Chagall, Nice to small entities such as the Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris, and the Musée Magnin, Dijon. The exhibition venues are the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais and the Palais de la Porte Dorée. 

The coin costs 2 euros and may be obtained from the museum shop in Louvre.