New Zealand (South Island): Dunedin - Queenstown - Milford Sound - Roxborough - Lake Tekapo

Note: Most of my accommodation in New Zealand is with some generous host family. Hence, I will not be talking much about accommodation unless the ones that I stayed in hotel.

I flew direct from KL - Auckland with MAS (It was miserable but we let that past. You can read my post on my miserable pre-flight Travel Struggles with MAS. From Auckland, we took Air New Zealand down to Dunedin and slowly, move our way up the map before flying to North Island. I will post about North Island soon!

General:

There are basically 3 major supermarkets in New Zealand - Countdown, New World and my personal if not everyone's favourite, Pak n Save. Pak n Save is the cheapest supermarket which in my opinion, is tremendously huge with many varieties including marinated ribs and chicken skewers that taste fab-u-li-cious!

Most hostels/lodge/resorts provide kitchen with utensils for you to cook. Buying groceries and cooking by yourself is always cheaper. Besides, it brings out the vacation mood in you!


Fresh mussels soaked in vinegar.


Avocado spread on lite crackers.


MUST TRY: Fresh Salmon. Marinate the salmon with salt and pepper (The common seasonings in New Zealand's kitchen), heat it up in medium heat over the microwave for about 5 minutes and it will taste amazing! You can also make fluffy scramble eggs using microwave too. Mix as many eggs as you want in a bowl, add in salt and pepper for taste, a little milk will increase the volume of eggs, medium heat over the microwave for about 2 mins for 2 eggs (I prefer my eggs to not be too dry hence, it will have some raw texture which blends with the cooked eggs upon stirring.)


MUST TRY: Puhoi Chocolate Milk (the alternative will be Lewis Road Creamery but Puhoi is still the best!)

Lastly, always search online very good deals! You can opt for Bookme or Grabone.

Dunedin

Dunedin is a student town. My brother resides his past 5 year of studies here hence, he is really familiar with the place. In New Zealand, it is easier to travel with rental cars. You can google for the cheapest car rental available during your travel period. For South Island, we rented from Rent-a-Dent and was satisfied with their service. You can opt for pick up from airport and can easily return the car at airport when you leave.

Attraction(s): 


Dunedin's Train Station. Apparently, this place has the highest number of tourist pictures being taken!


Signal Hill. Search for the right sunset time, prepare some really thick clothing (LIKE SERIOUSLY THICK), find a good driver and drive your way up to enjoy the view! I was also informed this place is famous among druggies but don't worry, it is safe and trust me, it's worth the crazy cold!




Tunnel Beach. We were lucky that we manage to spot Mr & Mrs Sea Lion up close! We were there during the summer and as you can see, we were in winter clothing.


World's Steepest Hill. It's not that long to hike up, just take it as an exercise to shed off the fats from the good food you had!!


St Clair. This place is nice to have an evening stroll. It's also a famous beach for surfers.

Dunedin's Food:


Poppa's Pizza opens beyond 5pm so hooray to those who are not used to shops closing SHARP at 5pm. They are known as the best pizza in Dunedin. Well, to me, all the pizzas there are much, much better compared to Domino's back at home. (Just like wantan mee in Malaysia is always the best!)


Governor's Cafe. One of the best brunch place I had in New Zealand. We manage to grab the Buy 1 Free 1 deal online so do your pre-shopping to save!

Queenstown

Accommodation: Reavers Lodge. We had a room to ourselves and an en-suite bathroom. This place has a complete kitchen and is perfect for family with young children. (Not suitable for family with elderly as it requires you to hike up the steep road a little before reaching the place but it has a beautiful view of the city!)

This is the most expensive town to live in apparently and you will know why once you get there. None of the pictures are being "retouched" so yes, it is natural beauty. Hooray Mother Nature!

Attraction(s):


The magnificent Queenstown. You will see this lake at the centre of town with some water sports activities going on during the summer.


En route to Queenstown.


A 1 hr walking trail. Do this walk because...


You will end up with this spectacular view.


Below Zero Ice Bar. We manage to book it online for a NZD 1 for entry + NZD 14 for the cocktails. Worth the shivering experience!


Luge. Yet another offer deal we got online. However, we heard that Rotorua has a better luge experience in terms of excitement but Queenstown is definitely winning on the view!


The ride up to luge down.


There is a Kiwi Bird Park right beside the luge place before you take gondola up if you are interested.

Queenstown's Food:


Ferg Burger, Bakery and Gelato - This is exclusively only available at Queenstown. Prepare to queue for the burgers but trust me, they worth the queue. Best burger I had in New Zealand! Personal favourite is definitely the roast pork belly burger! Yums, I missed it already. :(


Patagonia is also another exclusive cafe only in Queenstown. I personally prefer this gelato over Mrs Ferg's Gelato but my parents prefer Mrs Ferg's so I guess it's really personal preference. Although I didn't manage to try their churros, I heard that their churros is famous too.


Cookie Time's cookies can be easily find at supermarket but just like Famous Amos, the ones from the shop always tastes better!

Milford Sound

As we did not spend a night at Milford Sound, we traveled 10 hours to and from Queenstown just for the 2.5 hours cruise. Although it sounds crazy for a day trip, this is what many bus tours do and it was definitely worth it.


Beautiful Milford Sound. (I was lucky enough to see a few dolphins too!)


En route Milford Sound.


We took the Orange cruise which is one of the nicest cruise around but we got it online for a bargain! Also, it has complimentary fish n chips.


We were super close to the waterfall so prepare to get wet!


And yes, we are lucky with dolphins that day. We saw a group of dolphins in the first half of the cruise and on our way back, there was this playful dolphin vying for attention from our cruise as it was tailing us. Cute thing!

Roxborough

You will pass by Roxborough to and from Dunedin to Queenstown. It is a place with many fruit orchards. Different season, different fruit orchards are open. Do watch out for signs like PYO if you would like Pick Your Own fruits and fruits for the orchards are often cheaper but you will have to observe signs to see if they are selling.


Cherry Orchard. We were lucky to pass by a fruit orchard selling spray free cherries for only NZD 10 for 1 kg of cherries. The owner was really kind to show us around too!

Lake Tekapo

Accommodation: Lake Tekapo Motels & Holiday Park - Private cabin (Lake View). This is one of the best place I've stayed throughout my New Zealand trip. Our cabin faces the lake directly with ducks quacking around and lupins view! There is a bench right in front of your cabin for you to enjoy your BBQ dinner with the famous starry night too.

Attractions:


Lupins by Lake Tekapo. This beautiful tall lupins by the lake view can be found at the famous Church of Good Shepherd and Mackenzie Sheep Dog Statue.


Mt John Observatory. We went there during the day by ourselves and enjoyed a nice tea at Astro Cafe. However, during the night, it is compulsory for you to book an astronomical tour to go up there. As usual, the hill and beach are always colder and windier even during the summer so prepare some warm clothing for yourself.


Tekapo Springs. Down the road from where I was staying was the famous Lake Tekapo Hot Pool which is currently renovating for expansion so you can probably experience their water park and many other new facilities!

Food:


Rocky Road at Astro Cafe. I wanted to try their brownies but it was out. Try your luck perhaps?


KOHAN Japanese Restaurant. This restaurant is super famous hence, do reserve in advance. They have one of the best Japanese bento with reasonable price. Their homemade ice cream are real good too. You wouldn't want to miss this if you are at Lake Tekapo.

Overall, I love New Zealand's as a place and quality of living but I would die for food back home. I was adapting to the chilly supposedly hot summer too. It will be one of my significant life choice if I ever decide to move there permanently!

North Island update soon!

Cause nothing is perfect.

Travel Struggles: I felt bullied by the supposedly best homeland flight service. (to be fair, capitalists)

I do not know about you but I used to be so jealous when people fly around the world with MAS because at the end of the day, you will get the much anticipated "To Malaysians, welcome home" greeting. You've heard so much about MAS 5 stars service(even in economy class) and you establish this high expectation on MAS.

Well... That changed and here's my story.

We booked our flights from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland during MATTA fair since March 2015 and happily planned our trip to New Zealand where my brother will be graduating. Hotels, car, CONNECTING FLIGHT and etc. Notice my emphasis on connecting flight?

Well, fast forward to 2 weeks prior to my departure we were informed that MAS rescheduled their flight to almost like 12 hours difference(supposingly departing in the morning and now, it was rescheduled to night.) The first thing that crossed my mind when I got the news was WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY CONNECTING FLIGHT. We immediately went to check the rates and with depreciating ringgit as well as the late booking, of course, the price hike up like nobody's business. Of course, my courier for my internal flight (Air New Zealand) isn't taking any responsibility out of it as well.

This is when I started to go on a quest of compensation where I had to go to KL Sentral to get my new tickets reissued. Seriously? I bought the tickets and I had to go through the hassle of claiming my own new tickets because MAS rescheduled. I'm sure we all know how bad the traffic is in KL and how pricey it can get for parking. I reluctantly complied as we need to fly for my brother's graduation and that's less than 2 weeks.

I was passed around (expectedly) like a ball to various department before finally talking to the customer service department. I got to say that MAS is really smart that they shifted their "complaints" department to KLIA which is somewhere no one will purposely go just to make a complain. From customer service department (which I never manage to talk to my case manager by the way) to MHinsure department (while their service is much better, they still did not give me the answer that I was yearning for), I came to this conclusion that I will not be getting my 450NZD compensation nor the loss of my car rental or hotel, let alone my time.

To be fair, I asked for the reason on why MAS rescheduled their flight and they told me it's not fault from their side because Auckland airport is temporarily closed on 29th Dec (The day I'm suppose to fly in the morning) but wait. When my brother in New Zealand called up Auckland airport, the authority at Auckland airport told us that there is no such thing. Weird. Two different stories. Well, I guess this happens often in Malaysia. Latest update, 25/11/2015, 9.29am: I was informed that Auckland is not closing their airport but rather they are closing the pathway MAS will be landing.

Despite all the hassles, I came to realize one fact: THERE'S A NOTICEABLE HUGE LOOP IN OUR CAPITALISTS SYSTEM which being an economist myself, I believe everyone even commoners realize that this system is somehow torturing the middle and lower class. I mean, why else would everyone be working so hard to climb the "corporate ladder"? Of course, everyone would rather be the bully than the bullied.

All in all, we burnt lots of money and time with no one of authority willing to talk to me from the customer service side besides sending me email on how their policy works and what not. My case manager even send me their "law book" to finalise that MAS is not responsible, legally.

"Clause 10.1- “We undertake to use our best efforts to carry you and your baggage with reasonable dispatch. In case of re-timing of schedule, we will notify you in advance of your journey. Although we undertake to use our best efforts to adhere to our timetables and published schedules, we do not guarantee that your flight will depart and arrive at the times set forth in our timetables and schedules. Furthermore, our timetables and published schedules shall form no part of your contract with us”

Of course, the law protects those of higher power. In economics POV, that's the capitalists. (Side note: My media friends did told me that overseas airline company is bounded by a rule if flight rescheduling beyond 3 hours, passengers are entitled for a compensation. At least, this way, it's win-win don't you think?)

Well, this is my story. I felt bullied by the law and in my particulare case, MAS. If cases of bully in school goes on national TV(not saying it shouldn't), how about the day-to-day case of bully that happens in the economy world-wide?

Poor below and middle-class citizens like me. I feel you.

* Disclaimer: This post is the writer's personal opinion and experience thus, shall not be used against her or held liable for any legislation matters.

Sekinchan, Selangor.

A long weekend perfect for a short day trip? Loves seafood and the sun?

Sekinchan is to go then! A small town, nothing much to visit besides its serenity of the small town filled with green paddy field (If you go at the right season) with LOTS and LOTS of seafood shops. Beware though, this place is getting touristy (Due to Hong Kong TVB drama series, Outbound Love starring my handsome prince, Ruco Chan and Aimee Chan) and hence, expect some price hike here and there.

1) Paddy Factory - You can buy local manufactured rice and some other goods here. I got the 2kg brown rice for RM 10 which I find reasonable and since it was in vacuumed pack, being the tourist me, I just bought one to try.

 2) Paddy Field (opposite Paddy Factory) - I was superbly lucky that day. The sky was so blue and the paddy field was really green hence, the photo. ;)

3) Mango "Farm" - Further down the road from the Paddy Factory, there is a Mango "Farm". Note the quotation marks because it is not really a farm but more like a stall selling mangoes at extravagant price. Although I must admit their mangoes are relatively larger than what we usually find in common Malaysia market, but it's just not something locals will buy at that price. Well, to be fair, you can find mango trees along the road, by the river opposite the supposedly mango farm.

 4) Temple - I forgot the temple's name but you can literally find a few temple in this town indicating the majority of the population. There are 2 temples that I spotted, one temple is the one near the seafood Restaurant Yi Mi while the other is the one below.

5) Pantai Redang, Sekinchan - As the name goes, you can find Redang in Sekinchan but don't put high expectation when you visit the beach (Don't say I didn't warn you..) Still, go there for some young vibe(They actually have music blaring over the speakers to hype up the environment!) and just enjoy yourself by the tree houses as well as the wishing tree. Which one you ask? I think it's pretty obvious!

6) This is a full loaded dai bao from their Re Re Lai Dim Sum Shop. Priced at RM 3.20 with a large portion of fillings, it is worth a try although I must say the taste is just average. However, if you are on your way back to KL and you are using the Klang route, please do stop by Shin Lok Coffee Shop to try their famous vege bao and yam puffs which I didn't manage to get this time around(I reached there about 4pm) as it was sold out. So yes, plan your time wisely!You can read more about them here: http://www.j2kfm.com/famous-jeram-pau-yam-puff-kedai-kopi-shin-lok-kuala-selangor/

Work is never ending. Life will. Life > Work. Life-work balance, please.

Taichung - Tainan - Kaoshiung - Taipei.

*edited on 27/9/2015

I went for a summer exchange programme for 25 days at Asia University, Taichung. In this 25 days, I manage to travel the main attractions of the whole of Taiwan from Taichung - Tainan - Kaoshiung - Taipei. Below are the list of places I've been and I will update them from time to time. If you are really eager to travel the local-like experience I had, do drop me an email and I shall send you my personal itinerary or comments / opinions! :)

Places I visited so far:

*Places I visited more than once
#Places I did not visit but recommended since it is just nearby

Taichung

General:

Buses in Taichung are relatively cheap if not free. Basically, within 10km rides are free with an Easy Card. Basically, it's like our local Touch n Go, only used more commonly even in 7-11 and Family Mart. Hence, it's a card you must own if you are visiting Taiwan.

1. Whole day trip: Toroko National Park (Hehuanshan) - Qing Jing (Green Green Grassland) Basically, Hehuanshan is located at the peak of the mountains which is really cold but it has a great view. Mind you, if you are light-rider like me, it's gonna be a dizzy ride up there. As you head your way downhill, Qing Jing will be your stop and you will be pleased by fresh air and nature where sheeps will be freed by noon after the sheep show (There is 2 time slot for the show: 9am / 2.30pm local time) Overall, I visited these places by booking a driver with a car that able to fit 6 person (7 if tiny for 4000TWD
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Whole day trip: Grandpa Rainbow Village It's a small village painted by a retired uncle in rainbow colours. You will be able to spot the rainbow mask ranger very often whom is well-know for his selfie skills with tourists. - Dong Hai University Well know for its chapel architecture and it's very own dairy production. Must try: Yogurt, milk and ice cream especially if you are visiting during summer. - Shenxing Old Railway Station (Hakka Village) This place is pretty much like Shifen and Ping Xi , only without the lanterns but an addition of local hakka village. This place is pretty lively and you should head on to try their handmade muachi. - Gao Mei Shi Di A must visit place during the evening to witness a beautiful sunset by the beach accompanied by windmills. Overall, these places I manage to visit in a day by booking a driver with a car that able to fit 6 person (7 if tiny) for 3500TWD. The driver I had on this day was superbly kind. When we were at Dong Hai, he went over to the Art Street and bought us some local icy-cool desserts for free knowing that we are students. Unfortunately, I lost his contact :(
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Whole day trip: Sun Moon Lake - *Feng Chia Night Market This trip was sponsored by my university hence, I am unaware of the transportation cost. But as we were in a large group, we were unable to really enjoy Sun Moon Lake thoroughly. I will recommend you to go in small groups or probably, spend a night there to fully enjoy this place. It's recently rated number 1 place to visit in Taiwan. We visited Feng Chia after that on our way back to our university. Feng Chia is a paradise of food and shopping combined. If you walk around and spot the right shops, you will be able to buy clothes  for a very good quality and design at 100 yuan.Your routine shall adjust accordingly to where you stay.
   
   
   
   
4. Whole day trip: Lin's Family Garden Museum in Wufeng (I really enjoyed the Taiwanese version of red tea here! Cooling and refreshing, especially after the tour!) - National Science Museum - *Taichung Main Station (nearby attractions: Miyahara(sellings traditional biscuits and please be prepared to queue for their ice-cream, various shops selling Sun Biscuits) Yet another trip sponsored by my university hence, transportation cost remains unknown. Lin's Family Garden is quite well-known in Taiwan including the one in Taipei. Basically, you will have a tour guide guiding you around and you will have a tea session in between which I really enjoyed. National Science Museum entrance fees varies from what you want to enter.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Whole day trip(Local-route): Xin Guang Shan Yue (Mall) - Lunch: Chun Yung Tsun (If you are there during the summer, MUST TRY: Dried Longan Congee which is cold and dessert-like to cool down your summer!) - Carrefour (just around the corner) - Walk over to *Feng Chia Night Market You will need to look for buses that will head out of central Taichung to go to Xin Guang Shan Yue (I took bus 51). For lunch, you need to look for this restaurant reachable by walking for about 15 minutues to Chun Yung Tsun to try their special delicacies during summer.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Half day trip: Chung You Bai Huo (A traditional looking yet luxury mall - Their themed toilets, I tell you..) - Chun Shui Tang - *Yi Zhong Night Market At Chung You Bai Huo, you can find the famous Chen Ping bookstores which really has a very book-ish environment, Shida Night Market famous polo bun (you will find it on the left of the main entrance) and do try the very worthy Sushi Express at the food court(basement) for 30 yuan per plate. It's really worth the money. Chun Shui Tang is the first bubble milk tea invented. While I find their pearls relatively chewy and soft, I don't find the drink fascinating. Finally, Yi Zhong Night Market is just nearby and the later it is, the livelier it will be. So if you are not rushing on buses, you can stay there till midnight. It is the 2nd largest night market at Taichung after Feng Chia and most of my friends really enjoyed the varieties at Yi Zhong.
   
   
   
7. Night: Dong Hai Night Market (Try to fit this into your day schedule if you are not going there as long as I am but there isn't much compared to Feng Chia and Yi Zhong. The specialty here is the cold chicken feet and the red bean ice cream!!)
   
   
   
   
   
   

Tainan - Kaoshiung - Beimen

1. Whole day trip: Anping District - Dadong Night Market Anping District is well known for its Anping Gu Bao(Anping Historical Site-Paid Admission) and Anping Old Street. Near Anping Gu Bao, you will be able to find many tourist attractions namely the Anping Treehouse(paid admission) and further down the road, it is the multi-colour Japanese salt house(free admission). Basically, all these admissions aren't superbly expensive and if you have a student card, you will be entitled to a discount. Dadong Night Market has a huge variety of food, way more than Yizhong and Feng Chia but it is not even the largest night market yet in Tainan. Thus, be patient, spot the ones that has long queue and looks different from others to satisfy your taste buds. One of them being the Pai Ku Su (Fried Slice Pork Chop) For a whole day, the transportation costs is less than 100TWD but mind you, buses are hard to get at Tainan. But don't worry, taxis are relatively cheaper.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Whole day trip: Alishan - Fenqihu - Chiayi Personally, I really enjoyed Alishan because I really love the weather and nature. As aforementioned, I am a light-rider which means the ride up hill makes me puke. However, once up there, the fresh breath just makes it worth it. The mini train at Alishan is 50 yuan per ride but I'd suggest you to take a stroll rather than cramping into the small train where there really isn't much to see. Also, if the entrance fees is about 100 yuan per person if you are a student and if I'm not mistaken, 200 yuan for adults. On your way down, Fenqihu is another famous old street in Tainan where its Railway Bento(Tie Lu Bian Tang) is the highlight. However, something contrary to Malaysian culture, if you dine in, you will have to pay an extra 20 yuan which makes the whole set of bento 120TWD (one of the most expensive I ate so far) But it was worth it. It has a whole chicken leg and a pork chop which was a huge portion. However, do make sure you got the original shop which is near the 7-11. Before heading off to Chiayi train station, you can head on to Chiayi shopping district as well as the famous waterfall chicken rice (Pen Shui Chi Qi Fan) We booked a car for half day for 3000TWD.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Whole day trip: Beimen Crystal Church - #Jingzaijiao Salt Field - Fo Guang Shan(Buddhist Monastery) - Dream Mall - #85 Sky Tower  This is another trip sponsored by my university hence, transportation costs is unknown. Basically, the church is close on any other days except for Sunday so you can only stand about 300m away to grab a pic. I didn't manage to visit the salt field but if you have the time, why not. It's really nearby but you probably need to ask around for the bus. The Buddhist Monastery is really huge and if you are a lover of culture, you probably need to spend lots of time here. Dream Mall is just another mall like those in KL, only with Taiwan fusion. If you want to, Sushi Express is available here too. As for the sky tower, it is another one that I missed.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Taipei

Transportation at Taipei is basically much costly but if you have a local student card, you are entitled to 20% discount on rides. Otherwise, if you are a tourist that travels to many places in one day, I will recommend you to buy a whole day unlimited pass.

1. Day 1: *Tamsui - *Wufenpu - Shi Da Night Market - *Ximending Tamsui is well-known for its old street facing the ocean. From Tamsui MRT, you can take a bus to the Fisherman's Wharf where the famous lovers' bridge is located. At Tamsui, it is highly recommended you try the Algae (Taufu stuffed with glass noodles), Hong Dou Bing (Dorayaki - The one at the entrance of Tamsui Old Street, beside the ice cream stall is the best!) and if you are a fan of cheap branded shoes, there is shoes shop that easily located at the corner where you will notice their Keds is always on sales. Other brand of running shoes there are relatively cheaper too. Wufenpu is a place to visit in the evening which you can choose to proceed to Raohe Night Market which is nearby. Mind you, this is a shopping paradise for girls but you will need patience to find the right fit for you. Shi Da Night Market is a place where the Ping Huo Polo (Ice Fire Polo Bun - Basically, a whole slice of cold butter insert into a freshly baked polo bun). Ximending is a paradise for anime lovers. While things here a pricier, you should definitely visit this place at night to experience its youthful vibes. Not forgetting, Taipei beauty stores such as Watsons sell a greater variety of brands of masks compared to the ones in Taichung and Tainan.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Day 2: Songshan Cultural Park - Gongguang Commercial Area - *Taipei 101 - *Shilin Night Market This park basically is like an outdoor exhibition centre which caters to various events such as new music industry up to Hello Kitty and Melody World Tour. Gongguang Commercial Area is basically a shopping district but the highlight is the brown sugar bubble milk tea. The long queue despite the heavy rain when I was there, you will not miss this shop. It has an old uncle face on the white signboard which is at the end/beginning of the long stretch F&B road. Being a lover for bubble milk tea, you gotta trust me when I said this is the best one I drank throughout my stay in Taiwan and it only costs 35yuan. Taipei 101 is the famous skyscraper in Taiwan which in my opinion, highly overrated. While the queue to the upper deck is long and expensive (around 550twd for adults and 450 for students), the view is just normal if you ever visited skyscrappers in KL or Bangkok. This is because Taiwan is well-known to being environmental friendly and night view there isn't exactly spectacular. But for experience sake, I went. Alternatively, I will recommend you to visit the Starbucks which near Taipei 101. It is situated at the office buildings where at entrance, you will see a few smokers and security guards. Head on the ATM machine look-alike and key in Starbucks, it will give you a token to head up to one of the highest Starbucks in the world. From there, you will be able to enjoy the view of Taipei 101 instead. Lastly, the very well-known Shilin Night Market which I highly DO NOT RECOMMEND on eating fruits from the first stall at the entrance. It charges an unreasonable price. As you walk on in, you will see several fruit stalls with price boards on them and you will regret. One of the famous chicken requires me to wait for about an hour but it's okay, you can walk around and come back for it later. The shop has chairs outsides for waiting and it is in black signboard. Don't worry about the name, you will notice it. The shaved ice is along a tiny road but you will find it by asking around just by saying 'zhi ping' (eat ice) and they will lead the way. Be prepare to queue!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Day 3: Jiufen - Shi Fen - #Ping Xi Jiufen in my opinion is overrated. It's just another old street although they do sell some good and famous nougat and hakka delicacies. Other than that, it's just an old street slightly up the hill which has a moderate view of sea and hill. Moving on to Shi Fen, the train is crazily crowded. The lanterns are crazily expensive. I will recommend you to head on to Ping Xi instead. They are less crowded there according to my friends and equally beautiful. We were forced to take a taxi back to Ruifang Train Station because the train to Shi Fen and Ping Xi only operates on hourly basis.

Just like ferris wheel, life keeps making rounds.