All Bro Trip to Bangkok

It was a pretty last minute thing, but I realised I have never had an all-bro vacation before.

So when the opportunity came up, I suggested it to the two and before we knew it, we were all packed and on our way to Bangkok for a 4 day 3 night adventure.

There were quite a few things I had in mind to do throughout the trip, but wasn't sure if they were keen. Most of it was eating though, and we had it all planned out first and see if we could cover as much ground.

I don't think I've got time to cover everything here, so just some of the stuff that we did.

Tom Yam Noodles @ P'Aor

Read about this online and decided to go give it a try, it was interesting! The egg and rice thing was ok, but the noodles was pretty good, and the tom yam soup was thick and rich, just the way I like it!

Boat Noodles near Victory Monument 

Since Kelly was also in town, we caught up over dinner at this popular place that served some pretty good boat noodles, but more importantly they were served in small batches at below SGD1, so we bought about 40 bowls in total, 3 flavors to choose from and they were all pretty badass. =)

Late Lunch at Roast BKK

Came here but missed their brunch menu, my brothers and Kelly had a long night clubbing while I went home to zzz (yes I'm old) last night so everyone was kinda tired, but the meal kinda lifted everyone up somewhat. 

Isao Japanese Dining

Recommended by my brother, we checked out this place that apparently serves some good Japanese food...and guest what? Apparently it serves some good Japanese food! =)

I can't really say I was craving Japanese food that evening, but overall it was a pretty good experience for sure. =)

Taling Chan Floating Market

Brought the brothers on their first trip to a floating market. Although Taling Chan had very little to offer, I figured it was something that needed to be done to get out of the way. So early morning we hitched a ride to the market by boat, then checked out the few stalls in the area, before photographing at the rail and then heading back to the city.

Getting Artsy at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

Brought the two brothers to the art and culture centre in Bangkok, and wandered into an exhibition that was on show that day. Wasn't as good as the last one I went, but still I figured it was an interesting experience for the two of them.

Phad Thai at Thip Samai

Junyan isn't much of a phad thai person, mostly cause of the amount of vegetables that is served with it and the fact that he hates vegetables.

However this one was the first place he came that he was convinced he would come again, success! The food here is really great, definitely worth the trip. =)

Greyhound Cafe

One more meal before we headed back to Singapore, a visit to greyhound cafe. I still think the one I had in Hong Kong tasted better, which is ironic since BKK is where this cafe is from.

In Summary

Overall, BKK was a blast, though we had a few hiccups along the way, everyone had fun, no one got pissed, and I think we managed to do most of what we had set out to do here.

Great trip, maybe we should plan another when Houxu comes back from Australia again. =)

Taipei Day 5 - Breakfast & a Dog Cafe

Our trip to Taipei was coming to a close, and on the last day, apart from collecting the shirts I had made, our two agendas for the day included breakfast and a visit to a dog cafe which was quite a distance away from town.

Our second trip to Yonghe Dou Jiang was a lot more interesting, we ordered their soup, and a few other things apart from the omelet onion pancake which I had the first day.

Our next trip was someone near the end of the MRT line, and we found it by chance when Shufen was looking for cat cafes a few days back. Since we had time, I thought it'd make for a good trip considering she being a dog fan and everything.

Dogs, being naturally friendlier than cats, were really happy to have company at the cafe, unlike cats who would rather be left alone to mind their own business.

Food wise, I was pretty impressed with the steak, that was cooked tender and charred at the end, shiok!

All in all, the visit to the dog cafe was a worthwhile trip, and by the time we left, it was about time to head back to the hotel where we packed up and made our way to the Airport.

Overall, Taipei was a fun trip, I have to admit, there were some things I liked about Taipei, and some things I liked about Hong Kong...oddly enough I kinda appreciated the food in Hong Kong, sit-down cafes are something I preferred over street food...that said, the two treks in Taipei were worth it, even though the trip up was rather tough for me.

All in all, the 5 days spent were not wasted, a good trip indeed.

Taipei Day 4 - Climbing Pingxi and an Uneventful Shilin

Day 4 arrived, our last day for a full day out in Taipei. We had one more location to visit, and that was Pingxi.

Though known for their sky lanterns which we both had no interest in, we did wanted to check out the other attraction, the crags.

Despite getting up early, we were met with two missed trains, and ended up taking a pretty long journey to reach our destination.

Along the way, we stumbled upon a road side stall at Ruihang which served large intestines mee sua. I swear, it was the best I've had, move aside Ay Chung, you officially...er...suck.

I'm not an intestines person, and yet I'm really enjoying the juicy tender innards which was well seasoned and cooked separately from the noodles, only to be added in at the last minute so it doesn't over cook and release all its flavor into the soup which was already rich.

Once alighted at Pingxi, many turned straight to the touristy streets, while we headed across the river and made our way towards the trekking path.

I had a bit of reference from online blogs but was pretty green to all this, little did I know this place involved a lot of climbing, both up as well as down.

The initial trek was smooth, flat, and nothing spectacular, but it was tranquil and the air was cooling which made it a joy to walk in.

We stumbled upon a house which didn't seem all to abandoned, I guess people still call this place their home though probably more of a cabin for whoever maintains the forested area.

Things started to get a lot more challenging after the hut. We stumbled upon the Earth God structure, after which we were met with a few tough climbs upwards.

Going up was easy, in a sense that if you have a fear of heights, so long as you keep looking up, it's fine. It was still tiring though, and by the time we got to the top I was huffing and puffing a little. Shufen on the other hand, no biggie. Tsk.

We managed a few more climbs as well as descends. Going down as the scary part, at one point I was hanging with my legs dangling trying to find a grip. Having a fear of heights did not help either. =P

I think my favorite top was Cimu Peak (I believe it was Peak, there were a few other names and they were rather confusing for me).

The air was fresh, it was quiet, and you could overlook the entire village, how awesome is that?!?!

Shortly after, it was time to head back. We packed up, made out descend, and took a train towards Taipei into the comfort of our hotel rooms.

Next on our list for that day was Shilin Market. Probably everyone who's asked "What's there to do in Taipei" would be given the answer "Go visit the night markets!".

And Shilin's name would pop up, be it with much enthusiasm or lots of negative comments towards it. Regardless, it's garnered so much chit chat, how can don't go and see right?

Bottom line? It was ok, and definitely not worth the hype. I preferred Raohe on the whole...crowded and street-like. Shilin just felt like a giant open air shopping mall.

On the high side, we managed to tuck into more food, and check a few other items off my list. Stinky tofu was oddly not as delicious as I'd remember it to be...the one in Geylang back home was pretty good in my opinion.

So day 4 has drawn to a close, will blog about the last day soon enough!