1.24.2012

ALISHAN






Alishan is Taiwan's highest mountain resort. It is like Baquio in the Philippines. Going up this small city is challenging because of its high pressure. But it's all worth it when you witness the beauty of this God-given creation. We were lucky to experience and actually see sunrise on top of the city (the sun doesn't come out clearly every day)-such breathtaking view.  Never would anyone think of doing water rafting on a 10-degree cold morning but us. hehe It was a fun icy experience that I will never ever forget(of course I almost died of cold). The quiet streets and lovely nature view make me want to go back and relax. Aaaah good life! :)

1.17.2012

LET'S RUN AWAY

I have been in Taiwan several times when I was young. Never did we thought of having an adventure by getting out of the busy city and just relax in the countryside up north. It was during this trip that we got to visit a different place in Taiwan called Hualien. Hualien is considered as one of the most pleasant cities in Taiwan. It is located on a strip of land between the Pacific Ocean (I bet you heard this body of water million times in your Civics class) and the central mountain range. A lot of tourists enjoy the scenery and fresh air of this peaceful city.

 
From Taipei, you can ride their express train for 2 hours going to Hualien. As you can see, I piled on clothes in preparation for the cold weather there. When I travel to cold places, first thing in my mind is knitted clothes. Hence, my tweed blazer and knitted bag.  

Topshop scarf | Zara sweater | Vintage tweed blazer 
 Zara pants and bag | Shanghai brand boots
We all fell in love with their nougat. It tastes like a heaven sent chewy milk with almonds.   

 Hualien is home of freshly made mochi in Taiwan. In their factory, you will witness how they make their scrumptious mochi. It is actually very easy to make one. All you need is flour flour flour and water and the flavor inside and.. that's everything I know. You can choose from red bean, chocolate, peanut butter mochi and etc. They have a variety to choose from. You will really go crazy, wanting to try everything :)

One of the tourist places in Hualien is Taroko park. They have a walkway specially designed for tourists to walk on. The park has a peaceful scenery where you can walk hand in hand with your loved one. Just be careful! because the natural water falling from this mountain park might surprise you along the way. 

 Highway 11 is famous for its long stretch overlooking the beauty of Hualien coastline. You can rent a scooter or bike and hit the road. 
We had lunch in a restaurant on top of a mountain. The ambiance felt like I was in Tagaytay. You would see the place surrounded by wood. Even their plate and utensils are made of wood. For lunch, they served us a hearty meal filled with vegetables and fish. nom nom nom

 We also entered a cave near Taroko park


We dropped by one of their beaches. The waves was so strong, it could eat up hundreds of people. 

 Our whole trip to Hualien was a chilly peaceful one. Glad to see the other side of Taiwan :)

1.05.2012

Hello, it's Marc

Hello Taiwan! We meet again. I can't exactly remember the last time I was there because it was ages ago, when I was still "nene"-as they call it. Whenever I hear Taiwan, I get excited just reminiscing about the food there. Aside from meeting my relatives (grandmother side), I also look forward to shopping spree at their local stores and tasting their yummy food whether it be in a restaurant or streets. PLUS don't forget their milk tea-where it all originated. 

Never full LV bag. This is one of my favorite! It can carry everything you'll need. You can even put your laptop, charger, make up kit, books, shoes and etc. (LAHAT NA!) You can even use it as your shopping bag! oh diba? :))  

 New shooesies I got from Nava in Shoppesville Greenhills. I never knew they have a variety of shoes to choose from until that day I bought these.
Looking at the title of this entry, you would wonder why I chose that. Well, it is because of my Marc Jacobs knitted oversize sweater I got from a thrift shop. MARC JACOBS sa thrift shop! saan ka pa makakahanap nun! (where else can you find something like that?-in English). I love the twisted knitted detail of my sweater which spells luxury. To add color to my outfit, I chose an orange scarf that screams HELLO. haha  

streets

Taiwan is known for their mochi. Unlike here in the Philippines, you can buy their mochis straight from the kitchen-that's how fresh it is. You would know the difference if it's fresh or not, from the texture itself to the taste of it. With every bite, you'll definitely ask for more. 

 Of course for my first night, I used my time wisely by going to their local shops.
I was lucky to find this Taiwan-Korean store which carries a lot of cute stuff. I admire how fashionable Taiwanese people dress. They are like Koreans but in a milder way in the aspect of dressing up. They love anything furry, loose tops, short shorts or skirts, high heels, tights in different prints and colors, anything shimmery (like me), and etc. I was so inspired to dress pretty there to be in theme with how they dress up and carry themselves. So since it is winter season, layering is the key :)

1.03.2012

NYE

           
   


Happy happy new year everyone! I know I've been MIA for the past weeks and I have to make up for it. I can't wait to share my holiday trip, all the yummy food, and good finds. 

So anyway, last NYE we didn't buy fireworks, but instead celebrate NYE with stories, laughter, good food and wine(we were audience to our neighbor's fireworks display, as you can see in the last photo. hehe). It wasn't the usual NYE for us, but it was still an AWESOME one. The best way to celebrate NYE is with your loved ones. No matter where you are or whatever activity you're doing, you will definitely have loads of fun. 

For my outfit, I wore a bustier and ruffled skirt both from Zara, shoes from F21 and a cape that I got from my holiday trip. Can I just say, I loooove my cape. I feel like I'm in a fairytale movie or alice in the wonderland. HAHAHA Don't you love my cape? You can wear it day and night. One outfit you can put up is a plain shirt, jeans, flats then put on that beautiful cape and add little accessories, then you're good to go! See how useful my cape is. :)

PS. Do you love my first photo up there? Very festive with matching fireworks! cute right?  :)