旅遊大小事

May 02, 2026 Kikunoyu Yubara International Tourist Hotel → Hiruzen Plateau Kengo Kuma Architecture → Japan's First World Heritage Site Himeji Castle → Osaka Mitsui OUTLET with a view of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge → Duty-Free Shop → Dotonbori for Daiso and supermarket shopping → Shinsaibashi Grand Hotel So happy to see the World Heritage site Himeji Castle! At Himeji Castle, Japanese grandmas told me that Xiao Hubo (little amber) is so cute! At Osaka Mitsui OUTLET, I ate disappointing grilled Kobe beef, but the pan-fried dumplings weren't as bad as some people said; I actually thought they were delicious. I also bought a special custom drink and enjoyed it while looking at the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. For dinner, the king crab felt a bit disappointing. It had a certain taste, I wonder if they all taste like that? We also experienced an earthquake while eating dinner. The staff rushed out to apologize and reassure each table, saying that Taiwanese people are used to it. We bought some more goodies at the supermarket to treat ourselves. I love browsing local supermarkets when traveling abroad; the whole place was full of foreigners. Xiao Hubo (little amber) was exhausted and slept soundly, snoring at night!

Sharing a travel spot I visited before~ Waterfront-Forest Story Cute Zoo is a popular family destination located in Dongshan Township, Yilan. The park is designed around a lake, allowing for close interaction and hand-feeding with various gentle, therapeutic animals. You can find popular capybaras, Valais Blacknose sheep, sika deer, meerkats, giant tortoises, Patagonian maras, donkeys, and flamingos. All animal enclosures surround a large lake filled with fish and turtles, offering a serene and pleasant view. The park also features a cafe and a children's playground, making it perfect for a family day trip.

In my last post, I shared about the Xinliao Waterfall Trail in Dongshan, Yilan. If you have time after finishing the waterfall trail, you can also visit Renshan Botanical Garden on your way~ Renshan Botanical Garden is quite large with many trails and garden landscapes. Overall, it's a great place to take a leisurely stroll and soak in the forest's phytoncides🌳 The garden has an observation deck where you can overlook the Lanyang Plain and Guishan Island. Interestingly, even though the sky looked clear, the sea seemed to be covered in a thin layer of mist, and only the silhouette of Guishan Island was faintly visible, adding a hazy feel~ However, after actually walking through it this time, I felt that the current landscape of the garden isn't as beautiful as it used to be. Some areas look a bit more weathered, and compared to my previous impression, it lacks a bit of refinement! If you're particularly looking forward to taking pretty garden photos, you might need to lower your expectations a bit😅 But the biggest highlight of this trip turned out to be—monkeys!🐒🐒🐒 I encountered several monkeys along the way. They weren't afraid of people at all and were freely moving around near the trails. Some were just walking nearby, and they looked incredibly cute😍 So far, the monkeys haven't actively attacked tourists, but it's important to remember they are wild animals. It's safer to keep your distance, don't feed them, and don't tease them. Don't get too close just because they look cute~ If you're planning a day trip to Dongshan, Yilan, these two spots are perfect for a combined visit. You can walk the waterfall trail first, then head to the botanical garden for a stroll and some sightseeing, and perhaps get lucky enough to see some cute monkeys🐒

Went to Tainan with friends over the weekend to meet up with friends from Nankua. While waiting, we first visited the Confucius Temple and Hayashi Department Store. Both were places we visited for the first time.

You can feed geese, ducks, and fish. There's also a mountain spring pool where you can freely swim. There are fish inside (a friend said they caught crayfish, but we didn't see any). The water is very clear and cool. It's great for cooling off in the summer. There are also DIY activities like making star sand bottles or postcards (you can also opt for afternoon tea). In the evening, there's a night tour. You can get up close with frogs, stick insects, and other creatures. But to be objective, The dinner for the one-night, two-meal package was really bad. Everything was salty. If you care about the food, I don't recommend it!

May 1, 2026 Taoyuan International Airport → Yonago Kitaro Airport → Kiku-no-yu Yubara International Tourist Hotel Got a cold sore the day before departure, maybe I was too excited! Little Amber was a bit flustered on her first international trip. My baby and I couldn't get our purchased internet to work, but thankfully my baby thoughtfully handled it, thanks baby! So many dollfish (salamanders) at the hotel. I looked it up and found out it's a鲵 (salamander) conservation area. It was a shame it rained, otherwise, I would have taken Little Amber in the stroller to see the salamander shrine.

Yesterday, I went for a walk on the Xinliao Waterfall Trail in Dongshan, Yilan. I initially thought I'd see the stream right from the start, but as I walked in, there was hardly any water visible along the way. I was thinking, 'Will there even be a waterfall? 😂' To my surprise, as the trail gradually led deeper into the forest, the stream slowly began to appear, and the water became clearer and clearer. Following the gentle sound of flowing water, the entire environment felt increasingly like a deep forest.🌳 Xinliao Waterfall originally had two tiers, but due to occasional rockfalls on some sections, only the first tier is currently open. So, this time, I could only reach the first tier! Although the journey was shorter, seeing the clear and spectacular flow of water cascading down the rock face at the first waterfall made me feel it was definitely worth the trip! The entire trail is easy and flat, with plenty of greenery and clean stream water, making it a very comfortable walk! The deeper you go, the more beautiful the scenery becomes, giving you a sense of slowly immersing yourself in the forest～ Below the waterfall, there's a small path leading to the stream, and you can even walk along the water to the front of the waterfall. The stream water is cool and crystal clear, perfect for friends and family to sit by the stream for a picnic or some water play. However, be aware that there are many moss-covered rocks in the stream, so it's recommended to wear shoes suitable for wading to avoid slipping and getting injured! This place is great for self-driving tours, and parking is convenient. Just use 'Xinliao Waterfall Trail' for navigation. There's a parking lot near the trail entrance. If you're taking public transport, you can take a train to Luodong Station and then take a taxi. If you're planning a trip to Yilan recently and want to soak in some forest phytoncide, Xinliao Waterfall is definitely worth adding to your itinerary! But remember to check the opening status before you go and pay attention to rockfall safety and trail conditions.

Went to Sanxia Old Street today and found so many unique and special foods 👍 The most unique one was this place ~ Zhang Yitai Wufu Shop. The owner's mother is publicly looking for a wife for her son, saying that if you get together with the owner, she'll give you the whole shop 🤣🤣🤣 When I asked the owner, he was so shy he couldn't even lift his head 😆 But the tea the owner brewed was really good, he paid close attention to the details of tea brewing, just look at the straw to see how dedicated the owner is 👍 Next up is this place ~ Zheng Ji Triangle Pig Blood Cake! The texture is soft and chewy, sprinkled with plenty of peanut powder, It's truly a blissful taste 😋 This place I discovered by chance ~ Chu Cake. They specialize in healthy, old-fashioned soy milk cakes with no added preservatives, baking powder, or leavening agents. They offer samples, and I think the original flavor is the best ❤️ The cheese and chocolate flavors were too strong and overpowered the original cake's aroma 🤣 Next is ~ Mountain Spring Water Handmade Tofu Pudding Shop. The biggest feature is that the entire process, from the tofu pudding itself, toppings, sugar water, to the ice, is made using pure Fushan mountain spring water. The tofu pudding here has a dense and firm texture with a slight elasticity, and is full of rich soy fragrance, making it an unmissable old-fashioned dessert. And the grand finale ~ Jin Sanxia Croissant Bread. The shop uses natural New Zealand butter and handmade production. The croissant texture at both ends is crispy and full of milky fragrance ❤️ Love it! I recommend the original flavor to fully appreciate its charming milky aroma!

This is a tourist factory where you can see everything right from the entrance. There are experiences for making grass jelly and peanut mochi, as well as fun games. Inside, there's also a restaurant with a special Hakka cuisine set menu, which is great because usually, Hakka cuisine is served as a full course meal, which is too much for just two people. There's also an afternoon tea shop where we bought coffee and tea eggs. And a Hakka product marketing and sales store. Our little Amber isn't very interested in the tourist factory; she's more concerned about the stones on the parking lot ground. After a short walk, Amber pulled me, wanting to go play with the stones. I didn't want to go out because it was too hot, and she got angry with me. There weren't any safety issues, it was just super hot in the middle of the day.

Sharing with you all 💃 ¸.•*¨*• 2026 Nanying International Folk Arts Festival *•¸.•*¨ 🕺🏻 After thirty years, this is truly a world-class folk arts festival 🪭 21 countries and 34 groups, no need to buy plane tickets to go abroad, it's all happening in Tainan 🤙 Everyone in the office is on high alert⚡️ This year, we're going to bring the full excitement of the street parade, stage performances, and the entire city At maximum volume! － 2026 Nanying International Folk Arts Festival 🎏⎬Event Dates｜10/17 – 10/25 (UTC+8) 🎏⎬Main Venue｜Tainan Xinying | Nanying Green Park 🎏⎬Street Parade Performance Date｜10/17