Travelogue by Mom of Three

We packed light and left one of the luggages at Westgate Hotel Taipei.  Our engaged driver was punctual, she greeted us the moment we stepped out from our breakfast lounge.  I was surprised that she could recognise me, just by an old profile picture of me in the Whatsapp.   She drove a Toyota Wish.  Her car was very clean and she handed us a few bottles of drinking water the moment we settled down in the car.  A nice gesture from her!  We were glad that we got her as our driver, as after spending a few days with her, we loved her so much.  She is very polite, friendly and loving towards young children.  She helped us to entertain our kids, bought them small fun toys and souvenirs, treated us some local Taiwanese desserts, and walked around with us even at night, to make sure we are safe and comfortable.  I would recommend her highly.  But if you are travelling with young baby/toddler who requires a car seat, you have to bring your ow...

Our last visit to a zoo was one year ago when we were in Singapore and we had heard of so much of good reviews about Taipei Zoo , also known as "Muzha Zoo" ( 木柵動物園) ,  which we decided to spend a day in the zoo.  It was very windy when we arrived, but we enjoyed the cold weather very much.   Taipei Zoo is large (more than 165 hectares of combined space), clean and well-run.  It is the leader in conservation, research, education and recreation, and also the largest zoo in Asia.  The zoo is smoke free zone that smoking is strictly prohibited.  The zoo has a few attractions such as Giant Panda House, Koala House, Penguin House, Asian Tropical Rainforest Area and Children's Zoo.   The Malayan Sun Bear headed to his slide (the red colour spot).  Koala, who was borne in Taipei Zoo.  The 'vain' gorilla who enjoyed getting our attention.  The friendly squirrel whom we met along the way.  :) Kids were shouting, "King...

We hired a driver to bring us to Yehliu ( 野柳 ) , Jiufen ( 九份)  and Shifen ( 十分)  for day trip.   We departed from Taipei after breakfast at our hotel.  Westgate Hotel served buffet breakfast, which offered a wide variety from Chinese styled porridge, fried noodles, scrambled eggs, yoghurts, cereals, breads, plenty of fruit juices and soya milk, etc...   The cosy breakfast lounge at Westgate Hotel Taipei. The journey out from Taipei was smooth despite of us travelling during peak hour at 8.30am.   We reached Fulong ( 福隆)  around 9.40am.  We made a quick photo stop.   The journey was amazing with the scenic view and we saw a few small shops selling some wooden crafted and local specialties products, which was a feast to the eyes.   The scenic drive along the way to Yehliu.  Our first destination was Yehliu Geopark.  We arrived at the remarkable geopark at 10.30am.  We bought the entry tick...

We took the night flight from KLIA and arrived Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 5.20am local time.  We had a smooth and speedy clearance.  Taiwan is a family friendly country that special lanes were designated for family with young children or elderly.  The ground crew would invite you over even if you missed or did not notice the sign of the special lanes.  It was really first class service that even the immigration officers were friendly.   KLIA, Malaysia  We arrived our hotel in Ximending at 6.40am.  We checked in and all of us fell asleep almost immediately, upon lying on the comfortable bed and snugging in the thick comforter, as we were all too tired from the travelling.  We woke up around 10.30am and we were ready to explore Taipei.   We walked around Ximending and had our brunch at one of the eateries serving local dishes.  We continued walking around Ximending after meal.  It was a fun shopping district w...

The longest overseas trip with 3 kids by far, 9 days 8 nights and I'm glad that we survived it and had a really enjoyable trip.   We decided on Taiwan as our next holiday destination in October 2013.  It was quite a last minute decision that we booked the air tickets in mid October and we flew into Taiwan a month later.  We did not have time to do much homework prior to our trip, as Papa Bear and I were both very busy with our work.  I only managed to read some info shared by members from Mummies Connect, a support group for mothers on Facebook, then contacted some private tour guides/drivers, booked through whatsapp, and it was then time for us to fly!    The trip was not well planned and we just went according to the flow.  We took it as a relaxing trip, spending 100% of our time with each other and our kids.  The whole trip was a very relaxing one and definitely very kids-friendly, Taiwan itself is a very family-friendly country, so I hope our ...

We brought the kids to The Lost World of Tambun for a whole day of fun, before we headed back home.   I booked the tickets online and the reception staff of our hotel helped us with printing out the invoice.  It was a wise move to book the tickets online as we could collect the tickets right away upon arrival, no queue at the online ticket collection lane.  We purchased the super saver package which was inclusive of entrance ticket to the Theme Park, paddle boat ride and fish food at Swan Lake and set lunch at Waves Restaurant.   The package deal was good, as the set lunch provided was very delicious, which we ordered one set each of burger with fries, lasagne, nasi goreng kampung and chicken chop with black pepper sauce.   The portion was generous.  Oh yes, it came with free drinks too. If you are planning for a trip here, I would suggest that you change to your swim attire even from home/hotel, as the changing area could get very crowded.  You cou...