Selene in Singapore!

One of my friends from Austin came to visit me in Singapore in May! She was on a business trip to Penang, Malaysia and ended up staying for 2 weeks with a Friday holiday in the middle. It was great to spend time with her and have 3 full days during the weekend to explore Singapore!

Over the weekend, we: went to Chinatown and tried ice kacang (pronounced ka-chang), went to the top of the Swissotel, walked to see the Merlion statue and Marina Bay, ate at Jumbo's in Clarke Quay, ate at Din Tai Fung, visited the Night Safari, ate brunch at the Swissotel, went shopping on Orchard Road, and got massages!

It was a wonderful weekend and was good timing because Kevin was in Taipei that weekend on a business trip. I got to have a ladies weekend and he got to have fun in Taiwan with his team! By the end of the trip, I had almost convinced her to relocate here! At least I have convinced her to come back and visit when she gets the chance.

Taipei, Taiwan

One week that Kevin was in Taiwan, I was able to visit over the weekend and see the city he visits for work when he is in Singapore. I think Taipei is a good mix of Singapore and Shanghai - it is pretty clean & safe and has lots of shopping & great food similar to Singapore, but it also brings the sense of adventure like Shanghai because English is not as widely spoken and bargaining is more prevalent in the markets.

Picture of the city

We also had a wonderful time over the weekend visiting Torako National Park which is known for its marble and granite rock formations. We went on a guided tour with about 20 people which was nice, but we were always the next to last ones on the bus because we were so busy taking pictures! Kevin's friend from work also accompanied us on the tour so it was nice to share the experience with her and her fiance.

Taroko National Park

On the tour, we had lunch at a local place where the tour guide kept saying we would "kiss a pig". We were not sure what she meant, but we smiled and nodded. Then, the servers brought us small pig-shaped figurines and we realized it was a cup for drinking rice wine. To drink it, you have to "kiss the pig" because the opening to drink through the figurine is on its mouth.

Picture of the pig and our lunch

We also ate dinner one night at the original Din Tai Fung, which is totally different than all of the other franchises. The franchises are all upscale and have open kitchens to show how they make the dumplings. It is all about the experience and the presentation. The original Din Tai Fung is all about speed - getting the food to you fast without the fancy show. They had a nice spicy dish that we haven't seen on other menus that is definitely worth going back for.

Me & Kevin at the original Din Tai Fung

Another highlight of Taipei is the jade & flower market. We went with one of Kevin's co-workers and got to experience the market that by weekday is a parking lot, and by weekend is a marketplace! We bargained on a couple of pieces of jewelry but didn't see eye to eye with the salesman on quality and price. The most interesting thing I saw in the flower market was the wide variety of Bonzai trees. I thought a Bonzai tree was a specific tree that was groomed and well-manicured. I didn't realize any tree could be a Bonzai tree! So, if anyone tells you that they are willing to sell you Bonzai seeds, that's like someone who is willing to sell some beachfront property in Arizona!

Kevin & Rich bargaining on jade