Minced Garlic - Name of the Domesticated Wild Boar that Charmed Us @ Sika Deer Park of Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park in Taiwan

Our objective was to check out deer at a conservation park of a cultural park in Taiwan but from another gated section; a lone, black figure caught our attention. A wild boar! 

It's not any wild boar; for one, it's comfortable with humans and has already made friends with all 27 deer in the park! At only one year of age, it has a most cute name! 蒜泥, which means minced garlic, and ironically, an essential ingredient for a popular pork dish.

Strutting confidently amidst camera / handphone toting humans, she had an elegant gait that drew more attention than the deer! Many people were just screaming "so cute"! 

My selfie with 蒜泥 before she took off! 

Damn, I was well fed in Taiwan. 

Given her popularity, I think she would have a long life in the deer park. Do say hi to her the next time if you happen to be at Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park. p.s. I think she will grow bigger. 

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Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

HONBO Burger Restaurant @ CHIJMES in Singapore

It's no secret I love a good burger and when I heard that HONBO, a burger chain that hailed from Hong Kong, was opening in Singapore; I was tempted but decided to wait for the expected long queue to die down! 

Located at CHIJMES, which wasn't known for wallet friendly dining establishments, it's not that hard to find the eatery. Just look out for the HONBO's pot bellied mascot with sausage-sized lips. 

Interior was very American diner concept and came equipped with a jukebox! Honestly, the seating could have been more comfortable, especially for those without a meaty backside. p.s. it's not free seating; do wait for the service staff to assign you! 

For a Singaporean, what I can't accept was the lack of chilli sauce! There were mustard, ketchup, and Tabasco; latter of which was pepper sauce and not chilli! How am I supposed to enjoy my food without chilli?! Well, if the burger was really good, I can actually do without the chilli.

Freedom Lager (Draft) - how to resist a draft beer when I am with my drinking buddy, Shawn?! This was hoppy alright and at a promotional rate of S$10; I am not complaining. 

Tater Tots - while they were served crisp and hot from the frying oil, I faced two problems here; they were quite bland tasting and I didn't have any chilli sauce to enhance the eating experience! I miss the truffle tater tots from Urban Hideout! 

Popcorn Chicken - again fresh from the boiling hot oil, these nuggets of chicken were peppery good and went well with the honey mustard sauce. p.s. some of them appeared to be more batter than meat though.

Teriyaki Chicken Burger - I was wondering how this would score against the one from MOS Burger! One thing for sure though, I caught whiffs of its smoky aroma even before I took a bite! And it was pretty good with a generous serving of grilled chicken; you would love this if you feel that the one from MOS Burger had too sweet a marinade. 

HONBO - the basic burger with two crispy beef, cheese, pickles, onions and house sauce. On second thought, I should have just gone with the Gold Standard although it cost S$10 more! 

Well, I don't find the beef patties crispy although still one of the more satisfying ones around that was sinful tasting, with traces of beef fats yet not overly oily. Loving the onions that should honestly be added to any burger as an essential ingredient! No complaint about the potato bun but I am a sucker for traditional, sesame-seeds-topped burger buns.

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Before and after; should I just return for The Gold Standard, which featured two thick patties? I guess I might since I suddenly remember I owe a friend a treat to HONBO! Excuse it sure was; but why not?!

Address

30 Victoria St, #01-09,

CHIJMES, Singapore 187996

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above. Turned out they had a garlic chilli dip that cost S$2.00. I am so going to bring my own sachets of chilli sauce the next time I visit. 

Pricing

Freedom Larger (Draft) - S$10.00

Tater Tots - S$4.90

Popcorn Chicken - S$12.90

Oyster Shooters - S$12.90 (3 glasses)

Cheeseburger (Lettuce) - S$18.00

Teriyaki Chicken Burger - S$18.00

HONBO - S$18.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Additional Information

Your meal came with a wet tissue, in addition to serviettes.

Come on a weekday for lunch and you would get a free drink! Trust me, it's worth it as our dear Alex's diet coke cost a bloody high S$5.00! 

Felt that burgers were bad for your diet? Consider changing to a "lettuce bun for a gluten free burger"! I actually do that for MOS Burger, where my fav was the Natsumi Teriyaki Chicken. However, if I am going to indulge on my rare cheat days, give me gluten please! 

Alishan Gou Hotel (阿里山閣大飯店) @ Chiayi County in Taiwan

Staying at Alishan Gou Hotel isn't an easy affair for those on tour packages; you can't just drive in via the coach bus! We had to disembark at the Alishan National Forest main area and make use of the hotel's shuttle bus to bring us to the hotel.

We were of course informed right at the start of our tour and had been advised to bring along just a small bag, leaving our large pieces luggage in our coach, since the shuttle bus had limited space. 

A short shuttle ride away, less than 10 minutes along a 1.7-kilometer road that was dimly lit at night, would be the hotel for our 3rd night in Taiwan; Alishan Gou Hotel. 

Nothing much about the reception for the 3-star hotel; there was a photo exhibition showcasing one of Taiwanese minority tribes and a pair of wooden pairs that I would love to purchase if they come in smaller size with a hole for me to save coins. 

Room was assigned on the second floor.

I love white lights for corridors; less eerie. 

Key cards.

Our room number; 2251. Appending the fire evacuation route as well. While there were only two escape routes, I am mindful we were on the lower floors, with an extreme alternative to jump down from the balcony. Plus, I know how to use a fire extinguisher! 

Stepping into our room of one night! Am I the only one who felt that the visually; the beds looked extremely comfortably puffed?! Truth be told, I was well rested.

Amenities in the room. I don't remember a fridge but since we were about 2,000 meters above sea levels, temperature was cool enough and might not warrant a refrigeration device.

As mentioned previously, there's a balcony and nothing beats waking up and immediately stepping outside for a touch of the fresh, crisp mountain air.

We can literally climb over to say hello to our hotel neighbors. Anyway, the balcony was small and didn't come equip with any table and/or chairs to enjoy the weather and environment (holding on to a cup of hot tea) at night. 

View outside; pity it was raining on day four and the whole place was too misty. If not, we should have been able to see rolling mountains and hills.

Basic washroom.

And the shower cubicle. We were also notified by KK, our beloved tour guide, beforehand that hot water might not be available in the early morning and I was prepared to forgo my daily morning shower. Thankfully, that didn't materialize and I was able to freshen up! 

Breakfast the next morning - I had low expectations as we were already warned that this would likely be the worst breakfast throughout our eight-day Taiwan tour given that we were high up in the mountain where resources were limited and philosophy in mind was eat to live, not live to eat.

Simple it was for me and honestly not as terrible as described by KK; guess lowering our expectations in advance help. Having said that, it would be a challenge for those with pickier taste buds. 

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Key advantage of staying in Alishan Gou Hotel was its super close proximity to the start of the green shower attraction area, where we were struck in awe by the forest of towering formosan cypress surrounding us!  

Shuttle bus timetabling, unless special arrangement was made with the tour companies, as was the case for us. For night, there were two timings to go to the Alishan National Forest main area, where there were convenience stores, retail shops and restaurants. 

Address

西阿里山1號,  

Alishan Township, 

Chiayi County, Taiwan, 

Map

As above.

Website (Chinese Only)

http://www.agh.com.tw/

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers