Am Sick... but so what!!!!

It's Monday once again... taking it easy as am still pretty much weak frombeing sick the whole weekend....  But as you know how I am, For Better or For Worse, I still managed to get out and about and not waste the weekend away....

Saturday was an Artful Afternoon... spending time at 1914 Huanshan Creative Park, taing in the new installations and watching some LIVE PERFORMANCES....   always a pleasure to be here - to check things out....  sadly it was drizzling the whole day and a lot of the happenings was outdoors...  might have contributed to my already growing cold....   still, it was fun!!!

 

Topped off the night with a Sushi / Sahimi Dinner... then DESSERT at Perfume Dance, a new popular Cafe in SOGO....   highly recommended and quite busy actually when we went - everything looks pretty and tasty...  sadly none of the feast for the eyes equaled to feasts for the palette....

Sunday was gonna be a lazy day....  too sick to do any kind of work or even walk somewhere....  but later in the day, Shaun, Juju's Daddy, invited us to take a ride to Jiaosi and dip in the luxurious Hot Springs of Evergreen Resort Spa....   did not need to twist my arm there...  Herbal Springs, Steam Bath, Rooftop Pools - AM THERE!!!!  Cold and all... besides, it can only be good for the cold, right?  If not, at least the spirits....

GioGio and Juju enjoys the Herbal Hot Springs!

 

Like having my own Private Pool!!!

 

And lifted the spirits up it did....  the place is quite nice... and having so little people around made it twice nicer...  at one point when the rain started falling, everyone else left the rooftop pool - so it was having my own Private Luxurious Pool....  it was Heaven, indeed!!!

One Happy Man - with a Cold and All!!!

KHH: Jan 2013

Started off the year with a week long (almost!) trip to Kaohsiung... Took the speed train early morning of the 3rd... Got to KHH for a quickie lunch, then on our 2 car rentals, headed on even further South: Kenting...

The 2 hr plus drive was blessed with beautiful ocean side views and a sunset.,. Plus nice stops for Java, delicacies, photo ops, and even a Temple stop.... Then we arrived at our Hot Springs destination, and refuge for the night.. Just in time for a dip in the Hot Springs to end the night.., but of course, the warm hot waters got us all hungry and we made a dash for some more delicacies for a midnight snack!

The following day, a local sumptuous breakfast greeted us, then it was another dip in the Hot Springs... It was way past 1pm when we finally checked out and be on our way for lunch and the drive back to Kaohsiung.,,

 

See More Photos Here - KHH:Jan 2013!

Hot Hot Spring Day

Literally, as it was quite a Sunny Day yesterday, Saturday the 5th, when we went to Jing Yong Quan Spa Hotspring Resort for the 2nd time....   a complete 360 turn, weather wise from the last visit when it was sooo cold and ever raining a bit - this time it is Summertime, sun shining - which made the Hot Spinrgs even Hotter!!!

Still it was a nice time as, for some reason, the place does not get a lot of crowds - almost having an EXCLUSIVE RESORT, to one's selves...   and to think we went on a weekend, too!   Am not complaining as it made for a quieter and most relaxing time....

(LEFT: EATEN ALIVE by the FISHIES!)

It was just quite surprising for me as the place is really nice with so much amenities to offer....  Hot springs with different treatments (Ginseng, Milk, etc...); Cols Springs; a Volleyball Pool where one can do laps if no one is playing.. ; a fish pool to eat away the dead skins;  kiddie pools complete with slides and all; Private Hot Baths where Men and Women are separated so one can go in the all together...;  Dry & Wet Steam Rooms; a full restaurant and a coffee shop...; plus rooms for overnight and weekend stays.....

(I LOVE THIS SCULPTURE WELCOMING THE GUESTS... TOO FUNNY!!!)

Am told that it does not attract a lot of people for a couple of reasons:  1) Poor Advertising....  2) a lot of people now trek on to Yilan for the Hot & Cold Springs instead....  TOO BAD for the place, but GREAT for those who knows this place....

(Even Prettier At Night!)

...with Johnny and Jewel...

Okinawa Day 2

With the weather just the right amount of gloominess, and still no rain, we decided to make a day of it traveling to ocean side town of American Village.,.  to take in the views, the shops, food that reminds one of San Francisco, and dip in the famous Hot Springs/Pool of Chula U Therma Village...        

The ride was almost an hour aay by bus from our Hotel....  ...and ten minutes away from the actual town - one already gets the jist of what the American Village is about...   with the US Base around and shops looking and selling US goods....  including our FAVE that sells US Military goods: clothing, boots, posters, tees, hats, memorabilias, etc....  even McDonals Happy Meal Toys!!!!   DICKIES, brand wear abound and fly jackets in different colors and sizes are MUST HAVES!!!  And around this place, one can just window shop from one shop to the next and never tire.....

Right after the seaside lunch picnic (SUSHI, SASHIMI & fresh baked bread...) we ventured on to Chula U Therma Villa Resort ...   looks good and inviting from the outside... and yes, even more so inside....  The outdoor pools are COED shared, but there are more Private ones where Men and Women are separated - hotter springs, hotter saunas, and private showers.... which I was able to enjoy all of... :) 

But before all that, I had the HORROR - yes, HORROR! - of experiencing the FOOT DOCTOR Water Pool...   this is where you dip you feet in a pool of little fishies who FEASTS on your dead skins...  quite popular  in Japan, CHina and parts of Europe - I, myself, could not get into it....  it just tickled the HELL out of me.....  One is alloted 10 mins each dip - as there is only one pool - but I could not even last 5 mins....  I just kept squirming and giggling with each and every bite the fishes take on me....   so I had to opt out faster thn my alloted time....  All I can say is that, am glad I can FINALLY say I ahve experienced this - but, NEVER AGAIN!!!  hahahahahahaha....

Got back to Kokusai Area after 5PM....   we transfered to our new Hotel, which will be our home for the next two nights....   and took a bit of a break....  later that nite, it was back to Kokusai Street...walking up and down the long shopping Boulevard and taking in more of the flavours of NAHA.....   plus dinner, of course!!!   Retired at almost 11PM.....  another looooong day of sightseeing the next day!!!!

Sunday's Little Blessings

Started off the day with my first 7-11 Premium Earphones....   yes, I was FINALLY LUCKY enough to happen upon a 7-11 with a few of them IN STOCK for redemption....   and I got me the OPEN chan one....   Could not wait to get it deboxed and give it a try....   hooked it up on my iPhone and listened to some tunes - in fairness, it sounded pretty good....  nice, very nice, reception indeed!!! 

Now I cannot wait to get the LOCK chan one... I do hope that I get LUCKY enough for that one as my second redemption -- two more stickers to go..... :)

Then later on, out of the blue - with the skies still looking gloomy but no rain - we decided to drive up for a DIP at the Hot Spings... less than an hour outside of Taipei....   today was the perfect day... though the sun tried to come out a few times - it never really did....  so it was refreshing to be outdoors, nice cold breezes, and soothing Hot, Natural Spring waters...  and all that heat equaled an appetite for some delicacies for lunch....

...and earlier tonite, we got a visit from Jewel - who just came back from Japan... her first trip abroad ever....  only a year old and already Traveling....  what a life!!!

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!!! 

 HERE'S TO A BRAND NEW WEEK!!!

A Piece Of Heaven!!!

Last nite, at the last minute, Lyn invited us to go up to OOLAI mountains (southeast of Taipei and about an hour and a half, drive when there is no traffic) for a dip in the Hot Springs. She had a few hours to spare before Shaun and her goes off to CHINA for their Honeymoon. Being a really cold nite that it was, we were all up for it - and am sooo glad now we did.. it was PURE HEAVEN!!!

OOLAI is known for some of the BEST Hot Springs in Taiwan... and we ended up in what's got to be one of the BEST, Cloud Spring Garden... So serene as there was hardly anyone being it was a MONDAY nite.... so we had the place to ourselves till midnite when they closed.... 3 biiig pools of Hot Springs in different levels of hotness, cold springs, steam and sauna, water massage jacuzzi, real massage rooms, and lots of places to sit and lay about -- all the while enjoying the natural beauty/scenery of OOLAI...

Loved everything about last nite, if there was one complain I can have, it is the fact that for the first time I FORGOT MY CAMERA.... oh well, just gives me a reason to go back again.... and I hope soon!!!