Upon reaching Taoyuan International Airport, we bought tickets for Kuo-Kuang Bus no. 1819 which took us directly to Taipei Main Station. The journey took almost an hour before we made our way to CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch III. The news of direct train service from Airport to the city centre is near completion while I was typing this, cheers to that!

Elephant Mountain

After seeing an abundance of great-looking photos online taken at Elephant Mountain (象山), I wanted to see it for myself. But sadly, I am unable to reproduce anything like those amazing ones. So I just make do and enjoy the panoramic views of the city instead. Taipei 101 looks particularly stunning which makes the 15-20 minutes†climb up the numerous stone steps worthwhile.

Elephant Mountain is one of the four mountains surrounding the city known as the Four Beasts (四獸山). I would love to visit the other three someday too.

Wu Fen Pu and Raohe Street Night Market

Thereafter itâ€s time to embrace Taiwanese culture of visiting the night market or 逛夜市. I missed out on Taipei night market scene during my last visit so there are some catch up to do. And itâ€s Raohe Street Night Market for the experience that evening. Rather near to Raohe is Wu Fen Pu, a popular wholesale clothing hunt for locals and tourists alike.

I am of course more interested in the food and wasted no time in grabbing a seat at Formosa Chang (鬍鬚張魯肉飯). As the name suggests, the signature dish is none other than Braised Pork Rice. Itâ€s served in a small and simple bowl yet gives immense satisfaction. The sinful braised pork and the fragrant rice pair off wonderfully. But sadly, the same cannot be said about the other dishes we ordered…

The nom-nom continues over to Raohe and we were attracted by a queue at 福州世祖胡椒餅 selling the famous Black Pepper Buns. The crispy crust and peppery pork is one power combination. It tastes so good that itâ€s well worth the wait. But do wait a while before taking a bite, as the inside is hot and juicy.

Raohe Street Night Market is known more for its food than shopping which works well for me!

STAY: CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch III review

CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch III is well within walking distance from the main train station. CItyInn is part of Taipei Inn Group which runs other chains like Ambience Hotel, Dandy Hotel and Hotel 73. I particularly like the modern décor of its cheerful-looking lobby. There is a small pantry that serves free hot beverages and a microwave for the hotel guests to use. The super friendly staffs which we met throughout the stay were helpful and attentive. Kudos to that!

The simplistic design approach is extended to the room. Room size is kinda small like I have expected for a basic no-frill hotel. But still, itâ€s very comfortable and functional for quality rest. I wouldnâ€t mind staying here again for my stay at CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch III has proven to be value for money.

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What are your thoughts about Taipei or Raohe Street Night Market? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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The driver (I forgot his name…my bad) dropped me at the ticket office and there was already a queue. He mentioned that some tourists would be here as early as 4 am! Thankfully the queue moves fast even with picture-taking at the counter.

Angkor Wat during sunrise

The sandstone bridge across the moat is dark during the early morning and there are no railings. Hence, itâ€s best to bring along a torch or follow someone with one. It didnâ€t take me long to reach the reflecting pond near the main gate of Angkor Wat. But a large crowd has already planted themselves at the front edge of the pond, arguably the best seat in the house. So I settled down at far right and waited patiently for show time.

The orange morning sky finally turns up after a long wait. I was dying to capture the sunrise together with the reflection of Angkor Wat. Then for some reasons, a big group of people occupying the pond side decided they have seen enough and left. Hooray!! I wasted little time and went over immediately of course.

Thereafter, I move on to explore the interior of the ancient temple.

Bayon Temple

Itâ€s then time for Tuk-Tuk hunting among the sea of identical ones at the agreed meetup point. Thank goodness my driver waved at me else it might take ages to spot him. And we are off to the city of Angkor Thom via the impressive South Gate. Leading to the narrow gate is a bridge lined with statues.

Bayon Temple looks to me like some ruins from afar until I notice the faces carved on the stone towers. And what an incredible sight it is! Most of the remaining 30-something towers contain four faces which mean there are quite a lot to look out for.

Getting to the top of the temple allows me to look closely at the enormous faces. The four faces are carved with such precision that they look identical.

Baphuon and Phimeanakas

The scorching weather is getting unbearable and the lovely egg yolk sun seen at Angkor Wat is now showing its might. Gosh, didnâ€t I choose the most cooling month? Anyhow, I soldier on under the immense heat towards Baphuon and Phimeanakas.

The Elephant Terrace that was used as a viewing platform for ceremonies. Hereâ€s also where I will be doing my Tuk-Tuk hunt again.

Ta Prohm aka Tomb Raider Temple

The infamous Ta Prohm is the next temple, more commonly known as the Tomb Raider temple, even my driver called it as that. But I am sure this amazing ancient ruin does not need the movie to draw people here. The unusual merger of nature and architecture is already a surreal sight on its own. For nature has sort of ‘reclaimed†the temple of a mighty civilisation where trees spread their roots around man-made structures.

I was supposed to head towards Banteay Kdei next, but the heat and fatigue got the best of me. Hence, I asked my driver to head back to the hotel instead. Those places which I have skipped would be made up during my next trip to Angkor Wat in the near future. I went out to have dinner at Pub Street in the evening after a long afternoon nap. I was told that this is the liveliest place in Siem Reap. Known for its nightlife scene, thereâ€s a lot going on here with plenty of restaurants to bars to choose from.

The Angkor night market is another place to check out with lots of stalls selling anything from clothes, bags, jewellery, bags to Buddha statues. Shopping ainâ€t really my thing so I didnâ€t stay here for long. And that also concludes my super-short visit to Cambodia.