Shopping Paradise: Hong Kong!

Hong Kong is perhaps the best shopping place in the world with reasonable prices, various products, and best service. In Hong Kong, shopping is not only the act of buying things, but also a form of recreation, a way of life.

Most goods from all over the world, except wine and cigarettes, are tax free, and prices are relatively low.

The best three buys are clothes, cosmetics and electrical appliances. Shops in Hong Kong offer not only goods but also a comfortable shopping environment, as they combine shopping and recreation.

Many shopping malls have restaurants, book stores, and cinemas, some large ones even have skating rinks. Some book stores have a café, enabling customers to choose their favorite books in a relaxed atmosphere.

At Christmas:Unlike other places around the world there aren't any pre-Christmas sales, yet still people flood to the malls around Christmas. 

In Hong Kong, the shops and shopping malls are everywhere in different districts. Some shopping districts are gathered in high-end stores, while others have more local markets. What to see, what to buy, the first selected shopping area and then starting from well able to pick goods.

• The Hong Kong Island - Central 

As Hong Kong's financial and commercial center and heart, it is full of many world-class brands stores designer boutiques, restaurants, displaying a high-style shopping environment. Pedder Street is one of the busiest streets, lined with banks and its brand stores everywhere, and the modern design "LANDMARK （置地廣場）" is a famous shopping mall in this essence of the area, many international brands have opened a flagship store here including Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Dior, Gucci.

• Kowloon - Tsim Sha Tsui

There are numerous department stores, shopping malls and streets of trendy shops in Tsim Sha Tsui, making you a best shopping map. Harbour City, the Hong Kong's largest mall, has more than 400 stores, Lane Crawford, JOYCE and many international brands are opening stores here. Nearby Beijing Road and Canton Road is lined with boutiques such as Louic Vuitton, Gucci, Dior and so on. Across the road is "1881", a collection of historical monuments and fashion brand stores, that make you have the shopping experience passing through ancient and modern. And once you get tired of shopping, You can go to the near East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station Center and Empire Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong's longest open-air cafe Alfresco Lane sit back and enjoy the stunning views of Victoria Harbour, while sampling international cuisine. Then keep shopping!

Source: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/tc/shop/where-to-shop/shopping-areas/index.jsp

The largest freshwater lake: Sun Moon Lake

Not too far from Taichung, you’ll find the famous Sun Moon Lake. The lake is located in Nantou County. It is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan. It is a combination of two lakes, one of which is shaped like the sun and the other shaped like the moon. That’s how it was given the name Sun Moon Lake. This lake and the surrounding area are very beautiful. What’s more, the weather is pleasant all year round. It is home to the Thao tribe. It’s not too surprising that indigenous people established communities here. Nowadays, you can enjoy the natural beauty of Sun Moon Lake and experience some indigenous culture at the same time.

In recent years, new hotels have been built to replace the old ones. Walking and cycling paths have also been constructed along with new boating facilities. Boating is a popular activity for tourists. Boats can be rented in Shuishe Village. Visitors can also explore Lalu Island in the center of the lake. If going solo isn’t your thing, it’s possible to take organized tours of the lake. Most tours visit all the sights and some of them even include birdwatching. It is possible to travel around by bus, but it can be a little slow sometimes. Other travel options include renting a car or bicycle.

Swimming in Sun Moon Lake is forbidden. It is only allowed once a year for the Sun Moon Lake Swimming Festival. Every September, people from all around Taiwan jump in and try to swim to the other side. Of course, you have to be a very good swimmer to make it across.

If you want to see how Taiwan’s indigenous peoples used to live, then visit the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village. It offers an opportunity to learn about traditional buildings, folk art, customs, and tribal dancing. It also gives visitors the rare opportunity to taste traditional indigenous food.

There are several other interesting places to see around Sun Moon Lake, such as Peacock Garden, the indigenous Dehua Community , Cien Pagoda and many beautiful temples.

If you visit during the summer, you may get a chance to see the Thao tribe’s Full Moon Harvest Festival. This event takes place over the course of several days.

This is where I've always wanted to visit. However, it is kinda far away from Taipei city. There are several hotels have recommended in sun moon lake. But most of them are expensive. Here I'm gonna recommend you (if you come visit here) a route: You can visit sun moon lake a day and get back to a nearby spot: Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, an amusement park where is also in Nantou County. If you visit these spots in Spring, you will be able to see "Sakura" and its famous for the sight of cherry blossoms at night.

Taipei is the city of gluttony : Night markets

Cheap eats, everywhere, day or night. 

Taipei sports 18 streets dedicated to nothing other than food. Where you might usually expect a bus shelter, instead you'll find a barbecue. Sidewalks become snack stalls. The pungent smell of stinky tofu fills the air. 

Night markets in Taipei have become famous for their snack selections, or xiaochi, literally meaning "small eats." 

The dishes may be little, but so are the prices, running around US$1-2 dollars. A fat gut never came so easily. 

Visitors to a Taiwanese night market should not miss out on stinky tofu. 

Tofu is made from soy milk just like cheese is made from cow’s milk. 

It is a very popular ingredient in Chinese cooking. 

Sometimes you will smell something very strange when walking around the streets of Taiwan.

It is a smell that often puzzles foreign tourists. 

Stinky tofu is-pungent because it has been left in a brine of fermented milk and other ingredients such as vegetables and meat for up to several months.

Oyster omelets are another Taiwanese snack that every visitor should try. 

They are made of eggs, oysters, and vegetables that are fried in a pan, and are eaten with a specially-made sauce. Sometimes, oysters arereplaced with shrimp or squid.

For dessert, people enjoy eating shaved ice covered with fruit or other tasty toppings. 

Bubble tea is one distinctive Taiwanese drink that is becoming popular around the world. 

It was first invented in Taichung, central Taiwan, in the 1980s when a tea shop owner decided to try something new. 

He mixed fruit syrup, tea, and other ingredients together until he stumbledupon a delicious new drink. 

Since then, the popularity of bubble tea has spread around the world and new types of the drink are being invented every day. 

One of the most famous examples is pearl milk tea made using black tea, milk, and chewy tapioca balls.

And if you still have room to try more snacks, get a grilled sausage! 

In Taiwan, grilled sausages can be eaten with coriander, garlic, or cheese. 

Taiwanese people have even created a snack called “small sausage in large sausage,” which is a pork sausage wrapped in a sticky rice sausage.

• Info - CNN

The World Heritage: 厳島神社

Miyajima, home of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, floats on the Seto Inland Sea, known as the “Mediterranean of Japan” due to its warm climate. The gateway to Miyajima is “Miyajimaguchi”, which is approximately 25 minutes by train from Hiroshima, the central city of the Chugoku District. From there, you can take a ferry to reach Miyajima. After sailing across a rushing sea for about five minutes, standing on the deck and feeling the sea breeze, a large vermillion Torii gate that stands over the sea will come into view. This gate is the gateway to the sacred area.

Itsukushima Shrine changes its expression dramatically with the ebb and flow of the tide and by day and night. During high tide, the brilliant vermillion color of the shrine pavilion stands out against the water surface. During low tide, you can walk on the dry beach until you are just below the Torii gate. When viewed from directly below, the majesty of the great Torii gate, made from unprocessed camphor trees and weighing approximately 60 tons, is overwhelming. After sunset, the shrine is illuminated and emerges over a jet-black sea, and it can be viewed from the sea by boat. Encounters with the various faces of Itsukushima Shrine naturally remind us of the fact that it is a shrine for goddesses.

Why was Itsukushima Shrine built over the sea? Because building something on the land of a sacred island where gods reside was considered profane. This belief generated a unique concept of building out over the sea on the foreshore area. The 17 buildings, including the main shrine that enshrines the three goddesses, are connected by a long corridor, which reaches a total length of 262 meters. This shrine pavilions boast the largest area among shrines in Japan. Although there are many religious structures in the world that express a longing for the heavens in physical form by building upward, a religious building that pursues sideways expansion is unique, even on a global scale.

• More info
• Picture 1 from here
• Picture 2 from: Elly Chen

The summer resort in Japan: Karuizawa

Karuizawa （軽井沢） is a popular tourist spot for people from Tokyo, who travel to Karuizawa to get away from the city especially in summer. The town is accessible via the JR East Nagano Shinkansen, and has a large outlet store shopping mall. It is also known for its historic shopping street known as "Ginza dōri" or "Kyū-dō" (Ginza Street, or the Old Road). You can visit Karuizawa in every season.

In spring, cherry blossom tree in bloom.

Karuizawa is famose for its weather in Summer, you can ride a bike around here and enjoy the cool weather.

And it is also good to visit Karuizawa in Autumn and Winer. There are several hot spring resorts here in Karuizawa.

The Private Spot in Taiwan: Mukumugi

Almost everyone in Taiwan has heard about Taroko Gorge. But another beautiful tourist spot, Mukumugi（慕谷慕魚） Gorge, is starting to get a lot of attention. It was named by the Taroko tribe as a way to honor their ancestors who first settled in Mukumugi about 300 years ago. By car, Mukumugi is only about 20 minutes away from Hualien City. The main attractions at Mukumugi are the beautiful scenery and rich fisheries. The water in the rivers there is so pure that you can clearly see fish swimming, even from the roadside. In summer, visitors can bathe or soak their feet in a cold stream as fish take small, playful bites on them.

The Qingshui Stream flows through the valley, forming lots of deep pool with clear water and grotesque stone. You can also swim in the clean and clear water or enjoy “ pool jumping ”, which is a popular activity among the aboriginal children. Moreover, by visiting several vendor hold by local tribe people, you can experience indigenous culture and enjoy the local delicacies.

In 2002, Mukumugi was closed to the public for three years. The reason why it shut down was to help restore the ecosystem. When it reopened, Mukumugi had some restrictions. First, only 600 people are allowed to visit each day. Second, visitors can fish in some areas, but they must return all fish to the stream before they leave. These policies make sure that Mukumugi Gorge is preserved for future generations to enjoy.

However, Mukumugi has closed since last year due to the destroy of typhoon in 2014 as well as artificial damage. Hualien County at Aboriginal responses that there are still concerns about rockfall of the road at this stage; in addition, according to the tribal meeting, some residents have raised too many visitors cause damage, hoping to rehabilitate the forest.