Traveling in Quebec City: What to Do

My Explore/J'explore Program in Quebec

I spent 5 summer weeks in Quebec City for the My Explore French language program hence the posts are journal-style. Check out the activities in and around Quebec City!

Explore Program
Signing Up
Universit� Laval room
Registration Day

Activities
Cabane � Sucre (Sugar Shack - maple syrup)
Arbre-en-arbre Tree top climbing
White water rafting
Valcartier waterpark
St. Lawrence River boat cruise

Tourist Sites
Montcalm and Plains of Abraham
Quebec Parliament Building
Mus�e de la Civilisation
Old Port Market and Place Royale

Day trip from Quebec City
Bascilica of St. Anne and Cap Tourmente hike
Montmorency Falls

Food
Aux Anciens Canadiens in Old Quebec

Traveling in Taiwan: What to Do

Finally categorized my 60 posts on Taiwan into a useful list! I didn't put all 60 in here because some are frankly not about anything traveling related. Most of the posts are journal-style since I was keeping a log of my day to day activities in Taiwan but the trip itinerary posts are more structured. There is information about pricing and directions in the journal-style posts as well. Enjoy!

Trip Itineraries
About the TR Pass

Day Trips from Taipei
Taraoko Gorge and Hualien trip
Jiaoxi and Toucheng trip
Jioufen and Keelung trip

Wulai and Bitan trip
Taoyuan and Dasi Old Street trip

2-3 Day Trips
Taichung, Sun Moon Lake, Fengchia Night Market trip
Tainan, Anping, Kaohsiung trip
Seafood and beach in Kenting
Hsinchu trip and here

Entertainment and Activities
Red Pocket Singing
Taipei Zoo
Bihu Park, Miramar
Karaoke
Shrimp Fishing, Up Taipei 101 free

Buildings and Sites
Fort San Domingo, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
National Palace Museum
Sun Yat Sen Memorial, Red House
Presidential Building

Cultural and History
Bopiliao
Tea shop

Nature and Scenary
Taipei night view
Huajiang Wetlands
Yangmingshan and New Taipei City Hall

Shopping
Wu Fen Pu wholesale market

Night Markets
Shida Night Market
Gongguan Night Market
Shilin Night Market (bottom of post)
Guang Zhou Street (bottom of post)

Food
Taipei 101 Din Tai Fung
Ximending Modern Toilet Cafe
Dongmen Du Xiao Yue

Malaysia 5-Day Itinerary: Day Four and Five

5 Day Itinerary in Malaysia

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Street art in Penang

Georgetown destinations Day 4 and 5

Day 4

We rode a Unititi Express bus (RM 28) to Penang and it was another mediocre experience. The 8am trip didn't leave until 8:30am because the bus driver didn't arrive to work on time and the bus had the same air conditioning problem as Day 3. Though he did drive fast and we arrived at the Komtar bus terminal by 1pm.

At the Komtar bus terminal there is a stop for the free shuttle bus that took us to Lebuh Geraja where our hostel is. Look for a sign with a big 9 on it.

We stayed at Couji Couzi in a double room with air conditioning and shared bathroom. The room and shower were pretty clean though the sink was not. However, within the first 5 minutes of arriving I got 4 mosquito bites on my leg. In addition, there was a window along the bottom of one wall that had no glass and was only covered by a curtain and wooden shutters with large gaps. Needless to say, that is where the mosquitoes kept entering all night. As well, the not enclosed window made the room noisy because the traffic sound from the street was not filtered at all.

After dropping our things off and armed with a map taken from the hostel, we proceeded to walk around to find street art. Most were located on Armenian street so we walked down that street to find street art while heading in the direction of the clan jetties.

Clan jetties

It was very hot and sunny in Georgetown so it is probably good to have a plan of where you want to walk before heading out. We got pretty tired from "aimless" wandering while looking for the street art without exact directions.

Street Art Slideshow

We took a break at Toh Soon Cafe which I've seen on TV before. It is located in a side alley of Lebuh Campbell. I got a kaya toast and ice Milo. The toast was burnt in fire and not in an electric toaster.

Toh Soon Cafe

In the evening we took the shuttle again to New Lane where there were many food stalls lined up like the night market. I tried a seafood char kway kok (RM 5), a guava juice (RM 2.5) and ais kacang (RM 4).

Day 5

We went back to Toh Soon for brunch because the dim sum place we wanted to go to was closed. Then we walked to the Eastern and Oriental hotel which had a beautiful sea view behind the building.

View behind Eastern and Oriental hotel

We were at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion by 1:30pm for the tour (RM 12). Cheong Fatt Tze is known as the first capitalist of China and was very rich but his mansion was dilapidated until the 1990s when an architect bought it and began repairments. The tour was an hour long and only went to a courtyard and two rooms but I enjoyed it because the tour guide was entertaining. His own mother used to live in the mansion when the 38 rooms were rented out after Cheong Fatt Tze died.

After the tour we walked to the ferry terminal area to see the view and to find more street art. The Brother and Sister on a Swing is my favourite!

Interactive street art

To get to the Penang Airport we took bus 401 in lane 5 at the Komtar bus terminal. It cost RM 2.70 and got us there in exactly an hour. There is no set schedule for the bus so you just have to wait at the terminal for the next one. You can also take 102 and 401E which all come in 20-30 minute intervals.

That's the end of our Malaysia trip!

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Malaysia 5-Day Itinerary: Day Three

5 Day Itinerary in Malaysia

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Cameron Highlands tea plantation

Cameron Highlands destinations

Day 3

We went to Pudu Sentral for our 8:30am bus with Unititi Express to Cameron Highlands. Upon first sight of the bus it already made me nervous because on one side was a huge dent that was the size of a bed. The ride had inconsistent air conditioning which meant sometimes it got very warm and other times too cold and the bus was uncleaned. We finally arrived in Cameron Highlands at 12:30pm at the information centre in Tanah Rata.

Our lodging, Orchid Lodge was only a 5 minute walk behind the information centre. The temperature difference from KL was so welcoming since it was around 23 degrees Celsius here. Orchid Lodge was the most comfortable stay during my Malaysia trip. The place was clean, the manager was very hospitable and even the other guests were pleasant. The manager was cleaning parts of the flat at all times of the day when we saw him and he was always open to chat about where to go and what to see in Cameron Highlands. Highly recommend! He's going to open another place soon called Backpacker's Hostel so check that out if you see it on the internet.

It's not convenient to cover distances without a vehicle in CH since there is no public transport system. The manager helped us book a half-day tour (RM 25) and we were on the mini-van in the next hour!

The tour was a mini-van with a driver that took us to a rose centre, a butterfly farm, a honey farm, BOH tea plantation, and Big Red Strawberry Farm. It wasn't a tour where the driver would explain this destination and that, he only drove and answered questions when we had them. The original tour was supposed to go to a Buddhist temple but we wanted to visit the strawberry farm so we switched to that instead.

Rose centre

Absolutely loved the view at the tea plantation. We only had 40 minutes here but I wish that I could just sit and observe for the afternoon.

BOH tea plantation

Big Red Strawberry Farm

I've been to strawberry farms and picked strawberries before so the fruit portion wasn't that special although the display was very neat and cute. What I really wanted to try was the completely strawberry menu that they had! I got a strawberry juice and a strawberry pancake :)

At the end of the tour we requested to be dropped off at the Brinchang night market that was happening that weekend instead of at the hotel. The space between the stalls were crowded with people and there was a lot of food, produce, and souvenirs sold. I tried apam betal for the first time and loved it. We also bought back murtabak and goreng satong to eat at the lodge. The 6 minute taxi ride from Brinchang to Tanah Rata cost RM 10 though the manager told us it would probably cost RM 6-7.

End of Day 3!

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Malaysia 5-Day Itinerary: Day Two

5 Day Itinerary in Malaysia

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

View from stairs at Batu Caves

KL destinations

Day 2

To catch our 8am bus from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur we had to take a taxi from the hostel to Malacca Central bus terminal which was about 15 minutes and cost RM25 since it was a weekend.

We took Delima bus (RM 10) again and it was very punctual. We left on the dot at 8am and arrived at B'spadu Selatan bus terminal in KL at 10am. We took the LRT from Bandar Tasik Selatan station to Plaza Rakyat station and walked a short distance to Puduraya Sentral. 

Pudu Sentral

It was a bit overwhelming because staff of bus companies would stand in the lobby hassling you to buy a bus ticket from them. You will constantly hear, "Where do you want to go?" shouted at you. Anywho we got our bus tickets (RM 35) from Unititi Express on the second floor to Cameron Highlands the next morning. Don't recommend this bus company though, more on this in Day 3.

Our hostel, Irsia BnB, was conveniently located near Imbi Station. When you alight, walk towards the large hotel and on the street behind the hotel will be the hostel. We got a double room, no air conditioning, and shared bathroom for RM 70. It was okay clean but I did find some ants crawling over my water bottle and things.

Since we were only here for a day we didn't buy a MyRapid pass that locals use to tap for transit. But not all the train lines are owned by the same company hence the pass wouldn't work on all. It was still convenient to pay by cash since we weren't on the train at rush hour. 

We took the train to KL Sentral station then switched to the KTM Komuter line towards Batu Caves (RM 2). The journey took about 40 minutes and the train was empty, new, and nicely air conditioned.

Train to Batu Caves

There were a lot of tourists at Batu Caves but not too many on the 272 stairs that led up to the temple. The steps aren't very wide and the incline is slightly steep so if you have bigger feet it might be harder to keep your balance.

Batu Caves

We made it to the top in about 20 minutes with a detour in the middle to see the wild monkeys at the entrance of a cave on the left. You won't miss the cave because during the hot walk up there will be a sudden drop in temperature emitted from the dark cave.

Temple

Inside the cave

 The walk down was more nervewracking due to the height but nothing unmanageable. We were glad to sit in the train with air conditioning after walking in the sun. We took it to Kuala Lumpur Station and walked to Petaling Street which is Chinatown and then to Central Market. The indoor portion of the Market sells many souvenir goods and has a food court and individual coffee shops.

Finally we took the train to KLCC station to see the Petronas Twin Towers. Exiting the station led us to a huge mall located right under the towers. We just had to leave the mall and look up to see.

I liked both views of the tower and it was good that we went to KLCC in the late afternoon so we didn't have to wait too long before the sun set to see the night view as well.

Jinyee, a local in KL, showed us an air conditioned walkway that took us from the convention centre at KLCC to Bukit Bintang where there was a vibrant night scene with malls, bars, and restaurants. It's more convenient than switching train lines and the walk allowed us to see more of the city.

End of Day 2!

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Malaysia 5-Day Itinerary: Day One

5 Day Itinerary in Malaysia

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang

Overall trip destinations: Malacca, KL, Cameron Highlands, Penang

Malacca destinations

Day 1

Over 5 days, my travelling buddy, Brittney and I visited 4 places in Malaysia over 5 days. Although we only stayed a short period in each place, we had a jam-packed schedule and covered a lot of distance.

The first day we took a bus from Singapore to Malacca. We booked our ticket for SGD$21 via this website and went to City Plaza near Paya Lebar MRT where the bus company, Delima is located. This website is useful for checking bus schedules and costs. All the costs were correct except one leg from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur which was cheaper at the ticket stall but only by a few ringgits.

Our bus was scheduled for 8:30am but didn't depart until about 15 minutes later. The seats were large and comfortable but remember to bring a jacket because the air conditioning gets very cold.

It took about an hour before the bus reached the Singapore-Malaysia border. We all alighted to go through departure to exit Singapore borders then got back on the bus. But one group had trouble at the border and the entire bus waited for more than an hour for them. When everyone was back, the drive went ahead for less than 10 minutes to enter the Malaysian border. This time we had to bring all our luggage with us to go through the scanners.

Again we had to wait for a late group which greatly delayed the overall timing of our trip. A bus ride from Singapore to Malacca should be around 3-4 hours. Although we left City Plaza at 8:40am we didn't get to Malacca Central until 2:00pm! There was one snack and washroom stop in between.

Once we arrived at the Malacca Central bus station, we bought the bus ticket for tomorrow morning to Kuala Lumpur (RM 10). At the bus station, we took the public bus 17 to Dutch Square (RM 1.5). It was convenient and took us directly to the tourist area without having to pay for the taxi which would cost at least RM 20.

We stayed at Karim CT Guest House which was a short walk from Dutch Square but felt slightly long because the sun was strong. Our double room with air conditioning and shared bathroom cost RM 65. It was very simple with two beds, two towels, a small mirror and a small cabinet but it was clean and there was air conditioning so we were comfortable. The washroom was also clean.

After putting our things down we went to explore the tourist area but the museum I wanted to go to was already closed! If the bus wasn't so delayed we would've made it.

Nonetheless it was still nice to walk around and take in the sights. The extravagant rickshaws were a sight on its own! Upbeat music is played as the cyclists take tourists around the city.

There was a lot of food and small boutiques on Jonker Street. Most of the tourists seemed to be concentrated here. Since it was a weekend, there was a night market on Jonker Street and I noticed that some vendors were the same as the ones from the shops in the daytime.

Be sure to check out the Malacca River by day and by night. It is next to Jonker Street and across from Dutch Square so you will probably be in the area if you're sightseeing anyways. There are nice coffee shops facing the water to take a breather from the sunny rays.

Not only does the river transform at night but so do the rickshaws! As Brittney said, it was like a party of rickshaws with the lights and music!

End of Day 1!

Read Day 1 here - Malacca
Read Day 2 here - Kuala Lumpur
Read Day 3 here - Cameron Highlands
Read Day 4 and 5 here - Georgetown, Penang