The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 8

Back to Macau Tower

Still in Macau, first task is for teams to head out and make their way to St. Paul Ruins.

Geoff and Tish left at around 4 AM followed by Sam and Vince a few minutes later.

At St. Paul Ruins, they got their next clue which is to go back to Macau Tower. Yup, whatever task you’re thinking that they’re gonna do there, you’re probably right.

When Geoff and Tisha arrived at the Macau Tower, they were greeted by an Hours of Operation for 8 AM. There goes the lead. The two teams had 3 hours to kill so they decided to get some rest by the entrance.

AD and Fuzzie and Henry and Bernie left the pit stop about an hour after the first two teams and they were able to catch up with them before the tower opened.

Henry commented on Sam’s new haircut given to him by Tania. Sam replied, “I look like you now.” Hehehe.

Ida and Tania left at around 8 AM so the other teams proceed to get their next clue when the tower opened. Ida and Tania just hoped that the tower will open at 10 AM (regular operating hours) but clearly that’s not the case.

ROADBLOCK: Bungy Jumping

Team’s next task is for one member to bungy jump off bungy jump off Macau Tower, which is the highest commercial bungy jump. Yep, TARA won’t let them leave Macau without doing the jump.

Geoff quickly chose Tish to do this task and Sam did it for their team. AD volunteered to do the roadblock while Henry had a hard time talking Bernie into doing the jump in which she eventually agreed.

The task is pretty straightforward and Tish finished it without any problems.

A Chopper Ride

Being first to finish the roadblock, Geoff and Tish found out that a helicopter will take them back to Hong Kong for their next task. The next task by the way is to head to MASKargo Cargo Terminal and search for a package with their name on it.

While they ride a chopper, other teams have to take the ferry back. Both Geoff and Tish were elated with their fortune and the lead that they’ll get from their chopper ride which only takes about 15 minutes.

“This is how you get to Hong Kong in style”, quipped Geoff when they landed.

A Ferry Ride

Sam finished the jump and they quickly made their way to the ferry. They missed the ferry by 3 minutes and not seeing Geoff and Tish around, they thought the Filipinos were able to board it. Still, they got into the 9 AM ferry before other teams showed up.

AD finished her jump without making any noise and so does Bernie. Henry felt bad talking Bernie into doing the roadblock and just told her that she did it with more style and finesse than Tisha. Hmmm.

Both teams were able to board the 9:30 AM ferry.

Ida and Tania got into a ferry about an hour later.

Enjoying First Place

Well ahead of the other teams, Geoff and Tisha quickly got to the cargo terminal and found their package with a letter each from their family. After shedding a little bit of tears, they went on to their next task even before other teams arrived.

Going to India

Next task is for teams to make their way to a temple that I failed to jot down in Cochin, India. They have to enter the temple grounds for a good luck blessing and their next clue. When Geoff and Tish got to the airport, they were fortunate enough to get a cancellation seat on a flight that’s just about to leave. Wow, lady luck must be smiling on them that day.

Teary Moments

When Sam and Vince got their letter, Sam got a bit emotional reading his letter from his parents. They left before teams 3 and 4 even arrived. When they reached the cargo terminal, Henry and Bernie felt the pressure being in 4th place and they were arguing on how to go about searching the terminal for their package. AD and Fuzzie were also searching for their package at that time and they found theirs first before Henry and Bernie. During their confessional, AD kept teasing Fuzzie that she cried but Fuzzie insisted that her voice just broke. Hehehe. After a few minutes, Henry and Bernie found their letters and got teary-eyed as well reading them. They left the place before Ida and Tania arrived.

Bunching at The Airport

Sam and Vince had a few hours to kill before their Cathay Pacific flight will leave for Singapore then to Mumbai. From Mumbai, they’ll have to make a connecting flight to Cochin. They saw Henry and Bernie and asked them to team up and take the same flight as theirs. Meanwhile, AD and Fuzzie found a flight straight to Mumbai then Cochin via Air India. They were joined by Ida and Tania who managed to catch up. Let’s see whose flight can take the remaining teams to Cochin first.

At Cochin, India

Geoff and Tish arrived at the temple in the evening at around 10:30 PM. However, they were greeted by another Hours of Operation for 6 AM so they decided to check into a nearby hotel to get some sleep. When Sam and Vince and Henry and Bernie arrived at Mumbai, they failed to make the connecting flight to Cochin. It was already late in the evening so they had to rush to a domestic airport to look for another flight. Ida and Tania and AD and Fuzzie managed to get to Cochin at around 4 AM. With two hours to spare, they just decided to camp outside the temple. This bodes well for Ida and Tania who caught up with 1st place. Ida was jealous at Tisha though when they showed up before 6 well-rested and clean. The three teams got their good luck blessing and proceeded onto their next task.

Elephant Bath Time

Teams must make their way to the elephant washing ground in Kumablam where they have to wash an elephant using dried coconut shells. Geoff and Tisha’s taxi (they asked to be fetched at 6 am in the morning) was waiting for them outside the temple grounds while Ida and Tania’s taxi was late. When their taxi arrived, they asked the driver to call for another one for AD and Fuzzie. How kind of them. However, Geoff and Tish went back to the hotel to ask for directions but they are still confident that they’re ahead. Ida and Tania’s driver however knows the way to the elephant and he got them there first. They quickly finished cleaning the elephant and got their next clue. Geoff and Tisha arrived at the washing ground and were clearly surprised to see Ida and Tania heading off to the opposite direction. They can’t believe that they got there first and finished so fast.

DETOUR: Fish or Fill

In Fish, teams must make their way to a nearby pier and deliver 6 fishes to a seafood restaurant by foot. In Fill, teams must complete an intricate geometric design by filling it with colored rice. Ida and Tania chose to do “Fill”. When Geoff and Tish finished washing the elephant, they chose “Fish”. Seems like they have no patience for little things and chose to rely on their physical strength and stamina. AD and Fuzzie expectedly, chose “Fill” as well. They said that they want to avoid physical and smelly tasks if possible. Meanwhile, Sam and Vince and Henry and Bernie just arrived at the temple and quickly finished their task. They were still toe to toe finishing the elephant task but had to part ways afterwards when Sam and Vince chose to do “Fish” and Henry and Bernie went with the more cultural task.
Race for First

Ida and Tania’s motorcab had to stop for petrol going to the “Fill” task while Geoff and Tisha arrived at their “Fish” task first. The Pinoys were surprised to find out how big the fishes were (looks like swordfish). They can only carry one each so they have to make three trips. Anyway, they still finished the task before Ida and Tania were done with their rice fill task which they did without any problems. On to the next task.

Pit Stop

Next task is for teams to get to Bolgatty Palace which is the pit stop for this race.

Geoff and Tisha’s taxi had the advantage over Ida and Tania who were only riding a motorcab. Even after all those Hours of Operation encounters, Team Philippines prevailed again and won themselves a trip for 2 to Hong Kong with $1000 to spend. Way to go guys! You did it again!

Ida and Tania being second on this leg had to wait for 30 minutes before they can check in.

AD and Fuzzie who were not far behind were able to check in before Ida and Tania’s 30 minutes were up for 2nd place.

But after a short while, Allan motioned Ida and Tania to come to the mat and announced that they are back in the race in 3rd place. Yay for Ida and Tania!
The Latecomers

Meanwhile at the “Fish” task, Vince sense the urgency of their position and manned up carrying two fishes at once while Sam carries one. This allowed them to finish the task in just two trips.

Henry and Bernie can’t do anything to make their task faster so they just did the best that they can. Unfortunately, it’s not enough as Sam and Vince managed to get the 4th place and they got the boot instead.

Here’s the placement of each team after the 8th leg:

1st Geoff and Tisha (Trip for 2 to Hong Kong with $1000)
2nd AD and Fuzzie
3rd Ida and Tania
4th Sam and Vince
5th Henry and Bernie (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 7

Goldfish to Go

First task is for teams to travel by taxi to Goldfish Market in Mongkok. From there, they have to collect two goldfishes each and deliver it to a fish store in Bonham Strand.

Sam and Vince left very early in the morning and encountered an Hours of Operation at the fish store. They had a few hours to kill so they checked into a room to get some more rest. Actually, they told the camera that they had 8 hours to spare which didn’t quite add up since the store opens at 11 AM.

Playing Catch Up

Because of the hours of operation, other teams had a chance to catch up which I think is really good for the race.

While on their way to Mongkok, you can see that Tish is not in a good mood early in the morning. Geoff is being annoying and just brushed her off saying that he was born that way.

Ida and Tania who were the last to head out showed that they got 100HKD each from three teams. Guess who the three teams are? Yup, all teams except Geoff and Tish. Anyway, they had to spend time to beg some more from locals and tourists and eventually got more money than other teams.

Ferry to Macau

When the fish store opened, the first four teams got their clue which is to travel by ferry to Macau. Then in Macau, they have to ride a pedicab to the fountain in Senado Square.

Sam and Vince knew that it’s much easier to get to the ferry by foot than by taxi so they got there in 15 minutes well ahead of the others. They were able to board a ferry before the other teams arrived. Homecourt advantage at its best!
Best Move of the Game

Henry and Bernie, AD and Fuzzie and Geoff and Tish got to the ticket office almost at the same time and they were able to purchase a ticket for the 11:35AM ferry.

Geoff noticed that there’s an 11:30AM ferry that’s already boarding so he walked into a couple of passengers and asked if they could switch boarding pass plus cash to get the 5-minute advantage. They got it and I think this was a really, really good move in Geoff’s part. We’ll get to that later.

So anyway, Team Philippines boarded the ferry 5 minutes earlier while the other 2 teams are stuck waiting for their boarding call.

Ida and Tania just arrived at the Goldfish Market by this time so they still had a lot of catching up to do.

We’re in Macau and a Yield

As expected, Sam and Vince arrived in Macau first. They had a 15-minute advantage from 2nd place which were Geoff and Tish.

In Senado Square, they got their next clue which is to head to Macau Tower with a chance to yield other teams. For those who do not know, when a team is yielded they had to turn a big hourglass over and wait for it to finish before they can continue with the race.

Sam and Vince got to Macau Tower first but chose not to yield anybody and just proceeded with their next task which is a roadblock.

ROADBLOCK: Climb the Ladder of Success

In this roadblock, teams must go to the 61st floor and a team member must climb the ladder of the mast on top of Macau Tower. It is a long and physically demanding task and it was starting to rain a bit and it can get windy at the top.

Vince chose to do the roadblock.

Yield or Be Yielded

When Geoff and Tish arrived at Senado Square, they saw some Filipinos lounging around cheering for them. They also left some money for Ida and Tania at the clue box. How nice of them. They were just waiting for a clue box where they could leave the money and this was the first one.

Anyway when they got to Macau Tower, they chose to use the Yield on Henry and Bernie. Now if Geoff didn’t trade for the earlier ticket, it could be the other way around at the Yield point.

Smart move Geoff. But you don’t have to be cocky about it when you arrived at the tower while Sam was waiting for Vince. Tish felt uneasy if she’s to face Henry and Bernie when they get to the tower.

More Scenes From Macau Tower

It was really windy at the top and Vince had no gloves. Geoff came prepared with gloves and was able to reach the final ladder while Vince was just getting down.

AD and Fuzzie arrived at the Tower ahead of Henry and Bernie and Fuzzie chose to do the roadblock. I wonder why AD didn’t contest the decision.

When Henry and Bernie arrived, they expected to be yielded but not by Geoff and Tish. Henry admitted that he was a bit hurt with the yield and said something about Geoff being a “fake”. He even drew on Geoff and Tisha’s photo while waiting.

At last the Yield has ended and Bernie chose to do the task. Ida and Tania just arrived at Macau at this point.

Vince got back to Sam and they head off to the next task before Henry and Bernie arrived leaving Tish and AD at the waiting area. When Henry and Bernie arrived, they didn’t bother acknowledging Tish who was feeling awkward sitting all by herself (AD was walking around). Luckily, Geoff finished shortly and they left for the next task leaving AD and Henry who referred to Geoff as a “Scum” under his breath.

Dragon Boat Time

After the climb, teams must head to the Dragon Boat Pier and row a dragon boat to complete a course. It’s another physical task and I feel sorry for the girls who did the climb task.

Vince who was tired from climbing got hot-tempered and snapped at Sam who was just egging him to “pump it up”.

Geoff and Tish were just minutes behind them. Good thing Geoff’s very fit and he was a bit pumped even after climbing.

Back at the Tower, Fuzzie was feeling the effect of the climb and had to rest in between ladders. This allowed Bernie to catch up and overtook Fuzzie.

At this point, Ida and Tania just arrived at Senado Square and were touched by Geoff’s and Tish’s gesture with leaving them some cash.

Sam and Vince still finished the dragon boat task first but Team Philippines are clearly gaining on them. They even managed to catch up with Sam and Vince getting into a taxi for their next task.

DETOUR: Dance or Chance

In the next task, teams must choose between Dance and Chance. In Dance, they had to learn the moves of a lion dance and must perform them correctly. In Chance, teams must wear a formal evening attire and play blackjack. They must win against the dealer 9 times in order to spell out C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E-D.

Sam and Vince chose to do Chance while Geoff and Tish went with Dance. Tisha would look gorgeous in a slinky dress.

At the casino, Sam switched the name tags attached to the eveningwear of the Henry and Bernie saying that Henry would look good in a dress. Meanwhile, Ida and Tania just arrived at the Tower and were very excited to see the other teams. Tania did the climb just as Bernie finished hers leaving Fuzzie still trying to climb the last few ladders.

It’s Really Pouring

The weather in Macau was pretty bad. It was raining hard and there’s lightning all around. Geoff even slipped on his butt from the slippery floor prompting them to remove their shoes and go barefoot while practicing the dance moves.

At the Tower, they had to cancel the last part of the climb for safety reasons so they just gave the clue once a racer reach the last deck. Fuzzie was not happy with herself saying that she didn’t earn the clue the right way.

With the heavy rain, it was also hard to do the dragon boat task and Bernie was clearly tired from the climb. When AD and Fuzzie got to their dragon boat, AD confronted Fuzzie why she volunteered to do the roadblock. Fuzzie was too tired to row and didn’t bother to argue.

Race for First

TARA did some nice editing at this point switching between Team Philippines and Team HK who were racing for first place. They made it look like the two teams were really head to head to make it more exciting. I don’t think they are.

Geoff and Tisha completed their task first and Geoff even asked if he could keep the pants. Sam and Vince finished shortly afterwards. Next task is to head to the A-MA Cultural Village for their next clue.

One More Challenge at the Pit Stop

Geoff and Tisha got to A-MA first which they found out was the next Pit Stop. But before they could enter the place, they must arrange the lanterns with Chinese zodiac signs printed on them in the correct order. This is a bit hard for non-Chinese people but there is a cheat sheet provided though.

While on their way to A-MA, Vince was thinking that they may be first since it’s harder to get a taxi at the place where the Dance task was located. They were clearly wrong though.

Back at the lake, Henry and Bernie just finished rowing while Ida and Tania were dropped off at the wrong side of the lake and lost some time. By the time they got to the lake, AD and Fuzzie were just finishing with their boat task.

The remaining teams decided to do the Chance task by the way.

So Who’s First?

Geoff and Tisha were having problems with their Chinese zodiac after a number of attempts that Sam and Vince managed to catch up with them. Eventually, Team Philippines managed to get it right before Sam and Vince and were rewarded with the 1st place and a 40″ Sony Bravia LCD TV and PS3 each. 

Blackjack Fun

Henry got a good laugh when they arrived at the casino and saw his outfit but they quickly went on with their task.

When AD and Fuzzie arrived, they clearly showed their distaste for wearing a formal dress. If Henry and Bernie were having a hard time winning, AD and Fuzzie were taking a long time getting into their dresses.

AD and Fuzzie caught up with Henry and Bernie who were just about to finish.

After a short while, Ida and Tania managed to catch up with AD and Fuzzie who still finished ahead of them. Tania looked gorgeous in her dress by the way.

Taxi Problem

Meanwhile, Henry and Bernie were still outside the casino waiting for a cab to take them to A-MA. They’re clearly unlucky at this point.

AD and Fuzzie managed to get a taxi EVEN before Henry and Bernie did and got to A-MA first. They quickly solved the Chinese zodiac in just one try and cannot believe it when Allan mentioned that they were team number 3!

Henry and Bernie arrived after awhile and they were also surprised to hear that they are team number 4. Henry was really disappointed and could not believe that AD and Fuzzie got ahead of them. He had a warning for Geoff and Tish as well for crossing them.

Finally, when Ida and Tania arrive at the Pit Stop, Allan gave them the good news. It’s another non-elimination leg folks and the girls were really happy! Instead of surrendering their money, they have to come in first on the next leg or they would take a 30-minute penalty. You can do it girls!

Placement of each team after the 7th leg:

1st Geoff and Tisha (40″ Sony Bravia and PS3 each)
2nd Sam and Vince
3rd AD and Fuzzie
4th Henry and Bernie
5th Ida and Tania (1st place or 30-minute penalty on the next leg)

Geoff, Tisha top Amazing Race Asia 3 HK-Macau leg

Filipino racers Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang emerged the winners of the Hong Kong to Macau leg of the "Amazing Race Asia 3" after a road detour allowed them to overtake race leaders Sam Wu and Vince Chung.

Geoff and Tisha, who started second in the race, were close on the heels of the boys from Hong Kong who always managed to stay one step ahead of them. Making the race even more difficult were the other teams A.D. Chan and Fuzzie Sirajudin from Singapore, siblings Bernie and Henry Chan from Malaysia and Ida Nerina and Tania Khan, also from Malaysia.

The 26-year-old Geoff, however, made a tactical decision during a detour in Macau where they were asked to choose between Dance or Chance. In Dance, the two players had to learn and complete a lion dance to receive their next clue. In Chance, the team had to win nine hands of blackjack in a casino against a professional dealer to receive the clue.

Geoff wisely chose the Dance challenge but not without some difficulty. At one point, he even slipped and fell on the wet pavement as he tried to learn the difficult lion dance.

In the end, Team Philippines was able to finish their task ahead of Sam and Vince who had to finish their nine winning hands of blackjack. The slight time difference allowed the Filipinos to race to A-ma Cultural Village and complete one final task -- to complete the correct sequence of the Chinese Zodiac -- and on to the pit stop for the win.

For winning the Hong Kong-Macau leg, the two each won a 40-inch Sony Bravia and a Sony Playstation 3.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 6

Home Court Advantage

Sam and Vince had a very nice and comfortable lead from the last leg and to make it easier for them, the next destination is Hong Kong which is where they’re from. They know they had the advantage so they just took it easy as they head out.

The first available flight for them is the 10:35AM and they were the only team to get in it.

Next flight is the 12:30 PM and Henry and Bernie just barely made it. AD and Fuzzie who were just minutes behind them were not so lucky and had to settle with the next flight at 1:15PM with Geoff and Tisha.

Ida and Tania who were the last team to leave got the 2PM flight.

Rugby anyone?

Upon arrival at Hong Kong, teams must travel by taxi to King’s Park Sports Ground which is the home of Hong Kong’s Rugby Football team. They had to get pass by the rugby players to reach the clue box on the other side of the field.

Sam and Vince didn’t have any problem at all as the rugby players weren’t much of an obstacle.

Teams must then travel by taxi to Central in Hong Kong Island at the corner of Hollywood Rd and Peel St. to get their next clue. Good thing they asked their driver to wait for them.

DETOUR: Get Fishy or Get Lucky?

Next task is a detour. In Get Fishy, teams must clean and gut 15 fishes at a nearby seafood market. In Get Lucky, teams must make their way on foot to Wyndham St. where they will have to open 300 fortune cookies until they find the one that will lead them to their next clue.

Sam and Vince chose to get lucky.

What About the Other Teams?

Henry and Bernie had no problems with their rugby task and had a good lead between Team Philippines and Team Singapore.

Geoff and Tisha found a good driver which they called a “racer” because he’s waring a pair of racing gloves. When they reached the field, Geoff was pretty hyper while Tisha don’t know how to go about the task. Geoff shouted at her, “Just run! They won’t hurt you, you’re too beautiful.” Hehehe. They realized though that it was a mistake to let their “racer” driver go as AD and Fuzzie arrived.

AD and Fuzzie just walked heading to the clue box which was pretty funny with all those players running around them. What a lazy duo. Hehehe. Unfortunately for them, their taxi left so they had a hard time getting another one since most drivers don’t want to travel to Hong Kong island.

Something Smells Fishy

With Henry being a chef and Bernie having experience with cleaning fishes, they quickly chose to do the Get Fishy task. They said that they don’t want to deal with tasks that involves luck after their BluRay experience in the last leg.

At this point, Sam and Vince were still cracking fortune cookies until they found the right one with only 10 cookies left in the jar. They quickly got their next clue which was to travel by taxi to Central Pier. Board the Star Ferry to Tsim Shat Sui and

take a taxi again to the Ladies Market.

Confucius Says…

Geoff and Tisha chose to do the Get Lucky task and as they started going through the cookies, AD and Fuzzie arrived.

Team Philippines found the clue before AD and Fuzzie and even before Henry and Bernie were done with their task! Excellent! Being in a jolly mood, Geoff kept goofing around saying “Confucius says, you’ve been a bad boy!” in a Chinese accent.

AD and Fuzzie eventually found the correct cookie as Henry and Bernie were just finishing with their fish task.

As Vince and Sam were on their way to the Ladies Market, Sam joked that the Malaysian girls might stop at Central shops and Tsim Shat Sui shops thus making it hard for them to catch up. Bad Sam.

ROADBLOCK: Ladies Bag

At the Ladies Market, a roadblock awaits where one must choose a handbag hanging by the clue box. They must then search the entire market for a girl with the exact same bag which will have the next clue inside.

Sam chose to do the task but in retrospect, Vince said that he should be the one to do it instead since he’s much taller.

The Race Is On For Second Place

When Geoff and Tisha arrived at the Star Ferry, they were surprised to see Henry and Bernie just behind them. Still no chance of being friendly with the Pinoys, the two teams sat apart from each other inside the ferry.

AD and Fuzzie arrived just in time as the ferry’s about to leave and they sat beside Henry and Bernie who obviously are teaming up again. This move made Geoff and Tisha focus more and not rely on other teams. They know that they’re the odd team out among the remaining teams.

At this point, Sam finally found the bag at the end of the ladies market and got their next clue.
Pit Stop

Next destination is the Pit Stop at Blake Pier in Stanley Bay. Sam and Vince got there well ahead of the next three teams who just stepped off the ferry. For being first, they won a 3-day 2-night spa vacation at Santiburi Resort.

Race Continues at the Ladies Market

Even if Geoff and Tisha were the first to boardt a taxi from the ferry, it was Henry and Bernie who arrived first at the Ladies Market.

A few minutes later, AD and Fuzzie arrived followed shortly by Geoff and Tish. AD and Tisha chose to do the task for their respective team.

Bernie found the correct bag first well ahead of the other two girls. As they left for the Pit Stop, Henry nonchalantly mentioned to the camera that Bernie forgot to return the bag at the clue box. It’s not required though so Bernie got a free bag!

AD got her clue first before Tisha and this made Geoff kinda impatient. Fortunately, Tisha found hers shortly and they were able to catch up with AD and Fuzzie and beat them to a taxi. Hmmm, I think being pretty has its perks when hailing a cab.

What About Ida and Tania?

It was getting dark when Ida and Tania made their way to the Ladies Market. This is bad as the place tend to get crowded at night. Ida chose to do the detour quipping that Tania might have a hard time resisting going through each stalls with all those bags and trinkets around.

The placement of each team is pretty straightforward but Henry and Bernie beat the rush hour traffic giving them a bit of a lead from the 3rd team.

Good thing for Ida and Tania that this is one of the non-elimination round in the race! Yay! They had to surrender all their cash though.

Placement of each team after the 6th leg:

1st Sam and Vince (won another vacation for two)
2nd Henry and Bernie
3rd Geoff and Tisha
4th AD and Fuzzie
5th Ida and Tania (Non elimination round, surrender all money)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 5

BluRay… Lot’s of Them

First task is to head to the Sony Style shop in New Sogo Department Store. There, teams must search from piles of BluRay discs and play them one by one till they got the disc that plays the correct clue. This is very hard since there are lots of piles and other teams can screw your system if you have one.

Ida and Tania were the first to arrive at the task but Sam and Vince found the correct disc first. They got the next clue which includes a Fast Forward and they went for it.

FAST FORWARD: Get tats!

Sam and Vince got to the Fast Forward and found out that they need to have a tattoo permanently inked on their body. It’s against Sam’s belief to have a tattoo on his body but decided to suck it up for the race.

Sam was thinking where he should put the tattoo and mentioned at the small of his back prompting Vince to reply, “That’s for girls!“.

Anyway, they got tattooed on their upper back and went on their way to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop

The Pit Stop for this leg is the Taipei Astronomical Museum. Sam and Vince had no problems getting there and was awarded with a 3-day 2-nights vacation to Santiburi Resort on the Island of Koh Samui, Thailand for being first.

Back to the real race

Henry and Bernie found a taxi to lead them to the department store. AD and Fuzzie asked them to share the taxi fare again and Henry agreed. Mai and Oliver decided to follow the two teams from behind.

When they got to New Sogo, Ida and Tania were still going through the piles of discs. AD and Fuzzie got lucky with choosing a disc and found the correct one in just a short time.

They didn’t bother to look at the Fast Forward and just went on to the next task which is to drive to New Pingshi Coal Mine Museum located outside the city. They can’t hire a taxi this time since it will cost them at least 1,000 NT$.

Shortly after, Henry and Bernie found a disc with the clue leaving Ida and Tania and Mai and Oliver behind.

Geoff and Tisha finally left the Pit Stop and got to the department store and were able to catch up. At this point, Ida and Tania thought about asking the other teams to proceed to the next task and take the 4-hour penalty but they didn’t push through it.

Geoff’s plan is to check the discs for fingerprints and avoid those.

Ida and Tania are getting frustrated as other teams kept jumbling up the piles of disc that they’ve already finished.

ROADBLOCK: Can you dig it?

With a good sense of direction, Henry and Bernie were able to arrive at the coal museum first and was greeted by a roadblock.

In the roadblock, one must dig through coals from a mine cart in search of a souvenir. The souvenir is a big piece of silver Amazing Race coin but teams don’t know that.

Shortly after, AD and Fuzzie arrived as Henry started digging. Fuzzie performed the task for their team.

Back at Sony Style

Finally, Ida and Tania found the correct disc. And just after a few minutes, Geoff and Tisha found theirs leaving Mai and Oliver behind who contemplated on quitting the task.

Lover’s Quarrel

On their way to the coal mine, Team Philippines got lost with Tisha driving and Geoff asking for directions. This resulted in a lot of heated words between the two since they’ve been on the road for quite awhile and it’s getting dark.

Tisha quipped, “We’re so over after this.”

Ida and Tania however, used their charm again and asked a police officer to escort them.

It’s already dark when Henry found the coin after a lot of digging. They can’t shake off AD and Fuzzie though as Fuzzie found hers shortly after. The other teams have yet to arrive.

DETOUR: Pick or Pail

Teams must choose between Pick or Pail.

claw In Pick, they must drive to a nearby arcade and pick 3 stuffed toys from a claw vending machine. This is the arcade game were there are plush toys inside and you must operate a claw crane to grab them.

In Pail, teams must drive to a temple and carry a pail of water from the base to the top of the temple where a monk will give them their next clue. This is hard because aside from being heavy, there’s the risk of spilling the water. If the water is below a certain level when they reach the top, they have to go back and do it again.

Both teams chose Pick.

Meanwhile…

Ida and Tania finally arrived at the coal museum with Tania set to do the task.

After some more squabbling, Geoff and Tisha found a police officer that lead them to the coal task. By the time they got there, Tania has digged through the whole cart but somehow missed the coin.

At this point, Mai and Oliver are still at Sony Style and have gone through hundreds of discs but still no clue. Yikes! They should’ve went for the 4-hour penalty.
Back at the arcade

AD and Fuzzie found the arcade first and went on with the task. By the time they got the first toy, Henry and Bernie arrived.

AD and Fuzzie completed the task first and went on to the next task which is the Pit Stop.

Henry and Bernie finished after a short while and were counting on that AD and Fuzzie will get lost on the long ride back to Taipei City.

Aided by Henry’s excellent guidance (Bernie’s driving), they got to the pit stop ahead of AD and Fuzzie for 2nd place.

Closing time

At this point, Sony Style is closing so the attendant simply gave the next clue to Mai and Oliver who are still going through the discs. Hmmm, if the store closes at 8 PM, they’ve been there for almost 6 hours. I feel sorry for them.

They decided to hire a taxi to take them to the coal museum for 1000 NT$. But on their way, their taxi broke down. What a stroke of bad luck! Exhausted and defeated, the two just decided to sleep in their car and continue in the morning.

Team Philippines vs. Team Malaysia

Tania finally found the coin but won’t show Geoff what the souvenir looked like. This frustrated Geoff but on their way out, Ida and Tania hinted that he should use his hands. They went on to do the Pail task.

At last, Geoff found the coin and got a kiss from Tisha. They got a taxi to lead them to the Pick task which they finished quickly before Ida and Tania completed theirs.

They came in 4th at the Pit Stop where Geoff exclaimed that it is the best day during the race so far. Looks like he and Tish are in good terms again.

In the morning, Allan went over to Mai and Oliver’s car, woke them up and said that they’re the last team and are eliminated.

Placement of each team after the 5th leg:

1st Sam and Vince (vacation for two)
2nd Henry and Bernie
3rd AD and Fuzzie
4th Geoff and Tisha
5th Ida and Tania
6th Oliver and Mai (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 4

Not a 24-hour Airport

From Hue, Vietnam, teams must fly to Taipei, Taiwan and drive to the Red Pavillion for their clue. Teams left for the airport at around 2 AM but it opens at 6 AM so everybody started on equal footing.

Ida and Tania didn’t want to sleep outside the dark airport like the others so they chose to check in a nearby hotel. Anyway, everybody was still able to board the same plane to Taipei via Ho Chi Minh first thing in the morning.

Driving in Taipei

Everybody got to their car without any problems save for Niroo and Kapil who are somehow not familiar with its advance features.

Sam and Vince knows Mandarin so they were able to ask for directions easily and got to the clue first. Niroo and Kapil went into the wrong lane thus missing the exit. Geoff and Tisha were able to find a local to lead them to the clue.

DETOUR: Shoot or Shape

tangram Their next task is a detour. In Shoot, teams must drive to the miniature museum and look for a tiny clue placed within miniature settings on display and shoot it with a camera. In Shape, they have to drive to the night market to form 4 specific shapes using tangrams, an old chinese puzzle.

Everybody chose to do “Shoot” but most had trouble finding the museum. Henry and Bernie were stopped by a police for an illegal U-turn.

Mai and Oliver found the museum first by taking in a local passenger to guide them.

Car Problems

Niroo and Kapil can’t seem to remove the keys from the ignition so they can’t leave the car easily. One must be left behind with the car while the other asks for direction. Funny thing happened when Kapil tried to stop a car to get in thinking it was Niroo driving. Turned out to be a wrong car.

Blessing In Disguise

AD and Fuzzie, when asking for direction were mistakenly informed by the locals that the museum is already closed so they had no choice but to do “Shape.” It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they finished the task way before the others.

Back at the Museum

All the teams caught up at the museum except for Niroo and Kapil who were still lost and AD and Fuzzie who were on to the next task. Everybody had a hard time looking for the clue.

Eventually, Oliver found it first but did not reveal the location to the other teams.

However, when Sam finally found the clue, he had a Eureka moment and accidentally shouted it out. Everybody heard him and they all gather to take a shot of the clue.

Niroo and Kapil are getting frustrated at their car to the point that they want to quit and head back home without finishing. After the commercial, they found the museum and were allowed to leave the keys in the car while they do their task.

Braille Power

The teams’ next task is to drive to the Institute for the Blind and learn Braille. One member is blindfolded to feel the Braille dots. He must then dictate the Braille code to his partner who will decipher the message using a Braille code guide. It’s kinda tricky if you and your partner don’t have a strategy on how to communicate the Braille dots.

AD and Fuzzie got lost again so it was Mai and Oliver who were the first to arrive at the institute. They didn’t encounter any problems and were able to finish even before the others arrived.

Next task is to drive to Shenkeng and find a restaurant for their next clue. They hired a taxi to lead the way to Shenkeng.

Next to arrive at the institute were Ida and Tania followed by Henry and Bernie then Sam and Vince.

Sam and Vince finished promptly and they got the clue with the USD20,000 check to give to the institute.

Geoff and Tisha finally arrived and were able to finish the task ahead of the two Malaysian teams. Go Pinoys!! Henry is getting a bit frustrated at Bernie as Ida and Tania finally finished their task leaving them behind.

Still no sign of AD and Fuzzie.

Drive to Shenkeng

Here’s where it gets weird. Mai and Oliver were clearly ahead but Ida and Tania managed to catch up with them with their own taxi guide. Mai and Oliver’s taxi was so slow and even managed to miss the exit so they had to turn back.

Ida and Tania eventually arrived first at the next task which is a roadblock.

ROADBLOCK: Stinky Tofu

In this roadblock, one of the team members must eat a large bowl of stinky tofu. It looked really ordinary but it’s really disgusting. According to Wikipedia, “it consists of tofu, which has been marinated in a brine made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat for as long as several months”.

Ida who loves tofu can’t help but to tear up while eating. Looked like she’s being tortured.

Mai and Oliver finally arrived followed by Sam and Vince. As expected, Oliver was the one who did the task. Even he had trouble with his food but kept his tough image.

Ida kept throwing up. I guess she won’t eat tofu for a very long time after that.

Vince had no problem eating disgusting food prompting Mai to exclaim, “Are you a monster or something?”. Sam replied, “We Chinese eat almost anything”.

No sign of Geoff and Tisha yet.

Back at the Institute for the Blind

AD and Fuzzie finally arrived and so does Niroo and Kapil. They managed to catch up with Henry and Bernie who eventually finished the task. AD and Fuzzie finished right after them. Both teams teamed up and hired a taxi to lead them to ShenKeng.

Geoff and Tisha managed to get lost and had to ask the local police to lead them to the restaurant in Shenkeng.

Ida finally finished her food and they were still ahead of the others onto the next task which is the Pit Stop.

A few minutes later, Oliver finished his food followed shortly by Vince even before the rest of the teams arrived.

Pit Stop

The next pit stop is at the Taipei City Hall Square.

Ida and Tania charmed their way on having a police escort and got to the Pit Stop first where they each won a Nokia N96 phone. Sam and Vince managed to arrive before Mai and Oliver with the help of a local who they smuggled into their car.
Meanwhile…

Henry and Bernie and AD and Fuzzie finally arrived at the restaurant. Still no sign of Geoff and Tisha. Yikes!

Henry didn’t have any problem eating the stinky tofu even if AD kept on belching as she eats. Henry made some funny remarks during this time. They’re becoming my favorite team this season. They finished their food almost at the same time.

Finally, the Philippine team! Tisha did the stinky task with nose clips. Man, they seem to be well prepared on this race. She finished her food even before the last team arrived.

When Niroo and Kapil arrived, they didn’t bother doing the task and opted for the 4-hour penalty at the Pit Stop. Bleh.

Placement of each team after the 4th leg:

1st Ida and Tania (Nokia N96 phones each)
2nd Sam and Vince
3rd Mai and Oliver
4th Henry and Bernie
5th AD and Fuzzie
6th Geoff and Tisha
7th Niroo and Kapil (eliminated)