Sunday, December 2, 2018

Taichung (Taiwan) Guide: 9 Places To Visit in

Traveling is an eye opener affair and the greatest escape from reality. Before the peak of my work and new school term begins, I went on a 8D7N vacation to Taiwan to recharge. 

I have compiled some of the recommended places to visit into a blog posts for your ease of planning to Taichung.

1. Catch the sunset at Gaomei Wetlands

Gaowei Wetland is a wetland in Qingshui District of Taichung, it is a popular spot for catching sunset. We began our walk toward the end of the broadwalk to catch the sunset, the scenery ahead was surreal.

It was only 5.10pm and the sun was setting down.
This was the most memorizing sunset that I ever seen. We watched how the sun went down bits by bits with no obstruction. Though I have watched many beautiful sunset before, nothing beats the experience of this. It was simply fantastic.

Gaomei Wetlands
Qingshui Dist., Taichung City 436, Taiwan

2. Explore Fengjia Night Market

Night market is a must visit place when you travel to Taiwan, it's the best way to experience their local culture and trying their local delight. 

My first bubble tea in Taichung was dedicated to 蔡大明青娃嗑奶, a highly recommended stall to try in Fengjia. 

We got milk tea with caramelised pearls at NT$45.
Bubble tea is originated from Taiwan, that's why there are so many bubble tea stalls and almost every lane will have one stall. It's a must have drink when you are at night market.

The temperature has dropped to about 10°C in the night, we need something hot to ease the coldness. We bought Cheese Takoyaki, the tako balls were huge and drizzled generously with sauces.

FengJia Night Market
Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 407
Operating hours: 2pm to 12am daily

3. Visit Cingjing Farm

Cingjing Farm is located far away from the city area overlooking the mountains, it was a joyful affair to stroll along the plains and hillside, enjoying the fresh air.

Every overseas trip never failed to let me gain new experiences and see what the country offers. 
Words can't describe how much I enjoyed myself. A picture speaks a thousand words, my pictures tell everything.

We went up to the open pasture ground where they released the sheep to roam and graze freely. We have a great time interacting with the sheep.

Cingjing Farm
No. 170, Renhe Road, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 546
Operating hours: 8am to 5pm daily
Entrance fee: NT$160

4. Visit The Old England Manor

The Old England Manor Hotel has a Tudor-style exterior with a Gothic-style clock tower, the hotel is rich in English artefacts throughout the grounds. A picturesque hotel that is located in the highlands of Nantou County, surrounded by green hills. 

The manor looked like a castle, the surrounding was so beautiful. It was a pleasant morning spent at Nantou.

The Old England Manor
Nantou County RenÆai Township, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

5. Visit Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan's largest lake located in the mountains of Nantou. The name of the lake is inspired from the unique terrain that looked like a sun on east side and a crescent moon on the west. Sun Moon Lake is crowned as one of the Eight Wonders of Taiwan. It is also home to the Thao tribe.

The first thing we did when we reached Xuanguang Pier was to drop by to buy the famous tea leaf egg from Jin Men Ah Ma Cha Ye Dan 金盆阿嬷香菇茶葉蛋. It was a prominent stall with long queue forming, it's a must try.

Sun Moon Lake
Yuchi, Nantou County, Taiwan
Entrance fee: NT$300

6. Explore Lavender Cottage

Lavender Cottage is a relaxing and pretty little garden. As the name Lavender Cottage suggested, the garden is decorated with beautiful lavender flowers and purple decor.

Lavender Cottage is founded by two coffee-loving, herb-loving young women loved to draw. Tired of working in the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, they decided to quit their jobs and start new lives as farmers. They bought a hill in the middle of nowhere and began working towards their dream of a hillside coffee shop surrounded by lavender. After years of hard work, the dream was realized and Lavender Cottage was born.

I love this tropical paradise, how I wish I could take my life slow every day and allowing me the time to appreciate what each moment offers. It has been an enjoyable trip so far.

Lavender Cottage
No. 20, Zhongxing Street, Xinshe District, Taichung City, Taiwan 426
Entrance fee: NT$150

7. Visit Xinshe Castle

With the charming European style mansion, lake, and romantic garden as a backdrop, Xinshe Castle is like fairy-tale fantasy brought to life. Every corner of the castle was picturesque.

Standing here, enjoying the chilly breeze and the scenery ahead made me feel peaceful. The best photography spots are around the tranquil lake, it captured the panoramic view and the beauty of the castle.

Xinshe Castle 新社古堡
No. 65號, Xiezhong Street, Xinshe District, Taichung City, Taiwan 426
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm daily
Entrance fee: NT$250 

8. Carton King

We visited Carton King (紙箱王), a Creativity Park in Taichung City where the furnishings and decorations are all made of corrugated cardboard.

Even the train was made of cardboard too. Though this train was only for showcasing, there was an operating train (similar to this) that we can purchase ticket and take a ride in the carton train around the park.

 Carton King 紙箱王
No.2, Aly. 2, Sec. 2, Dongshan Rd., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 406, Taiwan
Operating hours: 9am to 10pm
Entrance fee: NT$200

9. Visit Rainbow Village

Rainbow Village used to be a military veterans villages. 
The government tried to demolish the villages one by one, giving the land to building companies. It was all torn down until the last village residents owned by Mr.Huang Yung-fu. He started painting animals, dolls, manga characters on the walls and alleys using vibrant colors. After the protests of the local residents, and also realizing that the village was becoming one of the attractions in Taichung City, the local government decided to suspend the demolition.

Rainbow Village 彩虹眷村
No.56, Chun'an Road, Nantun District, Taichung 408, Taiwan

Hope this post helps in your itinerary planning to Taichung (Taiwan). 

* I have lost majority of my Taiwan's trip photos due to thumbdrive corrupted. Probably I will only be sharing about the guide to Taichung as I have already taken out some of the Taichung's photos for blogging use before the thumbdrive was corrupted. For my Taipei's photos, I have lost all the food, scenery and selfie photos. Hence, I won't be sharing on the guide to Taipei. I have checked out the price for data recovery, the range is $680 to $2,000. The price is too hefty to pay for recovering the photos.

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