Taiwan Day 3 Part 2: Taichung - Xinshe Castle + Carton King + Rainbow Village + Wang Gao Liao

I have lost majority of my Taiwan's trip photos due to thumbdrive corrupted, and here are the only photos that I managed to retrieve back. The food, scenery and selfie photos are all gone. 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. Hence, from this post onwards, I only have limited photos for sharing. Despite that, I still want to document down whatever I could remember about the trip.

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After the lunch, we traveled down to Xinshe Castle which was just 2 minutes drive from Mushroom Garden. It was about 1.20pm when we reached Xinshe Castle (Summit Resort, 新社古堡). The entrance fee was NT$250 (or S$11.57) which comes with NT$100 to offset our purchase in the castle.

The temperature was warming up in the afternoon, hence I shed off my sweater.

Despite being in the winter season, we still found a tree with red and yellow leaves left from the fall. It was so beautiful, even spectacular if all the trees were filled with red and yellow leaves.

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. How I wish I could live in such a castle and accomplished my dream of becoming a princess. I'm sure all the girls have this fantasy of being a princess when we were young.

All structures here were made of red stone blocks. It was a relaxing afternoon taking a stroll at Xinshe Castle, away from the crowds and bustle of the city.

My clothes were made of thicker fabrics, it kept me warm and cozy without the need to put on sweater in the afternoon. So glad that I brought my sunglasses along to, it helped me blocked off the bright sunlight.

We climbed to the top of the castle and were greeted by the marvelous view of the greenery and mountains, we also imagined ourselves being the knight guarding the defensive tower of the castle. The surroundings were stunning and serene. I enjoyed every moment of this trip, it was filled with many unforgettable sights and new experiences.

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.

*photo courtesy from bro.

We also purchased 2 packets of fish food from the vending machine to feed the fishes in the lake. Once you threw the food into the lake, you can see 10-20 fishes surfacing the top of the water to snatch the food. It was fun feeding the fishes.

We used our vouchers to exchange for 2 Ice Black Tea and sat by the bench enjoying our drinks. We just sit and relax as the time ticked by. We took one last photo of the beautiful castle before leaving to the next attraction of Taichung.

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 

Since the time was still early, Ah Kun drove us to Carton King (紙箱王), a Creativity Park in Taichung City where the furnishings and decorations are all made of corrugated cardboard. The entrance fee was NT$200 ( or S$9.26) which comes with a voucher of NT$100. The entrance ticket also come with a mission game for us to complete, we can exchange for a gift after collected all the 8 chops.

We took a stroll around the garden outside, where a windmill, horse carriage and even the Eiffel Tower. Some of the creations were impressive. My dream of being a princess was fulfilled today with a visit to the castle and being in a horse carriage with my Prince Charming, just like Cinderella. 

We spotted famous landmark from various countries including Leaning-Tower of Pisa. It looked like a massive wedding cake that seems to be falling. Me to the rescue.

Took a photo with Taipei 101, the landmark and skyscraper of Taipei. Taipei 101 is also a place that I will be visiting during my trip to Taipei. Can't wait to see the real skyscraper.

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.

There is a Honey Museum in the park and we used one of our vouchers to purchase 2 cups of honey ice cream. It was our third ice cream we have in just a day, ice cream overdose.

I used my voucher to exchange for this Handmade Danish Biscuits, I am bringing it home for my snack consumption. 

Time for class, sit down on cardboard chairs at your cardboard tables. The furniture was actually safe for sitting. It was very sturdy even though it was made of cardboard designs. Speaking about class, I going to start school next week. Sigh.

 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

Our next destination was Rainbow Village (彩虹眷村) which was about 25 minutes drive away. It was nearly 5pm when we reached the village. No entrance fee required.

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.

The colourful art has brought livelihood to the village, we spent about 20 minutes exploring the village including having Tea Leaf Eggs in one of the houses.

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