Early this year, me and my college buddies were planning to have an out of town or country trip. We have been planning for such event the past years but unfortunately, it never pushes through due to various reasons. Some of us are busy in their family or job. Diversity in schedules is also a factor. Budget is also another factor. In short, we really did not find ways in making time for the trip that we want to. Until this airline promo came and one of us had booked that promo instantly even without our confirmation. Though the agreement is there and we really want to travel this year by hook or by crook.
That's how it is then we booked for a hotel via Booking.com and planned all our itineraries via Klook.
That's how it is then we booked for a hotel via Booking.com and planned all our itineraries via Klook.
NAIA DEPARTURE
We arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 at around 6:45PM though we plan to be at the airport at 8PM. Since we're early, we decided to have a dinner at Mary Grace Restaurant located at the 3rd Floor. We had pasta and coffee.
TAOYUAN AIRPORT ARRIVAL & HOTEL CHECK-IN
Our flight was via AirAsia and the hotel that we got is Taipei M Hotel. We arrived in Taoyuan Airport at around 2AM in the morning. The immigration line was very long because of a certain sports team of kids that also arrived same hour as ours. It took us about an hour before we get out of the airport. Since our arrival time is quite late already, we have booked for a car service that will bring us to the hotel. The car service was also booked through Booking.com. Travel time going to our hotel is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Taxi service is also available via Booking.com with much cheaper price.
We expect the weather to be at 25 degrees Celsius based on the projected weather forecast but the weather at that time was very humid. We can feel the sweat in our underarms and neck.
When we arrived at Taipei M Hotel, the ambiance was fine. There are also other tourists who are checking in the hotel. The receptionist of the hotel was nice and accommodating. She even gave us recommendations on places to eat nearby the hotel. The room that we got is a two-bedroom suite, which just fits for four people. It was clean and comfortable enough to stay after a whole day of strolling.
When we arrived at Taipei M Hotel, the ambiance was fine. There are also other tourists who are checking in the hotel. The receptionist of the hotel was nice and accommodating. She even gave us recommendations on places to eat nearby the hotel. The room that we got is a two-bedroom suite, which just fits for four people. It was clean and comfortable enough to stay after a whole day of strolling.
DAY 1
Nearby the Taipei M Hotel
The next day we roam the nearby areas of the Taipei M Hotel. We followed the recommendations of the receptionist on the places to eat. The streets were not crowded with people maybe because it's already past 8:00 AM and possibly most people went to their work already. The buildings beside the hotel were nice to look at.
As we continue to roam, we have reached this place where there are lots of small canteens to eat in. We choose this very small canteen where there is a long line of people buying breakfast. So, we decided to eat there and try their famous traditional Taiwanese Breakfast.
Taipei Main Station
After we finished breakfast, we head to the Taipei Main Station for our train ride going to Taichung City. We secured out ticket at the HSR Ticket Booth.
As soon as we have purchased the tickets, we headed to the train car immediately because we only have 15 minutes before the train arrives. This is the first that we're gonna ride a bullet train! The travel was very smooth, you can't even feel the movement while inside. Generally, the Taichung City if traveled by car is about 3 hours but with bullet train, travel time is just one hour!
Taichung
We are now in Taichung! But there's another local train ride going to Houli, which is our target destination for Day 1. Houli is where the Flower Farm is. Let's stroll another train ride in Taichung.
Before you get to use the local train ride, you can need to secure a beep card that you need to use for fare. The minimum load on the card is 100 NTD.
Inside the local train station, there are lots of attractive kiosks, food & drink stalls, souvenir stalls, restaurants, and other settings that you can enjoy viewing. The station is also very spic and span that showcase how discipline are Taiwanese people when it comes to cleanliness and saving Mother Earth. Here are some of the interesting views that I've taken.
There are also very visible and comprehensive signage at the station, which are very useful for all the passengers especially for the tourists.
From train ride at Taichung, we get down at the Xinwuri Station (to estimate, it's the last station stop from that train ride). From the Xinwuri Station, we need to pass through an underpass going to the other side of the road where we can get a taxi ride going to the Houli Flower Farm. This underpass is confusing because all signage are written in local language. We still need to ask two or three people who passed by on which way are we going to take for us to go to other side of the road. Finally, we got it right! By the way, the cab ride going to Houli Flower Farm is around 700-900 NTD.
Houli Flower Farm
Finally, we are here at the Flower Farm!
It's already past lunch time when we arrived at the Flower Farm. We availed their grilled buffet lunch with free entrance ticket already to the farm. The amount is 350 NTD per person. If you will not avail of the buffet, the ticket price is 150 NTD per person. The lunch was good and fulfilling because of the unlimited meat and vegetables to grill. Rice and drinks are also unlimited.
Entering the Houli Flower Farm is a heaven place (especially if you are a person who loves flowers and plants). It's like eternal summer in this place. The flower farm has picture-perfect scenes. Flowers come in different kinds and colors. Not to mention that there are settings that will let you feel you're in a place of perfect flower sceneries and displays.
Aside from the flower sceneries and displays at the Houli Flower Farm, the farm is also filled with different settings like plant nurseries, hanging plants, fish statues, shops, ponds, and others. Freshly harvested vegetables are also in the place that you can buy and take home to your family and friends.
Rainbow Village
After Houli Flower Farm, we went straight to the Rainbow Village. It's 15-20 minutes taxi ride from the farm. Fare is 750 NTD.
Rainbow Village is definitely a paradise to all instagrammers. This is because of the colorful walls of the houses in the village. It is located in Nantun District, Taichung. This place is very historical and now becoming popular among tourists and travelers alike. Every year, the visitors in this place is increasing. There is no entrance fee. Within the area, there are souvenir shops and milk tea houses.
Rainbow Village is definitely a paradise to all instagrammers. This is because of the colorful walls of the houses in the village. It is located in Nantun District, Taichung. This place is very historical and now becoming popular among tourists and travelers alike. Every year, the visitors in this place is increasing. There is no entrance fee. Within the area, there are souvenir shops and milk tea houses.
Shilin Night Market
To cap off the the first day of our stay in Taiwan, we went straight to the Shilin Night Market. We ride the usual bus and train going to the market. It's past dinner time when we arrived the market. It's about 7:30PM already. We decided to have a quick dinner in the market to fill our hungry tummies. There's this famous Hot Star Chicken that is very big and has a size bigger than your hand. It comes in two flavors, spicy and non- spicy. Since we are not all fond of spicy foods, we choose the non-spicy. The taste of the chicken is in best combination with a mango milk tea. We about 700 NTD per head on this dinner combo.
After that quick dinner, we started strolling the market the street. Of course various street foods are present. There are shops and outlet stores that display sales and discount offers. Souvenir shops are every where as well as milk tea kiosk and food stalls. Video or toy centers are making noises.
Our Day 1 in Taiwan had been a fruitful one. With the various places we've been through in just one day, I can say that Taiwan is really a beautiful and clean country. Though all the walking and finding of places was really tiring, the photos I captured in my camera were really worth it.
Day 2
Yehliu Geopark
To start our Day 2, we had our breakfast in the nearby bakery where the Klook bus will pick us up for itinerary trip. We just had a light breakfast of bread and coffee. Time of pick-up is 8:30 AM but we were there an hour earlier because the bus will arrive 30 minutes earlier according to the Klook details. We were just in time. After the light breakfast, the bus arrived at 8:00 AM as planned. We were not allowed yet to enter the bus until it was 8:15 AM.
Inside the bus, there were was a tourist guide, her name is Bobo. She is friendly and accommodating, and can speak clear English. Every once in a while, she strictly instructs us to wear the seat belt for our safety. At around 9:30 AM, we arrived at our first itinerary, which is the Yehliou Geopark.
Per Google:
"Yehliu is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan. It’s known for Yehliu Geopark, a landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea. Well-known formations named for their shapes include the Queen’s Head and Dragon’s Head. The park is also home to birds such as ospreys and little egrets. In the village of Yehliu, the elaborate, 19th-century Baoan Temple was built using materials from an abandoned boat."
Inside the bus, there were was a tourist guide, her name is Bobo. She is friendly and accommodating, and can speak clear English. Every once in a while, she strictly instructs us to wear the seat belt for our safety. At around 9:30 AM, we arrived at our first itinerary, which is the Yehliou Geopark.
Per Google:
"Yehliu is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan. It’s known for Yehliu Geopark, a landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea. Well-known formations named for their shapes include the Queen’s Head and Dragon’s Head. The park is also home to birds such as ospreys and little egrets. In the village of Yehliu, the elaborate, 19th-century Baoan Temple was built using materials from an abandoned boat."
Ying Yang Sea
After our tour at the Yehliou Geopark, we went to Ying Yang Sea, which is just about minutes from the park. We still took the bus ride going to this place, The location of the sea is just beside the coastal road.
Ying Yang Sea is a bay that represents the natural concept of duality because of its mixture of yellow and blue colors. The surrounding of the bay is filled with lush green mountains and landscapes that truly gives a splendid view for every tourist.
Ying Yang Sea is a bay that represents the natural concept of duality because of its mixture of yellow and blue colors. The surrounding of the bay is filled with lush green mountains and landscapes that truly gives a splendid view for every tourist.
King Kong Mountain & The Golden Waterfall
Not far from the Ying Yang Sea is the majestic King Kong Mountain. With the lush greens of the mountain, Taiwan had been tagged as one of the best spot for trekking. The areas surrounding the mountain is also known for its copper and gold mines.
The Golden Waterfall displays stunning sparkles as the sun reflects on its water. However, the mines don't work anymore because the copper and gold already merges with the metal deposits as rains pour on the mines. The chemical reactions of the merging causes the stunning appearance of the Golden Waterfall.
Jiufen
After the lush greens and scenic views of the mountains, the next in our itinerary list is Jiufen. If you love shopping for souvenirs, local delicacies and foods, this place is definitely a heaven for you. Jiufen is a mountain town known for its narrow alleyways of souvenir shops, street-food shacks, tea houses, and other traditional stuffs. After getting down the tourist bus, we still need to walk down the street in going to Jiufen because buses are not allowed to park in the location. The walk takes about 10-15 minutes.
We had our lunch at Jiufen. It's not a descent lunch, it looks more to be a snack. We had a Beef Noodle Soup. This soup is really tasty and beef meat pieces were very soft and tender. The noodles are crunchy enough to match the tasty soup. Currently, Taiwan is having a national contest for all restaurant owners on the best Beef Noodle Soup in the country. Maybe because of this contest, every one had been very competitive in making their Beef Noodle Soup the best.
We started strolling the alleyway of Jiufen after we eat. Here are my captured shots as we stroll along.
LOCAL DELICACIES & FOODS
HISTORICAL ITEMS & TEA HOUSES
SOUVENIR SHOPS
DAY 3
Shi Fen Old Street (Sky Lantern Release)
When you're in Taiwan, it's impossible that you will not include the Sky Lantern Releasing activity in your itinerary. This activity is very historical in Taiwan and takes place at the Shi Fen Old Street at the train railway. Every tourist who release their lanterns to the sky has aspiring dreams and very high expectations. Every color on the lantern signifies or represents an aspect in your life. For our lantern colors, we choose RED (happiness), BLUE (career), YELLOW (money) & PINK (health).
There are also various souvenir shops where you can buy miniature lanterns for your buy.
Jingan Bridge
Jingan Bridge is also located at the Shi Fen Station and the Old Street. It is 128 meters in length and is the junction bridge between Nanshan Village and Shi Fen Village. During the 1950s, the bridge is used to transport coalmine. But when the mining had stopped, the bridge was renovated and been used as pedestrian bridge.
Shi Fen Waterfall
Shi Fen Waterfall is regarded as the Little Niagara of Taiwan because of its powerful flow and horseshoe shape. Another nickname for this waterfall is the "Rainbow Pond". It is 40-meter in width and 20-meter in height. Its view is very scenic because it creates a rainbow as it splashes. As you watch the waterfall, you have this very relaxing feeling inside you not to mention the calmness of the crowd who visit there.
Before reaching the location of the Shi Fen Waterfall, we have to pass through some zones filled with little food stalls, historical statues, and other displays.
Raohe Night Market
Our last stop for our Taiwan trip ended at the Raohe Night Market, which was highly recommended by our bus tourist guide because of its very affordable prices and bargains. The market is filled with open-air bazaars of various items that include mostly of street foods and small eats. There are also kiosks of nibbles on stick, fruit juices, and milk teas. Various cute and fashionable stuffs are also in the market.
Taoyuan Airport Departure
Our flight going back to the Philippines is 11:00 AM but we have to be in the airport at 8:00 AM because we still need to return the Wi-Fi gadget that we have rented. We have returned the gadget on time and was able to check-in our luggages without any hassles. In short, we'll be back in the Philippines in few more hours. Before boarding, we still managed to consume our NTD bills and coins. We saw this Hello Kitty Shop where we have the chance of consuming the money left in our purse.
Our overall this Taiwan trip is definitely a trip to remember. We've been friends for more than 20 years already but this is the first time that we've been together (again) as a group (for long days) after getting married, having our own family, and getting busy in our jobs/careers. We were not complete because one of us was not able to come with us because she just gave birth a month before our travel date. I hope and pray that on our next trip, she can join us. I miss these girls though sometimes there are moments that we still talked too much about our career and family life, but still the friendship is there. Our next trip would happen probably 2-3 years from now. I just hope on our next trip, it would be something more cold in weather. We are eyeing either for Japan or Korea this time. I just hope it will materialize. XIE XIE!
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