Four Days in Taichung
Last Monday was Fu Jen’s anniversary day and
this means another school-day off for the students, including me and Gaby! This
also means that we had a really long weekend, all the more so because our class
on the Fridays finishes at noon. Thus, it
was another opportunity to explore places around Taiwan.
This time, we decided to visit Taichung which
is located south to Taipei. But because we thought it would be too long to
spend four days in Taichung, we agreed to visit places outside Taichung as well.
DAY 1: TAICHUNG CITY
On the 7th of December, the two
of us traveled by Ubus from Taipei to
Taichung and arrived in the city at around 4 PM. Because it happened to be earlier
than what we had expected, we decided to first go to the CMP Block Museum of
Arts to see the artworks of some local artists. Then, as some local friends
have suggested, we visited the famous Miyahara Ice Cream.
Located closely to Taichung Station,
Miyahara Ice Cream is known with the fact that it is always full of tourists.
Generally, the store offers variety of desserts ranging from chocolate to
cakes, but it is their ice cream store – which is located right next to the
main store – that is always crowded.
We ordered 2 scoops of ice cream (Salted Caramel and Chocolate Banana - $160
NT) and a seasonal waffle (Chocolate
waffle along with blueberry ice cream, raisins, strawberry, and cookie - $80
NT). As for the toppings, we picked their pineapple cake and cheesecake.
Frankly said, their ice cream is quite expensive yet it is unquestionably good.
Right after that, we headed to our Airbnb before
we went to one of the most-mentioned night markets in Taichung, the Yizhong
Night Market. The night market is in a long alley that is – I would say – divided into two main
parts: fashion and street food. For the love we bear for night markets, the
latter is certainly more attractive for the two of us.
Taiwanese Fried Chicken ($65 NT)
Fried Calamari with Thai Lemon Sauce ($100 NT)
Beef Scallion Pancake ($45 NT)
Although the food that we tried appears to
be all delicious, the two special things in this night market are the fried calamari and fried chicken. The squid was perfectly fried and well-seasoned and
the fried chicken was surprisingly different from the ordinary Taiwanese fried
chicken, especially with its sweet sauce.
DAY 2: QINGJING FARM
On the next day, we traveled by Nantou Bus from Gancheng Station to
Nantou County which is a wide national park located on the east of Taichung. We
went off at nine in the morning. By midday, we could already see the scenic
mountain view of Nantou County. Actually, there are a lot of things that you
could do here such as exploring the wild forest, taking some skywalk, and even
enjoying the starry skies at night. Nevertheless, it was their Qingjing Farm
that attracted us the most.
When we were in Qingjing Farm, we had the chance to interact
directly to the sheep, see how they were being sheared, as well as feed them
too. Not to mention, we were also blessed with a perfect weather at that day that we could enjoy
the mesmerizing views of Nantou County. It was great decision to go outside the city and had some fresh air in the wild nature.
DAY 3: TAICHUNG CITY
We spent the whole day to explore Taichung
city. First, we took a leisure walk around Shenji New Village which is a place
for (mostly) youngsters to hang out. The place is basically a renovated old
residential area that is full of cafés and small stalls. When we first arrived,
we came across a long queue from a bakery, Luho Puff Home.
Although the croissant and cheese tart
were tasty as well, it is their chocolate
puff that surprised us the most. Next, we also tried the soft Matcha Snowflake Ice from Miss Meet Shop
which was a perfect choice in such sunny day.
Matcha Snowflake Ice with Redbeans ($75 NT)
After that, we visited the National Taiwan
Museum of Fine Arts, National Taichung Theater, as well as the Rainbow Village.
As for the Rainbow Village, there wasn’t so much thing to do there except for
taking photographs. Still, it is said you haven’t been in Taichung if you haven’t
visited the place.
And there it came the most awaited time of
the day – strolling around Fengchia Night Market! When we asked some Taiwanese
friends on which night market to visit it Taichung, this night market always
comes on top of the list.
Korean Style Pork with Cheese ($100 NT)
Dumplings ($80 NT) & Fried Mix Mushrooms ($50 NT)
Pan-fried Scallop ($100 NT)
At the end of the day, we walked outside
the area of the night market to try a famous chicken feet that was recommended
by a friend. During the walk, we also found some Taiwanese snack and fresh
strawberries. It was such a fun night.
Taiwanese Buns ($30 NT) & Stawberries and Milk (50 NT)
Seasoned Chicken Feet ($40 NT)
DAY 4: SUN MOON LAKE
For the last day of our break, we decided
to go to Sun Moon Lake, a large beautiful lake located in Nantou County as well.
Sun Moon Lake has three main tourist spots: Shuishe Pier, Xuanguang Pier, and
Ita Thao Pier. We went to each of the piers using their boat tour service, but we spend most of our day in Ita Thao.
Grilled Mochi ($40 NT)
Rice Noodle Bun ($40 NT) & Sweet Potato Milk ($50 NT)
Pork Skewers ($100 NT) & Tempura Salad ($65 NT)
In addition to the three tourist spots, you
can also visit the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village in Sun Moon Lake. Lots
of people said that it is beautiful a cultural park. However, we couldn’t make
it because it is such a huge park that it requires another full day to explore
it.
Tips: Don’t forget to buy the QingJing
Farm and Sun Moon Lake Pass in the Nantou Gancheng Station before you leave
Taichung – it is cheaper for your whole trip.
Photo courtesy:
Gabriela Clara @foodcomatosed
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