A Day in Taichung

Taichung is the second largest city in Taiwan and has a very warm climate compared to Taipei. Taichung is a major political, economic, transportation and cultural hub during the Japanese occupation. The city was able to preserve many of its historic sites and retain the original “chessboard” street plan from the Japanese era. We spent a day touring the sunny city of Taichung.

Taichung is a city with a lot of things to offer. One of the most popular places to visit is the Houli Flower farm. Houli Flower farm is a picturesque farm known for its different flowers and instagrammable spots. You will spend hours just taking photos in this place. Most famous spot to take photo is beside the windmill and the piano in the middle of flowers. Aside from the vast span of flower fields, there is an area where you can eat. The entrance fee to Houli Flower farm is NT120 and you get to be surrounded by beautiful flowers.

If you like ice cream, Miyahara is the place for you. Miyahara is a red brick architecture built by an ophthalmologist, Miyahara Takeo in 1927. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the building became Taichung Health Bureau. However, the Heath Bureau got suspended and the building became unused and started to decay. Fortunately, a pastry company acquired the building and preserved the original red-brick wall and archway. The Miyahara building became the home for Dawn Cake’s famous pineapple cake and signature ice cream.

The Miyahara ice cream parlour is outside the building but you will never miss it because of the long line of people buying ice cream. Try the assorted flavors of ice cream and choose various toppings like pineapple cake, cheesecake and many more! Since Miyahara is a popular place, it can easily get busy and lines can get very long. There are many signatures ice cream flavor that it is hard to choose which to pick. They have wide array of tea-infused flavor ice cream, chocolate flavors, fruit flavour and the Miyahara Special. The staff will hand you the menu while waiting in line. One scoop of ice will cost you NT$90 and you get a free topping. Two scoops are NT$160 which will get you two toppings. If you order three scoops, it will cost NT$225 with three toppings. You also have an option to add a waffle coin which is NT$20.

After having ice cream at Miyahara, we went to Rainbow Village. The Rainbow Village is a former military dependents' village that was converted into street art in Nantun District. Huang Yong-Fua retired soldier began painting the walls of his home and surrounding buildings in 2010 in an attempt to have them preserved. Rainbow village consists of a few homes with different colorful mural painting. You can go around the place and take your photo in ten minutes. The Rainbow Village became a popular instagrammable place because of its colorful paintings. Aside from taking photos there are no other activity in Rainbow Village.

The last place we visited is the Gaomei Wetlands which is located on the south of the mouth of Dajia River. The soils in Gaomei wetlands is mixed with mud and sand which made is a very good breeding place of diversified organisms of both plants and animals.

Gaomei Wetlands is characterized by a row of wind turbines. There are patches of sedge grass which is one of the few plants that can survive on a water with high salt content. I was hoping to see the sunset during our visit but it was cloudy on that day. Gaomei wetlands is a windy place and can become a bit cold. There are some food stalls near the parking area. The best sun cake in Taiwan is located in Gaomei Wetlands. The store is just in the entry of the parking area.

A day is not enough to see the beauty that Taichung can offer.

An Afternoon in Shifen

Shifen Waterfall is a picturesque waterfall located in Pingxi District on the upper reached of the Keelung River. It is the broadest waterfall in Taiwan with a total height of 20 meters (66 ft) and width of 40 meters (130 ft). It is a cascade waterfall in which the water flows in one direction and the rock sloped in the opposite. We went to the waterfall on an afternoon. There were a lot of tourists like us wanting to see the waterfall. 

To reach the waterfall you will have to pass on a suspended bridge. Adjacent to the bridge is a functioning train railroad. After passing the bridge, you will pass by at a small temple. After that you will reach the food stalls and waterfall. After the food stall, you will see the majestic waterfall. There are several viewpoints of the waterfall, and it is mostly crowded of tourist. However, each viewpoint will give you a stunning look at the waterfall.

Shifen Waterfall is open daily from 9AM to 4:30PM and its free. I would suggest going early to avoid the crowd.

A few walk away from Shifen waterfall is the Shifen oldstreet which is popular for its sky lanterns. Tourists flocks the Pingxi Railway Line to write their wishes on the lantern and release them on the sky in the middle of the train tracks.

The custom of releasing sky lanterns can be traced back to the Fujian province of China. In the middle of 1800s, the Pingxi area is full of bandits. The local villagers would send up sky lanterns to inform others that it was safe to pick up supplies. The locals started to writing wishes to the gods on the lanterns since it goes high into the sky.

The price for a sky lantern and Shifen is TWD 200 (single color, red is the most common), 250 (four colors), or 350 (8 colors). Each color of the lantern has a meaning. Once you light up the lantern and release it, it will immediately go up. One of the vendors will assist you in arranging the lantern so that you can write your wishes. They will also assist you in releasing your lantern and they will take photos of you releasing the lantern.

You can also buy some souvenir items on the stores selling lanterns. There are a lot of lantern keychains. Aside from shops selling lanterns, there are also some food stalls along the train tracks.

A Guide at Yehliu Geopark

 Yehliu Geopark is one the popular tourist attraction in Taiwan. Yehliu Geopark is located on the north coast of Taiwan. Yehliu Geopark is divided into three section. The first section has rocks like the famous Queen’s head, Fairy’s Shoe and Candle. The second section has rocks like Bean Curd and Dragon Head. The third section has sea-eroded caves and seal shaped rock. The rock formations in the Yehliu Geopark are caused by weathering, marine erosion, and crustal movement.

Travel time from Taipei to Yehliu Geopark may take 1.5 hours. There are buses from Taipei that can bring you directly to the Geopark. There is also an option to take the THSR or TRA. However, you will still have to take a bus after going down the train station. The entrance fee at Yehliu Geopark is NTD 120. There is usually a long line in the ticket booth.

Since Yehliu is popular tourist spot it can easily get crowded, so it is better to plan your travel to maximize your trip. The Queen’s head always have a long queue of tourist wanting to get a picture with it. You can try to find other angle wherein you can get a picture with the Queen’s head without people in the background.

Aside from the different interesting rock formation, the Yehliu Geopark offers a scenic view of the sea. There is also a market just outside the park where you can buy souvenirs and food.

Shilin Night Market

 Shilin Night Market is one of the largest night markets in Taipei. It is incredibly famous for its various snacks and eatery. If you are taking the Taipei MRT, you just need to go down the Jiantan station and from there its just a short walk. Even as you step out of the subway there are already food stalls leading to Shilin Night Market. Aside from food, Shilin Night Market is also a best place to buy souvenirs. Items are cheaper than in other places. They have ref magnets, cable holders, shirts, key chains, and others. There are also games or activities wherein you can win some prizes.

There are a lot of good food stalls in Shillin Night Market. For us to maximize our visit, we already did research of the best food stalls. There are also some food stalls that has been given the Michellin Bib Gourmand. A Bib Gourmand is more likely to offer comforting favourites at their best.

There are stalls that offer tanghulu. Tanghulu is a candied fruit snack. Originally it is made frum hawthorn berries, but it can made with other fruits as well like strawberry, grapes or plum.

One of the must-try is Raohe Street Fuzhou Black Pepper Buns. The famous black pepper buns in Raohe Night Market is alson in Shilin Night Market. Just like in Raohe, the buns are roasted to perfection inside a clay oven.

Another must-try is Guan Zheng-zong’s Original Small Sausage Wrapped in Big Sausage. It is Taiwanese sausage inside sticky rice sausage. They offer different flavors for the sauce of the sausage like garlic, spicy, satay, honey, soy sauce, and more. 

 Hometown BBQ Chicken is one of the best Taiwanese fried chicken selections at Shilin Night Market. They have a stall located near the Jiantan station. The chicken is big and crispy.

If you want to try these stalls, I suggest you come in early as there is always line in these food stalls. Shilin Night Market opens at 6PM although not all stalls are open at this time. Some are just starting their set-up but coming in early will give you more chance to go around the night market.

Going Around Ximending

Ximending is a neighborhood and shopping district in Taipei. Ximending is a popular theater street in Taipei in the past. Today, Ximending has twenty theaters and is a popular area for small concerts and street performance. Every night there are different street performances.

One of the famous place in Ximending is the Red House Theater. It was built in 1908 by Kondo Juro, a Japanese architect. The Red House started as a public market then shifted to bookstore, cinema and to a theater. The Red House is now a platform to promote Cultural and Creative Industry making Ximending as most iconic location of Cultural and Creative Industry in Taiwan.

Aside from being an entertainment and shopping hub, Ximending is also a place for food. And I mean really nice food! But I’ll be sharing my food trip in another blog. So aside from the entertainment and food, what else can you do in Ximending?

At the main intersection, just near the Red House is the Rainbow Six Crossing, one of the most popular spot in Ximending. It is close to the LGBTQ+ bars and the whole are around it has huge billboards and neon displays.

Just a short walk from Ximending is Taipei North Gate which is a historical landmark dating back in the 1880s and is located in Beimen North Gate Square.

From Taipei North Gate you can walk to Beimen MRT Underground station where you can ride a train to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The hall was built in a previous army headquarters. The square in front of the memorial hall is a popular gathering place. The National Concert Hall is located on the left side of the memorial hall and on the right side is the National Theater. The square between the two halls is used often for performances and musical activities.

The famous Taipei 101 is just six stations away from Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Taipei 101 from outside looks like a bamboo stalk towering the other building. In the basement of the building is a decent food court. The famous Din Tai Fung is located at the ground floor. Tickets for the observation on the 88^th and 89^th floors is at the 5^th floor. You can have a 360 view of the Taipei at the 88^th floor. If the weather is good, you can also try the outdoor deck at the 91^st floor.

Dining at Kayuputi

Kayuputi restaurant is located at The St. Regis in Bali. It is the signature restaurant of The St. Regis Bali Resort.  The St. Regis Bali resort is in the serene beach of Nusa Dua.

Kayuputi offers Asian-inspired cuisine. The restaurant has a magnificent view of the beach and is comprise of elegant and stylish interiors. In the center of the restaurant is a large open kitchen where you can watch the culinary brigade with their chef prepare your dishes.

Kayuputi offers a variety of dishes through a la carte and degustation menus, as well as Sunday brunches and champagne brunches. Each of their dish has a mix of Asian flavors and western influences.

Advanced reservation is needed. We try to make dinner reservation two weeks before our arrival in Bali and their reservation is almost full. We had to change some plans just to be able to fit in our schedule their available slots.

When we arrive at The St. Regis Bali Resort, we were greeted by their staff. They assist us in getting a caddy to bring us in the restaurant. Yes, there is a caddy car to bring you in the restaurant since it is a bit far from the main lobby. While waiting for the ride we were able to watch performance of fire dancers.

At Kayuputi, we were immediately assisted to our seat. We chose a seat outside to feel the sea breeze. The seats outside are also more intimate.

A few minutes after we are seated, they took our orders and they immediately brought out complimentary dishes. First food they brought us is their five flavored bread rolls with four dipping sauces. I forgot the flavors of the bread but the dipping sauce are olive oil, butter, tartar sauce and catsup with banana.

Another complimentary dish is the fresh salmon with cucumber. This dish is very refreshing.

For appetizer we tried their Char-grilled Octopus Tentacle. It has Spring onion – ginger flower sambal, Balinese seasonal beans velvet, ruku – ruku leaf oil, purple potato chips. The octopus is melt in your mouth. The thin purple potato chips is a delight.

For our mains, we ordered their Swordfish Loin and Sumberkima or Coral Trout. The Swordfish Loin has soy-glazed oxtail ragout. The small meats in the ragout is very tasty and adds a different texture from the swordfish loin. The dish also has edamame beans and Asian green herbs salad. 

The Sumberkima or Coral Trout is steamed and is placed in black ink emulsion. This is my favorite dish from what we ordered. It has zucchini, konbu, allium crumbles, green shallot oil and potato net. All of the ingredients in the dish compliments one another. The fish is soft and then you have the crispy potato net.

Lastly for dessert, we had their Valrhona Chocolate ice cream. There is nothing too fancy for the ice cream. It easily melts so it’s best to immediately consume it.

For drinks we tried their American Mint Lemonade mocktail. It has lemon juice, sugar syrup, mint leaves and lemonade which is very refreshing on a humid weather.

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience in Bali and if ever we go back to Bali, we will definitely make another reservation at Kayuputi.