Eat || Sleep || Travel
Taiwan Itinerary
30th March - 4th April
Day 1 - 30th March 2016
✈ Reach KLIA 2
✈ Depart to Taiwan
✈ Reach Taiwan Airport
✈ Lunch at Formosa Chang
✈ Miao Li District for Wind Turbine
✈ Reach at motel.
✈Reach Feng Jia Night Market for dinner & shopping
So this is my first time visiting Taiwan. We have been planned it from last year and thanks for Airasia, we bought our flight ticket for a cheaper price and also my friends for planning it. So we have hired an experience driver to help us with the itinerary and accommodation based on our request. NTD5000 of deposit to be paid after we have confirmed and agree with the arrangement. If you don’t have any contact for the tour guide, you can hire them when you are in Taiwan but you do need to compare their price. They have a lot of packages and price based on the places you wanted to go.
So we start our journey from a friend’s house as early as 6.30am for meet up so we don’t stuck in a morning jam. We have booked a van for RM360 to and fro KLIA 2 and reach airport around 7.30am. Our flight departure at 10am so we have plenty of time to have our breakfast.
We reach Taoyuan International Airport at 2.30pm. Nothing much to do in the plane for 4 and a half hours though. Been sleeping in the plane after our flight meal. Hehe..
After we have taken our luggage, we headed to Telco Company which situated in the airport just before we pass the immigration. There are 3 Telco Company for us to choose which are Chung Hwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile Co. Ltd and FarEastOne Telecommunications. The rates are all the same, but we choose Chung Hwa Telecom since it is being said that they have the fastest 4G LTE. The internet coverage are really good and fast, no complaint. *thumbs up*
Chunghwa Telecom
10-day Data/Wi-Fi unlimited Internet access plan4G day plan pre-paid card -10 day pass NTD$500
This card allows you to enjoy 240 hours (10 days) of unlimited Data+Wi-Fi internet browsing service once register in Taiwan. Includes NT$100 credit for voice.
For More Information :
English - www.twgate.net/prepaidcard/product_en.html
Chinese - www.twgate.net/prepaidcard/product_cn.html
After passport stamping and luggage pick up, we headed straight to the main front door and wait for our Tour Guide ‘Coke Liao’. He arrived in time with Hyundai Starex. He is very friendly and welcome us. He help us arrange our luggage bag at the back of his car and off we go to our 1st eatery place in Taiwan.
While on the way to our lunch place, he briefly introduced us Taiwan and told us the plan for the day. Around 3pm we have reach a restaurant named Formosa Chang which served Braised Minced Pork Rice. It is quite famous in Taiwan.
After we done with our lunch, our tour guide Coke bought us the current famous Taiwanese Milk Tea. The milk teas are all available in any 7-11 and family mart. This drink has been introduced by our friends before this and they told us it is really good and it is a must buy drinks if we go to Taiwan. So thanks to Coke we got to try it and it is really nice. It is a good drink. So if you ever go to Taiwan, find it and taste it. *thumbs up, thumbs up*
Next destination is to Miao Li District for the Giant Wind Turbine. It is open for public. You can see a lot of it although you haven’t reached the exact location. Once we step down from the car, we can feel the wind blowing and felt so cold. *find for jacket / scarf * We spent some time there taking picture and enjoying the view. There are some food vendors selling foods & drinks. Coke bought us a bottle of peanut. Thumb up for the peanuts. Must buy.
Around 7pm, we have arrived at the motel. We can get to Feng Jia Night Market around 15min by walking.
It is a busy night. You do have to be careful with the scooter. Even while the light is green and safe to walk, you will easily get shocked by them as they will also pass by you. *serious*
We was exhausting after walking at the Feng Jia night market. It was a very long night market, full of people, food stalls and boutique. We headed back to motel around 11pm.
Day 2 - 31st March 2016
✈ Wake up & prepare
✈ Breakfast at CCC Cafe
✈ Yong San Paste Noodle 蚯蚓龍山麵線糊
✈ Lugang Historical Reservation Area (Lugang Old Street)
✈ Miyahara
✈ Reach at motel.
✈ Reach Feng Jia Night Market for dinner & shopping (again)
Wake up at 7am. Feel the refreshing air just standing at the balcony of our room. Sun rises earlier than Malaysia. It was around 6am and you can see the sun already.
Around 8am Coke came and fetch us to CCC Cafe to have our breakfast. Because lack of workers, we have to bring our food ourselves. We had our breakfast at 2nd floor. And to our surprise, there are some soft toys for us to take pic with and a huge teddy bear looking out the window.
After done with our breakfast and taking picture, we straight headed to Rainbow Village.
Rainbow Village was famous for the drawing all around the wall and road which drew by Grandfather Huang.
You can meet him personally in the village and get him to sign on your book like mine. There are so many painting to take photo with. And as we stay a little longer, there came a man wearing iron man mask with a colourful shirt and pants. Support him and he will take some creative picture for you.
After all the picture taking and explore around the Rainbow Village, we headed to have a snack. It is Yongsan Paste Noodles located at No. 193, Meishi St, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan 505.
Business Hour: 06: 00-12: 30/14: 30-17: 30 (weekdays) 06: 00-17: 30 (holiday)
It is really famous for the paste noodles.
Price as at 30/03/2016 : Small NTD25; Big NTD30
It was crowded with people when we reached. but luckily we get a place to sit not long after. You can see people come in and go with a fast pace. a lot of people queuing up for take away also.
This shop has a very small sitting space. so ppl are very considerate to finish fast and go, so that other people can come in to eat.
In particular, the inner surface of the large intestine are not added to the paste line, but wrapped pork powder.
Next stop is Lukang Old Street. This is where you can see all the old houses along the alley.
Some of them even open up a business in front of their house as they know that tourist will visit.
There is this make a penny machine, where you need to spin it and came out with a specific design coin. Total of 4 design for each machine. Each machine has a different penny design. Cost NTD30 each. But it will cost NTD100 if you want to spin it at Taipei 101. It came with a box.I try to spin each of these machines once I see them. You may try it for a collection too. More collections are in our Facebook page. Do check them out!
Around 12.30pm, Coke bring us to another location, which is the famous Glass Temple. The whole temple was made out of glass and are open to public. It is said that the view for the glass temple are nicer at night time as the lights are all lit up. Next to the glass temple, there is an exhibition hall where they display all the glass work. Free admission.
The glass exibition is just next to the temple. And there is a huge exibition of glass work at 2nd floor. You can take your time to walk around here and take picture of course. :)
Finish the exibition, walk down and came to a shop where you can buy some souvenir that are made by glass.
At 3pm, we got picked up and to Yi Zhong Street. We have our late lunch here. The street here are similar to night market, but it is just in the day. There are a lot of stalls selling food, souvenir, clothing, etc.
Yes..! again this is the sausage wrap in sticky rice. This delicacies are famous in Taiwan, so you can find this almost at any street food.
This fried chicken is a must try..! It is from a stall name Fried Chicken 1927. It is available in Feng Jia Night Market too, where there is a big white chicken at the top of their stall. You do have to queue for this. *yum yum*
So after we have our late lunch and a little walk, we decided to go other place. So our tour guide Mr Coke bring us to Miyahara.
Miyahara is one of the most popular places in Taichung and previously this place used to be an ophthalmology clinic.
It is a retail shop selling their house brand ice cream, pineapple pastries, chocolates, tea, cookies and tea snacks. The most popular item here is the ice cream and the queue was very long.
We only go in and have a look & took some picture. there is a restaurant on the 2nd floor. If you are not going to have your meal there, the waitress will not suggest you to go up just like us. People who visit here bought a hand full of souvenir and this place is really pack of people.
So we told our tour guide that we would like to buy some famous food in Taiwan to bring back as souvenir which is the Sunny Cake and some local delicacies. So he brought us to Ruyi Sunny Cake shop. Ruyi Sunny Cake has created its own unique style, with a tourist factory and strong marketing.
Its handmade sun cakes also won first place over 500 other bakeries at the 2nd National Bakery Competition. Here, they serve you with freshly-brewed coffee or hot barley tea and some fresh sample of their shop's specialty. They gave us a menu and we can ask for some sample to try before we buy. They do delivery too when you've spend TWD6000.
Its handmade sun cakes also won first place over 500 other bakeries at the 2nd National Bakery Competition. Here, they serve you with freshly-brewed coffee or hot barley tea and some fresh sample of their shop's specialty. They gave us a menu and we can ask for some sample to try before we buy. They do delivery too when you've spend TWD6000.
They had a such good service and the delicacies here are delicious too. So we can't stop our hand from buying some from here to bring back. The food have a very short expiry date, so make sure to finish it fast.
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Add: 235, HanXiang Rd, Xitun Dist
Contact Number : (04) 2452-0917
Business Hour : 8 am-10 pm
Credit cards accepted.
Website: http://www.ruyi-sunnycake.com.tw/
After we've made payment, we head back to our motel. Rest a while and to Feng Jia Night Market again to have more food and shopping.
Day 3 - 1st April 2016
✈ Wake up & prepare
✈ Breakfast at Wing Wor Chun Hiong
✈ The Old England Manor (take picture)
✈ Lunch at 伊拿谷景观咖啡餐坊
✈ Reach at Honey Moon Hotel.
✈ Dinner
✈ Explore around Sun Moon Lake
✈ Back to hotel
So today we are going to check in to another hotel. So we have to pack our things into the luggage bag. Then when all almost done, we start our day with a taiwan local breakfast at Wing Wor Chun Hiong. It is around 5minutes of walk and you can easily spot them as they have the big banner in front of their shop. They sell a lot of local breakfast where you usually will have. They have a lot of varieties to choose from. From porridge to fried mee hoon and some carrot cake too. Drinks will be the soya milk where you can find most of the locals have for their breakfast.
Next stop is a strawberry farm. This strawberry farm is manage by an old lady. You can pick strawberry by yourself or just buy from the ready packet. The strawberry are all very sweet and fresh.
There are so many rows for you to pick your strawberry. We did not pluck any strawberry here. We take photo here instead and our tour guide bought a box of strawberry for us. Our tour guide are very good indeed, he keep on buying food for us.
At around 10am, we've stop at a place name Puli King Garden where you can take a lot of pictures here. There is not much to do beside taking pictures. They do sell some fresh tarts and biscuits here. And if you feeling hungry, you can go the their 2nd floor restaurant. Well, as for us we toke some pictures, go to restroom, buy a scoop of ice cream and off we go continue our journey to the top of the famous mountain, He Huan Mountain.
On the way to He Huan Mountain, we had a stop at this Old England Manor. You could not miss this hotel on the way up because of the apperance of church look alike. We are not allowed to go in, so we just take some picture outside of the hotel and continue with our journey.
After an hour drive from the boutique hotel, we at last reach He Huan Mountain. It was cold up here and there are snow everywhere. We was told when the snow are melt, the water will stream down to the lake which is Sun Moon Lake. The road up to He Huan Mountain indeed dangerous. It really need a very good skill of driver to drive. You will feel dizziness if you are not getting used to the curved road up the mountain.
Took quite a number of photos and some cold air and we are ready to go down the mountain. Half way down, we stop at a chinese restaurant 伊拿谷景观咖啡餐坊 (Inako Restaurant). This restaurant is famous for their chicken where they cook it in a pot and you need to cut the chicken yourself. The chicken are so soft that you can tear them apart with just using your bare hand with the provided gloves.
The lunch are so satisfied. The environment here are good too.
It took us another 30 minutes before we reach at Puli Brewery. There is not much to do here. There is an exibition on the 1st floor and small shops / stalls selling foods and drinks at the ground floor. Because they are famous with the Siu Heng Wine, you can buy most of the foods and drinks with it including ice cream. Free admission. More info HERE.
We did not stay long at the Puli Brewery and we were brought to another place, Feeling 18°. You can have free test for their chocolate with liquor inside, black coffee and a small bowl of ramen. The ramen is good though. You will be given 2 flavour to choose from, spicy and non spicy. Non spicy taste better. Then we decided to buy 3 scoop of ice cream before we continue our journey to Sun Moon Lake.
Our tour guide brought us to one of the famous temple, which is Wen Wu Temple. We did not go inside the temple, just taking picture around it. Then he brought us down the mountain a bit, where we can walk a bit around the Sun Moon Lake.
This place are famous for the scenery here. A lot of couple came here spend their time just by sitting on the grass, some they rent bicycle to ride. The people here are friendly though. Got a few times that we block their way without our notice but they didn't ring a bell or scold us. They just wait for us to walk until we realize they are behind us. Because of the scenery here, it is also the famous pick for the couple to have their wedding photo taken here.
After finish our walk and picture taking, our tour guide fetch us to our next hotel, Honey Moon Hotel.
We then put our things and go for dinner. It was the most expensive dinner throughout the whole trip. 1 things we've learned is never ask tour guide to bring us eat when it is our free time to explore. TWD2000 for 5 normal dish. Really not worth it.
After dinner we go for a walk around and take picture. Then we came across a staircase where a lot of people sitting down and being entertain by the little girl songs. While the little girl sings, her dad played the guitar.
We sit here about half and hour and we go to 7-11 to buy some food for supper and go back to hotel to bath, eat and at last sleep as the next day we will be going to explore Taiwan again.
Day 4 - 2nd April 2016
✈ Breakfast in hotel
✈ Take boat for Sun Moon Lake round tour
✈ Reach 1st stop (Xuanguang Temple Pier)
✈ Reach 2nd stop (Ita Tao Pier)
✈ Lunch at Lee Chuen Gor
✈ Shengxing Train Station 勝興車站
✈ Dinner
Woke up at around 7am. The hotel receptionist told us that breakfast will be brought to us the next morning at 8am. So we wake up early and prepare. Breakfast arrive at 7.30am. Luckily we wake up early. Breakfast consist on bread, hot soya drink and some sandwich. We actually did not manage to finish the breakfast. As you have realize already, they are quite famous for the soya bean drink. In fact, the taiwanese have hot soya bean drinks every morning.
We started to pack after we finish our breakfast. We will be transfering to another hotel tonight. And our formal tour guide had to change to his partner as he has some errand to do and unable to continue bring us around. We were been told by the receptionist that the new tour guide will be arrive here at 11am, so we have plenty of time for the Sun Moon Lake round tour. You may read it all here about the tour if you haven't already.
By 11am we reach at Honey Moon Hotel,we greeted by this new tour guide. He got a bigger car. He bring us for lunch at Lee Chuen Gor braised pork rice restaurant. Yes..it is another place for a traditional braised pork rice.
After our delicious lunch, we continue our journey to Zhong Shi Flower Market (中社观光花市), which located at Taichong City in here. Zhong Shi Toursight Flower Market is a marvelous sight where you can walk around a beautiful garden with a wide array of brilliant colorful flowers.
Covering an area of 6 hectares, the Flower Market features beautifully landscaped gardens and flower beds, all arranged in different shapes and sizes. The floral patterns changes with the seasons, thus providing any returning visitors a brand new experience every time they visit again.
We only manage to take photo outside of the garden as we did not enter. It's a really nice place to take a lot of scenery photograph in here.
Admission Fees : NTD 120 for adult and NTD 60 for children 3-12 years old.
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday : 9.00am - 6.00pm
Saturday & Sunday : 9.00am - 9.00pm
Next stop is Shengxing Station. This train station no longer operate. There are a lot of people came here to take pictures especially at the tunnel. Then we walk out to buy some drinks and walk around.
By the time we reach our next hotel, it's 7pm. After we done with hotel check in, we go out to buy dinner and have it in hotel. There is a big bath tub for us to use for hot spring bath. We did put in our leg in the water and chit chat and that is how we end our day.
For 5th, 6th and 7th day of our trip are free and easy, which means we get to plan our own. I will only list down where we have been as we did not take much photo. This Taiwan trip's photos are credit to our friends. We actually did not take much photo. Hope you enjoy reading as I enjoy typing it. ^^
