If you missed out any of the previous posts, here are the links:
Day 1 Part 1 (Singapore Changi Airport - Taoyuan International Airport)
Day 1 Part 2: (Yongkang Street 永康街 - Taipei 101 台北101 - Shihlin Night Market 士林夜市)
Day 2 Part 1: (Four Seas Soy Bean King 四海豆漿大王 - Goose Meat Shop 鴨肉扁 - Ximending 西門町)
Day 2 Part 2: (Raohe Night Market 饒河觀光夜市)
Day 3: (Taipei Breeze Centre 微風廣場 - Guang Hua Digital Plaza 光華商場 - Ximending 西门町)
Day 4: (Jiufen 九份 - Shifen 十份 - Jingtong Mining Town 菁桐老街 - Raohe Night Market 饒河觀光夜市)
Day 5: (Bafang Yunji 八方雲集 - Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake 現做起司蛋糕 - Snake Alley 華西街夜市 - Shilin Night Market 士林夜市)
Day 6: (Banqiao 板橋 - Ximending 西門町)
Day 7: (Taipei 台北 - Taichung 台中 - Cityinn Hotel Plus Taichung Station Branch 新驛旅店台中車站店 - Yizhong Street 一中街)
It is preferable to hire a driver to travel around Taichung which is full of natural scenery and attractions. If you're in a group of about 2-4 you can hire a regular cab for a day. If however you have a bigger group, it would be advisable to get a driver with a bigger and much more comfortable vehicle.
On this trip, I managed to get the contact of 張永裕 (小胖哥) (which is what he calls himself), a really friendly and caring driver! He provided the best service and drove in the best vehicle we experienced in Taichung. The ride was so comfortable and pleasant.
小胖哥 picked us up from our hotel in Taichung. I previously arranged the schedule and itinerary with him via LINE where we communicated about what I wanted to see and where I wanted to go while he arranged them in order. The thing about hiring a driver is that you'll have to be able to speak Mandarin to talk to most of them. Otherwise, just google, and you can find someone. There is someone called "The Taichung Driver" who is from Singapore i think (and can speak English). He can help you make the necessary arrangements as well if he is unable to ferry you around.
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| We enjoyed a buffet in City Inn Hotel Plus Taichung before we left for the day. This is an entitlement for all guests staying in the hotel. |
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| En-route to our first destination: Carton King 紙箱王. |
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| Welcome to Carton King - a wonderland where everything is made out of cardboard, paper and waxed paper. There are two Carton King locations within Taichung. |
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| "Obligatory" entrance shot =) |
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| Here in Carton King, they use paper, cardboard and waxed paper (waterproof) to create international landmarks for the cheapo tourists who can't afford to travel around the world in 80 days. Here I am with various landmarks, all in the comfort of one location! |
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| The Honey Museum: Yes those are actual live bees inside those makeshift hives on the top right. In here, they sell merchandise and products made with natural honey. You can even get honey ice cream (but its not made fresh their honey ice cream is pre-manufactured). |
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| Fascinated with this life-sized horse sculpture! |
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| Bye Carton King! |
Carton King
No.2, Aly. 2, Sec. 2, Dongshan Rd., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 406, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Opening Hours: 10am-9pm | Telephone: +886-4-22398868
Admission Fee: NTD200 per person
Our next stop was Moncoeur 心之防庭, a popular spot where they've filmed a couple of Taiwanese dramas at due to this rather pristine looking chapel on the grounds. On the way though, 小胖哥 took us to have some delicious Taiwanese dessert.
How delicious? Superb-ly amazing. Till now, any other version of this dessert that I have had elsewhere has not measured up in terms of standard.
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| Unfortunately, I have the memory of a goldfish and I can't remember the name of this stall. I promise I'll google it and update this entry when I do find out, but for now - you will have to be content with salivating over my photo. These yam and sweet potato balls are so Q (springy) yet chewy and full of fibrous flavour rather than just the taste of flour, so you can be sure that you're consuming some high quality handmade balls here. The ice is so fine and delicious - I still have dreams about this (especially every time I eat a bad version of this elsewhere). If you think the one in Jiufen is good, you have got to try this. It trumps the Jiufen balls by 10x. |
Anyway, balls aside, teehee, lets get back to Moncoeur, also known as the Garden of Happiness.
At Moncoeur, half the amount you pay in admission fees comes back to you in the form of vouchers which you can use within the venue (for food, drinks, gifts).
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| A so-called wall, which was created by people hanging wooden spoons with their wishes written on them onto strings in the hopes that their wishes come true. You can buy these spoons from the stall within the grounds. |
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| A store with naturally made soaps, fragrances and merchandise, where you can even make your own lavender scent bag! (Why Lavender you ask? Moncoeur is also the brainchild of the creators of Lavender Cottage.) |
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| Pack your own lavender scent bags or buy them pre-made. Since they were the same price, I just packed them on my own for the fun of it, and I paid for these with the vouchers as part of the admission fee. |
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| With the remaining coupons, we bought some snacks because we were starving! |
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| So here come the chicken tenders and fries which were amazing (maybe we were also too hungry!) |
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| Cute signboard for the toilet! |
My verdict? A beautiful place to take photos and just admire the scenery. I would only recommend coming here in winter though, since it would be much too hot and thus uncomfortable in summer. The terrains here however are much easier for little children and the elderly compared to Lavender Cottage, so that would be a good point to consider if you are travelling with the young or old.
心之芳庭 Moncouer Garden of Happiness
No. 1, Fangting Rd, Beitun District Taichung City | 台中市北屯區民政里芳庭路1號
Tel: 04-22398900
Admission Fee: NTD200 (comes with NTD100 voucher for food or souvenirs)
No. 1, Fangting Rd, Beitun District Taichung City | 台中市北屯區民政里芳庭路1號
Tel: 04-22398900
Admission Fee: NTD200 (comes with NTD100 voucher for food or souvenirs)
Stay tuned to the next post where we continue our Taichung travel with our driver to Lavender Cottage and Zhong She Flower Market - the perfect venues for selfie-enthusiasts and flower lovers.
Till then,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V
V
