Taiwan 2017 Day 5: Lavender Cottage, Zhongshe Flower Market & Gaomei Wetlands

DAY 5: 10 DEC 2017

Sunset at Gaomei Wetlands

A new adventure awaits us today.

We will now base ourselves in Taichung and explore the outskirts of Taichung.

The quickest way to get to Taichung is to take the high speed rail (HSR).

Prior to our trip, I booked our HSR tickets through Klook as it was cheaper compared

to the early bird fares listed on the official Taiwan HSR website.

I paid S$97 for 4 pax and the entire ride took 1 hour 5 minutes.

For ticket redemption, just head over to the HSR counters at Taipei main station

to select your departure timing.

Do note that you will need to present your passport for verification.

As we had to leave Taipei early, I did the redemption two days before.

During the trip planning, I realised that there weren't much to see in Taichung itself

and many suggested to travel to the outskirts.

My colleague recommended me to go to a fruit farm and watch the sunset at Gaomei Wetlands.

But this would require me to book a driver for the entire day.

So, I went to numerous forums and blogs to search for driver recommendations.

I shortlisted a few contacts and I went ahead to contact one of them:

Mr Liu, 劉錦鐘

Whatsapp: +886 927 888 032

From what I have read online, he owns a taxi charter company and can be contacted via Whatsapp.

I whatsapped him 3 weeks before our trip as I was busy at work.

Teacher woes.

Anyway, conversations were all typed in Chinese.

Include your intended itinerary, date of travel, start time and the number of passengers.

He responds fast and quoted NT 3500 which was one of the cheaper rates for

a day tour in Taichung.

I proceeded to confirm the booking and he sent me an order chit that contains the driver's details.

Our lovely driver for the day was：

Mr Huang, 黄锡宁

Whatsapp: +886 0905-515345

He injured his legs years ago and became a driver then.

His walking speed is slow but it didn't matter to me as we felt comfortable and he was very accommodating the entire time.

We were supposed to start our tour at our hotel at 10am.

However, having heard that we are coming for Taipei, he offered to pick us up at Taichung

HSR instead so that we didn't have to get a cab to our hotel.

If you wish to get a driver in Taichung, please look for him directly!

I was a little ambitious as I planned to cover 4 attractions by sunset which was at 5.10pm.

But he made it happen!

Our first stop was Xinfeng Farm.

I was a little disappointed as I read online and they said grapes will be in season.

However, when we arrived, we could only pick persimmons.

The experience was pretty fun but I would highly recommend you to skip this place

to spend more time at the other attractions.

Persimmons at Xinfeng Farm

Next, Mr Huang brought us to our lunch place, Master of Mushroom restaurant (菇神).

Many Singaporeans recommended this restaurant if you are in the Xinshe region.

I didn't think much about it and typed it in our itinerary.

It was the best decision ever!

We were brought to a table with awesome view.

The staff began to recommend some items on the menu for the four of us and

he wasn't pushy at all.

He recommended us to choose the mushroom hotpot set for 2 pax and a popular side dish.

I was a little shocked when he didn't recommend the set for 4 pax.

But I understood the reason why when our food finally came.

The portions were huge and we barely finished our food.

The bill came up to NT 1200, which amounts to only S$13 per pax.

It was rather eye-opening as I have never eaten mushroom hotpot before.

To see so many different types of mushroom was fascinating and everything tasted good.

I particularly liked the broth a lot.

The taste resembled Campbell's cream of mushroom without the cream and

done with fresh ingredients.

It was so good and my family really enjoyed it.

Next up, we visited Lavender Cottage.
It was a long ride there but I loved how secluded the place was.
The entrance fee was NT 100 per pax which can be used to purchase the merchandises there.
You will be issued two NT 50 coupons at the entrance.

I loved the decorations there and we were surrounded by trees and flowers.
This was exactly what I wanted this holiday.
The main sight was the lavender field.

Follow the designated pathways and you will be surrounded by tons of lovely lavenders.

The pathway leads you up to the highest point of lavender cottage

where the wishing tree could be found.

Having read about their lavender and rose ice cream, I was really thrilled to finally get to

try it myself.

I settled for a single scoop of lavender flavoured ice cream (NT 50) and it was a huge scoop!

It was my first time trying the lavender flavoured ice cream and it was so refreshing.

We proceeded to walk around the area.

They have a mini shop that allows you to write and mail a postcard anywhere.

Outdoor tents were set up too and they were selling lavender scents and merchandisers.

We got ourselves a DIY lavender scent pouch with our remaining coupon.

The scent was light but the lady mentioned that it will last for more than 3 months.

Right next to the tents was an outdoor flower garden.

Autumn colours

After Lavender Cottage, we headed to our next destination:

Zhongshe Flower Market (中社观光花市)

I enjoyed this place very very much!

The flower fields were breathtaking!

This flower market opens all year round unlike the Xinshe Sea of Flowers that

usually opens for 3 weeks in mid-November.

The entrance fee costs NT 120 per pax.

Lavender blooms

 

There was a wide array of flowers when I was there.

Tons of photo-taking spots available.

Wished that I had skipped the Xinfeng farm instead to spend more time here.

Although we only had 40 minutes to spare, it was the best 40 minutes ever!

Thereafter, we headed to Gaomei wetlands for sunset.

As it was the winter season, the sun sets earlier at 5.10pm.

We arrived at the wetlands at 4.55pm and the boardwalk was filled with tourists.

Mr Huang told us that there were plenty of good viewing points apart from the boardwalk.

However, we decided to give the boardwalk a try and we definitely didn't regret our decision.

 
The sunset from the boardwalk was perfect.
The marsh, the windmills and the setting sun.
So pretty.

We walked around the vicinity before meeting Mr Huang.
There were street food stalls by the main road.
However, as we were heading to Fengjia night market for dinner,
we decided not to patronise any stalls there.

Mr Huang proceeded to drive us to a bridge situated next to the windmills.

It was a nice walk and the windmills were majestic.

Loved the vibrant hues at sunset.

It was a different feel compared to the ones I saw up close in Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam.

Our last destination was Fengjia night market.

Mr Huang dropped us off at the entrance of the night market and we bid goodbye to him.

Fengjia night market is by far the biggest night market I have been to in Taiwan.

There were so many stalls and shops for you to visit.

Grilled seafood stall

Grilled squid

Chocolate crepe

Charcoal grilled Angus beef

Grilled Japanese mochi with peanut powder

I loved the grilled mochi a lot.
Two young brothers, presumable in primary school, were manning this stall.
The mochi was soft and really delicious.
We just had to get another one from them.
You should definitely try this if you see this in any night market!

As we were deadbeat, we decided to cab back to our hotel, Chance hotel
which was a 20 minutes ride away.
Our hotel was really convenient as 7-11 and Family Mart were right outside of our hotel.
They allowed us to store our luggages for a day when we left for Cingjing the next day.
The best thing was it only cost us S$50 per room per night, inclusive of breakfast!
If you wish to stay near Taichung railway station, I will definitely recommend you to
stay at Chance Hotel.

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Click here for our Day 6 adventures

or retrace our steps here for our Day 4 adventures!

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