梅影峰情─梅峰農場部落格

http://travelerfolio.com/nantou-cingjing-monster-village/

Continuing from Taiwan Trip 2013 (part 2), here is the

itinerary of our 3-day tour in Nantou, a landlocked county of

picturesque mountain range and remarkable tourist

destinations like Sun Moon Lake, Sitou and Cingjing Farm.

One of the most convenient, comfortable and economical way

of travelling around the island is by Taiwan High Speed Rail

 (HSR). There are a total of 8 HSR stations along the west

coast areas, connecting the north with the south by high

speed rail service. From the capital of Taipei, Banqiao,

Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung to Chiayi, Tainan and the

southern city of Kaohsiung, the whole distance of 345km

takes as fast as 90 minutes of travelling time, with a top

speed of 300km/h.

We took the HSR numerous times in Taiwan and our

experience with the train service was smooth and pleasant.

The seats were cushy, spacious and clean.

On the second day of our trip, we travelled from Taoyuan to

Nantou for Cingjing Farm (清境農場) in the morning. It only

takes about 35 minutes by HSR to Taichung station where

there are buses to Cingjing Farm. You can buy ticket at the

station ticket machine. Trains come frequently but you won’t

be able to purchase ticket 15 minutes before the next train

arrives on schedule.

Ticket cost of HSR from Taoyuan to Taichung: NT$510 per

pax Ticket cost of Cingjing bus from Taichung station:

NT$262 per pax.

Cingjing Farm

They remember Cingjing Farm fondly as the Switzerland or

New Zealand of Taiwan. Blessed with crisp and cool

mountain

air all year round, lush green rolling hills with sheep grazing

under the azure skies, Cingjing is undoubtedly one of the

most popular getaway resort destination in central Taiwan.

Did you know some Singaporean couples go to Cingjing for

bridal photo shoot?

Every season offers a reason to visit Cingjing. In March, you

can see apple, pear and peach blossoms; it’s time to begin

the harvest of spring teas in April; fruits picking and sheep

shearing shows from June to August. In Autumn when the

maple trees start to bloom, apple and kiwi fruits are in

season.

In colder months, you get the chance to savour highland

vegetables.

The moo-moo windmill at Cingjing.

There were more cherry blossoms a week before we arrived.

Embrace the picturesque surroundings and immerse yourself

in fresh air. We’ve not seen sheep as friendly as those in

Cingjing Farm – they don’t shy away from people! You can

feed the sheep and take photos with them.

Sheep herding at certain time and day of the week.

We stayed at Cingjing Guest House for a night. The staff

were very friendly and attentive to our needs. The room is

veryspacious and comes with a balcony overlooking the

mountainous area of Cingjing. At night, we snuggled in and

enjoyed the fresh cold mountain air.

Room rates start at NT3,000 per night (Deluxe Double),

inclusive of breakfast and entrance tickets to the Evergreen

Grasslands and Swiss Garden.

The mountain view from our balcony. Seriously, I really don’t

mind staying there a few more days just to relax and take in

plenty of fresh air!

At 1,750 metres above sea level at Cingjing, if you are lucky

you may see a sea of clouds in the horizon.

The two restaurants at Cingjing Guest House serve steaks

and Yunnan specialty dishes. You may wonder why there is

authentic Yunnan cuisine at Cingjing. A little bit of history,

there are descendants from Mainland China’s Yunnan

province and settled in the area long ago.

The local Yunnan dishes served at Cingjing Guest House

were very delicious. It’s my first time eating worm!

(“Accidental eating” is not counted.) I only tried ‘half-a-body’

worm. It’scrispy and hollow inside, quite tasty. Jacky liked the

wormy dish so much his bowl of rice was covered with crispy

worms.  He said they were just like dried shrimps.

Some of the dishes were a little spicy and remind me of

Sichuan flavours.

You can try the highland vegetables as you won’t be able to

get them in the city. Have some silky smooth sheep’s milk

pudding!

The Swiss Garden is just a stone’s throw away from Cingjing

Guest House. It’s a small garden with rows of pretty and

colourful flowers arrangement on display to welcome the

guests. After dinner, you may want to catch the nightly

fountain show at the garden.

Who would have thought you can enjoy English afternoon tea

on the mountain in Cingjing? Head down to theOld England

Boutique Hotel and have some scones, macarons, Mont

Blanc and pastries in the old English-style restaurant served

by wait staff clad smartly in traditional-looking outfit.

Prominently perched on the hilltop overlooking the

mountainous region, the Old England Boutique Hotel gets all

the attention from visitors in Cingjing. Many would stopover to

pose in front of the Tudor-style architecturefor photographs.

The hotel is an attraction in its own right. We were invited to

walk through the hotel premises and were surprised to see so

many beautiful statues and artworks. Mind you, it looks like a

European palace and museum! And no one in the public

knows the exorbitant amount invested in the collection of

artworks, furniture and building the property.

The boutique hotel was actually designed by the Taiwanese

owner and built in the recent years. So, it’s not as old as it

seems; the guest rooms are fresh and clean, each appointed

with luxury amenities.

Mei-Feng Farm

The Highland Experimental Farm of National Taiwan

University - Mei-Feng Farm (梅峰農場) is one of a kind in the

world for providing a state of art facilities and temperate-zone

gardens for education and demonstration of tropical highland

farming and management . Established in 1937, the farm

boasts an extensive diversity of temperate fruit trees, endemic

plants, flowers, and an abundant of wildlife.

Mei-Feng Farm is about 30 minutes by car from Cingjing

Guest House. Guided ecology tours are available for a group

of at least 15 people and reservation is required. So far, it’s

the most beautiful farm we have visited!

It’s flower frenzy at Mei-Feng Farm! We’ve never seen so

many bright and colourful flowers of different varieties at a

farm before.

During February and March (depending on climate), one of

the highlights at Mei-Feng Farm is to admire plum, cherry and

peach blossoms!

The garden that houses cactuses of all shapes and sizes.

Do these cactus flowers look like candles on a cake?!

The maze at Mei-Feng Farm.

The Monster Village

From Cingjing, we travelled for 2 hours to Xitou for a night’s

stay at a spooky resort in the woods where monsters prowl

… if only your imagination runs wild! The Monster Village (溪

頭森林妖怪村) is Japanese-inspired with wooden structures

and lanterns, an upcoming tourist attraction for families and

friends in Nantou. Charming, whimsical, creative and fun, the

village is themed around morbid-looking yet cartoonish

monsters, too cute to scare off anyone!

The red statue of the demon Tian Gou has a long nose that

resembles Pinocchio’s. The Monster Village is filled with

shops selling local delights including eye-ball buns (food for

monsters!) and souvenirs.

Take your time to walk around, watch out for monsters and

props, and be trigger-happy to snap at every corner of the

Monster Village.

Did you notice something? This bus is driven by a monster, to

be exact, the steering wheel is controlled by its thick nose

hair!

To scare ourselves a little, we watched the 360 degrees 3D

haunted show. Only two of us went into the small theatre,

putting on the 3D glasses and I thought it was kiddy stuff.

OMG! The 3D show has all the headless and bloody zombies

floating around, grinning and intimidating us with sharp

knives

and sudden attacks! When it came to the part with a little girl

crying at a haunted hospital, it seemed so real that I finally

chickened out and removed my 3D glasses. :S

Anyway, there are many other 3D shows for kids at the

Monster Village theatre if you don’t wish to watch the haunted

show.

Did you see a ghoul on top of the stall? Spooky! Nah, you’ll

find it cute when you are at the Monster Village. LOL

Meet Kumar, one of the favourite mascots of the Monster

Village!

Besides the company of our favourite mascots like Kumar and

Ba Dou at the Monster Village, we liked the food! The eateries

serve local and Japanese delights such as grilled shitake

mushrooms and tofu. And it’s my first time chewing on some

chicken soft bones coated with tasty seasoning – the texture

was a bit chewy yet soft enough to munch on.

We had Chinese tea at a lovely shop full of character. You

can find a good collection of vintage items here and have a

nice chat with the friendly lady boss who made tea for us.

From her, you can tell that the people working at the Monster

Village are like one big family –  there is Kampong Spirit!

(Really, no pun intended.)

Kumar Taiwan Beer limited edition. There are hundreds of

empty beer bottles stacking up like a pyramid at the village.

Ming Shan Resort next to the Monster Village provides cosy

accommodations for a unique holiday experience in the forest

of Nantou. The surrounding is very peaceful and the air is so

fresh!

The interior of our wooden lodge is modern, neat and clean.

The bathroom is spacious enough to accommodate a huge

bathtub and a shower. It was chilly outside but the room was

warm to snuggle in for the night.

We had mini hot pots serving flavourful beef and chicken for

dinner at Ming Shan Resort restaurant, the same place for

breakfast. Very yummy and appetizing dishes to indulge the

palate after some walk around.

Meet the beloved mascots of the Monster Village – Kumar

and Ba Dou.

From Ming Shan Resort, we visited two nearby attractions – 

Sun Link Sea and Sitou Forest Recreation Areathat’s

within a short walking distance from the Monster Village.

Sitou Forest Recreation Area (溪頭自然教育園區) is a great

place to breathe deeply and hike among towering trees and

in the bamboo forest. It belongs to the National Taiwan

University, an experimental forest with a great variety of trees

including cedars, red spruces and Phyllostachys edulis.

There is the rare plant of redwood, the ~3000 years old divine

tree,bird watching footpath, restaurants, camping area,

accommodations and Youth’s Activity Centre.

On that day, there were many hikers coming together in

groups, soaking in the atmosphere of the lushgreen park.

Many Sitou visitors come from other parts of Taiwan. To get a

closer view of the surrounding trees and canopy, get to the

Skywalk. The University Pond offers another picturesque side

of Sitou, a nice spot for photos.

The Skywalk and the bridge across the University Pond.

In less than 30 minutes drive from Ming Shan Resort,

SunLinkSea (杉林溪森林生態渡假園區), located between

Sitou and Alishan, is famous for its breathtaking scenery.

Situated at an altitude of 1600 – 1800 metres, the scenic area

enjoys a mild temperature all year round.

SunLinkSea is too big for us to explore in just half a day.

There are waterfalls, forest trails and valley for hiking at the

scenic area. We spent a while at the Herb and Flower

Garden, appreciating peonies from China (Luoyang) and

Japan. Oh my, I’ve not seen so many pretty peonies in my

life!

We learnt that peonies are very difficult to take care, they are

very sensitive to changing climate and temperature, you

cannot touch and smell them closely! They are just so

delicate and beautiful.

Take a stroll at the garden and immerse yourself in all kind of

pretty flowers. Imagine you are in the Netherlands for the

tulip season – there are so many freshly bloomed tulips of

different colours at the garden. And take in plenty of fresh air!