Day 23: Nantou 南投 (Cingjing 清境- Shangrila Hanging Garden & Resort 香格里拉空中花園 @ 國民賓館, Green Green Grassland 青青草原, Nina巧克力工坊, Small Swiss Garden at Night 小瑞士花園)
After checking out from out hostel at N Joy, I then boarded the BRT back towards Taichung Train Station and then took another bus to Taichung HSR where I will depart to Cingjing. To be honest I did not really do much research about Cingjing as well. The Lonely Planet guidebook did not really cover this place in detail, and blogs that I read did not have really have much information either. Most people head to Cingjing via rented taxis instead of taking public transport.
Fortunately for me, at the Taichung HSR bus terminal to Cingjing I got to know of this special offer. Not sure whether it is still on going anymore. In fact they were still selling this promotion when it is had already passed the promo period printed on the coupon. Anyway, for NTD 600, this package includes:
- A two way bus ride to Cingjing (with a brief stopover at Puli Bus terminal)
- A one way bus ticket from Cingjing Guest House (國民賓館) towards Green Green Grassland ( 青青草原)
- Entrance ticket into Green Green Grassland
Personally I think this coupon was really worth it and you could quite a bit, though by how much mathematically I am not sure haha. Also got to find out that there are relatively frequent bus services stopping over the different stops along Cingjing.
As mentioned earlier the bus headed to Puli first to pick up more passengers which resulted in the bus being really packed and passengers were forced to stand throughout the journey up to Cingjing.
Since I had no idea about the geographical condition I opted to stay closer to the main area which was the area around Cingjing Guesthouse (國民賓館). Over here you have 7-11, Starbucks and a few more shops to feed your stomach in case you go hungry. If you stay anywhere further up the mountain then the only choice of food you can get are those provided by your accommodation, in exchange of a much nicer view of the mountain landscape. Pros and cons. But for solo travellers on a tight budget like me this would be better option I think.
For my accommodation I chose one of the recommendations on Lonely Planet and also the cheapest available which was Shangrila Hanging Garden & Resort ( 香格里拉空中花園) for NTD 940 per night via Hostelling International. However this price is only applicable if you are a member of that association so I had to top up another NTD 140.
I had absolutely no complaints paying the extra bit of money though, looking at the room that I've got. I was expecting the rooms to be dormitory like but in the end I got an entire room all to myself with two single beds AND breakfast included hahahaha. An extra bonus is the sunrise is right in front of my window.
The location of this resort is quite good as it is only about 10 minutes walk from the main road. Choosing an accommodation in Cingjing is quite a headache as there are so many options to choose from so ultimately it depends what kind of experience you are looking. For me, budget and location is highest on my priority. The receptionist also kindly helped me arrange a half day tour to He Huan Mountain the next morning, another main attraction here apart from seeing sheep being shaved cleanly. With everything settled I then immediately rushed out to the main road to board the next bus to Green Green Grassland.
I guess Evergreen Grassland (青青草原) needs no further introduction as it is one of the most popular attractions in Taiwan for it sheep shearing show. During the summer and winter holidays, the show will be held everyday. However during other days, it is only available on Saturdays (as of 2015). Fortunately for me, it is the winter holidays now (had no idea prior to this). Unfortunately the bus was running a bit late and then show started at 9am sharp. I also had no idea that the grassland was actually quite huge and there were lots of stairs and climbing to do. Even though I had used my best efforts to run from the entrance (with my still injured foot), I only managed to get in the show area by 9.30am and the sheep shearing was effectively.
 |
| FEED ME!! Baaaaaaaaaa- |
Nevertheless I still managed to catch some final bits of performance and took photos with the sheep which were then released to be fed by humans. So after catching my breath I then started to slowly explore the surroundings, starting from the main entrance again. My first stop was at this castle structure where they sold souvenirs and sheep related products. I gave the sheep milk ice cream (NTD 35) a try. Didn't really like it. The sheep smell was really, really strong.
I was also very lucky to have spotted cherry blossoms which had blossomed really early. Now looking back at my fall at Wuling farm, it was really not worth it hahaha. After looking at cherry blossoms so many times over the past 2 weeks the excitement kinda died down. Now, if we are talking about plum blossoms then it is another story. Gosh I really miss the plum flowers' fragrance. Since it is still winter most of the trees were still bare but I was very lucky to get blue skies on that day.
 |
| 吉野櫻 |
 |
| 李花 |
For my way down back to my hotel, I used the trail instead of taking the bus. It was really easy to get around as there are ample signboards pointing you towards to right direction.
Along the trail you can get to see many cherry blossom and other trees as well as roaming sheeps. Not to be missed. Technically the trail is a bit further compared to following the main road.
After awhile you will reach the Visitor Information area where there are a variety of shops. Do note that they close at around 5pm. Didn't get to eat anything after arriving here past 6pm haha.
At around 6pm I wanted to catch the sunrise. My hotel's receptionist told me that if I walk 15 minutes down the road I could get to see a really nice view. Alas, I didn't get to see anything but I did spot Nina 巧克力工坊 where they sold really expensive chocolates. I bought one, yes only one (at NTD 60), to try and sat to drink their free tea for awhile to recover my energy.
At around 7pm I then headed to the second attraction at Cingjing - Small Swiss Garden(小瑞士花園). Entrance ticket is NTD 90. It is quite a good bargain as the ticket allows you to re-enter the garden again in the morning. Highly recommended to enter the garden at night AND during the day. Totally different atmosphere and feel. At night it feels more surreal with all the glowing lights and fog while in the day, well, you can actually see the decorations that you couldn't see at night haha.
I started the visit with the fountain show which comes about every 20-30 minutes. The light show was pretty normal and it was really freezing at that time to sit outside in the open.
Really love the picture of the piano below. A combination of fog and backlight makes a really eerie and mysterious mood.
With that, I called it a day and then headed back to the Cingjing Guesthouse area to grab my dinner. Options are pretty limited here but still acceptable. Ordered a pork chop rice at NTD 145 and a hot cup of cafe latte from 7-11.
At night there is pretty much nothing to do anymore so I headed back to my lovely hotel room and continued streaming Dota for the rest of the night and slept in early.
- Day 23 end-
Comments