Taichung - Purple Lavender Tour

28 November 2015

For our two days here in Taichung, Mr Lu was our driver assigned by RoundTAIWANRound to bring us around.

Today's itinerary covered the following:

(1) Rainbow Military Dependents' Village
(2) Lavender Cottage
(3) Xinshe Castle
(4) Carton King
(5) Miyahara

We made a quick stopover at 彩虹春村, took some pictures and left. Didn't really find the place interesting, probably due to my lack of appreciation for art.

It wasn't an easy drive up to Lavender Cottage due to the narrow, winding mountainous road. Both Kaeden and I were on the verge of puking but thankfully we managed to hold it in!

Entrance fee is NT100 per person (inclusive of NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

I wish we had requested for more time to slowly explore and enjoy this beautiful place in Taichung City. One hour was barely enough at all!

Xinshe Castle (新社莊園) is a European style castle that overlooks a stunning huge lake and is surrounded by lush greenery surrounded. Despite the crowd, we had a wonderful time strolling around the compound.

Entrance fee is NT250 for adults, NT150 for children between 7-12 years old and free entry for children under 6 years old (inclusive of  NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

Next stop was to Carton King where almost EVERYTHING from furnishings to crockeries, were made from corrugated cardboard.

These cardboard made tables and chairs were actually sturdy enough to accommodate an adult's weight, so amazing!

Thankfully, the drinks inside wasn't made from cardboard!

Entrance fee is NT200 per person (inclusive of  NT100 voucher which can be used to offset purchase of food/souvenirs within the park).

Miyahara (宫原眼科) is one of the must-visit places in Taichung. It used to be an ophthalmology clinic during the Japanese occupation period of Taiwan. Decades later, the building was taken over by "Dawn Cake" and remodeled into today's ice-cream joint/restaurant.

Different selection of ice-creams... Chocolates, Milk Teas, Fruits/Sorbets. Just the chocolate ice-cream alone has 17 different types to choose from, varying according to their place of origin and cocoa percentage *speechless*

They have no less of toppings too...

Conclusion, it's definitely worth queuing for!

On our way back to the hotel, Walker and I decided to check out the 台中肉員 stall that our driver highly recommended to us when we drove past it this morning. Doesn't it look more like 肉包?

And the chilli... Not red wor???

We gave this a 10/10!