Over the past couple of years, I had heard of Qing Jing being a beautiful place to visit in Taiwan, but I was always hesitant about going as I dreaded the winding mountain roads (motion sickness). Then while I was planning my parents' visit, I decided to chance it since I'd be leaving Taiwan soon. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I made as visiting Qing Jing was the highlight of my parents' trip to Taiwan.
(Incidentally, for those who are prone to motion sickness, the roads were just a tad bit winding, but totally manageable for me, and I didn't get sick at all.)
We stayed at this bed & breakfast there:
Ming Qin (明琴清境山莊民宿) (http://www.mg.com.tw/)
We checked in at the main block - Blk A and were pleasantly surprised by how pretty it looked. Then we were driven to Blk D, which was somewhat a distance down. When we saw the exterior, we felt a little let down as it didn't seem as welcoming as Blk A.
The reception area of Block D.
Then we got to our room: 5206 ... oh wow! This was a really nice room! The wallpaper was pretty, the room was clean and comfy, and most importantly, the bathroom was nice, new and clean! Sometimes, in Taiwan, especially where B&Bs are concerned, pictures on the internet can be misleading. I'm so glad it wasn't in this case!
The view from our room was also pretty spectacular (minus the power lines) ... It was definitely a bonus that while we were happily snapping pics and breathing in the fresh air, we witnessed a beautiful sunset!
View from our room the next morning ... gorgeous!
Sea of clouds ...
We then proceeded to Block A for our breakfast ...
They even made their own jams with their own produce ... gooseberry jam and an interesting "tree tomato" jam - both of which are only grown in such high altitudes.
My breakfast :)
After breakfast, we went on a free tour of their gardens at the back of Blocks A & B ... where we met the guide's dog who took instructions in Chinese :) He was so cute! Kept coming at us with a stick in his mouth, hoping someone would throw it so he could play fetch :) Adorable!
After our tour (during which we were generously given bags to fill with produce which they allowed us to pluck freely), we visited the sheep farm ... just check out these gorgeous views!
Doesn't this remind you of Milka Alpine Chocolate ads? (Just replace the sheep with a cow! Hahahaha .....)
This sheep sure looks like Dolly!
They even had miniature horses for little kids to ride on ...
We could buy these grass pellets to feed the sheep ... I thought this particular black sheep was especially pretty with a white nose and white forehead ...
Goats!
A small horse show where riders did various stunts ...
One of the many European looking buildings that Qing Jing is famous for ... this is "Old England" ...
For lunch, we dined at this restaurant located at this wonderfully scenic spot ...
We were blessed with wonderful weather (amazing as Taipei had been raining for weeks on end!). Apparently, the views in the mountains are always changing. This was certainly true as we observed this "cloud waterfall" on the right while we enjoyed our lunch ...
The restaurant's pretty cat who got friendlier as more food arrived at our table ...
We were told that this eatery serves food by the native people. This is grilled wild boar ...
Roast chicken with herbs ...
High mountain cabbage which is apparently far superior to cabbage grown on level ground ...
