Alishan, Taiwan

After living in Taipei for about 4 years, I couldn't leave without seeing the much talked about Alishan, so I dragged my parents along and we hired a driver to take us there (we went via Sun Moon Lake and Qing Jing). The road was long and winding and at times scary due to the fog which I'm told is normal for mountain roads. Finally, at the end of a rather arduous journey, we reached Alishan. Stayed overnight and got up early the next morning to witness the sunrise.

At the station where we boarded the train to take us to the viewing point for the sunrise, we saw this wooden train. This is supposedly the most expensive train in Alishan as it's made entirely with wood (cypress I believe) which is extremely valuable. In addition, it's a real antique.

Whilst the above wooden train is no longer in use, the ones below are used today to ferry passengers to see the sunrise at Alishan.

I'm told that these trains were built by the Japanese during the time they occupied Taiwan. They were specially used to transport cypress for shipment back to Japan. These cypress trees in Alishan were highly valued as firstly, the wood was extremely hardy - it wouldn't rot even in water. Secondly, they took a very long time to grow which made them more valuable the bigger they were.

The beautiful forest trail which the train was winding through ...

At the sunrise viewing point ... shops selling products made fm cypress ... (naturally, these pics were taken after the sun had risen :) Prior to that, when we boarded the train, everything was shrouded in darkness.)

Finally! The sunrise!!!

We were told (rather belatedly I think) that it's actually pretty rare to see the sunrise as Alishan has high humidity so the area is often covered in mist/fog. Our driver had been to Alishan many times, but this was the first time he had ever seen the sunrise! I can't imagine enduring such winding roads and foggy conditions, to shake off sleep at such an early hour, only to be disappointed with seeing thick mist and fog. Thankfully, we were blessed with marvellous weather and were told we had 100% chance of seeing the sunrise :)

Two grand old cypress trees called "husband and wife" trees in chinese ...

A famous bento set or "bian dang" in the tradition of the olden days where ppl packed a meal to eat on the train ...

All for NT100 :)

Qing Jing, Taiwan

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!

Some of the plants grown there ...

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 ...

Sun Moon Lake & Puli Winery, Taiwan

About a month ago, my parents came over for a last visit before I leave Taiwan for good. As my dad hadn't been to Sun Moon Lake before, I decided to take them there.

Lunch at Sun Moon Lake ...

Wild veggies ...

Chicken ...

Pig's Trotters ...

Soup with betel nut flowers ... (taste like bamboo shoots)

Stewed mushrooms ...

This is the "President's Fish", so named for former President Chiang Kai Shiak's favorite fish from Sun Moon Lake. We didn't try it though cos it's apparently very bony.

After Sun Moon Lake, we visited Puli Winery. We were hoping to get some fermented red wine paste but they were all sold out! So, we tried these shaoxing wine flavoured ice creams. My mom and I chose yam and red bean flavours.

We then ventured inside to have a look at this special passage created with walls of urns used to make shaoxing wine.