[Taiwan] Taichung

My family and I also took a day trip to Taichung. My main reason for wanting to see this second largest city in Taiwan is because I had seen photos taken by friends of their trips to the Rainbow Village and I thought it would be great if I could visit this place too. As I continued to read more about Taichung, I discovered so many other great attractions here so I looked for and booked a tour on Klook that included all the places I wanted to see.

Rainbow Village in Taichung

Our first stop was the Zhongshe Flower Market. One of the reasons I wanted to go here was because of its lavender field. Apparently, the best time to see lavender in Taiwan is from January to March but my research showed that this beautiful flower already starts to bloom in November so there was a good chance we would get to see it. And indeed we did!

Lavender field at Zhongshe Flower Market

There are thousands upon thousands of flowers that beautifully arranged into different sections, providing visitors with many cool spots where you can have your photo taken.

Zhongshe Flower Market

Taichung is a two-hour drive from Taipei so based on our itinerary, we would be at the Zhongshe Flower Market from around 11am to 12pm. Our tour guide gave us the option of ordering packed lunch that we could eat at the flower market. We figured there might not be enough time for us to have a more proper lunch during our tour so opted to have these packed lunches. We also ordered red bean milk tea to go with our meals. I gotta say, the packaging of our lunch was really cute!

The packaging of our packed lunch was really cute!

Our next stop was Miyahara Ice Cream. While we were on the bus, our tour guide told us that there are two branches of this very famous ice cream place in Taichung and they are just about two blocks away from each other. The original store at #20 Zhongshan Road doesn't have any guest seating so people who order ice cream here will not be able to sit down while eating. Those of us who wanted to enjoy some ice cream more comfortably headed to their newer store at #72 Zhongshan Road.

Miyahara Ice Cream at #72 Zhongshan Road

Practically everyone from our tour group had ice cream here. My family and I each ordered a sundae on a waffle cone (my nephew and I got two scoops while my mom got only one). Sundaes here are served with a butterfly-shaped cookie, a lemon biscuit, a smaller scoop of tea-flavored ice cream, and our choice of two more toppings (mine were pineapple cake and cheesecake). There is a whole variety of ice cream flavors here, some of which are quite unique. I got to try the  80% Uganda smoked chocolate and I think the strawberry yoghurt. The sundae option is quite expensive but it is perfect for a special treat on a special occasion and I do believe it is worth it, what with the delicious ice cream, the generous toppings, and the beautiful presentation.

Sundaes at Miyahara Ice Cream

What's really interesting is that this shop used to be a bank and they still kept many of the bank structures and designs, such as the vault doors.

Miyahara Ice Cream at #72 Zhongshan Road used to be a bank

After enjoying our ice cream and before boarding our bus, we decided to take a look inside the original store on #20 Zhongshan Road. Our tour guide told us that this building used to be an ophthalmology clinic during the Japanese colonial period. The clinic belonged to Miyahara Takeo so when the pastry company Dawn Cake acquired this building and turned it into an ice cream and pastry shop, they named it after him. Supposedly, this original Miyahara was designed to have a Harry Potter-esque look and feel and I definitely see it. While the exterior of this building looks pretty unremarkable, the interior is spectacular. If we had more time, I would have loved to look around the original store a bit more, take more photos, and maybe buy some goodies.

The original Miyahara Ice Cream at #20 Zhongshan Road

As if we hadn't had enough sugar yet, our next stop was Chun Shui Tang which is known to be the home of the original boba tea. Our tour included a stop at this legendary store and allowed us to try their original bubble milk tea. Our guide told us that he prefers the boba tea here to many other places because it really showcases the flavor of tea. The milk and sugar enhance its flavor without overwhelming. Indeed, it was  really good!

Original boba tea from Chun Shui Tang

Our next stop was the National Taichung Theater. We only had about 15 minutes or so here, so it was really just for us to have a chance to see this elegant structure from the outside...

National Taichung Theater

...as well as a bit on the inside. We got to see "The Score Takes Flight," an incredible gown made of folded music scores.

"The Score Takes Flight" inside National Taichung Theater

We then headed to the Rainbow Village. This small section of houses painted with vibrantly colorful images has a very heartwarming story. It used to be a settlement for military veterans before ex-soldier Huang Yung-Fu, who became known as Rainbow Grandpa, started painting the houses and the walls in this area in the hopes of preserving it and preventing it from being demolished.

Rainbow Village

While Rainbow Grandpa did manage to get the Rainbow Village preserved as a cultural art park to avoid complete destruction, large sections of the original area were demolished and redeveloped, leaving only 11 houses intact. Also, the Rainbow Village suffered from unfortunate acts of vandalism in 2022 and several of the original paintings created by Rainbow Grandpa had to be repainted (you can kind of tell that the style and even color of certain walls look a bit different from others). While I would have loved to see this landmark before it underwent significant changes, it was still very inspiring and uplifting to see it as it currently is.

All the animals of the Chinese zodiac are painted on the outside wall

When we arrived, our tour guide took us to one house with a cute mural that depicted different kinds of Taiwanese food such as xiao long bao, boba tea, pineapple cake, and beef noodles. He then drew our attention to a round food item a the bottom center and asked us what we thought it could be. Thankfully, I was listening to our guide on the bus when he told us that one of the popular desserts in Taichung is the suncake, which we could buy at the final stop of our tour. This led me to do a quick search on my phone of what a suncake was and I saw that it was a round pastry. So when our guide asked his question, I correctly guessed that it was a suncake. Because of that, my family and I were given the first opportunity to have our photo taken with that mural hahaha.

This mural showcases Taiwanese food

Sadly, Rainbow Grandpa passed away in 2024. However, he did live up to the incredible age of 101! His legacy does live on and our visit to the Rainbow Village truly filled me with joy. 

Rainbow Grandpa's beautiful paintings

The final stop of our tour was the Gaomei Wetlands, a protected ecological reserve in Taichung. This place has arguably the best sunset in Taiwan. Unfortunately, the weather that afternoon was not that great. It drizzled a bit in the afternoon and clouds covered the sky, making it impossible for us to see the sunset. That said, it was still a great experience seeing the coast and catching a glimpse of some birds while walking along the boardwalk.

Gaomei Wetlands

It was extremely windy when we walked all the way to the far end of the boardwalk, making our visit here even more unique and memorable.

It was extraordinarily windy when we visited the Gaomei Wetlands

Before we left, we passed by the shop that our tour guide talked about where we can get suncakes. Naturally, we got some to take home with us. We also got to try their lemon cake which was also good so I bought of a box of it as well.

Pastry shop where we bought suncakes and lemon cakes

Once again, we had a long but very eventful and fantastic day. While there was a slight rush since there were so many places we visited in just a day, I do feel we still had enough time to enjoy each one.

Zhongshe Flower Market

Next: Caesar Park Hotel in Taipei

[Taiwan] Jiufen, Shifen, and Yehliu Geopark

On our third day in Taiwan, we took a Klook tour of a few places outside of Taipei: Jiufen, Shifen (which included a wonderful Sky Lantern experience), and Yehliu Geopark.

A-Mei Teahouse in Jiufen

As I was planning for our trip, my friends told me that Jiufen and Shifen are quite close to each other so I can do them both on the same day. They also told me that it is advisable to take a tour of both because trying to take public transportation from Taipei to Jiufen and back would be difficult, moreso if we want to go to Shifen as well. Thankfully, I found a tour on Klook that included not only Jiufen and Shifen but also Yehliu Geopark, another place I really wanted to visit.

Yehliu Geopark

We started our day in Shifen. Actually, the initial plan was for us to visit Shifen in the afternoon but our tour guide told us that there were many tours scheduled that day and many visitors were expected to do the Sky Lantern experience in the afternoon. To avoid the crowds, we shifted our schedule. We had two main stops in Shifen: the Shifen Waterfall and the Sky Lantern Experience. We went to the waterfall first.

Shifen Waterfall

Our guide told us that Shifen Waterfall is the largest one in Taiwan by width and volume of water. It is touted as the Little Niagara of Taiwan. My family and I spent a few minutes admiring the beauty of this natural wonder and taking photos.

Photo op at Shifen Waterfall

Before we got off the bus to see it, our tour guide told us that we might also want to take a quick look at a small waterfall underneath the bridge that we have to cross to see Shifen Waterfall. This small waterfall is nicknamed the Spectacles Waterfall because of how it looks like: it flows between two caves that kinda look like eyes or eyeglasses because of how  close they are to each other. I made sure that my family and I got to see and appreciate it before heading back to the bus.

Spectacles Waterfall in Shifen

Our next step was Shifen Old Street where we would have our Sky Lantern Experience. The tour I booked doesn't include the Sky Lantern experience so I had to get our passes separately (also through Klook, check out this link). That said, our tour guide informed everyone that those who didn't have tickets could still get them through her (so anyone who takes the main Klook tour I took but forgets to book the Sky Lantern Experience separately can still enjoy it by coordinating and paying tickets through the tour guide).

Railway at Shifen Old Street

Up to four people can fly one lantern. The sky lanterns have four sides, all with different colors. Each color signified something different and we could choose which color combination we wanted. For our lantern, I picked red for health and peace, pink for bliss and joy, blue for career and promotion, and yellow for money and wealth.  When we arrived, our lantern with the colors we chose was already prepared. We then started writing our wishes on it. We then went out onto the railway where we were assisted in lighting up our lantern and setting it to flight. It was a spiritual and moving experience to declare your wishes in this way and send it to the heavens. Hopefully our wishes come true.

Our sky lantern!

I also have to commend the people at the Sky Lantern Experience, they took great photos and videos of us with our sky lantern. The woman giving us directions and taking our photos asked us where we were from and when she learned we were Filipino, she said a few Filipino words such as "hawak" (hold) and "bitaw" (let go). Cool!

Releasing our sky lantern

Before leaving Shifen Old Street, we went to Stall #69 to enjoy some peanut ice cream.

Peanut ice cream from Stall #69

We also pre-ordered rice-stuffed chicken wings while on the bus, and our tour guide brought them to us at Stall #69. She said that this is a popular street food item in Shifen so we decided to try it.

Rice-stuffed Chicken Wings

Our next stop was Jiufen. Our guide told us that decades ago, Jiufen was a bustling town, known for gold-mining. The gold rush here ended around 1971 but it regained popularity when it was featured as a film setting in the Taiwanese movie A City of Sadness.

Jiufen

Because of that, Jiufen became a major tourist spot in the country again. Visitors of this charming town can enjoy great views of the sea and of the mountains. Jiufen Old Street is also known for shopping and food. One of the most popular landmarks here is A-Mei Teahouse, with its old Taiwanese aesthetic made even more beautiful by its many red lanterns. It is said that this teahouse served as the inspiration for the bathhouse in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. Naturally, we took a lot of photos of this sight. If we had more time, I would have loved to enjoy some food and refreshments here but our schedule was quite tight.

Photo op next to A-Mei Teahouse along Shuqi Road

I will say that it can be quite a challenge to navigate Jiufen Old Street because of its many narrow winding pathways that go up and down. Add to that the large crowds that go through Jishan Street (the flat street with many shops and restaurants) and Shuqi Road (the steep stone stairway that intersects with Jishan street).

Large crowds heading up Shuqi Road

As such, we barely got to do any shopping here. We mainly took photos and had lunch at one of the restaurants along Jishan Street where we got to enjoy some local fare like xiao long bao.

Enjoying xiao long bao in Jiufen

Our guide also recommended a great pineapple cake store along Jishan Street: Lao Zhen Xiang Bakery. We got to try some freshly baked pineapple cake and it was really good so we ended up buying one box. I would have loved to get more many places in Jiufen including Lao Zhen Xiang don't accept credit cards. Sadly, we didn't have enough cash with us so we couldn't buy more.

Pineapple Cake from Lao Zhen Xiang Bakery

Our final stop of our day tour was Yehliu Geopark, which is known for its amazing rock formations that were formed over time through weathering and erosion. Our main Klook tour didn't include tickets to Yehliu Geopark as well so I purchased entrance tickets separately, also through Klook (through this link). The people in our tour who didn't get to buy tickets in advance purchased their tickets there, aided by our guide.

Yehliu Geopark

We got to see and take photos of some of the most popular rock formations at the geopark, including the Queen's Head, which is the most famous one here,

Queen's Head rock formation

the Cute Princess,

Cute Princess rock formation

and the Heart-shaped Rock.

Heart-shaped rock formation

Yehliu Geopark is quite a large area with many fantastic rock formations to see and admire. Sadly, we only had about an hour to spend here but despite the limited time, we still get to appreciate a lot of its amazing scenery and soak in the wonders of nature.

Yehliu Geopark

It was around 430pm when we got back on our tour bus that took us back to the Taipei Main Station. It was a packed day but despite a bit of a rush, which is true for almost any tour, it was a full of superb experiences and I'm happy that my family and I got to enjoy them all.

Suspension bridge in Shifen

Next: Taichung

[Taiwan] Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall tops many lists of the best sights in Taiwan and it was also the first place we visited. We arrived in Taipei in the early morning and got to our hotel a little past 8am. Since check-in was still at 2pm, we left our luggage with the concierge and looked for a place to have breakfast. Once we had some food and coffee, we made our way to one of the most famous landmarks in Taipei and even the whole of Taiwan.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

We came in through the Daxiao Gate because it was the nearest one to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT station. As soon as we arrived, I asked the guard where we can buy tickets and he said entrance is free. Wow!

Daxiao Gate

Chiang Kai-shek was president of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 until his death in 1975. This hall was built to commemorate him. One of the permanent exhibits showcases artifacts of Chiang Kai-shek's presidency and the history of Taiwan. It was cool to see some Philippine memorabilia such as the Grand Collar of the Order of Sikatuna, which was awarded to the former ROC president in 1956.

Grand Collar of the Order of Sikatuna in Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The highlight for me was the Flowers of Freedom exhibit. When we arrived at a little past 11am, we saw a sign that said that Flowers of Freedom would open at 1pm. We spent a little under 2 hours going around to see other exhibits in the memorial hall before making our way back.

The Flowers of Freedom exhibit

We were the first in line to enter once it opened at 1pm. I didn't even know what it was but once there and I knew what it was, I'm very happy we stayed to see it. It was an exhibit that showcased Taiwan's long and arduous journey towards the freedom they have now. It was very sobering to read about the struggles of the Taiwanese against tyranny and authoritarianism. It was here that I learned Taiwan was under martial law for almost 40 years, from 1949 to 1987!

Letters written by White Terror victims to their families

There was a section at the entrance of Flowers for Freedom that showcased different battles against oppression all over the world and throughout history. It was wonderful to see a section on the 1986 People Power Revolution of the Philippines there! Naturally, I had to have my photo taken. I love the fact that I was wearing yellow, which was the symbolic color of this historic bloodless revolution.

People Power display at the Flowers of Freedom exhibit

According to the official website of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Flowers of Freedom is a permanent exhibit so we were really lucky to have arrived just as it opened. In fact, we were the first three Filipinos there. How do I know this? It's because at the exit of Flowers of Freedom, there was a small section on the wall where visitors can indicate which country they are from using stickers. My family placed the first three stickers under the Philippines. We also picked blue, red, and yellow stickers since these are colors of Philippine flag.

We were the first Filipino visitors at the exhibit

We also went up to see the large bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek. There's a grand view of Liberty Square from here.

Chiang Kai-shek bronze statue

We visited the Anne Cho Landscape Blue-and-White Porcelain Joint exhibition of Teacher and Students. The porcelain pieces on display were absolutely magnificent and the fact that there was a lot of beautiful art on the walls made this exhibit even more exquisite.

Anne Cho Landscape Blue-and-White Porcelain Joint exhibition of Teacher and Students

As I had recently acquiring art, I found myself drawn to a couple of paintings that I saw, but I didn't know if they were on sale - I think they might have been? - and I thought it might not be all that easy to bring a painting back home to Manila so I decided to just look at and enjoy all the art while I was there.

Porcelain pieces and paintings

We barely had any sleep since our flight was at 340am and we arrived at 6am so by mid-afternoon, we were already very tired and we decided to head back to the hotel and call it a day. Since we hadn't other parts of Chiang Kai -shek Memorial Hall yet, we went back there the next day. My mom bought a decorative stamp at the gallery store then we all took a stroll along a pathway amidst the garden. We then made our way to Liberty Square, which is named for its historical significance in Taiwan's transition to democracy in the 1990s.

Liberty square

It is flanked on either side by the National Theater and the Concert Hall. You can take guided tours at both of these impressive buildings.

National Concert Hall

There is a beautiful garden next to the National Theater with lots of birds. In the middle of the garden is a pond filled with koi.

Garden and pond outside Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

There were also a couple of vending machines near the garden. I spotted a really cute Peanuts-themed drink and decided to buy it. After all, 2025 is the 75th anniversary of Peanuts, which was created by Charles Schulz and made its comic strip debut on October 2, 1950.

Peanuts-themed drink from an animation-themed vending machine

And finally, we got to see the Changing of the Guard at 1pm (although it is performed every hour on the hour from 9am to 5pm at the side of Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall that faces Liberty Square.

Changing of the Guard

There really is so much to see and do here and even if we had already spent several hours here, there really was still so much more to see. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that entrance to this incredible attraction is free. If I ever get to revisit Taiwan, I would definitely love to see Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall again.

Next: Jiufen, Shifen, and Yehliu Geopark