Taiwan Day 5 - Kao Shiung + Ci Jing
It was another day we have decided to set off earlier. In fact, we woke up at 4am plus just so that we can get to Zuoying HSR and then hop on the train to Taichung. The reason being that we had to take the 8.45am Nantou bus, otherwise the next one would be at around 11am plus which was way too late.
Like a boss. He had a seat to himself on the HSR
And the Nantou bus which was relatively empty. There will be touters providing private transport so it was time to stand firm again
And it was way more worth it when you get the Ci Jing Package over the bus counter because it includes the bus rides to and fro, and within the area, plus tickets to the farms etc.
It was a pretty scary ride on the steep slopes but it was beautiful as well, should you dare to peek out the windows. Lol. We were going all the way up to the top of the mountain
And after 2 hours, we finally got off at the drop off point and this is what greeted us along the way to the popular Misty Villa. Fresh vegetables, but not for me…heheh
So up the notorious 45 degrees slope that everyone was talking about we went. It was only probably around 300m in but we were already gasping for air at the doorsteps of the hotel
If you think these are only steps to conquer then you are very wrong. This is only the second part of the rigorous exercise you'll be doing if you're staying on the third floor of this resort. There is another flight of stairs in the far background. The good thing is, their staff will carry your luggage to your room. Phew~
A small part of the breakfast dining area. This is also the reception counter. No early check in either.
The outdoor dining area. It was probably a low 10 over degrees so don't expect people to be sipping their coffee here
It was only around 11am plus and we couldn't check in earlier, so we took a stroll down the slope again, this time heading to the Swiss Garden area. The great thing about Misty Villa is that the location is really conveniently located around a lot of the amenities
Like the Swiss Garden, though we didn't enter at this time.
It was more of an exploration time. And this one is for the cat lovers
Another one of the really nice photos by my darling
We settled for Mos Burger for lunch. The servings were really small, otherwise it was more or less the same as what we have back home
The view from the dining area at Mos Burger, pretty neat lanterns
After chomping down the burgers, we continued to explore the area and came across this mini garden inside a fragrance shop
And beware of a rather spooking cat too. Lol
After checking out the area, we headed back to the hotel for their shuttle bus that was to bring us to the Evergreen Grassland. Can't remember if we had to pay though. The vastness of the place was breathtaking I would say
This is perhaps the main draw in this area. A place where the baa-baa-white-sheeps roam free and you can get up close to them
There's no reason not to go for an artistic shot here
You will have the opportunity to ride on horses and ponies for a small fee. We gave it a pass because we just felt they were looking so sad and I thought I actually saw one of pony tearing up
And yes if you are a cow, how awesome it was to learn about all of your edible parts
Continue walking down the grassland and you will come to a resting stop where there are lots of shops selling food
And a shop where they were selling pure honey in bottles. And learnt a fact of the day, that pure honey will not become charred when you burn it. So if it goes black, it's probably mixed with something else. And for that, we bought a bottle
Get close for a good time
And to share another good shot by the cat
After quite a distance and a fair bit of brisk walking, we managed to reach in time to catch a showcase of horse riding skills at the arena. It was simply horsemen riding around in circles so we got bored and left halfway
If the show did trigger your inner Bruce Lee, there are some "horses" for you to try out
You could either walk back up the hill to take the free ride at the bus stop that came with the Ci Jing Package, or take a really long leisurely walk down. Not wanting to challenge gravity, we chose the latter
Because we will need all our strength to conquer the 45 degree slope and the long flights of stairs up to the third floor. And once you have reached the top, feel free to take a breather here
And we finally got to check in to the hotel room!
We were situated so high up the mountain, there was no need for air conditioning. Instead, it was so cold that thermal blankets are provided
The view from the balcony. Sometimes pictures do no justice to actual sight
The room looks a little dated even though it is considered more modern than the other hotels in the vicinity
There is even a water cooler inside the room and it takes 15 mins to warm up. Pretty dubious looking so we weren't too keen on using that
The Swiss Garden at night. It was so dark that the pictures didn't turn out well. It wasn't fantastic. So in the end, we didn't waste time coming back the next morning either
Carton King was right outside the Swiss Garden. So after the little walk around the garden, we headed over for dinner. It was our first meal at a restaurant after so many days
A voyeur shot inspired by my ex-lecturer
The shabu shabu set that the meow ordered
That came along with appetisers, condiments and desserts
Like a boss. He had a seat to himself on the HSR
And the Nantou bus which was relatively empty. There will be touters providing private transport so it was time to stand firm again
And it was way more worth it when you get the Ci Jing Package over the bus counter because it includes the bus rides to and fro, and within the area, plus tickets to the farms etc.
It was a pretty scary ride on the steep slopes but it was beautiful as well, should you dare to peek out the windows. Lol. We were going all the way up to the top of the mountain
And after 2 hours, we finally got off at the drop off point and this is what greeted us along the way to the popular Misty Villa. Fresh vegetables, but not for me…heheh
So up the notorious 45 degrees slope that everyone was talking about we went. It was only probably around 300m in but we were already gasping for air at the doorsteps of the hotel
If you think these are only steps to conquer then you are very wrong. This is only the second part of the rigorous exercise you'll be doing if you're staying on the third floor of this resort. There is another flight of stairs in the far background. The good thing is, their staff will carry your luggage to your room. Phew~
A small part of the breakfast dining area. This is also the reception counter. No early check in either.
The outdoor dining area. It was probably a low 10 over degrees so don't expect people to be sipping their coffee here
It was only around 11am plus and we couldn't check in earlier, so we took a stroll down the slope again, this time heading to the Swiss Garden area. The great thing about Misty Villa is that the location is really conveniently located around a lot of the amenities
Like the Swiss Garden, though we didn't enter at this time.
It was more of an exploration time. And this one is for the cat lovers
Another one of the really nice photos by my darling
We settled for Mos Burger for lunch. The servings were really small, otherwise it was more or less the same as what we have back home
The view from the dining area at Mos Burger, pretty neat lanterns
After chomping down the burgers, we continued to explore the area and came across this mini garden inside a fragrance shop
There's a couple of bears chilling out around here
And beware of a rather spooking cat too. Lol
After checking out the area, we headed back to the hotel for their shuttle bus that was to bring us to the Evergreen Grassland. Can't remember if we had to pay though. The vastness of the place was breathtaking I would say
This is perhaps the main draw in this area. A place where the baa-baa-white-sheeps roam free and you can get up close to them
There's no reason not to go for an artistic shot here
You will have the opportunity to ride on horses and ponies for a small fee. We gave it a pass because we just felt they were looking so sad and I thought I actually saw one of pony tearing up
And yes if you are a cow, how awesome it was to learn about all of your edible parts
Continue walking down the grassland and you will come to a resting stop where there are lots of shops selling food
And a shop where they were selling pure honey in bottles. And learnt a fact of the day, that pure honey will not become charred when you burn it. So if it goes black, it's probably mixed with something else. And for that, we bought a bottle
Get close for a good time
And to share another good shot by the cat
After quite a distance and a fair bit of brisk walking, we managed to reach in time to catch a showcase of horse riding skills at the arena. It was simply horsemen riding around in circles so we got bored and left halfway
If the show did trigger your inner Bruce Lee, there are some "horses" for you to try out
You could either walk back up the hill to take the free ride at the bus stop that came with the Ci Jing Package, or take a really long leisurely walk down. Not wanting to challenge gravity, we chose the latter
Because we will need all our strength to conquer the 45 degree slope and the long flights of stairs up to the third floor. And once you have reached the top, feel free to take a breather here
And we finally got to check in to the hotel room!
We were situated so high up the mountain, there was no need for air conditioning. Instead, it was so cold that thermal blankets are provided
The view from the balcony. Sometimes pictures do no justice to actual sight
The room looks a little dated even though it is considered more modern than the other hotels in the vicinity
There is even a water cooler inside the room and it takes 15 mins to warm up. Pretty dubious looking so we weren't too keen on using that
The bathroom was clean though it wasn't the best looking one. Lol. The water from the heater also fluctuates greatly so it was quite a hassle actually to bathe. Imagine being naked and the water suddenly turns freakily cold
----
We knew that for every NT300 you spent at Carton King, you can get one free ticket, but we weren't ready for dinner yet and wanted to visit the Swiss Garden in both daylight and during night time. So we decided to get our tickets via Misty Villa since it was also slightly cheaper than getting them over the counter.
Bad mistake though because we realised that for the same ticket, you can use it once during the day and once during the night! We could have had our dinner, get the free tickets and visit the Swiss Garden at night and use the same tickets to revisit it the next morning!
The Swiss Garden at night. It was so dark that the pictures didn't turn out well. It wasn't fantastic. So in the end, we didn't waste time coming back the next morning either
Carton King was right outside the Swiss Garden. So after the little walk around the garden, we headed over for dinner. It was our first meal at a restaurant after so many days
A voyeur shot inspired by my ex-lecturer
The shabu shabu set that the meow ordered
That came along with appetisers, condiments and desserts
And my prawns that were cooked in a sauce that I don't really recall. There's no point trying to remember anyway. It was really normal tasting and definitely not worth the price
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So that concludes Day 5, one that involves a lot of walking. Huff. Puff.
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