Friday, March 22, 2013

Taiwan Escapade 2012: Part 4 - Taichung Day 1 (Lunch, Lavender Farm, 逢甲夜市)

So this is Part 2 of our Day 1 in Taichung. ^^

After setting down our luggage, we met up with A先生, who's super nice to make his way down from 台南 to spend the day with us! *SWEET!* I was told that he usually don't drive around as the car is with his GF, so we're extremely honored to be able to sit his car! *LOL!*

Anyway, it was lunch time so he brought us to a posh Japanese BBQ restaurant, Umai. It's inside some hotel, so the first impression is very classy. :)

We ordered a 3-pax meal, and that's the amount of meat served to us. HAHAHAHA!

Imagine how shocked we're when we see this! O.O""

We spent a good 3 hours there trying to finished all our food 

:) We managed to empty those plates but the stomach was filled to the brim (almost)!

After lunch, it's a long drive to the Lavender Farm! *YAY!* It's one of the reason why I wanna dropped by Taichung. We chatted all the way to keep each other awake while Mr. Lin is having his sound sleep behind. HAHAHA! 

The journey took about an hour plus to reach, and I was extremely glad that A先生 fetched us here. It's so deep in the mountains that I seriously wonder whether those information I got online really can bring us to the farm. O.o!!!

Be prepared that it'll be cold since it's deep in the mountains. About 20C + lots of wind!


Lots of purple signage along the way to lead us right to the doorstep. :)

First impression: It's a very serene place, very quiet and peaceful.

Admission fee is NT$200 / pax and it's fully redeemable at their souvenirs shop. ^^



It was quite cooling when we reached there, so a jacket is a must. Lot of DIY stuff inside, making the whole place feel like a cosy home.

Not a lot of lavender as to what I was hoping to see. But nevertheless, I do get to see these lavender at such good range! And I didn't know there's so many different kinds of lavender, cause they look the same to me! ^_^!

A wishing tree and a small carousel to pint our memories there

:) Our wish up on the trees! And the owner is extremely friendly to let us play the small carousel. 

MY ALL TIME FAVORITE RIDE! ^_^


 
They have a cafe which serves coffee, cakes, ice-creams, etc and also a bigger kitchen that serves main course. We had the lavender ice-cream even though it's a cooling day. 

And did I mention that the sun set super early in Taiwan? It's only 5 plus in the evening but it looks as though it's already 8pm in Singapore. We didn't stay too long as we did not want to risk driving back in the dark. 

Back to Taichung City, our first night market is the famous 逢甲夜市 which is just outside the 逢甲 university. Thus, you can expect lots of students around that area. From clothes, shoes, bags, accessories; of course, fooooooodddd!!!!

We eat and shop at the same time, so our hands are always occupied! Didn't snap much picture of the food though cause when it's served to us, we immediately opened our mouth and take the first bite! ^^

The famous 大肠包小肠 and my favorite 臭豆腐!

大肠包小肠 is actually a glutinous rice roll wrap around the 小肠 with your choice of sauce and some cucumbers and mashed garlic. Supposed to be a 小吃 but it's super filling. :) 

Had the 臭豆腐 all by myself! HAHAHAHA! Mr Lin doesn't like the smell and taste so I had to finish the whole bean curd by myself. But it's too good to give it a miss. I think it only cost me NT$50 for 2 big pieces. I requested only 1 piece so I have some more space for other food. ^_^!!!

Anyway, we went back to the same market on the 2nd night too after our Sun Moon Lake trip! There's too many food to try out and we didn't want to give it a miss! :):):) 

Day trip at Sun Moon Lake on the way! ^_^_^!