Babymoon in Taiwan: Half Day Tour in Taichung
Monday, February 12, 2018
#WalkwithChaMikeinTaiwan #ChaMikeBabymoon
Another popular city in Taiwan aside from Taipei is Taichung. Located in the west-central part of the island of Taiwan, Taichung City can be reached in about an hour via High Speed Rail. There are a number of things to see in Taichung like hot springs, night markets, temples and parks but what I was more excited to see were the flowers at Houli Flower Garden.
It was our last day in Taiwan and because we only had a half day to visit Taichung, we opted to focus on visiting two spots- Rainbow Village and Houli Flower Garden. We were supposed to visit the Lavender Hill and Sun Moon Lake but because of the given time we skipped those two.
Because I was 30 weeks pregnant, I wanted a smooth and hassle free travel so like what we did in Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen (Read: Babymoon Taiwan: Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen) we rented a private car in a form of a taxi to tour us around but before that, we needed to ride a High Speed Rail for a faster trip going to Taichung.
Because I was 30 weeks pregnant, I wanted a smooth and hassle free travel so like what we did in Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen (Read: Babymoon Taiwan: Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen) we rented a private car in a form of a taxi to tour us around but before that, we needed to ride a High Speed Rail for a faster trip going to Taichung.
How to go to Taichung from Taipei
It is very easy to go to Taichung. From Taipei Railway Staton or Banqiao Railway Station ride a High Speed Rail going to Taichung. Because our accommodation was near Banqiao (with just one stop) we rode the HSR from there. You can opt to ride a Bus, Taxi or Car but HSR is faster.
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| Buying our tickets at the priority lane in Banqiao Railway Station |
Ticket Fee:
670 NT
Travel Time:
Less than an hour
Duration per Train:
Trains are available every 10 minutes which is good
Trains are available every 10 minutes which is good
Number of Stops during our scheduled trip:
4 Stops - Banqiao -> Taiyuan -> Hsinchu -> Mioali -> Taichung
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| Banqiao to Taichung HSR Ticket |
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| Priority turnstile |
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| Stops and arrival schedule |
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| Waiting for our train |
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| The very sleek HSR |
The one hour travel via HSR was incredible! I just have to commend their train and service as the train looks new, the seats were comfortable, the toilet was clean, they have a vending machine, an attendant that sells snacks and drinks and they were very prompt. It was a breeze riding it.
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| Inside the very clean and comfy train |
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| Super efficient |
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| Toilet |
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| Vendo Machine |
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| At the Taichung Station |
From Taichung Railway Station we met with Albert, a cab owner that does special tours like this. I got this from a friend who did the same agenda as ours.
Private Car Rental
2,000 NT for half day
4,000 NT for whole day
Car can fit 6-7 persons
Tour Itinerary
You have the option to choose what attractions you want but because we will only be doing a half day tour here was our itinerary
Pick up at Taichung Railway Station
Rainbow Village
Houli Flower Farm
Drop off at Taichung Railway Station
Contact Details
Albert - +886970568797
Thru WhatsApp
Contact Details
Albert - +886970568797
Thru WhatsApp
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| With Albert and his cab |
Rainbow Village
We first visited the Rainbow Village. The colorful houses was an old veterans village that was painted by a very talented veteran soldier. Mr Huang painted old and dying veteran houses a few years ago and students from the nearby university discovered it and started visiting it as the colors were vibrant and very much photography worthy. Now, it is a favorite among tourists as it is near the station and there are no entrance fees.
We first visited the Rainbow Village. The colorful houses was an old veterans village that was painted by a very talented veteran soldier. Mr Huang painted old and dying veteran houses a few years ago and students from the nearby university discovered it and started visiting it as the colors were vibrant and very much photography worthy. Now, it is a favorite among tourists as it is near the station and there are no entrance fees.
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| Rainbow Village |
Is is Pregnancy Safe?
Yes very much, as it is just near the main road, it's just a small area and we didn't have to climb any stairs.
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| Colorful Village |
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| 👫 |
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| #ChaMiKiss at the Rainbow Village |
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| Colorful 2018 |
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| Mr Huang likes to paint colorful animals and humans |
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| Papa and Mama |
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| 30 weeks preggo |
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| Styled my hubby <3 shades from georginasasha.com |
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| Dress from GU, sunnies from georginasasha.com |
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| 😎 |
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| Last one before we leave |
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| Trellis going back to our car |
Houli Flower Farm
Mike and I have been to the best tulip garden in Holland (Read: Tulip Garden in Keukenhof during Spring) but I really got curious about this flower garden in Taichung. I wanted to visit it especially when I learned that I'm carrying a girl that I just like to be surrounded by beautiful blooms.
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| Houli Flower Farm |
Opening Time
Monday - Friday | 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday | 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Not sure why it is open until evening, it's nicer to visit it during daytime of course
Entrance Fee
January - March
150 NT | Adult
100 NT | Children aged 3 -12 years
Senior Citizen aged 65 above
Disabled
April - December
120 NT | Adult
80 NT | Children aged 3 -12 years
Senior Citizen aged 65 above
Disabled
Because papa is already 65 years, he got a discounted rate of 80 NT
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| My ticket |
Of course the place cannot be compared to how beautiful the Tulip Garden is in Holland. It was rather small and relatively hot (I can just imagine how scorching it is during non-winter) but it looks good on photos so we just took as many shots as possible.
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| We are at Houli Flower Farm |
Yes, because it's relatively a small area and no climbing of stairs, there is also a covered cottage when you feel you wanted to sit and rest.
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| #ChaMiKiss |
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| Tulip + Windmill = Holland |
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| #ChaMiKiss at Holland. Not! |
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| Carousel Love |
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| Feeling Cinderella and Prince Charming |
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| Flower bed |
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| Pretty Colorful Flowers at the Houli Flower Garden |
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| Drummer Boy |
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| Bright yellow |
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| Playing with the fake piano |
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| 💛💛💛 |
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| 🤰 |
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| Another fake piano |
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| Best photo op area |
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| Lav 💜 |
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| Chillin' |
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| Swing! |
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| 💜💜💜 |
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| Sway |
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| At first I thought these were Lavender but I was wrong. Not really sure what flower this is. |
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| 🥀🌺🌻🌸🌷🌹🌼 |
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| 🙋 |
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| Mama 💗 |
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| Mama and Papa |
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| Papa and Mike |
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| Me and Mama |
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| Bye Houli! |
After we've visited all the areas at the garden it was time to go back. But before leaving Taichung, Albert brought us to a local restaurant for our lunch then went back to Taichung Station.
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| Taichung Station |
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| Waiting for our train |
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| Going back |
It was a quick Taichung trip, although I wanted to stay longer to visit some of the famous spots like Carton King, Lavender Hill and Sun Moon Lake but because I'm pregnant and we were already pressed for time we just settled for these two. Maybe we can visit it again some other time with our baby.
2 comments
Hi Cham,
ReplyDeleteWhat's the contact details of Albert? We're also gonna do an afternoon Taichung tour sometime next month.
Thanks.
Oops! I forgot to include
DeleteContact Details
Albert - +886970568797
Thru WhatsApp