The Charm of Taiwanese Highlands at the Old England Manor, Nantou County, Taiwan

Avisala!

I would like to clarify that we didn't stay at this luxurious hotel because doing so would have broken our bank, even if I didn't have a bank. I did some superficial digging and found out that staying at the hotel would cost around Php 27,000. I currently don't have that amount to splurge in a hotel just to stay for one night.

We stayed at Twinstar Hotel in Taichung. After visiting Zhong She Flower Market the day before and Feng Chia Night Market at night, we decided to wake up early for the big day. We booked a tour via Klook and being a cheapskate as we are on some things, we opted for a local guide instead of an English-speaking guide, even if the difference is just Php 1,000. It was initially agreed that he would pick us up at the hotel at 8:00 AM, but it was moved to 9:30 AM. We were just joiners, and the group with us were Malaysian Chinese who could speak English. Since the guide couldn't speak English, they became our unofficial translators.

The whole east coast of Taiwan is dotted with cities, from Taipei in the north to Kaohsiung in the south, and everything is connected by either a high-speed rail system or a series of highways and tunnels. Throughout our stay in Taiwan, I've felt that everywhere is just so accessible, and I could only wish in my dreams that such an efficient transport system is available in the Philippines. I guess the difference between the 21st and 124th largest economies in terms of nominal GDP is staggering. While we were travelling to Nantou from Taichung, I couldn't help but notice that there was no toll gate in their expressways. In just an hour and a half, we reached the restaurant in Nantou, where we would have lunch.

We had lunch at Inako Valley View Restaurants. I actually didn't know the restaurant's name until I started writing this post because it's in Chinese. Thanks to Google Maps for identifying that I had been to the restaurant three weeks ago. The guide recommended that we have our lunch first before going to Qingjing Farm. But more than the lunch itself, which has been lackluster, the view made it amazing.

That lunch was expensive, but it was for the experience. Their menu is not that extensive, but they're mostly local cuisines. We ordered a roasted whole chicken, high mountain cabbage, rice, and drinks. As with any other lunch we had in Taiwan, we didn't finish our meal. The chicken was still whole except for the skin, which we ate. We were even embarrassed to know that the other group finished their roasted chicken.

After lunch, we enjoyed taking photos on the balcony overlooking the valley. Wan-ta Reservoir can even be seen from the restaurant. Our guide eventually told us that it was already time to proceed to our next destination.

The cherry blossoms at Old England Manor became the preview of what's waiting for us at Qingjing Farm. It was so vibrant that we almost cried when we saw the blossoms up close. I know I wrote about how another dream came true at Yangmingshan Mountains, but the blossoms in Nantou was different. I made a post about Panglao Island in Bohol and in Hinagdanan Cave, we had a local equivalent of cherry blossoms although the colour of the flowers was orange. Since then, I dreamt of seeing the cherry blossoms, and finally, making it happen was surreal.

Based on this alone, I can say that Taiwan is one of the best countries to visit. Of course, that's if you're like me, who dreamed of seeing the fleeting cherry blossoms.

Walking around the luxury hotel alone was a delight! We only spent around 15 minutes taking photos because our main destination was Qingjing Farm. However, it was an awesome 15 minutes, and I had no regrets about booking that tour. Old England Manor has a Tudor-style exterior, making it a unique hotel propped up in an Asian country.

I guess that's all for this post. See you on the next one! But if you're interested in our Nantou tour, you can visit my other posts:

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer, so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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