A Two-Day Trip to Nantou & Tainan

January 26, 2014: Taipei → Nantou & Tainan, all in two days.

Every Lunar New Year, crowds begin moving around Taiwan. It may not be quite as astonishing as the massive holiday migration in China, but it is still enough to make us hesitate at the thought of packed scenic spots. So, on the weekend before everyone became busy preparing for the holiday, we took the whole family away early.

The itinerary turned out to be surprisingly efficient: roughly two and a half hours of driving at a time, followed by four to six hours of exploring. Neither the adults nor the children felt too tired ^.^

We left Taipei on the first morning and reached Taiwan Times Village in Nantou before noon. At two in the afternoon, we continued to Tainan for the Sicao Green Tunnel and Qigu Salt Mountain, then spent the evening at the Garden Night Market before staying at Queena Plaza Hotel. The next morning, we headed to Xitou Monster Village, continued into the Xitou Nature Education Area to tackle the treetop walkway, and drove back to Taipei around dusk.

Here is a quick taste of the trip…

Stop One: Taiwan Times Village, Nantou

A nostalgic street and shops styled after 1930s and 1940s Taiwan at Taiwan Times Village — The retro street became our first doorway into the two-day journey.

The streets and shops were styled after Taiwan in the 1930s and 1940s, creating the strange feeling that we had stepped back into another era. The adults were surrounded by memories from N years ago, while the children found everything completely new and fascinating.

Visitors and nostalgic displays in the retro district of Taiwan Times Village — The adults saw memories; the children saw an entire street of new discoveries.

Old-fashioned storefronts and retro signs inside Taiwan Times Village — Old-fashioned storefronts and signs carried the period atmosphere down the street.

A family exploring the retro streetscape at Taiwan Times Village — The same nostalgic setting gave every generation its own kind of fun.

The same nostalgic street offered two generations two very different kinds of fun.

Stop Two: Sicao Green Tunnel, Tainan

Visitors entering the Sicao Green Tunnel in Tainan aboard a bamboo raft — The bamboo raft was ready to carry us into the Sicao Green Tunnel.

We boarded a bamboo raft and followed the waterway into Sicao's green tunnel. Branches reached over the water from both sides as the ecological tour carried us into scenery nicknamed the “Taiwan Amazon.”

Dense branches reaching over the Sicao waterway to form a green canopy — Branches closed in from both sides until the green tunnel took shape ahead.

Calm water reflecting trees inside the Sicao Green Tunnel — As the raft moved forward, the water gathered the interlacing greenery into its reflection.

As the raft moved slowly forward, water, reflections, and the green canopy overhead seemed to leave the sounds of the city behind us.

Stop Three: Qigu Salt Mountain, Tainan

White salt piles forming a hill-like landscape at Qigu Salt Mountain in Tainan — There was no real snow mountain, but this salt mountain left plenty of room for imagination.

Lisa was in third grade that year, and one of her Mandarin lessons happened to be about salt mountains and salt fields. We had originally hoped to take her somewhere snowy that winter, but various complications put an end to those plans…so we treated the salt mountain as a snow-covered one instead. A little make-believe was better than nothing XD

Lisa happily playing on the white salt mound at Qigu Salt Mountain — Lisa treated the salt mountain like a snowy one and enjoyed every minute of it.

This girl really is easy to please. She did not mind the substitution at all and threw herself into playing on the “snow mountain” ^.^

An Evening in Tainan

After visiting the Garden Night Market, we checked into Queena Plaza Hotel. Its Balinese-style garden brought a completely different rhythm after a full day of moving from one stop to the next.

Balinese-style garden landscaping at Queena Plaza Hotel in Tainan — After a full day on the road, the garden at Queena Plaza Hotel brought a slower evening rhythm.

Tropical planting and leisure landscaping in the garden at Queena Plaza Hotel — Layered garden scenery gave the hotel a distinctly resort-like atmosphere.

After walking through it ourselves, our verdict was…yes, the garden really did live up to its reputation ^.^

Another Balinese-style garden scene at Queena Plaza Hotel — After walking around it ourselves, the garden genuinely left an impression ^.^

Day Two, Stop One: Xitou Monster Village

The entrance and monster-themed shopping street at Xitou Monster Village — We expected a sprawling village and found a shopping street filled with monster-themed ideas instead.

I had imagined that Monster Village would be an actual sprawling village. Instead, it turned out to be a monster-themed shopping street created by the nearby Ming Shan Resort. It was smaller than expected, but the storefronts and monster characters were packed with playful ideas.

Creative monster figures and storefront decorations along the Monster Village shopping street — The place was not large, but its monster designs had plenty of character.

Adults and children alike had plenty to look at and play with, so everyone still had a wonderful time ^.^

A family posing and playing beside themed scenery at Xitou Monster Village — We kept looking and playing, and nobody minded the village being smaller than expected.

Final Stop: Xitou Nature Education Area

Our last destination was the Xitou Nature Education Area, part of National Taiwan University's Experimental Forest.

A path leading through the Xitou Nature Education Area — After the shopping street, the journey continued onto the forest paths of Xitou.

Following the forest path, we first passed the nearly completed Music Castle.

The nearly completed Music Castle in the Xitou Nature Education Area — On the way to the treetop walkway, we passed the nearly completed Music Castle.

A little farther on, we finally reached the main challenge of the day: the treetop walkway.

The treetop walkway suspended among the trees in Xitou forest — After the walk through the forest, we finally reached the treetop walkway we had come to challenge.

Standing at its highest point and looking down really did make my legs feel a little weak @.@'"

Looking down toward the forest and paths from the elevated Xitou treetop walkway — One look down from the highest point, and my legs suddenly felt much less dependable @.@'"

And that completes the highlights of our two-day trip. From Nantou to Tainan and back through Xitou, the whole family kept exploring until dusk, when it was finally time to return to Taipei ^.^

Nantou: Taiwan Times Village
Tainan: Sicao Green Tunnel
Tainan: Qigu Salt Mountain
Tainan: Queena Plaza Hotel
Xitou: Monster Village
Xitou: National Taiwan University Experimental Forest (Xitou Nature Education Area)