What we did in Miaoli and Taichung with kids: 3D2N itinerary
After our 4D3N in Yilan, it was time to go on our next leg: Miaoli and Taichung! I initially wanted to stay a night or two in Miaoli, but figured the kids would enjoy Taichung better. No regrets! We have been to Taichung before, so we only stayed 3D2N there. We LOVED our time in Taichung. Let me tell you all about it.
Day 4: Depart Yilan > Miaoli 勝興車站自行車 Old Mountain Line Rail Bike > Taichung 來來豆漿 > 高美濕地 Gaomei Wetlands > Check in Innk Hotel
After our breakfast at 正常鮮肉小籠包, we set off for Miaoli’s Old Mountain Line Rail Bike which I think is pretty cool! It’s not really biking, so don’t worry if you and your kids can’t bike. You could pedal for fun but it’s not needed as someone just needs to control the brake and etc. at the driver’s seat of the train carriage.
The Old Mountain Line Railbike in Miaoli is Taiwan’s first rail biking system and the railway track is more than 100 years old! Along the route, we got a panoramic view of Miaoli, including of Longteng Bridge, otherwise known as the Yutengping Broken Bridge. It’s a historic site that pays homage to the two earthquakes (1935 and 1999) that destroyed it. We got to see the bridge up close during a short stopover, where we were happily ambushed by vendors giving out samples of home grown peanuts, crispy garlic, dried fruits and more! Cdd eat until very nervous cos he couldn’t catch up with whatever they were shoving in his hands. “We NEED to stand one side and eat first!!” Haha! It was fun, go experience it!
Then we continued to Taichung (around 2 hours) and our first stop was 來來豆漿, our must-go in Taichung. The kids loved the super crispy and airy you tiao and the beef noodles were delicious. The soy bean milk tasted unlike any in Singapore, the charcoal 焦味 was super nice!
It was already 6pm and the plan was for us to check in to Innk Hotel and explore Fengjia Night Market on our own. But our driver Hawk impromptu-ly jio-ed us to go Gaomei Wetlands cos it was just in time for sunset!
I love Gaomei Wetlands, so I said yes without hesitation even though Cbb was quite cranky at this time. But Cdd has never been there before and catching the sunset would be so awesome, so we went ahead with a sulky child – I mean sometimes you got to push them a bit cos they won’t know what they’re missing. And it turned to be an unforgettable experience. Cdd was fascinated with the little crabs and couldn’t stop watching them:
And the SUPER strong winds had Cdd hanging on to his dad for dear life!! “Bao bao me PROPERLY, bao bao me PROPERLY!!!” Hilarious. Cbb was amazed at how strong the winds could get (literally blew me away – for a few steps!) and we had some great bonding time making sure each other stayed alive!!! Our driver’s phone got blown into the mud (sorry little crabs!) Thank you to our driver for taking us there!
And just look at the view! Our cranky girl ended up a VERY appreciative and happy kid.
Then it was check in time at Innk Hotel, just 3 mins walk to Fengjia Night Market. We stayed here during our first Taichung trip and absolutely loved it. We paid around SG$351 for two nights loft room. But if you have kids under 3, hmm maybe don’t book the rooms with stairs cos believe me you will spend all your time making sure they don’t fall!!
There’s a spacious lounge area between level 1 and 2 where you can hang out and grab a coffee (yes there’s a coffee machine), water and simple snacks, and play board games! The kids had a game of jenga or two and Cbb took the opportunity to practise gymnastics while the hub went to put our clothes in the washer. It’s free to use but there’s only one washer and dryer so we had to wait our turn. By then it was already 9.30pm and the kids were tired (laundry room closes at 10pm), so we shelved our plans to go to Fengjia Night Market. The husband went downstairs to pack random yummy food and that’s how we ended our first night in Taichung.
Day 5: 921 Earthquake Museum > Lihpao Land Theme Park > Fengjia Night Market
Our main day in Taichung and I loved all the activities we planned today! Taichung is actually really easy to get around on public transport. It’s a large city, so you can cab or uber anywhere easily. On our previous trip when we depended on public transport, we used Taichung as a base to visit Cingjing and Sun Moon Lake etc. This time with two kids, we are thankful we decided to go for a driver instead!
First stop was 921 Earthquake Museum.
The great Taiwan earthquake of 21 September 1999 struck at 1:47 am local time. Measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, the earthquake killed 2,415 people, injured 11,305 and resulted in NT$300 billion worth of damage. The epicentre was Nantou County, and it is the second-deadliest earthquake in Taiwan’s recorded history, after the 1935 Shinchiku-Taichu earthquake. The site of the museum was a collapsed school, and there were many experimental stations for the kids – we spent so much time there. There was also an earthquake simulation room for us to experience earthquakes of varying scales. It was an enriching experience for us. Our visit was about 2+ hours and I felt like it wasn’t quite enough. I’m so glad we took the kids there! They enjoyed the visit tremendously.
Next we set off for Lihpao Land theme park. Cbb named it the best thing of this vacation and said it’s better than SG’s Universal Studios. I’m sure it’s partly because no need to queue on a weekday! It’s a full fledged theme park, not super glam but there were so many good quality rides. And we didn’t have to queue for any of them. Cbb had her first pirate ship experience and went on the smaller rollercoaster multiple times. Cdd had fewer rides to go on as he’s under 110cm but I counted like 7-8 that he could still enjoy! We love Lihpao Land theme park but it’s one of the places with the absolute worst mosquitoes everrrrr but at least those were not the pesky sandflies!! Wear long pants and top if you can and slap on the repellent!
For dinner we went to Fengjia Night Market. We initially planned to go for hotpot at 湯棧 to try their sesame and wine broth but as we missed Fengjia the night before (kids too tired to go out!), we changed our plan and stayed in.
But this time round I didn’t enjoy the night markets THAT much because the kids don’t really like them! The only thing that got them excited was the claw machines which we try to avoid as much as possible haha. Quite disappointed because our favourite Porky Box (juicy fried pork cutlet topped with a variety of savoury ingredients and yummy sauces) was closed that night, but we did spot some China-influenced food like grilled guo ba (crispy rice foldover) and mala xiao long xia (crawfish) noodles. We tried the guo ba and thought it tasted all right, probably wouldn’t buy again but it was quite fun to eat.
And that’s how we spent 3D2N in Taichung with the kids. The next morning, we had breakfast/brunch at Taichung Second Market.
There were so much traditional food choices and in the end we settled for Arashi braised pork rice, scallion noodles and meatball & wanton soup. The kids ate everything!
We crossed the street to get fried mini red bean donuts from Tian Tian Man Tou. Yes, only one type of filling. The donuts at this popular stall were all right, not a must-eat for us, but the kind ladies at the stall were very happy to see Cdd and his eyelashes. LOL.
We visited Hsinchu Green World Ecological Park enroute to Taipei, and I will cover them all in my next blog post. Follow my Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates!
By the way, I got a few questions asking me what shoes Cbb wore during our trip! And if it’s comfortable. Cbb is super picky about her shoes and she says this Skechers is the most comfortable pair of shoes ever. We only brought this one pair and she wore them to climb mountain, to amusement parks, to night markets – everywhere! Here’s a similar model of her shoes. You all can go to the online store for other designs. Click on the image to browse:
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Don’t miss my blog posts about our Taiwan trip 2023:
What we did in Taipei with kids: Day 3 & 4 – Taipei Children’s Amusement Park, Danshui, Kura Sushi | Read the post
What we did in Taipei with kids: Day 2 – Indoor Playground, Ximending, King Food Hotpot, Carrefour | Read the post
What we did in Taipei with kids: Day 1 – Greenworld Ecological Farm, Roader’s Plus Hotel, Shilin Night Market | Read the post
皇家帝國麻辣火鍋吃到飽 Taipei King Food Spicy Hot Pot review | Read the post
What we did in Yilan with kids: 4D3N itinerary | Read the post
Roaders Plus Hotel Taipei review: a playground for the kids! | Read the post
How to withdraw money from Taiwan ATMs at no foreign transaction fees | Read the post
Red Lantern Yilan 紅樓: Sensational Roasted Duck Nigiri! | Read the post
