May 2013 – Taiwan (Day 3 + 4): Cinjing

I’ve heard lovely reviews on Cinjing and was excited to head up there this round. Cinjing is located in Nantou and 1, 750 above the sea, with cooling weather and fresh farm produces all year round. The friend promised fresh air, rolling mountains, scenic peaks and wild greenery – which, is always a winner for me.

We reached in the late afternoon and everyone was pretty tired from the drive, so some went off for a snooze – whilst I sat at the balcony enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings within my sight and dreaming of all things fluffy and whimsical.

Once everyone was up and recuperated from the drive uphill, we headed off to visit the recreation center, which seems to be a mandatory stop for everyone in Cinjing to stock up on snacks at 7-11, to visit the lavender forest cafe, the small little shops that sells agricultural or organic souvenirs etc. After a good 45 mins browse, we were all ready to get some dinner grubbing at Margarita’s Garden.

Margarita’s Garden is a quaint cafe situated on one of the peaks with a pretty decent view of Cinjing. The highlight and novelty of the restaurant lies in it being fondly known as “the purple house” with the color being its main theme, and setting off a combination of ‘under the sea meets the mediterranean’ atmosphere. The menu boasted off a local Taiwanese cuisine with fusion elements from other Asian cuisines. Set meals (套餐) are fairly popular and the way to go – so we were happy to do so rather than going ala carte, since our dietary preferences was quite varied. (Guess which set meal was mine?)

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Day 4:

Next morning, we were up bright and early – all ready to spend the morning at Green Grassland with the herd of adorable sheep. Imho, this is a place for families with children – great place for kids to be out in the open and free to run about with the herds of sheep. For us adults, it provided a good morning exercise up and down the trails, and of course extending a gentle welcome to our four-legged furry friends that come in our path.