Endless Sunny Sky: November 2011

Shuang Qi hill village is in Heping district of Taichung city.   In Nov, on the road side, so many yellow sun flowers smile at visitors.   You don't have to go down to south Taiwan Tai Dong to see the sun flower. Just come up here. In Feb the whole village changes the new and happy clothes, welcomes Taiwanese new year, with the pink sakura flowers.

The small village, total just 200 families. The main road is only one. One side of the road is the valley of Da An river, the other side of the road is where houses located. Some of them are new and some of them are old. So many kinds of houses you may see if you walk around this area. It's always so quite and peaceful in this small village.

The whole length of the Da An river valley is 98km, especially the 20km at the XueShanKeng of HePing district is the most beautiful valley; thanks to the wide valley. Da An river goes from east to west through Tai An township of Miaoli county and Xue Shan Keng of HePing district of Taichung city.

The Japanese sweet persimmon is at the harvest season now.   Shuang Qi is high, therefore the persimmon planted here is so sweet and delicious as the fiber is thin.

How to come up here if you don't drive a car? Don't worry. You may find the bus at the Feng Yuan Bus Dong Shi station. It takes 30 minutes to come up here.    It's so easy to see the great wide beautiful valley at Shuang Qi.   You don't have to spend much money at all.

B+B

Da An river valley

church

map of Shuang Qi

waving cloth

primary school


bank & fire station


go west to Zhuo Lan township of Miaoli county

Kukuan is the famous hot spring resort of Taichung city in central Taiwan, 34 km east from TongHsih district by the road Tai 8.

Air is so fresh if you spend one night at Kukuan you'll definitely love Kukuan. It's height above sea level at 800m. There're so many hot spring hotels in Kukuan; some of them are new and the public hot spring pools are clean.

The E-daw hotel, I love it so much since it's the Japanese style.    If you put yourself in the hot spring of the outdoor public pool, you'll feel like you're at a hot spring house in Japan; not only decoration is Japanese style but the non-stop Japanese An-Ka songs are spread at each corner all the time. Before Taiwanese new year in Feb, pink sakura flowers make the whole place so beautiful in just one week. I always love to go there in the cold weather time in the evening. Its pools are truly clean for their staff do brush them each late evening before rest. The service elder lady is so cordial to all the visitors who share foods and talk. If you go there you'll make new friends there. Anyway it's a warm place!!   If you go there by bus, when it's dark and late, the service elder lady always drys your hair automatically and arranges a car to send you back for free.   The car belongs to visitor who shall drive back to Taichung downtown area.   Nice!!

Bali Nature Spa is also a nice place. There're two long outdoor big pools and each pool has some small pools with different water temperatures.   Rest area is big. Decoration is the Bali style; it's beautiful in the evening time. It's new.   The ticket price is not low.   Visitors are not allowed to carry foods into the area; the hotel service persons do check visitor bag in order to protect the coffee / tea shop business in the outdoor pools area.

Before Taiwanese new year in Feb, everywhere in Kukuan, you may see sakura flowers!!

On weekend, in Kukuan, pretty often, folk dance and music can be seen outdoor right outside of the travel hall. It's for free.

If you don't drive a car, how to reach Kukuan? Don't worry.   You may take a bus, Feng Yuan bus, at Taichung train station or Dong Shi Feng Yuan Bus Station. It takes just one hour only from Dong Shi to Kukuan.