Visit hot springs, flower fields and mushroom farms in Taichung

It is by accident that I rediscover Taichung during my second visit to the city.

- Wendy Ng

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - It is by accident that I rediscover Taichung during my second visit to the city.

My initial plan is a brief stopover in Taichung before heading to my destination, Lishan. Unexpectedly, the transit turns into a journey into a part of Taichung that is relatively untouched by tourism.

At 2,215 sq km, Taichung is about three times the size of Singapore.

Nicknamed the Little Kyoto of Taiwan, a reference to the scenic and cultural Japanese city, Taichung's old town was a test bed for urban planning and architectural structures during the Japanese colonial period (1895 to 1945). The streets are laid out in a checkerboard pattern, framed by riverside paths and green spaces.

Many visitors make a day trip from Taipei to visit the Rainbow Village and Fengjia Night Market.

I spend three days exploring Xinshe, known as Taichung's "back garden", and Guguan hot springs.

Both can be found among Taichung's real attraction - nature.

SLOW TRAVEL

A 40-minute drive from the city centre, the district of Xinshe is nestled in the highlands with elevation ranging from 500 to 1,000m.

Like most parts of Taichung, Xinshe basks in mild and comfortable weather year-round, sheltered by the Central Mountain Range - a natural buffer from heavy rain, strong wind and typhoons.

Staying in a minsu, or a Taiwanese-style guesthouse, is one of the main attractions of Xinshe. I stay at Garden-Life Homestay (rooms from NT$2,800 or S$120 a night; go to str.sg/GfQ3), run by married couple Johnson Lai and Shuw Wei Lai.

The cosy homestay is filled with personal touches like framed photographs of Taiwan taken by Mr Lai's late father, and a homemade breakfast featuring Xinshe mushrooms and porridge flavoured with pandan leaves.