Hello Everyone,
after spending a night in Cing Jing, Baby and I went to a few attractions in Puli before heading to stay at Sun Moon Lake for a night. The attractions that we went to in Puli are the Guan Yin Waterfall, the 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory, the Puli Winery, and the Guangxing Paper Factory.

In this blog entry, we will be covering the Guan Yin Waterfall and the 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory.

Before we left Ming Qin Minsu, we took a few photographs around the area because the weather was clear and it wasn’t as cloudy as it was the day before.

Waking up to these very beautiful scenery in the early morning is just so calming and soothing!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Also, the background is perfect for a natural photo like these! Won’t you agree with me that Baby looked like a super model?

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Now, now, what about me? Do I qualify for Manhunt? hahas. 😛

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

All thanks to our tripod, we managed to get a photo together with such a beautiful landscape.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Here’s a short video of the view from our room at Ming Qin Minsu.

Breakfast at Ming Qin Minsu was nothing extraordinary.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Trying hard to smile during breakfast but how to when the breakfast isn’t that appetising at all?

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

I didn’t know Ming Qin Minsu has maple trees until I looked up and Baby took a shot of these maple leaves. I regretted not picking up the maple leaves that have fallen off the trees, otherwise, it would have made a great keepsake.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Before leaving Ming Qin Minsu, we took more parting shots of our room.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The room’s wallpaper really makes a perfect backdrop eh!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

And so, our long and winding journey to our first stop of the day began.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

We definitely miss the cool and fresh mountain breeze. Cing Jing was such a beautiful place that we will definitely go back to visit again.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Guan Yin Waterfall

The Guan Yin Waterfall used to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in Puli. However, due to the 921 Earthquake that took place on 21 September 1999, a wooden trail was broken and as a result, there are lesser visitors now. Though it is less crowded now, the beauty of the Guan Yin Waterfall is still there. There are two parts to the Guanyin Waterfall, one which is the outer waterfall and the other which is the inner waterfall. The outer waterfall can be reached within 5 minutes from entrance by foot, and it is around 20 metres in height. The inner waterfall which is more magnificent, is around 60 metres in height and it is currently sealed off as the wooden trail is still under repair. Between the inner waterfall and the outer waterfall, there are many small waterfalls along the trail.

And so, we arrived at the entrance of Guan Yin Waterfall and it took us 5 minutes to reach the outer waterfall.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

A short video introduction to Guan Yin Waterfall

Some shots of the outer waterfall. The first shot is taken with the Olympus EPL-3 while the second shot is taken using the Canon Powershot S100.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Baby taking a photograph with the outer waterfall.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

After taking a few photographs with the outer waterfall, our hike up to the inner waterfall began. From the outer waterfall to the inner waterfall, it would take about 30 minutes [depending on walking speed].

Here’s me pointing to the wilderness!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Along the trail, we saw some small waterfalls like this one.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

And we also saw signs like this, which made us pretty cautious about our surroundings.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

After a long hike up, we finally reached the inner waterfall. By the way, as the wooden trail is currently under repair, I strongly will not advise you to go further up because it can be rather slippery.

A short video about the inner waterfall.

Our parting shot at the inner waterfall.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

The hike down was a breeze and we saw some people whom were rather daring to go into the waters. You can too if you wish to but I generally will not recommend for safety reasons.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Anyways, the water is really clean! I doubt you can drink from it straight; you probably would need to pop in a purifying tablet.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

What you see in the background are not stones but they are actually wooden tree pieces that have accumulated over the years.

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Trust me, I love shooting with my Canon Powershot S100 because it is extremely compact. When I go for media events using only my trusty Canon Powershot S100, people tend to look at me in a rather awkward fashion but I don’t really care.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Symbol of Achievement!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Opposite the entrance of Guan Yin Waterfall, there’s also a Guan Yin Bridge. Since we were there, we decided to take a few photographs before leaving for our next stop, the 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

Feeling 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory

Master Mao is the owner of Feeling 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory and he has more than ten years of experience in making chocolates. To further hone his skills, Master Mao went to Japan to master the art of making chocolates. Upon his return to Taiwan, Master Mao started Feeling 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory with the intention of making the best affordable chocolates; hence, he chose Puli due to the lower rental rates. Soon after, Master Mao and his family created an attraction on Puli map for tourists and this is what he has done in return for this small town which is also their hometown.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

When we reached Feeling 18 Degrees C Chocolate Factory, there were already tons of people whom were already queuing up to buy chocolates. In fact, you have to get a queue number in order to go into their display store.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Thankfully, they had an express booth where you can buy pre-packed chocolates.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

I was really spoilt for choice.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Just look at all their product offerings!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]
From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

And I decided that I was going to try their 65% dark chocolate that cost $250 TWD [approx. $10.62 SGD].

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

The Box Packaging looks rather pretty and classic.!

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

Baby was just so excited to pose with the box of chocolates!

From Day 2 Taiwan Holiday 2012 [Melvin’s Perspective]

And if you’re in the mood for ice-creams, you might want to try their gelatos. I’m not sure if they’re good cause we didn’t try it.

From Day 2 Taiwan 2012 [Jacqueline’s Perspective]

In our next blog entry, we will be covering the Puli Winery and the Guangxin Paper Mill; so do stay tuned to more updates from us! In case you’re wondering how the chocolates taste like, it tasted like Royce’s chocolates; except that Royce’s chocolates are much sweeter.

God bless!

Author

Melvin is an Entrepreneur, Life Coach, and Chinese Metaphysics Practitioner. He holds an EMBA and he is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for his unique combination of science, research, and spirituality.

8 Comments

  1. kwekirving@gmail.com Reply

    hi there, very interesting blog! may i know how do you travel from cingjing to puli? the chocolate place looks good! cheers!

    • Hi Irving! Thanks for dropping by! We had a personal driver whom drove us from Cingjing to Puli. You can also take the public transport but the waiting time might be too long! We highly recommend you to hire your own driver too 🙂

      • kwekirving@gmail.com Reply

        thanks! would you recommend your driver as i’m still in the midst of researching! and roughly how much would it cost / day for the driver?

        cheers, Irving

        • Hi Irving,
          yes we will definitely recommend our driver if you’re travelling to Taichung/Cingjing/Puli. We paid 7000 TWD nett [approx. $295 SGD] for 2 persons and is for two day’s worth of travelling. If you wish to contact him, do drop him an email in Mandarin to: kite4928@yahoo.com.tw 🙂

  2. kwekirving@gmail.com Reply

    hi there, very interesting blog! may i know how do you travel from cingjing to puli? the chocolate place looks good! cheers!

    • Hi Irving! Thanks for dropping by! We had a personal driver whom drove us from Cingjing to Puli. You can also take the public transport but the waiting time might be too long! We highly recommend you to hire your own driver too 🙂

      • kwekirving@gmail.com Reply

        thanks! would you recommend your driver as i’m still in the midst of researching! and roughly how much would it cost / day for the driver?

        cheers, Irving

        • Hi Irving,
          yes we will definitely recommend our driver if you’re travelling to Taichung/Cingjing/Puli. We paid 7000 TWD nett [approx. $295 SGD] for 2 persons and is for two day’s worth of travelling. If you wish to contact him, do drop him an email in Mandarin to: kite4928@yahoo.com.tw 🙂

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