A second home

My father enjoying the mountain air
at Fu Yam Minsu

It is just incredible that I've been to Taiwan three times within two years. My first trip was back in 2007 when I first brought my father there. Then, it was a very different Taiwan. My memory was a laid back, rustic country, where there history was far from exciting.

Little did I realise how wrong I was. Possibly stemming from my lack of preparation, and truly, having not discovered Trip Advisor I didn't know what to expect. My second trip happened because of my father's love for the place. He followed their talkshows and news with a religious fervor that was endearing at times.

How lucky I was to find Starry House at CingJing. The experience, a little colder than what I expected was easily replaced by the warmth of Mr Li and his wife. It helped that his furry canine companion was such a charmer, we had so much fun, I brought my friends again in mid 2010.

This recent December trip brought me into the forest greenery of Taoyuan, at Fu Yam Minsu . If you haven't been there, you must make this trip. The three hour drive is worth your time. And to really make it work for you, stay at least two nights. I didn't and I've regretted and really beaten myself over.

The first thing you notice when you stepped out of the car was the amazing crispness of the air. City dwellers like my teenage cousins will find it strange. Myself and my parents, it is the smell of the earth, of untarnished nature. We joked that we should pack the air in our extra plastic bags and bring home to Singapore for the occasional whiff.

We had one building to ourselves - there were nine of us. Each room had a different theme and were well equipped. A word of caution to those who fear the cold, there is no heater, so bring warm clothing if you visit during Winter. But once you get under the covers, you will find that some times, it can get really warm!

Scurried up a boulder to
take a picture of the creek 

What pleases me the most is the attentiveness of the owner, Mr Zhong. He takes the time to walk us through is property and plan our La La mountain tour itinerary. He showed us a river where some of his guests will attempt to fish for their meal. He also had access to a creek - beautiful boulders, sparkling water, and that therapeutic sounds of the rapids. Just be careful as you negotiate the rocks and boulders.

Meals, both dinner and breakfast were delightful. They were simple, home-cooked fares but done with such attentiveness and I'm thinking pride. It is a lot of food and for a great big eater like myself, I still had troubles putting it all in. My suggestion is to let Mr Zhong know ahead if you are a small eater. Boo to all those who have to throw food away.

Sun, Mountains & Dog

If you think Taiwan is a boring place for the aged, it's time for a 'paradigm shift'.
This is my second trip to Taiwan, and maybe, I was better prepared, the journey, was simply, amazing.
In terms of experience, my stay two-day stop at a minsu in CingJing (清境）was really good for the body and soul. The crisp mountain air - ok, you can smell sheep feces too, but who cares (!), and the soaring mountains that seemed to go on endlessly!
We were really quite blessed that the weather was good - sky was clear and the sun was always shining.
Our host, the affable 李老板 (Mr Li) was helpful, knowledgeable and well, incredibly entertaining! If you do not ask him to show you the night sky, you would have missed his amazing 'laser' show.
At his 观星园 (Starry Minsu), it is famed as a location in 清境 for star gazing. We met two Singaporean couples there and started pointing into the sky, trying to show each other the locations of the constellations. Then along came Mr Li, who said matter-of-factly, "Ah, you mean this one?"
Utterly flabbergasted, this green laser beam shot out right into the night sky, seemingly to hit the stars itself. This was better than Omni-max ANYTIME!



Mr Li is a man of discerning taste. The food he served, his hot pot, his coffee, even their humble home-cooking was a gourmet experience.
Winter is a time where they mainly serve their prized cabbages. It has a much sweeter aftertaste than what we are familiar with in Singapore. And it was so for the onions, capsicum and even ginger!

On the second night, we had the hotpot. His 招牌菜 - salted vegetable soup was unexpected! He revealed that he had prepared the stock by slow-boiling it for about 6 hours. The results was a robust, flavourful soup base that had a hint of sour and saltiness. By adding the other ingredients, like corn, mushrooms, toufu, etc, the soup becomes progressively sweeter. It was great fun to eat on a cold night.
Mr Li is incredibly generous with his food and more often than not, we find ourselves stuffed to our noses and still have food left. He has however, a very 'green' way of not wasting food. It comes in the form of a Siberian Husky called - DuBi (read - DooBee).


I fell in love with her at first sight.
She greeted us - well, anyone for that matter, with a slight woof and a howl. It was really cute and well, she really eats anything. You can get her to do tricks by baiting her with food. But I think as guests, we should also feed her responsibly. I think she doesn't move much and because she is sooooooo cute, guests can't help but feed her (of course, you can't say no when her eyes are on you so hopefully).
Mr and Mrs Li were very kind in letting me play with DuBi. I also managed to take her out for a walk.. more like she took me along for her run. She is a really pretty and affectionate dog. Makes me want to have one like her....
I'm sure to go once more, to enjoy the morning sunrise, the quiet peacefulness of the mountain-side, the amber beauty of the retreating sun and the night jewels in the sky!