Top things to do in Taichung

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 TOP THINGS TO DO IN Taichung, Taiwan

We scheduled a couple of days in Taichung to relax before heading to our next country. Like Chishang and some of the other stops, we only spent a few days here. Based on other blog we read, we didn’t see too many things of interest. So we just focused our time on walking around the city, taking it in, and trying to get a feel for it before we left.

Taichung definitely felt like a big city, but still much more relaxed than Taipei. The central train station itself is a beautiful building with some fun large sculptures outside. Perpendicular to the station, what feels like the main street of Taichung shoots off down into the city. Along the street are shops as far as the eye can see.

Here are a few of the highlights from our stay in Taichung.

> Rainbow Village - This is a small housing block (it feels like 7-8 small house-like structures) that all have been colorfully painted. The story is that this old veteran’s village was painted by one of its oldest residents. Some stories say that it was painted to prevent it from being torn down while others say it was painted just to bring color to the drab buildings, then local university students petitioned to prevent the painted buildings from being demolished by the government. In any case, it’s a fun quirky place to visit. It won’t take more than 15-20 minutes, depending on much photography work you want to do. The gift shop actually had some really fun colorful items to buy. Trust me, we’re not gift shop people by any means, but this one had a number of fun things - especially if you’re into bright patterns. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/uem6oRKZSHj2f9fd7

> Painted Animation Lane - This is a back alley in the city that has a number of murals of animated characters from iconic cartoons and films. You’ll find Marvel Minions, Loony Tunes, Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh, and more! It’s hard to say exactly what you’ll see and what you won’t since some of the murals get painted over with new ones and others are on the doors of businesses that may be open or closed. It’s a quick bus or Uber from the center of the city. If you’re into cartoons, you should definitely try to stop by. Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/2cC6WdiAjy1f3NZ98

> 手指 - Finger Art Store - This place probably isn’t on any blogs (until now) and it’s not any sort of famous historical site. It’s just a small clothing and gift store. However, it was one of the few, if not the only, place we found in Taiwan selling local up-and-coming artists’ products. We ended up buying a couple things here because we really loved the work and wanted to support these local artisans. It’s right across the street from Miyahara. If you’re there, stop by! Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/e8185uDigVV6t8hGA

We visited a few other “places to see” sites while we were in Taichung: Calligraphy Greenway, Miyahara Book Store, but the places mentioned above were the most memorable. The Calligraphy Greenway was okay. There is one really fun World of Warcraft statue that was donated by Blizzard (the company that produced the game). It’s not something you’d have expected to be brought to life in that way. Meanwhile, Miyahara had a really pretty interior, but beyond that it was just a lot of really expensive locally made foods and teas. It didn’t feel very authentic.

We also intentionally left a few things out that we might try to tackle on a follow up trip. Specifically, 春水堂 Chun Shui Tang - supposedly the place where boba was born, 高美濕地 Gaomei Wetland - picturesque wetlands, and Sun Moon Lake - a beautiful lake in the mountains. They just weren’t high on our list because we’ve seen similar things or the reviews seemed a little shaky.

One last thing to mention, by chance one afternoon we ended up eating at VEGES GREEN (Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/twASGgwoxs2truNb9). It’s this restaurant where you construct your own noodle soup. You choose little packs of veggies and tofu. Then you select a noodle and broth type. Finally, they make the soup and deliver it to your table. It was AWESOME. The freedom to choose whatever you wanted combined with the tastiness of the broth made this place one of our favorites in Taichung!

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