Graduation Trip to Taiwan: AliShan 3Days2Nights

Greetings from Taiwan~! XD [When I wrote this, I was really in Taiwan :P]

I am back here, but this time I had planned a graduation trip with my poly classmates.
We took JetStar Airlines, which I thought was alright although it was rather uncomfortable to sleep on.

On Air XD

We reached Taoyuan about 30mins earlier. Since we wanted to wait for the Costumer Service to open in order for us to apply for the Taiwan Youth Card, we slacked at the airport for around an hour ;A;
(Btw, Taiwan Youth Card can be applied by any youth between 14-30 years old from any country. That card allows you to enjoy discounts from varies attractions in Taiwan. Furthermore, its free!! Cheapo..)

Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station

We took bus to Taoyuan High Speed Railway and took the train to ChiaYi. We were all hungry, so we brought food from the all-so-convenient 7-11. Just to let you know, food can be consumed in the High Speed Rail (HSR) and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA).

First lunch in Taiwan

And.......we've reach!

The Homestay (民宿) we had in Alishan was the same one I went to 2 years ago. They have this 3day 2night package that includes a driver to fetch us from the train station to the place. Since it is an hour's ride from the station to the HomeStay, we had a few stops on the way. :)

The Tropic of Capricorn

First Group photo~

After a few more places, we finally arrived in our Homestay : SeasonStar (四季星空)
This was where I've stayed 2 years ago when my family visited AliShan with my grandparents.

It looks like an European Style cottage

There were only 2 4-person bedroom for this, and since I've already slept in the 3rd floor bedroom, I requested to be on the 2nd floor :P Turns out it was bigger than the 3rd floor's. Prettier too! XD

I like how every room has it's own name. 

Our's is called the "Awakenings"

It even has its own fireplace! XD

I really love the pastries. My afternoon tea XD
Those flowers are freshly plucked from the garden too!

Afternoon teas comes with a beautifully designed (as in the plate) pastry with your choice of drinks. What I recommend is their tea as Alishan is famous for their mountain tea. The family of the owner owns a tea plantation, so if you really liked the tea, you can purchase it from him :)

My parents loved the tea so much that they told me to bring back 2kg worth of tea back for them. OTL

My dinner, Mini Steamboat Beef 

In the Seasonstar 3Day2Night package, we were each entitled with 1 breakfast, 2 afternoon tea and 1 dinner. Depending on the season you visit the Seasonstar, there would be different pastries and dinner served. I had those same things when I visited 2 years ago, it was almost Christmas. So I guess this time, it is also under the Winter menu. 

I simply LOVE the desert.
Though the only thing I ate was the Oolong Creme Bulee :P
(Note: I don't eat fruits...nor Vegi)

What I wrote 2 years ago.
I added the green words which says, "I am back!"

For the 2nd day, we woke up at 4am in order to catch the sunrise. The thing is, it was really foggy so we weren't hopeful that we could get to see the sunrise. The driver drove us up into the mountain and we almost missed the last train to the peak. They call it 阿里山小火车 which is a red train that is smaller than most trains in Taiwan.

It really isnt as cold as I looked. Honest! LOL

This was the only thing we saw in the fog. 

A tree.

Clearer view of the train

After the failed attempt to see the sunrise, we took the train back down and did same "hiking". (or tracking, or whatever you call it. We were walking in the mountain)
The fog added the mysterious feel to the trees and it looks as if we entered a magical place XD

As we walked, Chuyi mention to us that she wanted to take a path on the map that would also lead to our destination. So we walked.....

and walked....

and walked...

and walked....

Doesn't this feel Narnia-ish?? XD
and walked....

Before we knew it, we had already walked for nearly an hour! However, I for one did not feel tired as the fog made the air very comfy and I was able to exercise too, for once.

We realised (after we reached the end) that the road we chose was for cars, so we had to travel down the mountain via the road. What was worst, it started to rain very heavily. It was one memorable moment as we tried to keep ourselves dry and look for the correct way out. When we finally saw the station, we were super relieved and suddenly found ourselves kinda hungry. Haha. 

Since we were super drenched, we went back to the Seasonstar to change and in the mean time, sleep. After that we went to this place to purchase souvenirs and also for dinner. One of the recommendation by Seasonstar - Railway Bento:

Because I had eaten better railway bento in Taiwan, I found this so-so for my taste. But the others seems to be satisfied with the taste so I think it wasn't that bad? Haha, btw, all this comes with only 1 size and one type, so don't be surprised if you didnt see any menu. 

Our Afternoon tea when we got back~
gotta love their pastries XD

We had to checkout before 11am hence we had to sleep early. However, as chatty as we are, it turns out we only slept for like 2 hours before we had wake up for breakfast. 

A simple buffet

After the breakfast, we hastily made our way up and packed our luggage in preparation to checkout and leave for Taipei. 

For those who are interested in Seasonstar:

You can booked it from this site: 

http://www.seasonstar.com.tw/en/index_en.htm

Everything is in here: http://www.seasonstar.com.tw/en/html/package.htm so if there is any enquiries, you can email the owner. There had been boarders from countries like Australia and the US, so English is not much of a problem :)

It is really a place for relaxation. I am planning to visit there the third time myself!