The owner from my previous minsu very kindly drove us here (40 mins journey). Fortunately there was an intern (Amanda) from Hong Kong who was around and she could speak English. She brought us around the neighbouring farms for a walk as we arrived early. Lala, the dog with the sad looking face, went along with us. It was funny to see a neighbouring cat running up the tree to hide from Lala when she saw Lala approaching. No welcome tea or drink was offered to us.
Da Siong helped us arrange for a driver the next day to bring us to Sun Link Sea and Xitou and then back to Taichung HSR. Cost is NT$3200 for 6 hours (11 am to 5 pm). In my earlier email to Old Five, we were discouraged from going to Sun Link Sea in the afternoon because of fog which commonly appeared in the afternoon. However, the driver was very experienced and friendly and our trip there was very enjoyable. The fog miraculously cleared up before we reached there. Anyway, the place certainly looks very lovely in the fog as it became foggy just when we were leaving Sun Link Sea.
Room
The setting for this guesthouse is very rustic and lovely. I only wish that there are some bedside tables ,stand or shelf where we could place our stuff. No wifi in the room, wifi is only available in the reception area. I am glad that there is a small screen to block the sink which is just next to my bed. We stayed in the triple room. There is an outer swing door which must be closed quickly to prevent flies from entering room.. Electric mosquito repellent is provided but we did not need to use it.
Meals
Both dinner and breakfast are very good. Dinner consists of 6 dishes and a very tasty soup which can be refilled. The mackerel fish was very well cooked. The breakfast consists of at least 7 types of mantou (their specialty). I especially like the nutty wholemeal kind. The salad section is equally great with all kinds of healthy organic dressings available. There are also a few homemade jams available. Fruits are also very delicious and fresh. The breakfast is certainly very unique to this minsu with real organic food and no processed food at all. The two types of juices (pumpkin brown rice?) offered are also tasty.
Farm Tour
After dinner at 7 pm, Da Siong brought us around to show us the creatures living around Old Five. Especially memorable is the very fine and delicate web spinned by the ghost spider. He informed us that the spider will keep the web in the morning and only spins it again at night. He also showed us two birds sleeping among the tree branches. We had vinegar tasting after the tour.
In the morning after breakfast, we went to the organic farm where we saw a farmer doing plant grafting and we also tasted organic passion fruits. We also went to a grape farm where we could choose our own bunch of grapes and cut it ourselves( Da Siong taught us the correct technique). The price for our bunch of grapes is NT$70. Of course there was free grapes tasting.
Before breakfast, I went for my morning walk. Lala went along with me and he is smart not to follow me once I made my way to town to walk the suspension bridge.
This bridge is quite long and high. Highly recommended when staying in Old Five Guesthouse. Overall a great countryside experience.