Videos

Qingjing is a very popular high-mountain farm area in central Taiwan. One of the attractions there is the elevated Qingjing Skywalk. The best-known place to stay in the area is The Old England Manor

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan 2020-01-02
By Rick Charette

Qingjing has been dubbed “Foggy Eden,” and its ambience has also given rise to another moniker that has taken deeper hold with the general public, “Little Switzerland.” As you approach the mountaintop-hugging enclave from the lowlands you’ll notice that the architecture, with the multistory homestays/inns prominent, has a distinctive European-manor flavor. This movement was kickstarted with the building, and instant island-wide renown, of a large inn called The Old England in 2009. In the years since then, the enjoyment of afternoon tea has become a Taiwan fad, and The Old England and other Qingjing establishments add sublime “up-in-the-heavens” tableaux to the experience.
The impressive Tudor manor-style complex is the realized dream of a Taiwan flatlander who fell in love with old English-style architecture while resident in the small anglophile Canadian city of Victoria. At the same time harboring a love for Qingjing’s transcendental surroundings, he wanted to encourage a more genteel demeanor for the community, which to that point was dominated by accommodations and eateries of a more rustic nature.
The Old England introduced the afternoon tea tradition to Qingjing, and its service remains the most popular. Served 11:30am~4pm (NT$500 per serving) in its plush chandeliered restaurant, its English-style tea features Earl Grey Tea and a merry-go-round of delicacies, created by a dessert master, served on a three-tiered tray. Changed seasonally, the treats go from savory at bottom to sweet at top, ranging from (on this Travel in Taiwan trip) a schweinshaxe mini-kebab and bacon scallion Danish pastry to a canelé and macaron.
The Old England (老英格蘭)
Add: No. 20-3, Shouting Lane, Datong Village, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County
(南投縣仁愛鄉大同村壽亭巷20-3號)
Tel: (049) 280-2166
Website: theoldengland.com

While The Old England faces the mighty Qilai Ridge to the east, the Impression Nordic Manor Club faces southwest toward the indigenous village of Wushe, the deep Wushe Reservoir below, and the mountain-basin town of Puli far beyond, back down along the river-valley route that brought you up from the western plains. The façade of this inn is modernistic with Tudor-style flourishes; inside and on the large outdoor deck with infinity pool, the lines are Scandinavian-clean. While The Old England immerses you in sumptuous, quiet-inspiring Victorian-style trappings, the Impression Nordic has a congenial party atmosphere – captured in the use of “club” in the name – with a putting-green facility, a slide hill, and a large gym joining the deck/infinity pool.
The bright, sunny first-floor restaurant looks out directly over the deck/pool area. Afternoon tea, which features a full buffet set-up, is served 3~5pm (NT$900 per person). The panoply of delectables includes tangerine smoked duck mini-toast, smoked salmon rolls, yogurt shrimp mini-toast, spaghetti marinara (and alfredo), ham and cheese finger sandwiches, European-style cookies, fresh fruit and juices, and numerous other selections. And as at The Old England, fresh-brew premium coffee is available. As well, imported wine and whisky are displayed in chiller buckets on the buffet bar for diners’ gratis enjoyment. This generous “party club” spirit is also in evidence in the evening, when gratis wines and spirits are made available to guests in the deck/pool area.
Impression Nordic Manor Club (印象北歐)
Add: No. 9-9, Rongguang Lane, Datong Village, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County
(南投縣仁愛鄉大同村榮光巷9-9號)
Tel: (049) 280-3982
Website: impression-nordic.com.tw

Xiaoqilai Trail is the first small section of the much longer and challenging Qilai Ridge hike. You can complete the trail easily in 2 hours. The trail head is close to Songxue Lodge and the trail head for Mt. Hehuan East Peak.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan 2020-01-02
By Rick Charette

The 1.4km (one way) Xiaoqilai Trail traverses the east face of Mt. Hehuan in a southerly direction searching for the minor peak called Xiaoqilai, “Little Qilai.” This is just beyond the Mt. Hehuan massif, on its southeast. Also behind the lodge is the Hehuanshan East Peak trailhead.
Before starting the Xiaoqilai hike, look up toward the East Peak. You’ll see the rusted tower-and-cable remains of a 400m-long ski run once used for special forces training in the days when the Kuomintang government had dreams of retaking the China mainland.

The Xiaoqilai Trail’s initial section is open, dominated by Yushan cane, which grows 2~3m high, and bright alpine flowers. The landscape then transitions, and you enter a dark forest of tall Taiwan white fir characterized by rimrod-straight trunks, the path undulating uphill and downhill. The Hehuanshan area’s high-altitude ecosystem is far simpler than those found at lower elevations. The patchy coniferous black forest, with Taiwan white fir the predominant species, fights for turf with Yushan cane. Their border zones are abrupt, creating a dramatic two-tone visual canvas, especially when viewed from afar. The bands seen in this area demarcate the forest line – i.e., they are the upper limit for Taiwan white fir.
The final forest section is rugged, requiring short, steep ascents via wooden ladders and holding on to thick knotted ropes while looking for exposed-root footholds. Then, immediately after your last ascent, you pop out into an open-vista world of Yushan cane covering a flattish section of eroded mountainside that resembles undulating waves, the top of Xiaoqilai just a few score meters above you on the right, razor-edge Mt. Qilai laid out in all its glory directly before you. The end of the Xiaoqilai Trail is the beginning of the supremely more challenging Qilai Ridge trail system.

Mt. Hehuan in central Taiwan's Nantou County is one of the easiest to hike 3,000m mountains you will ever come across. You can actually walk up there one paved road. The scenery is spectacular. Among the best Taiwan has to offer. 🙂

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan Jan./Feb., 2020

By Rick Charette

Hehuanshan (Mt. Hehuan) The Wuling pass is the one place that almost every Hehuanshan visitor checks off. There’s a cliffside parking lot on one highway side and a large lookout deck (public bathrooms beside it) on the other, looking out at the East Peak on the left (east), Main Peak on the right (west/northwest), and deep, empty space in front. Stretching off southwards toward the horizon from beyond the East Peak is the titanic Qilai Ridge, its ridge-top trail passage a rite of passage for serious island hikers. Abundant signage with good English at Hehuanshan vehicle-stop points and along trails explains what you’re looking at.
Hehuanshan’s peaks are among Taiwan’s “Top 100 Mountains,” a list of summits above 3,000m selected by local hiking experts based on their uniqueness, visual allure, and prominence. Few have climbed all 100. Hehuanshan’s are among the most accessible, with the Main Peak among the easiest to conquer. Hehuanshan Main Peak Trail The 1.8km (one way) Hehuanshan Main Peak Trail, which has a few sections of moderate steepness, starts right at highway-side about a kilometer down-road from the Wuling pass, back toward Qingjing. There’s no parking here, nor a bus stop; find these at the Wuling pass facility. Save for a section at the very top – the Main Peak is 3,417m high – where wooden stairs and a wooden lookout have been erected (washroom facilities also available), the “trail” is an old, narrow, now-crumbling paved roadway created by the military. Soldiers withdrew from Hehuanshan in 2000, with the formerly off-limits areas opened to the public. On the Main Peak ascent you’ll see old camouflaged pillboxes built right into the slate cliffs, and an abandoned, wind-protected barracks camp in a basin down the east slope that’s also in full view from the Wuling parking lot.
Only minimal forest cover is encountered. This is a place of low-growing alpine vegetation, decorated with the pastel-blossom beauties of such tough gems as the Yushan rhododendron, Yushan rose, high-mountain juniper, and hawkweed oxtongue. The peak was largely denuded during its military-service years, and much of what you see is thanks to a major erosion-prevention phytoremediation campaign, with 36 species of native alpine plants introduced/reintroduced.
Hehuanshan is the headwater source for two important Taiwan rivers: the Zhuoshui, which flows west to the Taiwan Strait, and the Liwu, which flows east and, on its way, has carved out the celebrated Taroko Gorge. On clear days the Liwu point-of-empty into the Pacific can be espied from the Main Peak. The stream that becomes the muddy Zhuoshui can clearly be seen forming on the almost vertical East Peak’s west face. To the south, far beyond the Qilai Ridge, iconic titans such as Yushan (Mt. Jade) and Nenggaoshan (Mt. Nenggao) make appearances.
3158 Café After your first Hehuanshan hike, a good mug of fresh-brew coffee will go down like liquid manna, and said mug and java is close at hand at the 3158 Café, just east of the Wuling pass at the roadside trailhead for the short, steep Hehuan Horn Peak ascent. The coffee is high-altitude flavorsome, and since this is billed as Taiwan’s highest coffee joint – the “3158” refers to the location’s altitude – what better take-home souvenir than the mug you drink from? Your coffee is NT$150; NT$100 is returned if mug is returned. Hot snacks such as zongzi (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) and baozi (steamed buns) are also available.
The café is perched on Hehuanshan’s east-facing side, looking out toward the Taroko Gorge and Pacific Ocean. Warm air swooping up from the coast often create heavy, roiling romantic mist on this face. Also hugging the high slope here, diagonally across the highway from the café, is the famed Songxue Lodge, Taiwan’s highest place of accommodation.

Hehuanshan 合歡山
Hehuanshan Main Peak Trail 合歡山主峰步道
Hehuan Mountain Dark Sky Park 合歡山暗空公園
Songxue Lodge 松雪樓
Wuling 武嶺
Xiaoqilai Trail 小奇萊步道

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

After riding the Bong-Bong Train in Taipingshan we visited the Qilan Divine Trees Area, also in southern Yilan. This is an amazing forest park area with many really old and really tall trees.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan Jan./Feb., 2020
Taipei 101 Skyline 460 Experience
Taipei’s most famous and most visible city landmark by far, Taipei 101 held the distinction of being the world's tallest building from its opening in 2004 until 2010 (now the 10th tallest). Its 89th floor indoor observatory and 91st floor outside deck give visitors a top-notch view of Taipei, with grand views stretching far off into the distance, weather permitting.

For those looking for a bigger thrill, the Taipei 101 Skyline 460 experience is a uniquely breathtaking way to see the city from even higher up. After signing up online for the experience, you will be taken to the eponymous 101st floor. Then, before going outside, you'll be suited up in a harness, with a raincoat also provided if needed (note: tours will be canceled during heavy rain and strong winds). To avoid people dropping items from the tower, cellphones must be wrapped in plastic pouches with a neck strap that is provided and cameras have to be carried around with a neck strap as well. You'll definitely want to take photos, for the unobstructed views of the city from 460m above the ground are truly impressive. You will be tethered to the railing, and can walk safely around the highest floor of the tower, accompanied by one of Taipei 101's friendly guides. After the experience you’ll be presented with a gift bag containing mementos and a souvenir photo showing you at the top of Taipei 101. The Skyline 460 experience is currently priced NT$2,700 (40-60min.), with online reservations required.

After your Skyline 460 adventure, it's time to relax. Head to Bar 88, located – as the name implies – just below the 89th floor observatory. The bar's ambient lighting and comfortable seating are best enjoyed at sunset, when the view from the tower is especially stunning. The bar serves light meals in addition to a wide range of drinks. It's the perfect place to end the day. If you've been through the Skyline 460 experience, you can use the ticket provided to claim a complimentary pearl milk tea or coffee, complete with an adorable puff of cotton candy in the shape of a cloud. Bar 88 is open from 9am to 10pm.

Taipei 101
Add: No. 7, Sec. 5, Xinyi Rd., Taipei City
(台北市信義路五段7號)
Website: www.taipei-101.com.tw

After riding the Bong-Bong Train in Taipingshan we visited the Qilan Divine Trees Area, also in southern Yilan. This is an amazing forest park area with many really old and really tall trees.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan Jan./Feb., 2020

By Owain Mckimm

Qilan Forest Recreation Area
A few kilometers from the entrance to Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area, where the Tiangou and Duowang tributaries join the Lanyang River at the base of the mountain, lies Qilan (also spelled "Cilan"; entrance fee: NT$80 Mon-Fri; NTD$150 weekends and holidays), another forest recreation area which marks the southern point of the Makau Ecological Park, a largely restricted area of natural beauty only accessible via the Cilan Forest Recreation Area and the Mingchi Forest Recreation Area further north on Provincial Highway 7. The recreation area is comprised of a European-style villa and wood cabins, where guests can stay the night, a hot spring spa that's free for guests, several gardens and flower-viewing walks, and a restaurant serving a Chinese-style buffet for breakfast and set menus featuring dishes such as stir-fried crab, mapo toufu, and scrambled eggs with spring onion for lunch and dinner.
The centerpiece of the park is Chiang Kai-shek's Chateau—a former holiday residence of Taiwan's erstwhile dictator and his wife. The meticulously preserved rooms, large framed family photos, and eclectic relics (such as CKS's high-school geometry homework) allow for a small but uniquely domestic glimpse into the now highly controversial figure of the generalissimo-in-exile.
Behind the villa, lies a 2.1 km loop trail through a fern-rich, sub-tropical forest that ends in the Forestry Historical Relic Park, where several examples of logging-era machinery are preserved.
You are of course free to explore the recreation area yourself; however, a free Chinese-language guided tour of the park is also available and starts daily at 8:00 and 14:30 at reception.
Undoubtedly, though, the highlight of a visit to Qilan is the opportunity to visit the Divine Trees Garden area of the Makau Ecological Park. "Divine" or "sacred" is the honorific given in Taiwan to trees over 1000 years old (whereas those between 500 and 1000 are called jumu--"giant trees"). The garden in question contains nearly 100 giant and sacred endemic cypress trees, 51 of which have been named after figures in Chinese history who share their birth-year. The oldest, Confucius, for example, is a 40.8 meter-tall Taiwan red cypress "born" in 551 B.C., while Guanyu—a famous general whose exploits are recorded in the Chinese classic "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"—is a 29.5 meter-tall Formosan hinoki cypress that erupted from the ground in 162 A.D.
The Divine Tree Garden is a controlled area an hour's drive deep into the mountains and access is only permitted as part of a tour from either Qilan or Mingchi Resort. Three shuttle busses are scheduled each day at 7:50, 10:30 and 13:20 with tickets costing NT$570 for overnight guests and NT$770 for independent visitors. The entire circuit, accompanied by a Chinese-language guide, takes around two hours, though you can explore the route by yourself if you prefer. The area sees rain 250 days per year, so bring an umbrella or raincoat—however, don't be put off by any inclement weather; the wispy tendrils of mist that permeate the garden bestows the environs with a dream-like quality that if anything enhances the experience.
Accommodation
Staying the night in one of the recreation area's villa or cabins costs between NT$4,400 for a twin/double room in the villa to NTD$11,100 for an eight-person cottage penthouse. Rooms are large and comfortable with a rustic, log-cabin feel. For more information about both the Qilan and Mingchi Resorts and booking visit https://makauy.lealeahotel.com.

We recently went on a two-day trip to the great forest areas of Taipingshan and Qilan in Yilan County. In this video we are at Taipingshan, riding the Bong-Bong Train and going on a forest work.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan Jan./Feb., 2020

By Owain Mckimm

Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area
The Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (tps.forest.gov.tw; entrance fee: NT$150 Mon-Fri; NT$200 weekends/holidays) is the more bounteous of the two recreation areas in terms of the sheer number of nature trails, hikes, and opportunities for exploring and nature-watching.
In the not-too-distant past, Taipingshan – a 12,000ha expanse of dense forest, much of which is located between 1,500m and 2,500m above sea level – was best known as a logging area. In 1914, the Japanese (who controlled Taiwan as a colony from 1895 to 1945) began operations to harvest the centuries- and sometimes millennia-old cypress trees that grew here. Logging was finally banned in 1982, and you can learn about some of the industry's history at the Taipingshan Visitor Service Station in the recreation area’s main facilities sector.

Climbing the stone stairs to the right of the station brings you to a café and restaurant, the latter serving seven-dish set meals made with fresh local produce for NT$250 per head. At the top of the stairs (lined with Japanese maple trees, whose leaves turn a rich burgundy-red in autumn), you'll find one of the recreation area’s many trails – the Primitive Cypress Forest Trail, an easy 30-minute walk taking you through the intertwining canopies and twisting roots of members of Taiwan's two endemic cypress species (C. obtuse var. formosana and C. formosensis). Beyond this trail is the Chinese Hemlock Nature Trail, a longer and more challenging walk through largely coniferous forest which also contains several broadleaf species such as the Formosan rhododendron, with the viewing platform at the trail’s tail-end providing beautiful views of Taipingshan's breathtaking sea of clouds phenomenon.

Aside from hiking, one of the most popular activities at this recreation area is taking a ride on the Bong-Bong Train – a working relic from the old logging days. Its onomatopoeic name derives from the sound it made as it trundled log-laden along the snaking narrow-gauge rail track to nearby Maoxing Station, a bit higher in the mountains. The trains, now carrying tourists, run hourly from 7:30am until 2:30pm, and tickets cost NT$180 for a return trip. The journey to Maoxing takes roughly 20 minutes, the train twisting and turning along the mountainside through, on many days, dense mist that reveals only ghostly impressions of the forested ridges and slopes that lie beyond.
Arriving at Maoxing Station, you'll have around an hour to explore before the return train, which is plenty of time to make a thorough exploration of the area by walking the Maoxing Reminiscent Trail – a 900m path that follows and encircles the old train tracks. The forest around here once yielded around 3,000 cubic meters of wood per hectare. Today, a dense forest of new-growth cypresses, cedars, and firs exists in place of those felled ancients, whose gigantic stumps loom from within the mist like the ruined towers of some long-lost city.


To soothe your aching legs and tired feet, a highly recommended final stop is the Jiuzhize Hot Springs, situated further down-mountain near the recreation area’s ticket booth. Here, pale-blue alkaline sodium bicarbonate water bubbles from deep beneath the earth at temperatures of up to 140°C, its steam rising in giant white plumes from the boiling wells. The spa has both outdoor pools and private bathhouses, and prices range from NT$150 for access to the outdoor pool in summer to NT$700 for a private two-person bathhouse during winter. If you're peckish, you can rustle up some grub in the cooking area, where eggs and corn purchased in the visitor center shop can be boiled in specially designated springs.

This time we went on a one-day trip, organized by MyTaiwanTour, to Beipu Township in Hsinchu County. We visited a few places in the countryside and had quite a lot of fun moments. 🙂

MyTaiwanTou: https://www.mytaiwantour.com/

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Went to check out the World Music Festival in Taipei's Dajia Riverside Park last month. It's a fine event.

The festival is over, but there is always next year: http://wmftaiwan.com/

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

This time I went on a half-day bike trip with Taipei Bike Tours, a company offering half-day and full-day bike trips in Taipei.

Check them out at: https://www.taipeibiketours.com

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Quick trip to Songshan Airport to find out where all those Instagramers takes those amazing airplane shots. 🙂

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

In this video you will see us visiting a sake winery in Wufeng and the Farmer's Association Winery in Puli. Was interesting, not super exciting (I am more interested in the outdoors...). But anyway, always good to check out new places. 🙂

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

The second of four wineries we visited in Central Taiwan recently. The winery of Da'an Farmer's Association produces fine wines and spirits, using taro and sweet potato among other local produce.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan 11/12, 2019

Daan Wineland
The Daan District is west of Waipu, in Taichung’s northwest corner, the Taiwan Strait on its west, Daan River on its north, Dajia River on its south. All around Daan Wineland, operated by the Daan Farmers’ Association, are farm fields thick with the distinctive large leaves of taro plants, forming mini-seas of waving green. Its signature creations, winners of numerous Taiwan local awards, are Japanese-style shochu made with taro and brandy made with Black Queen grapes. The master distiller acquired his expertise through systematic overseas studies. Other selections include wines made with plums and with Golden Muscat grapes, shochu made with both taro and sweet potato, and traditional Chinese-style rice wines.
The winery team has a number of special points of pride. Taro and sweet potato are two quintessentially Taiwanese farm products, and their use creates unique shochu “of Japanese origin with true local Taiwan character.” Daan is one of Taiwan’s key areas for taro cultivation. These are the only spirits of their kind in Taiwan.
Fastidious employment of classical French technique is followed in the production of its grape wines and brandies, and premium-quality winemaking equipment from France is used. An elite-grade copper pot imported from Italy is used for distilling, and the wines and brandies crafted are stored in barrels of top-grade American oak made by the eminent World Cooperage company of Napa, California.
The winery has also taken the association’s bestselling line of pork-sausage products and created two new selections that have proven extremely popular: one infused with a Golden Muscat wine that has a light flavor and smooth texture, the other with a Black Queen brandy that has a deep, rich flavor and chewy texture.

Daan Wineland (大安農會酒廠)
Add: No. 6, Zhongsong Rd., Neighborhood 3, Zhongzhuang Borough, Daan District, Taichung City
(台中市大安區中庄里３鄰中松路６號)
Tel: (04) 2671-0909
Website: www.annofood.com/wine.php

The Gaomei Wetland, nearby on the coast, measures 3,000 hectares in area. Its boardwalk-topped seawall stretches 3.5km, and another long, meandering railing-less boardwalk shoots far out right into the wetland. At low tide head out past this boardwalk’s edge, on soft-yet-firm ground in the intertidal zone, for closer inspection of the teeming community of wetland residents, notably the countless fiddler crabs, mudskippers, and birds, both endemic and migratory. Taichung’s human denizens flock here each evening to take in the glowing sunsets over the Taiwan Strait, with the long line of eateries behind the seawall, serving grilled seafood, fried chicken, ice cream, fresh-made fruit juices, and other tasties, satisfying their other sensory demands before and/or afterward.

The first of four wineries we visited in Central Taiwan recently. Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine is a small operation producing excellent wine. It's located close to the Lihpao Theme Park.

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Travel in Taiwan 11/12, 2019

Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine
A winery complex with a café/restaurant Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine is spread out along the north-facing slope of a low ridge that runs east-west through the Waipu District, in Taichung’s rural northwest section. The large winery building is at the base of the slope, surrounded by vines hanging from trellises. Behind it is the old homestead of the family that runs the enterprise, with two traditional three-sided courtyard-style residences standing side by side, one over a century old. The rustic café/restaurant sits atop the slope, with views both southward toward the city center and northward toward greenery-covered high hills across the wide, deeply fertile Daan River plain. It does double-duty as the winery’s retail shop, with a dedicated tasting counter.
“Shu-Sheug” was the given name of the owner’s grandfather, who in the 1950s was among the first wave of local farmers to take part in a grape-growing experimental venture launched by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau. In the late 1990s government-buying contracts were ended, and with government assistance most local farmers tore out their plants. Not willing to destroy his grandfather’s legacy, the owner here decided to open his own winery, honoring his grandfather by using his name when it happened in 2002. With the help of the National Kaohsiung University of Tourism and Hospitality, two grape varieties resistant to the location’s high heat and humidity were chosen – Golden Muscat and Black Queen. Black Queen, widely used in Japan, was developed by Kawakami Zenbei, known as Japan’s grandfather of wines, in 1920. The wines are stored in barrels made of French oak by Burgundy’s Chassin Père & Fils. Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine was bestowed with its most recent of many international awards in March this year, its Vino Formosa Rosso, made with Black Queen grapes, winning gold at the Vinalies Internationales Competition in Paris.
Note that group tours of the winery are offered, in Chinese, with advance notice. While taste-testing at the café/restaurant, be sure as well to sample the eatery’s popular “red wine cuisine” dishes. Most popular is the red-wine beef noodles, redolent of, for obvious reasons, beef bourguignon.
Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine (樹生休閒酒莊)
Add: No. 88, Shuitou 2nd Rd., Liufen Borough, Waipu District, Taichung City
(台中市外埔區六分里水頭二路8號)
Tel: (04) 2683-3298
Website: http://www.shu-sheug.com.tw (Chinese)

We went on a three-day trip to Taitung in southeastern Taiwan, visiting some great places along the coast and checked out the Taiwan East Coast Arts Festival. That was great fun! Taitung is one of the best regions in Taiwan to visit!

Taiwan East Coast Land Arts Festival (台灣東海岸大地藝術節)
https://www.teclandart.tw

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Went on a short tea plantation experience trip in Pinglin, New Taipei City. The scenery of Pinglin is great, the farmer was very friendly. We also visited Pinglin Old Street and Feicui Reservoir (Crocodile Island).

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Twelli (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

We drove down to southern Yilan to check out a few places. Since the opening of the new alternative highway (No. 9) the old coastal route has almost no traffic on weekdays. Awesome!

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

Fifth and last part of our railway trip from Taichung to Taitung and back. Our last stop was Fangliao, the original plan was to go to the arts street there, but I went to the fishing harbor instead. I like fishing harbors. 🙂

WHO WE ARE
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.

WHO I AM
My name is Johannes (友漢). I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
App download: https://tosto.re/travelintaiwan (iOS & Android)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc