Videos

First part of our recent railway trip from Taichung to Taitung and back. This was a two-day cruise-style train journey organized by the local travel agency ezTravel (https://www.eztravel.com.tw/). We had a lot of fun as usual. 🙂


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

Back in March we had the chance to attend the pre-event banquet and the opening day of the Neimen Songjiang Battle Ritual event in Neimen Township, Kaohsiung City. This is a great cultural event. 🙂

This trip was made possible by MyTaiwanTour (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

Travel in Taiwan (2019/07-08)
Text: Rick Charette

Kaohsiung Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual
The Song Jiang Battle Array is a traditional type of performance art incorporating kung fu, drumming, rapid formation transitions, and mock fighting with ancient-style weaponry. The Kaohsiung Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual is an annual event that has an adrenaline-pumping grand competition of zhentou martial-arts troupes as its centerpiece. This is the highlight of cultural life in the city of Kaohsiung’s rural Neimen District, where a population of just 15,000 supports between 50 and 60 martial-arts performance troupes.
The 2019 edition ran from Saturday, March 16 to Sunday, April 7. The zhentou competition ran from Saturday, March 30, when the opening ceremony, opening round of the competition, and pulsatingly kaleidoscopic Water Dancing & Fireworks show were held, to the next Saturday, April 6, when the competition finals, awards ceremony, and closing Water Dancing & Fireworks show were held.
The formal name of the zhentou competition is the Creative Song Jiang Battle Array Contest. Competing teams are from schools around Taiwan, from elementary to university level. This year, for example, the youngest team was the Jingliao Elementary School Alliance Team, featuring elite performers from different elementary schools. Other troupes came from two high schools and five universities. Also interspersed throughout the full length of the festivities are performances by specially invited troupes, with perhaps the most notable such ensemble this year being the Xiamen Xiangan SongJiang Battle Array troupe from mainland China.

“Song Jiang” was the main character in the classical Chinese novel The Water Margin, who formed his men into intricate formations emphasizing quick transformation to different fighting techniques and positioning. Today’s battle-array performers wield old-style weapons, rattan shields, etc., and some dress as characters from the novel (108 in total). The Eight Generals are also a Song Jiang zhentou constant. Today, the typical troupe is composed of 36 members. The Taiwan battle-array tradition started in the 19th century with martial-arts teams, centered around temples, that served as militia. Then-isolated Neimen, for example, was under constant threat of attack from bandits and indigenous warriors.
The goal of the Kaohsiung City Government, which is the organizer, is to spark renewed interest in this old form of artistic expression. Recognizing that in today’s sophisticated world young people have many other recreation options vying for their attention, it encourages the freestyle introduction of creativity atop a faithful base of traditional martial-arts formation skills. You’ll thus see imaginative flourishes ranging from human-pyramid-building, spinning plates on sticks, and juggling to street dance and hip-hop, rap, and rock music.

Among the splendiferous array of other festival attractions this year was the Daily Gourmet Market, Neimen history and culture tours, the three-day Religious Carnival, and the Neimen Chefs and Tables event. The last was focused on bando, Taiwan’s unique outdoor banqueting culture; for generations, Neimen has been a key Taiwan font for bando crews (see our report on the bando phenomenon in our last Travel in Taiwan issue).

For more information on the Neimen festival, visit who-ha.com.tw. For more on Taiwan religion in general, visit the Tourism Bureau website at taiwan.net.tw.

English and Chinese
Eight Generals 八家將
Kaohsiung Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual 高雄內門宋江陣
Neimen District 內門區
Song Jiang 宋江
Song Jiang Battle Array 宋江陣
The Water Margin 水滸傳
zhentou 陣頭

We made a brief stops in the town of Qishan, well-known for its bananas, and the Tianliao Moonworld, on our recent trip to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.

This trip was made possible by MyTaiwanTour (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

We made a brief stop at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum on our recent trip to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. This is a fine place to learn about Buddhism and enjoy the marvelous architecture.

This trip was made possible by MyTaiwanTour (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

First stop of our recent two-day trip to Kaohsiung, the Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway in Kaohsiung (park area with locomotives and railway cars, a mini railway ride, and a railway miniature world). Great places to visit in Kaohsiung!

The tour was made possible by MyTaiwanTour (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. 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 went on a very short trip to the town of Guanxi in Hsinchu County to check out three places and eat self-made radish buns.

The tour was made possible by MyTaiwanTour (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. 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 we went camping (glamping) in Miaoli. The campsite is inside the old Shangrila Paradise Theme Park and is called CMP Village. Beside the camping in comfortable tents they also offer a range of side activities.

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. 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 (2019-05-06)
By Rick Charette

"The 40ha Shangrila Camping Area (http://www.shangrila.com.tw; http://cmpvillage.tw; both Chinese only) is located in the hills of Miaoli County. When you camp here you camp on the grounds of the former Shangrila Paradise theme park, one of Taiwan’s original such parks. The campground for purchasers of the upscale camping package, called the CMP Village (勤美學), is located in a large, shallow basin in the center of the grounds.
The itinerary spans two days and one nigh. Packages are offered starting on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday (NT$5,000 per person; online registration necessary); student camping/education experiences are offered the other days, using adjacent campgrounds outside the basin.

On Day 1, CMP Village campers gather at the main entrance. This is the original Shangrila Paradise entrance, a large covered arcade with a big souvenir shop selling traditional-style Miaoli County foodstuffs and handicrafts and a restaurant serving quality Hakka-culture food. They are then taken on a guided tour, following a path that leads down into the basin and to CMP Village, a collection of 15 large canvas yurt-like tents that provide sumptuous comfort. Each accommodates four people, with either one or two large, comfy beds plus soft pillows and quilts, and has air-conditioning in summer and heating in winter. Outside each is a wooden platform with seats, perfect for late-night stargazing.

Before setting out on an excursion driven in golf-cart-style carts to the first DIY-experience location, in a large roundhouse made of dark-color netting set deep in the woods, the CMP Village facilities are introduced: your tents; a large roundhouse-style washroom/shower facility with washcloths, towels, and shower slippers supplied, which is open and staffed 24H; beside it, a kiosk selling beverages, snacks, and Miaoli specialty products; a recreation area for youngsters; and beside it a coffee/tea counter.

Both the Day 1 and Day 2 DIY experiences are changed seasonally, as is the Day 1 gourmet dinner. This reflects the changes in Miaoli produce availability, as well as the resulting changes to the daily lives of Miaoli’s Hakka folk. On our most recent visit, the Day 1 activity involved baked sweet potatoes, warmed orange juice given very different flavor personalities through the addition of dried roselle, ginger, or orange peels, and the making of old-time-style fragrance sachets containing mint, cinnamon, and other aromatic ingredients. The Day 2 activity, held on a slope-side wooden-platform area overlooking the basin, was centered on the making of suancai, made with leaf mustard. Campers also feasted on DIY guabao, a Taiwanese snack treat made with soy-stewed pork belly, suancai, peanut powder, and coriander in a steamed bun.
The communal gourmet dinner, featuring mood lighting provided by table lamps, overhead lines of hanging lightbulbs, and a roaring campfire, is usually taken under the stars in front of the tents (and the bamboo-woven dome introduced below). On this night it was raining lightly, however, so the repast was taken in a performance roundhouse outside the basin. The many-course feast is a hearty medley of dishes prepared with regional produce highlighted, the cooks performing true magic using nothing more than simple gas stoves and grills.
The Day 1 night ends with a night tour up through the tree area and back down into the basin. In days past, the basin was filled with the theme park’s European garden attractions. Today’s spacious shower facility is in what was formerly a beverage bar. The night tour ends with a walk through the visually monumental artwork at the basin center before the tents, a bamboo-woven dome reached through long bamboo-woven walkway tunnels that has large roof holes for stargazing. The artwork is beautifully lit up at night, lending an ethereal glow to the placid setting.

A short visit to a greenhouse farm in Taichung's Shigang District. Yummy tomatos!


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. 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 2019/05-06 (Dana Ter)

"Walking away from the highway, we enter a wondrous world with thickets of wild hibiscus plants. Soon I spot the greenhouses of the farm to the right. Entering the grounds, we find the smiling owner, Chiu Shun-jun, brewing Oolong tea. He gets up to greet us, showing us to a wooden table from where you can peer into the first of the greenhouses. Vines droop from the transparent netting-roof of the greenhouse, forming a green arch from which clusters of brilliant yellow cherry tomatoes and stark-hue purple peppers dangle.
A retired military doctor from a Hakka family that lived in Dongshi, the district neighboring Shigang to the east, Chiu started helping friends using hydroponic systems to grow vegetables nearly 30 years ago, before opening his own farm. In the beginning he sold his produce to supermarkets in central Taiwan, but later he realized that operating a leisure farm was more profitable. “I also like to talk to people!” he chuckles.
Approximately 70 to 80 percent of You and Me’s earnings come from tourists. A cover fee of NT$100 is charged for fruit and vegetable picking, with additional charges for every 600 grams of produce picked.
We visit at the end of winter, during the tomato and pepper season, and are to be shown around by Hung Min-fang, a young woman who approaches us wearing a distinctive checkered apron and pushing a cart full of colorful peppers. Noticing our wide-eyed reactions, she explains that six varieties of peppers are grown on the farm: red, green, orange, yellow, purple, and white.
The farm has several greenhouses. Hung leads us into one of the houses, and shows us tomatoes and peppers that have been planted on raised beds, arranged in three tiers. Above the beds are thin black rods used for watering the plants according to a set timer.
“We’re always experimenting with different crops,” Hung tells us. She shows us some of their other winter crops, including corn from a small field behind one of the greenhouses, along with Taiwanese basil, figs, and blueberries, which are planted in pots. There are also apples, turnips, and – most amusing – giant-sized Taiwanese cabbage that are so big and heavy that I would definitely struggle to carry one by myself. Good thing, I think to myself, that I won’t be obliged to do any veggie hauling today as part of my farm experience.
Hung brings out a small red shopping basket, scissors, and a traditional-style Taiwanese conical straw hat. It’s time to pick cherry tomatoes! There are a number to choose from – yellow, red, light green, and dark purple. “The yellow and red ones are the sweetest,” Hung says. She describes how to tell ripe ones from ones that aren’t ready; basically, there shouldn’t be any dark-green coloring on the skin.
I put on the big hat and clutch the basket with one hand, feeling a little silly, like a farmhand depicted in an illustrated book. I’m not as deft with my fingers as Hung is, so I use the scissors to slowly and delicately snip red and yellow cherry tomatoes from their stems, choosing plump-looking ones and standing on my toes to reach tomatoes dangling below the roof.
Ten minutes into the picking, my fingers are a dusty shade of green. I think that maybe I’m not cut out for farm life. “Don’t worry – that’s normal!” Hung laughs reassuringly. We rinse the cherry tomatoes with water and sample a few. I prefer the yellow ones, as they are less acidic than their red counterparts and a pleasant sort of sweet.

The rest of the cherry tomatoes are packed neatly in a tiny, transparent plastic box for me to take home. Outside, a dark-grey cloud cover has settled in, and the tall palms and scraggly banana trees have become gnarly silhouettes. Like curtains coming down on an afternoon play, it’s the perfect end to our visit to Shigang, a place that’s both urban and rural, both tame and wild, and where the people are welcoming – and their tomatoes are lip-smacking good.

You and Me Fruits & Vegetables Tourist Farm
(優恩蜜溫室蔬果觀光果園)
Add: No. 391-10, Fengshi Rd., Shigang Dist., Taichung City
(台中市石岡區豐勢路391之10號)
Tel: (04) 2582-6058
Website: you-ame.myweb.hinet.net (Chinese)

After having fun at Ruisui (see previous video) we went further south to visit a farm where you can learn how to make scones and wheat beer, had lunch at the Yuli Noodles restaurant, and then went bicycling on the Yufu Bikeway. We saw a LOT of rapeseed flower fields. 🙂

Read more about our trip here:
https://taiwaneverything.cc/2019/02/15/hualien-ruisui-and-yuli/

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. 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

Dongfeng Leisure Agricultural Area (東豐拾穗農場)
Add: No. 71-3, Difen, Dongfeng Borough, Yuli Township, Hualien County
(花蓮縣玉里鎮東豐里棣芬71-3號)
Tel: (03) 888-0181

Yuli Noodles (玉里麵)
Add: No. 94, Sec. 2, Zhongshan Rd., Yuli Township, Hualien County
(花蓮縣玉里鎮中山路二段94號)
Tel: (03) 888-1613

Travel in Taiwan (2019-03-04)

Yuli
From Ruisui it’s a short drive south on Provincial Highway 9 or County Road 193 to Yuli Township. The latter is favored by seasoned cyclists doing round-the-island or just East Rift Valley rides who prefer to take a more scenic and quieter road. It also offers more shade, thanks to the many roadside trees. In addition, the road has numerous vantage points from which you can take in the marvelous scenery of bright green and yellow fields and the majestic views of the central mountains on the opposite side of the valley.

Shortly before reaching the Yuli Bridge, which traverses the Xiuguluan River and connects to Highway 9 and central Yuli, you come to the Dongfeng Leisure Agricultural Area, a multipurpose farm where visitors can try their hand at such fun as making scones and brewing wheat beer using ingredients grown on the farm’s fields. Creating the small-sized scones, made with eggs, butter, and flour from the area, takes about an hour under the staff’s expert tutelage, and making the beer, a crisp, pleasing wheat ale, takes around three.

The farm was started as a rice operation 20 years ago, with pomelos also grown, but today the focus is mostly on wheat, four varieties of rice, two different kinds of beans, and a small fertilizer factory catering to local farmers looking to further enrich the already fertile soil. The factory and the fields can be toured; the wheat fields are a rare sight in subtropical Taiwan.

The East Rift Valley is well known for its fantastic cycling paths, one of the most popular being the Yufu Bikeway. Close to Yuli Railway Station are a number of bike-rental operations which rent bicycles for NT$100/4hrs, and e-bikes for NT$300 for the same amount of time. The roughly 10-kilometer stretch of paved pathway runs from Yuli Railway Station to the old railway station at the village of Dongli, following an abandoned railway line, winding among rice paddies, fields, and irrigation ponds.

About two kilometers into the ride the bikeway crosses the Xiuguluan River and the fault line dividing the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates, traversing a railway bridge that had to be retired because of the slowly shifting land below, the work of primal tectonic forces churning many kilometers underground. Stop at the midpoint of the bridge and place your feet at a clearly marked spot that allows you to, approximately, stand with one foot on the first tectonic plate and the other on the second.

Riding along the bikeway is a great way to take in the land that is eastern Taiwan’s largest rice granary, much of the crop grown here bound for export to Japan. During the seasons of the year the views are markedly different, ranging from seas of golden rice ears to fields of bright-yellow rapeseed.

Along the pathway you will pass the platforms of two old railway stations, at Antong and Dongli, the latter marking the southern end of the bikeway. Adjacent to Dongli’s old platform, a very popular Instagram spot, is a small café where you can stop and relax, have a cup of coffee, and perhaps pick up a small locally-made souvenir before heading back to Yuli.

If you have worked up an appetite on your return to central Yuli, consider dining at the Yuli Noodles restaurant, a popular no-frills eatery serving generous portions of noodles, either dry or in soup, topped with slices of pork, celery, and bean sprouts.

We recently made a short trip to Ruisui and Yuli in Hualien County. This is the Ruisui part. We visited the Ruisui Ranch, the Ji Lin Tea Plantation, and we stayed at the brand-new luxury hotel Grand Cosmos Resort Ruisui Hualien.

Read more about our trip here:

https://taiwaneverything.cc/2019/02/15/hualien-ruisui-and-yuli/

Read more about the hotel here:

https://taiwaneverything.cc/2019/01/23/grand-cosmos-resort-ruisui/

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. 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

Rareseed Ranch (瑞穗牧場)
Add: No. 157, Borough 6, Wuhe Village, Ruisui Township, Hualien County
(花蓮縣瑞穗鄉舞鶴村6鄰157號)
Tel: (03) 887-6611
Hours: 8am ~ 6pm; free admission

Ji Lin Tea Plantation (吉林茶園)
Add: No. 169, Jianana 2nd Rd., Neighborhood 7, Wuhe Village, Ruisui Township, Hualien County
(花蓮縣瑞穗鄉舞鶴村七鄰迦納納二路169號)
Tel: (03) 887-1463
Website: www.jilin.com.tw (Chinese)

Hotel in the Area
GRAND COSMOS RESORT RUISUI, HUALIEN
(瑞穗春天國際觀光酒店)
Add: No. 368, Sec. 2, Wenquan Rd., Ruisui Township, Hualien County
(花蓮縣瑞穗鄉溫泉路二段368號)
Tel: (03) 887-6000
Website: www.grandcosmos.com.tw

On this one-day trip we experienced rail-biking on the Old Mountain Line. That was fun! We also visited the strawberry village of Dahu and the Hakka village of Beipu.

If you want to do the rail-biking make a reservation on this site (I was wrong, they do have English now):

https://www.oml-railbike.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. 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 2019-03/04
TEXT: STEVEN CROOK
The picturesque village of Shengxing has one of Taiwan’s best-known train stations, which is surprising considering regular passenger services on the railroad that passes through here ceased more than 20 years ago. Between 1903 and 1998, what’s called the Old Mountain Line carried local, express, and freight trains across the Da’an River into the greater Taichung area. At an altitude of 402.36m, Shengxing Railway Station was the highest station above sea level on Taiwan's conventional railway network. The station, a quaint wooden cottage-style building built in 1930, is a highly photogenic structure.
After the completion of a shorter, straighter alternative to the Old Mountain Line, 15.9km of track, along with eight tunnels and three bridges, were decommissioned. The Shengxing station was closed, but never forgotten – and since last year tourists have had a new reason to come here.

Sanyi Rail Bike Fun
The Old Mountain Line Rail Bike attraction offers an unusual 90-minute experience, a railway journey amid gorgeous scenery at the speed of a bicycle, but with no pedaling required. “Rail bike” is something of a misnomer. Each vehicle is about the size of a golf cart, has four train-type wheels, and runs on unmodified rail tracks. A canopy protects the passengers (there are four seats) from sunshine and rain.

I was impressed by the number of staff on duty, and their diligence. Safety belts must be fastened, and before starting the 6km-long ride from the train station to Tunnel No. 6, each “driver” – I was the one on our “locomotive” – is shown how to start the electric motor, release the hand brake, and accelerate. If you’ve ridden one of the scooters that are ubiquitous in Taiwan, you can do this. If anything, it’s far easier: There’s no need to steer, and the vehicle has been rigged to never exceed 12 km/h.
We were instructed to pull away from the station at intervals. Having a good bit of space between each rail bike is a good idea, as drivers often get distracted by the scenery and slow right down. Almost immediately, we were heading through the 725m-long tunnel south of the station, disturbing the bats that roost within.

Much of the route is single-track, and soon we were traversing a narrow bridge far above a mountain creek. Looking left, we enjoyed excellent views of one of Miaoli’s most-adored sights: the Longteng Bridge.

We were instructed to park our rail bikes at the point on the track where riders look down onto Liyu Elementary School. Glancing toward the west, we could see rugged Mt. Huoyan, located by the Taiwan Strait coast. Its bare, sandy ridges are highly unusual in lush, tropical Taiwan.
Everyone then proceeded on foot through Tunnel No. 6 to the Neishechuan Iron Bridge. The bridge itself is off-limits, but from its north end it’s possible to enjoy views up and down the waterway that drains the Liyutan Reservoir. After learning about this spot and the history of the railway line, we rode back to Shengxing.
If you’d like to take a look at this part of the Old Mountain Line without signing up for the rail bike experience, you can reach the iron bridge via Township Road 52. Steps connect the road with the southern end of the tunnel. There’s nothing to stop you walking north through the tunnel, but a flashlight is advised.

English and Chinese
Beipu 北埔
Beipu Old Street 北埔老街
Dahu 大湖
Dapu Reservoir 大埔水庫
leicha 擂茶
Longteng Bridge 龍騰斷橋
Neishechuan Iron Bridge 內社川鐵橋
Old Mountain Line 舊山線
Shengxing Railway Station 勝興車站
The Well Teahouse水井茶堂
Tunnel No. 6 六號隧道

The book "A Culinary History of Taipei" is very informative and well written. We wrote a short introduction to the book here:
https://taiwaneverything.cc/2018/11/30/history-of-taipei-beyond-pork-and-ponlai/

You can order the book from the publisher here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538101377/A-Culinary-History-of-Taipei-Beyond-Pork-and-Ponlai


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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. 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!

One a fine day in December rented a bike in the town of Sanzhi and rode along the coast to Fugui Lighthouse, at the northernmost point of Taiwan. The bikeway is great, the scenery is pretty, and I enjoyed a lovely day there. 🙂

Sanzhi Yuneng Bike Rental (三芝宇能單車)
Add: No. 27, Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi District, New Taipei City (新北市三芝區中正路一段27號)
Website: http://www.scyn.url.tw/info.html (no English)


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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. 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!

Info bits about the North Coast:

Sanzhi Visitor Center
Located on a hill and surrounded by mountains, Sanzhi Visitor Center’s main building has a Tang dynasty architectural style in simple but elegant colors. Inside, as well as information for visitors, leaflets and a leisure space, there is also The Gallery of Four Famous Sons of Sanzhi.

Yuanxing House
Situated behind Sanzhi Visitor Center, this is the old residence of former President Lee Teng-hui. This traditional southern Fujian courtyard building has the black tile and brick wall charm of Taiwanese old houses.

Shuangwan Bike Path
Lovely coastal scenery can be enjoyed on the eight-kilometer bicycle path from Qianshui Bay in Sanzhi District to Baisha Bay in Shimen District, including Qianshui Bay, Mingzhu Gongwang Temple, and Linshanbi where beach scenery, tidal zone ecology and windkanter can be enjoyed.

Fude Water Wheel Park
Located opposite Sanzhi Visitor Center, this park offers a landscape decorated with various water wheels and a variety of plants and flowers that compete for attention in different seasons. Cross over the red scenic bridge to enjoy the scenery on both banks of Balian Creek.

Linshanbi Recreation Area
Linshanbi Recreation Area, close to Baisha Bay, has a walking trail and plank walkway, with luxuriant woodland, rich natural ecology, and pleasant scenery. It also has a windkanter landscape created by the piling up of andesite volcanic rock, and is a great place to watch the sunset.

Baisha Bay
This crescent-shaped one-kilometer long bay between Linshanbi and Fugui Cape Park boasts pure white sand and clear water. Offering various water activities, it is a popular place to play in the water during the summer.

Fugui Cape Park/Fugui Lighthouse
Fugui Cape Park has a diverse geological landscape featuring windkanter, trenches and sand dunes etc. The main landmark in the park is the lighthouse, which was completed in 1897. The northernmost lighthouse in mainland Taiwan it is octagonal in shape and has black and white stripes, which is quite unique.

Laomei Green Reef
The reef originally was a coastal volcanic reef that was subject to scouring by waves over a long period of time, washing away the softer rock and leaving behind the hard rock in the form of troughs. In April and May the reef is covered in green sea algae, creating a unique scene. Visitors asked to stay well away from the reef to protect the natural environment.

We went on a quick 1-hour guided tour of the National Theater and National Concert Hall at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial to see the buildings from inside. Not super duper exciting, but mildly interesting nonetheless. 🙂

If you want to sign up for a tour, go to: http://npac-ntch.org/en/tour/intro


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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. 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!

TRAVEL IN TAIWAN (2019-01-02)

National Venues of the Arts
Free Guided Tours of the National Theater and National Concert Hall

Text and Photos: Vision

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is known far and wide as one of the top tourist draws in Taipei, if not in all of Taiwan. Part of a visit is strolling across the Liberty Square, taking pictures of the memorial hall at the far end, opposite the magnificent archway entrance at the other end, and of the National Theater and National Concert Hall on either side. If interested in what the two grand classical Chinese palace-style buildings look like on the inside, sign up for a one-hour guided tour!

All you need to do to join a tour is make a reservation online at npac-ntch.org/en/tour/intro (click on the Reservation Online tab). You can also make reservations by phone at ([02] 3393-9888). These must be made one week in advance. Currently, tours are available Monday through Friday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm (10 or more people need to sign up for each tour). Tickets for adults are NT$100 (discount tickets for members of larger groups, etc., are NT$70). An English-speaking tour guide can be arranged by calling the aforementioned number in advance.
During the tour you will learn many a fascinating fact about these two international-caliber arts venues: the history, the layout, the artwork that adorns the walls, the materials used in their construction, and much more. You also get to see some of the areas that are off-limits to ordinary visitors, including the lounges provided to VIP guests. Unless there are rehearsals going on at the time of your tour, you might even be taken into the auditoriums, where you can learn about such things as the seating arrangements, the stages, the giant organ in the concert hall, and the massive stage curtain in the theater.
In the foyers of both houses you will learn about the sculptures, chandeliers, walls adorned with plants, giant drums, and more, and in the basements you will be shown the restaurants, cafés, and gift shops. A steady stream of fascinating info tidbits flow from your guide as you move along, such as the origin of the marble widely used in the floors and columns and what’s behind the cute mythical figures on the roofs of both buildings.

Tip: When crossing the square to get from the theater to the concert hall, make sure to do one thing (and for this you don’t need to go on a guided tour). Find the spot that is at the exact center of the square, and look for a round spot in the tile pattern. There, clap your hands to experience an amazing echo effect.

Getting there: Simply take the MRT (Taipei Metro) Tamsui-Xinyi Line to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station (two stations from Taipei Main Station) and follow the signs to the square. The meeting point for the guided tours is at the ground floor information desk at the National Theater (Door No. 1, Aiguo East Road side).

A quick look back at what we did in 2017~18. Looking forward to more fun traveling around this never boring island! 🙂

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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. 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!

This video was shot shortly before the Taichung Flora Expo started so you can see the expo areas in their virgin state, before the crowds. Now the Expo is in full swing. 🙂

Official website: https://2018floraexpo.tw/

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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. 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!

Travel in Taiwan (2018-11-12)

By Rick Charette

The 2018 Taichung Flora Expo
The “Flower City” Throws Open Its Doors to the Wide World

The Houli Site
To accommodate the great streams of visitors expected during the expo, the 1.2km pedestrian-only Flower Horse Path has been created, connecting the Houli Railway Station with the Houli Horse Ranch. After the expo closes, it will become an extension of the extremely popular Dongfeng Bikeway.
Horse-riding and cycling are prominent cultural elements in the Houli area. The popular 4.5km Houfeng Bikeway will take you from the horse ranch to and through an old railway tunnel, then over a long steel bridge that leaps the Dajia River. You can complete the circuit, or jump on the longer Dongfeng Bikeway if desired, for an easy-grade saunter totaling 18km. The emphasis is on slow-paced enjoyment of pastoral scenery and railway history.

The Fengyuan Site
Huludun Park is an elongated, landscaped park that follows the two sides of a local river. It is divided into five areas. Areas 1 through 4 are focused on iconic characteristics that help to define Taichung, which is striving to create a “green land, nature, and people” symbiosis. Visitors can take long strolls through a rich world of flowers and decorative plants.
Area 5 is centered on a scenic lake with a flower-covered waterfront, where improvements have been carried out to enrich the diversity of Taichung’s eco-habitats. A unique group of 10 floral-landscape features demonstrate a new perspective on what a Taiwan urban-area waterfront environment can look like: an island at the lake’s center, a lakeview platform, ecological pavement, an art wall, a “vanilla maze,” a vine tunnel, riverbank grassy areas, a “citizens’ lawn,” and a music plaza. These are collectively called the Flora Ks Gem, the “K” standing for “karat,” as in gold quality eco-friendly gems.

The Waipu Site
The Waipu area is blessed with unique topographical and climate advantages that have given rise to thriving fruit-growing and flower-cultivation industries, with their high-quality products exported around the globe. Major fruits include ponkans, honey tangerines, lychees, dragon fruits; major flower types include dancing-doll orchids, flamingo flowers, and lilies.
Each of the park areas is home to exhibition halls that showcase the newest ideas and technologies related to that area’s themes. In the Waipu area, the Nature House and Green Pavilion are dedicated to agriculture 4.0 technologies for the development of smart agriculture in keeping with the concepts of “slow food and slow living.” The design of the Waipu park area as a whole has a strong focus on 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and 3G (Green building, Green energy, and Green transportation). Beyond the exhibition halls, two notable attractions where these concepts are seen in action are the Aqueduct Hydroponics Area and Water Recycling Bamboo Dome.

Expo Tickets/Transportation
A regular adult one-day entry ticket is NT$350. Among the other options available: a 3-day ticket for NT$650, a ticket for unlimited entry over the full expo period for NT$2,500, and one-day entry for each individual in groups of 20 or more for NT$230.
Railway stations and major highways are located close to each park area, and access using public transportation is strongly recommended.

Aqueduct Hydroponics Area 露天水耕花園
Fengyuan Huludun Park 豐原葫蘆墩公園
Flower Horse Path 花馬道
Green Pavilion 智農館
Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area 后里馬場森林園區
Nature House 樂農館
Taipei International Flora Exposition 臺北國際花卉博覽會
Waipu Park Area 外埔園區
Water Recycling Bamboo Dome 竹穹惜水

In this video I interview the couple that runs MathewBike, a shop where you can rent quality bike for short and long bike trips, May Yin and Mathew.

For more information about mathewbike, visit https://mathewbike.com/

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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. I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every month. Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

In this video we are going on a bicycle ride to the Mr Brown Avenue and on a raft trip on Dapo Pond. We also have lunch at a famous rice restaurant and have coffee at a very nice cafe.

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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. I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every month. Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!

Travel in Taiwan (2018-11-12)

By Rick Charette

"Just outside of Chishang town, on the cycling loop, is one of the rift valley’s most photographed roads, Bolang Dadao (“Mr Brown Avenue”), made famous in a Mr. Brown Coffee commercial and an EVA Air commercial starring Japanese-Taiwanese pop-idol heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro.
The loop also takes you around small Dapo Lake, directly east/southeast of the town. “Chishang” literally means “on the lake.” The tree-surrounded body of water is at the end of the suggested cycle route, and is a pleasant oasis at which to cool off after all your pedaling.
You have two options for getting right out onto the lake, renting a pedal boat or a raft. With the rafts, which have sun-protection roofs, you do your own paddling. You’re also provided with a long bamboo pole that will enable you to push the raft, gondolier-style, into the thick forest of lotus plants on the lake’s east side. Dapo Lake was long used for lotus and water chestnut cultivation.

Many Taiwanese swear that Chishang-area rice is Taiwan’s best, and around the island you’ll see signs above small eateries proclaiming Chishang Biandang. Biandang is the Mandarin Chinese rendering of the Japanese bento, or boxed lunch; the use of Chishang is a promise that Taiwan’s best rice has been used as your boxed-lunch bed. Two main reasons are given for Chishang’s rice quality: the pure, mineral-rich waters from the central mountains distributed by the local irrigation-channel system, and the region’s superior soil, created via silting from two young mountain systems that have sprung up “fresh from the sea,” in geological terms, on the east and west sides.
Near the aforementioned bike-rental operations is the iconic Chishang Riceball Museum, which is in fact a restaurant-cum-museum. The old blue-painted railway cars outside the large two-story wood-façade facility make finding this spot a cinch. The museum/restaurant interior is stuffed with old-time farm-country memorabilia.
Explanation for the passenger carriages parked out front: During Taiwan’s period of Japanese rule, Chishang rice was sent to the Japanese emperor as tribute. Building on this quality, Chishang bento/biandang were developed, which were sold from the local train-station platform to passengers on passing trains – a practice followed around the island. Chishang biandang is the specialty at Chishang Riceball Museum, and the carriages are “outdoor” dining spaces. Each biandang typically contains, at a minimum, a chicken leg (or pork cutlet or fish), a sausage, a soy-stewed egg and beancurd, pickled cabbage, and rice.
Explanation for “riceball” in the museum name: In days past, people would often bring what was called a “riceball” to work for lunch. This was rice, stuffed with such goodies as meat chunks and pickled vegetables, that was usually wrapped in a banana leaf.
Chishang Riceball Museum (池上飯包文化故事館)
Add: No. 259, Zhongxiao Rd., Chishang Township, Taitung County
(台東縣池上鄉忠孝路259號)
Tel: (089) 862-326
Website: http://www.wu-tau.com/gallery.php (Chinese)

My gourmand vote for best coffees in the rift valley goes to Chishang’s No. 9 Gourmet Coffee. The “9” comes from “Provincial Highway No. 9,” and the café is in the very first building as you enter Chishang from the north along said highway. The husband in the owner-duo is an interior designer, and he has let his creative juices flow in his pet project. Enter via a boardwalk over a mini-wetland pond into a quiet oasis of red-brick walls, exposed piping, coffee roasting/grinding machinery, and global-explorer decorations. The various coffees are artworks in themselves, and tasty food treats such as fresh-made waffles and pizza are on the menu. The rooftop-terrace seating gives you an invigorating valley panorama.
No. 9 Gourmet Coffee (池上鄉九號咖啡館)
Add: No. 56, Neighborhood 6, Qingfeng Village, Chishang Township, Taitung County
(台東縣池上鄉慶豐村6鄰56號)
Tel: (089) 862-035
Website: http://no9.verytop.tw