Videos

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


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

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)


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

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


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

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! 🙂

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

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/

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

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/

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

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.

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

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

In this short video I visit the well-known Sixty Stone Mountain in southern Hualien County early in the morning. Very pretty scenery, even before the day lily season started.

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
Travel in Taiwan app: tosto.re/travelintaiwan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

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!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2014-05-06:

By Rick Charette

"South of Antong Hot Springs, Sixty Stone (Liushidan) Mountain overlooks the East Rift Valley floor, its peak about 800 meters above sea level. A 300/400-hectare tableland of day lilies carpets its top, blooming in spectacular fashion August~September, with the paddy-grid far below a unique backdrop. I’ve been on the mountain when the big orange show is on, and it really is a thrill; on this trip, however, we found ourselves wrapped up in thick, rolling mists, which though not what we’d come for was nevertheless wonderfully rewarding aesthetically, creating myriad artistic shanshui-painting-style canvases for eye and camera. Chike Mountain, northeast of Yuli, is also known for lovely day lily vistas.

Chishang 池上
Sixty Stone Mountain 六十石山

This video is about our stay at the Papago International Resort hotel in Chishang, Taitung. The hotel is a fine place to overnight, especially for families with young children.

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

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!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2018-11-12:

By Rick Charette

"Papago International Resort
In an online poll conducted this year by the Taiwan travel company EzTravel, this lovely Mediterranean-look resort, located just south of Chishang, was declared “Taiwan’s most beautiful hotel.” Need one say more?
Here’s more. Netizens lauded the quiet surroundings, low-rise architecture that enables sweeping views up and down the lush valley, and the luxurious outdoor-pool complex in the inner courtyard of the three-sided main building, umbrellas and swaying palm trees providing ample shade.
The rooms inside the main building are very spacious; some look over the inner-courtyard pools, some face outward toward the mountains, and all have comfy balconies. Beyond the main building and pool complex is a “village” of luxury villas, in Victorian, Balinese, and Mediterranean style.
There are two high-quality restaurants, one serving Chinese cuisine, the other Chinese/international buffets. An upscale spa complex is located in front of the main building, alfresco in the middle with roofs covering the spa pools along the sides (different temperatures, and such options as a “roselle” mineral-water soak, “milk” soak, etc.). Two of the many other amenities/services of special note are the hotel’s well-stocked bike-rental operation and its daily 1-hour tractor-train tours, during which your guide introduces (in Chinese) the area’s irrigation works, the Taiwan Sugar Chishang Pastoral Farm Resort, and other local spots of interest."

Papago International Resort (日暉國際渡假村)
Add: No. 107, Xinxing,, Chishang Township, Taitung County
(台東縣池上鄉新興村新興107號)
Tel: (089) 861-111
Website: http://www.papago-resort.com

Chishang 池上
Guanshan 關山
Luanshan 鸞山
Taitung 台東

On the second day of our Taitung trip I got up early and drove from Taitung City to the Xiao Yeliu Scenic Area. I love the rocks there! 🙂

Luanshan Forest Museum: http://www.forestculturemuseum.com.tw/


Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

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.

My name is Johannes. I love making videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a video or two every month. Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me questions. All the best to you!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2016-05-06:

By Rick Charette

"Luanshan is a Bunun-tribe village perched on the lower slopes of Mt. Dulan, a peak in the Coastal Mountain Range’s southern reaches. It looks down over bluffs to the floor of the Beinan River, which flows out to sea at Taitung City, and looks across at the Luye Highland, venue for the annual Taiwan International Balloon Festival. Mt. Dulan is sacred to both the Bunun and the Amis; the west side is traditional Bunun land, and the east side, Dulan village at its base, is traditional Amis land.
The Luanshan Bunun invite outsiders on guided ecology/culture experience tours (a fee is charged) on their lands, referred to as an “open-air forest museum.” Travel in Taiwan chose the forest walk with traditional Bunun feast (9am~2pm; if no feast, the activity ends at noon). On the walk, our guide, dressed in traditional warrior garb, explained the local tribal history, medicinal, dye, and other useful plants, the village’s ongoing forest-protection efforts, and much more. We also visited a magnificent sacred grove of giant banyan trees, some 1,000-plus years young. Before sitting down to what was truly a chief’s feast we were regaled with songs of greeting, plus harvest, hunting, and courting songs, and given an archery lesson using traditional-style bows.


Bunun tribe 布農族
Luanshan 鸞山
Mt. Dulan 都蘭山

On the second day of our Taitung trip I got up early and drove from Taitung City to the Xiao Yeliu Scenic Area. I love the rocks there! 🙂


Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

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.

My name is Johannes. I love making videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a video or two every month. Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me questions. All the best to you!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2016-05-06:

By Rick Charette

"Xiao Yeliu was our first stop inside the East Coast National Scenic Area (http://www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw), which stretches from just north of Taitung City to just south of Hualien City. Beyond its sheer beauty, this natural stone-sculpture scenic area is highly info-taining for those types – like your writer – thrilled with matters geology-related. Along the shore you’ll find large rock formations – honeycomb rock, mushroom rock, tofu rock, cuestas – and in the visitor center well-crafted models and rock samples introducing the geological features of Xiao Yeliu and the coastal mountains."

Xiaoyeliu 小野柳

On our recent trip to Taitung we went to the town of Dulan to have a peek at the local Amis tribe's annual harvest festival. Was very colorful!

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc

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.

My name is Johannes. I love making videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a video or two every month. Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me questions. All the best to you!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2018-11-12:

By Rick Charette

"Dulan village has established a reputation as a little bohemian paradise in the last decade or so. It is one of the East Coast’s largest Amis-tribe settlements and attracts many artists and surfing enthusiasts from the “outside world.” Locals say this means anywhere beyond the high central mountains that keep the East Coast so quiet, limiting the number of tourists.
The coastal highway does double-duty as the main drag, home to a growing collection of small bars, cafés, eateries, and shops that cater to the surfer/artist crowd. Taiwan’s biggest surfing event, the Taiwan Open of Surfing (www.taiwanopenofsurfing.org), is staged not far to the north, at Jinzun Fishing Harbor. It attracts top-tier talent from around the globe.

The sprawling, big-shouldered old Dulan Sugar Factory, at Dulan’s southern end, makes sugar no more. This protected heritage complex is today a creative oasis for local and expatriate artists and craftspeople. There are artist workshops, a cultural-creative boutique, a café, a craft brewery, Taiwanese and Japanese restaurants, a snack-food kiosk, a driftwood stage, and other attractions. The big action happens Saturday night, with free live-music sessions featuring both local (indigenous and Han Chinese) and expatriate talent.

The Amis people, Taiwan’s largest tribe, are spread throughout Hualien and Taitung counties on the East Coast. Each year villages stage Amis Harvest Festival celebrations in mid/late summer, and Dulan’s are among the most elaborate, spanning three days. Taiwan’s tribal peoples have been inviting tourists to these gatherings only since the early 2000s. Visitors to Dulan are welcome on the first two days, but the proceedings are more solemn, and photography is discouraged. It is the third day that draws the big crowds, with photography welcome. The colorful three-hour extravaganza kicks off with a grand march into the village recreational ground by members in full traditional regalia, followed by exuberant ritual singing and dancing. The street in front is lined with snack stands, a number selling tribal treats."

Inn By The Village
This is a handsome young boutique hotel located toward the southern edge of Taitung City’s central urban area. The owner is a senior citizen who loves cycling, and he built the hotel because he wanted upscale accommodation right in the city for his extended family when using it as a base. A testament to the facility’s quality and attractiveness is the fact that most balloonists from overseas taking part in the annual Taiwan International Balloon Festival stay here.
The hotel towers above the other local architecture. If you stay in a south-facing room you can enjoy an unobstructed view of ocean to the left, mountains to the right, and a meeting of the two far off in the center. Hotel amenities include Jenny’s Bar & Grill (Southeast Asian/American fusion restaurant/bar with live music on weekends), gym, gift shop/lounge, self-service laundry room, and bike storage.
Inn By The Village (南豐鐵花棧)
Add: No. 585, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd., Taitung City
(台東市中華路一段585號)
Tel: (089) 328-160
Website: http://www.nf-taitung.com.tw

Amis tribe 阿美族
Chishang 池上
Dulan 都蘭
Dulan Sugar Factory 都蘭新東糖廠
Mt. Dulan 都蘭山
Taitung 台東

#Taitung #Dulan #Amis

Two day trip to Miaoli County in northern/central Taiwan, visiting hot-spring hotel in Tai'an, a tea factory in Tongluo, and a brick factory in Yuanli. We had fun. 🙂

00:40 Dahu Wineland Resort 大湖酒莊
02:30 Wenshui Visitor Center 汶水遊客中心
04:25 Xishuikeng Tofu Street洗水坑豆腐街
07:20 Onsen Papawaqa 泰安觀止溫泉會館
08:50 Atayal Cultural Museum 泰雅文物館
10:40 Hushan Suspension Bridge 虎山吊橋
11:30 Onsen Papawaqa
12:40 Shuiyun Suspension Bridge 水雲吊橋
13:25 Onsen Papawaqa
16:05 Tongluo Skywalk 銅鑼天空步道
17:15 Tongluo Tea Factory 銅鑼茶廠
21:50 Jin Liang Shing (JLS) Brick Factory 金良興觀光磚廠
25:55 Yuanli Triangle Rush Exhibition Hall 藺草文化館
28:35 Dongli Jiafeng 東里家風古宅

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc/

Dahu Wineland Resort (大湖酒莊)
Add: No. 2-4, Baliaowan, Fuxing Village, Dahu Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣大湖鄉富興村八寮灣2-4號)
Tel: (03) 799-4986

Onsen Papawaqa (泰安觀止溫泉會館)
Add: No. 58, Yuandun, Jinshui Village, Tai’an Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣泰安鄉錦水村圓墩58號)
Tel: (037) 941-777
Website: http://www.papawaqa.com.tw

Atayal Cultural Museum (泰雅文物館)
Add: No. 46-3, Neighborhood 6, Jinshui Village, Tai’an Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣泰安鄉錦水村圓墩6鄰46-3號)

Tongluo Tea Factory (銅鑼茶廠)
Add: No. 132-16, Jiuhu, Jiuhu Village, Tongluo Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣銅鑼鄉九湖村九湖132-16號)
Tel: (037) 987-358
Website: http://www.tongluotea.com (Chinese)

Jin Liang Shing (JLS) Brick Factory (金良興觀光磚廠)
Add: No. 71-17, Jinshan, Shanjiao Borough, Yuanli Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣苑裡鎮山腳里錦山71-17號)
Tel: (037) 746-368
Website: http://www.jls-brick.com (Chinese)

Yuanli Triangle Rush Exhibition Hall, (藺草文化館)
Add: No. 65, Weigong Rd., Yuanli Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣苑裡鎮為公路65號)
Tel: (037) 862-141
Website: http://www.yuanli.org.tw (Chinese)

Dongli Jiafeng (東里家風古宅)
Add: No. 8, Neighborhood 2, Yuankeng Borough, Yuanli Township, Miaoli County
(苗栗縣苑裡鎮苑坑裡2鄰8號)
Tel: (037) 853-158
Website: http://www.dljf.com.tw (Chinese)

Onsen Papawaqa
The Onsen Papawaqa is a forceful work of modernist architecture directly overlooking the Wenshui riverbed. Its grey-hue exposed-concrete exterior walls, proudly and boldly showcased, echo the colors of the exposed cliff rock on the valley’s opposite side. Inside, two additional interior-décor elements are wood and stone, also chosen to echo the surrounding natural environment.
The key attraction here is, of course, the mineral-water soaking. Each room faces the river through floor-to-ceiling glass, with a window-side Japanese-style in-floor stone-slab tub. “The extensive public-area spa facilities are outside the main building; there are separate nude bathing areas for males and females, a non-nude mixed bathing area, and a wonderful cool-temperature narrow swimming pool that runs the entire main building’s length between building and riverside bluff-edge.” The evening starry-sky viewing is scintillating. In the midst of all this is a friendly, breezy thatch-roof open-air bar.
Both restaurants, on the 5th and 6th floors (the top floors), have eyrie-like views of the river before and mountain behind. The complimentary Chinese/Western buffet breakfast is taken in the 5th-floor Running Water Restaurant, which has a laddered spatial design evoking the river’s cascading waters. Lunch and dinner are served in the 6th-floor Flying Cloud Restaurant; the cuisine is Chinese, with strong Hakka and indigenous infusions, along with Western elements. Locally sourced ingredients are stressed. The Dongpo pork and sesame-oil chicken are especially good. (Rooms start at NT$7,500)

Gazing east from the Taiwan Hakka Museum, you can look down into the valley below and out over the hills toward the central mountains beyond. Just to the south, you’ll see row upon row of neatly spaced tea bushes. This is part of the 30ha tourist-oriented Tongluo Tea Factory operation. It’s centered on a factory/retail building of eye-catching modern design that offers a picture-perfect panorama of the valley through its east-side glass wall. Trains regularly run through the valley, through what looks like a model-train set. Patrons are helped in their train-spotting via a large signboard with run-through times and train types.
The main type of tea grown here is Dongfang Meiren (Oriental Beauty), which is primarily grown in Hakka areas in the hills of the northwest at lower altitudes (300~800m). Visitors can enjoy tea-tasting sessions, tours of the processing facilities and fields (in one interesting section, each row is dedicated to a single type of Taiwan-grown tea, with English signage), DIY picking for tour groups, and a meal. The latter consists of a traditional type of biandang (boxed lunch) eaten by Hakka tea-pickers and railroad workers. This comes wrapped in a gratis traditional bright-color Hakka-style head kerchief worn by female tea-pickers (separate payment for each option).
#Miaoli #Taiwan #Taiwaneverything

After leaving Taroko Gorge, we visited a few places in the East Rift Valley and on the Pacific Coast. We also stayed at a surprisingly nice B & B!

00:50 Liangjin Shitang Restaurant 兩津食堂
01:20 Feicui Valley 翡翠谷
04:00 Fenglin Mingxin Ice Shop 明新冰菓店
04:35 Jilitan 吉利潭
05:50 Jinlai Huilan B&B 境籟迴嵐
10:35 Butterfly Valley Resort 蝴蝶谷溫泉渡假村
16:00 Xinshe rice fields 新社稻田
17:00 Hualien Fengbin Sky Trail 花蓮豐濱天空步道
20:00 Dashibi Hill Trail 大石鼻山步道
21:50 Jiqi Beach 磯崎海水浴場

Website: http://taiwaneverything.cc
Travel in Taiwan: https://issuu.com/travelintaiwan/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taiwantravelmag
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taiwaneverything.cc/

WHO ARE WE?
We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing you to Taiwan as a travel destination. Read it! Lot of useful information. We also have a website with lots of articles about Taiwan. Visit it! We try to make a video or two every week. Let us know what you think about this channel and what you would like to see about Taiwan. All the best to you!

From Travel in Taiwan magazine 2018-7-8:

Feicui Valley
The pathway is less than 1km long and takes you upriver along the Mugua, through an old tunnel with dozing ceiling-clinging bats, and along an up-and-down au naturel exposed-root section to a tributary-stream waterfall with a wadeable rock pool at its base. This is the bottom of the narrow Feicui (Emerald) Valley, increasingly popular with river tracers.

Jilitan
Up a tributary stream just inside the mouth you’ll find the placid Jilitan (Jili Pond). It was created by the Japanese as a log pond, and is now cleared. It’s the centerpiece of a new breeze-brushed park with walking paths, Chinese imperial-style arch bridges, and foot-soak facilities.

Jinlai Huilan B&B
Located north of Ruisui town on Highway 9, the Jinlai Huilan B&B is run by a delightfully warm and young husband/wife team who not long ago decided to opt out of big-city living. Its layout is motel-like. Meals are taken in the main entrance area, and the five simple, tastefully appointed rooms, in the rear and along one side, are entered directly from outside. The tableau seen from the rooms is blissfully quaint – across valley-floor farms into the Butterfly Valley, trains drumming along with percussion-like rhythm in the distance. The meals are another soothing satisfaction. The husband has international-cuisine culinary-arts training, and clearly studied well.
(Rooms start at NT$2,200)
Jinlai Huilan B&B (境籟迴嵐)
Add: No. 226, Sec. 3, Zhongzheng N. Rd., Ruisui Township, Hualien County (花蓮縣瑞穗鄉中正北路三段226號)
Tel: 0960-667-286
Website: http://comein-bnb.com (Chinese)

Butterfly Valley Resort
The Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Area is in yet another central-range valley. The park is between the towns of Guangfu and Ruisui. The focus here is eco-tourism. The Butterfly Valley Resort (http://www.bvr.com.tw) is managed by a commissioned private enterprise, and most of its amenities are just inside the park entrance. This is near Fuyuan Stream’s lower reaches, where the terrain is less steep. The resort’s amenities include a small upscale hotel, landscaped gardens, a butterfly museum, and an outdoor hot-spring spa. Guided eco-tours are available. These last 1.5 hours and take you through the gardens, along lower-area trails, and into the more rugged upper area. The upper area offers misty waterfalls, suspension bridges, and a broad camphor-tree stand. A fee is charged for non-hotel guests.

Coastal Skywalk
The new Hualien Fengbin Sky Trail is a double-thrill attraction. The “sky trail” is a 150m cliff-clinging skywalk that hangs you right out over the ocean, breakers and shore fishermen at your feet. A 20m section is transparent. The trail follows a narrow old path hacked from the cliff face, which connected local villages during the Japanese period. The second thrill is that your access walk is along a retired cliff-edge section of Highway 11. Your skywalk return is through an old highway tunnel, today filled with gift and snack stands.

Dashibi Hill
The hill on the south side of Jiqi Beach is easily ascended. It juts out into the sea, and the highway curves around it inland. The wood-stair pathway to the top, the Dashibi Hill Trail, starts at a highway-side parking lot and takes about 15 easy minutes to conquer. Your reward is splendid views of the rugged coastline north and south, local fishing craft out at sea, and the highway-side indigenous village inland.

Jiqi Beach
Jiqi Beach offers 3km of soft sandy shoreline in a shallow bay surrounded by mountain on three sides. This is the first good swimming beach south of Hualien City. On the south end is a resort with water- and beach-fun equipment, a snack shop, a retail/gift shop, and a camping area with covered wooden platforms.
#Hualien #Taiwan #Taiwaneverything