TAIWAN SMALL TOWN RAMBLE

TAIWAN SMALL TOWN RAMBLE

Taiwan is well-known for places – Kaohsiung (orchards), Taipeh (shopping), Tainan (historical) and the Alishan Mountain.

This island has become a popular holiday destination for Malaysian for the past few years.

Little did I know, that there are many hidden jewels in Taiwan's tourism industry, until I was invited for a 6D5N tour themed “Taiwan Small Town Ramble”, sponsored by Golden Century Tour & Travel Sdn Bhd, here.

The trip was organised solely for four bloggers from either personal blog or magazine blog.

During the almost one-week stay in Taiwan, I have got to know there are really hidden beauty of the many “small towns” in this country.

I believe there are much to offer in Taiwan after discovering these “unknown” inland areas, and these places need promotion to attract more tourists, here.

DAY 1

Our journey started from Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur-Taoyuan. We reached the City Suites Gateway Taoyuan, at about 7pm – ready for dinner, held at the city centre. The locals recommended me to try out the popular mee suah soup (flour vermicelli) dish that goes well with a bowl of tofu fah (beancurd dessert).

DAY 2

Our first stop was a visit to the a cultural village called the “Town of Wanderings” located in the old Guanxi Town, in Hsinchu County. We were allowed to spend one hour here, exploring the local Hakka culture and history, Japanese-built colonial architecture, cultural-creative houses in renovated old Chinese shop houses, and iconic eateries selling Hakka broad noddles, stinky tofu and grass jelly.

Something amazed me was the colorful cultural-creative houses found here whereby tourists would stop over to take photographs.

TOWN OF WANDERING - A TRADITIONAL LOOKING HOUSE

WRITER (R) POSING WITH HER TOUR GUIDE TAMMY

We also dropped by the Chocolate Hotel also known as “Schokolake Vacation House” for a brief outlook on what it has in store for tourists in this cute “all chocolate” decorated hotel. The owner even prepared a few popular dishes for food review by the media, including chicken chop and steak topped with chocolate flavor followed with chocolate cakes and drinks.

SCHOKOLAKE VACATION HOUSE OR CHOCOLATE HOTEL

ALL THINGS (FOOD) LACED WITH CHOCOLATE FLAVOUR

Next, was my favourite place named “Miaoli – Romantic Highway” where we had our 10-dish sumptuous lunch located at a hill side. After lunch, the restaurant owner led us to her orchard just opposite the restaurant to participate hands-on picking fruits such as strawberry, carrot, ginger, cherry and vegetables. I really have “fun” in this place, as I also participated in plucking a large white carrot for photography session.

PICKING FRUITS AT MIAOLI ROMANTIC HIGHWAY

ME AND MR WHITE CARROT

BLOGGERS SHOWCASING THEIR PLUCKED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

After a heavy lunch, we proceeded to Sanwan Township Park, a new tourism product which has yet to be given a name by the government. Here, we were required to take a 20 minutes stroll to see a mass growth of the golden colored leaves tree named as 'bald cypress tree'. Tourists here, took photographs with the newly planted cypress trees, and also the presence of duck, swan, chicken and goose around the park. To me, this place looks more like a “farm”, where one can view all kinds of bird species, plants, flowers and trees.

SANWAN TOWNSHIP PARK

We then check into the Zhuo Ye Cottage located in the mountain area, at the Miaoli County. This cottage looks very traditional, peaceful and village-like atmosphere with the presence of chicken, duck, dogs and cats around the place. Later, we had our steam-boat dinner held at the cottage's restaurant.

ROOM THAT I STAY IN ZHOU YE COTTAGE

  

ZHUO YE COTTAGE

DAY 3

Could not wait to view the Shen-Shing Station – a site of an old Japanese Colonial era train stop along the old North-South route to Kaohsiung was completed by 1908. Tourists were happy to see the old version of train exhibited in this station.

SHEN-SHING TRAIN STATION

In Shen-Shing, visitors are encouraged to walk the old cobbled streets, enjoy the beauty of traditional sight and enjoy authentic “local Hakka culture”, eat authentic food sell along the streets.

We also get to experience a detour to the Brands Factory, Ribbon Museum and Taiwan Glass Gallery – to have a look at the latest products manufactured in these three places, located at Changhua County.

WRITER POSING WITH BRAND'S OLD DELIVERY CAR

BRANDS FACTORY

 

At the Ribbon Museum, we were introduced to a variety of ribbons and how to make ribbons, here.

Visitors also learn the trade of making a decorative item using ribbons.

RIBBON MUSEUM

RIBBONS IS A FORM OF ATTRACTION FOR XMAS

 

We then had our lunch at the Taiwan Glass Gallery before we were ushered to experience a walk at the Glass 101 building to view the different types of products that Taiwan's glass industry creates. The gallery also showcase wide variety of art glass, household glass, and engineering glass displayed throughout the exhibition area. Opposite the gallery, visitors can take a walk around the Glass Mazu Temple.

TAIWAN GLASS GALLERY

GLASS MAZU TEMPLE

When afternoon comes, we adjourned to the most interesting outdoor place where we get a chance to pick oysters, organised by Wong Gong Picking Oysters. We took a rugged van out to the shore – to experience what it is like to pick oysters. The organisors had already tied up a row of oysters for the tourists to pick on it. There were a variety of activities for the tourists to indulge such as picking and tying up oysters found on a rope, a talk on oyster cultivation and methods to find oysters in the sea.

READY FOR THE PICKING OYSTER TRIP

SHOWING OFF OUR SUCCESSFULLY PICKED OYSTERS

Another interesting place to visit is the “Lukang Culture Village” - where one gets to see the Old Streets of Taiwan comprises of old, tiny and abandoned kind of shops selling biscuits, souvenirs, toys and textiles, and the oldest Tin Hau Kong Temple.

 TIN HAU KONG TEMPLE AT OLD STREET

A must not missed - is the Lukang Lung-Shan Temple, an awesome temple rich in history.

The temple was built in the late 18^th century remains a showcase of southern temple design. Highlights include the front mountain gate (special bracketing system for Chinese architecture) and sweeping eaves, carved dragons (front of Hall of Five Gates), two fish curl each other (Yin Yang Symbol), and the resident deity Bodhisattva Guanyin. The temple's brackets and beams carved in symbol of clouds, dragons, bats, lions, melons, elephants, phoenixes and fish.

LUKANG  LUNG-SHAN TEMPLE

LUKANG LUNG-SHAN TEMPLE - REFLECTION FROM THE TOP

 

Get on a tricycle ride to visit the old streets namely Mo Ru Lane or Touch Breast Lane – where a man and a woman walk through this lane, they might touch each others' breast as the lane is too narrow. This so-called lane is a fire lane where it started once there is a fire hazard, and the people use these narrow fire lanes, along the stores to escape. The lane has air circulation and lights, and it forms an easier access to the larger streets. The lane is 70 cm at narrow west place.

MO RU LANE

HERE WE GO MR TRICYCLE - LUKANG CULTURE VILLAGE

We then check into Child Story – another traditional accommodation, located at the mountain site.

AN OLD FASHION ACCOMMODATION - CHILD STORY

DAY 4

A series of visits awaits us on Day 4 - namely Shing Long Textile Yulin, Chiayi Bantaoyao Art Village and Eirakucho Tea House.

At Shing Long Textile located in the Yulin County, whereby we were provided a detour to see a range of textile and towel products, the weaving factory, tower museum, towel cake kitchen, warp-yarn factory and the towel shop. Visitors were given a hands on to make a doggy using Shing Long textile at its Do It Yourself (DIY) area. The textile factory was found by Kuo-Lung Lin and Su Lin with 24 traditional looms in 1979.

SHING LONG TEXTILE FACTORY IN YUNLIN COUNTY

HAND MADE DOGGY USING SHING LONG TEXTILE

A visit to Chiayi Bantaoyao Art Village was an eye-opener to me where I got to view numerous art pieces and ceramic products. The village was opened in 2005, located at boundary of Chiayi County and Yunlin County. The chairman, Jhong-Jhang Chen devoted himself to the art of cuting and pasting Koji Ceramic figurines, for some 30 years. Chen created the Banto Kiln Park comprises of Koji Ceramics Museum, a workshop, a shop, a restaurant and classical eastern garden.

BANTAOYAO ART VILLAGE IN CHIAYI

 CAT CERAMIC TILES SEAT

 We ended our tour in Tainan City, where we visited the Eirakucho Drum Tea House - for a detour of the tea house. Dinner was provided by the tea house as we were entertained with a live Hokkien show of a couple depicting their livelihood. 

EIRAKUCHO DRUM TEA HOUSE AT TAINAN

GUESTS POSING WITH PERFORMERS AT THE TEA HOUSE

We then check into the Tainan Fushin Hotel before we proceed with a free and easy session.

GUESTS POSING WITH TAINAN FUSHIN HOTEL MANAGER (R)

DAY 5

The famous “Bopiliao” here I come!! The Bopiliao in Taipei City's Wanhua District comprises the area enclosed by Kangding Road, Guangzhou Street and Kunming Street. The neighbourhood around the intersection of Kangding Road and Guangzhou Street was formerly a major coal market and distribution point. This Coal Market was an important business district, and to this day one can admire a lot of Western-style architecture in this area. Historically, this place began almost 200 years ago, during the late Qing dynasty, and throughout Japanese colonial rule and later the Nationalist era.

A stroll down Bopiliao, one can view the various mural art, fast rickshaws (tricycle), walls of different surfaces (To-Ga wall/Wooden Plank Wall and Traditional Wall), tea house and Junks.

YOUNGSTERS POSING WITH OLD BUILDINGS AT BOPILIAO IN TAIPEH

A VISITOR POSING WITH THE MURAL ARTS AT BOPILIAO

Nearby the area, we also visited the Manka Longshan Temple and Di Hua Street.

Manka Longshan Temple is the first temple in Taiwan to have been built with palaquin-type bell and drum towers and bronze dragon pillar exemplifies integration of Buddhinst, taoist and Confucian beliefs in Taiwanese folk region. This temple is listed in the Top 100 Religion Scenes of Taiwan on November 22, 2013.

MANKA LONGSHAN TEMPLE IN TAIPEH

WRITER POSING WITH THE GRAND MANKA LONGSHAN TEMPLE

Dinner was held at the Slow Food Restaurant.

SLOW FOOD RESTAURANT

Check into Taipei Saual Keh, before we continued a free and easy shopping, at the crowded Night Market.

TAIPEI SAUAL KEH HOTEL

DAY 6

Before sun rise we already check out the hotel. Proceed to the airport for departure back to Malaysia.