A Splash of Salutations: The Season of Hello-Goodbyes

The past several months we had quite a few old friends from our Tainan days came to visit us here in Yilan. I suppose this social season began after our Taipei trip to see the Anne Frank exhibition with my dear friend Alisse and her niece. After then, we were quite busy. Most guests were in with us for a day or two. What to show these cities folk? Everything related to water of course. It was hitting the lake, river, waterfalls, the beach, hot springs and if we had time for firewater, the brewery, and distillery.

Wanglongpi Lake with the Coolidge Clan

Tony and his clan stayed at a temple near the beach. We took them to our home, to nearby Wanglonpi Lake for a hike, then headed over to Loudong for lunch at Spice Land. In the afternoon we explored Renshan Botanic Gardens and then the nearby waterfalls. It was a sweaty, active reunion. We somehow made it to Jim and Dad's brewery for a cold one.

Indian lunch at Spiceland. My kid and I  gulping chai.

There were so many macaques on our way down the Renshan trail, I was frightened. They weren't the least bit afraid of us though.

Later, my former student from kindergarten in Tainan, Emma, she just graduated from 9th grade and finished her stressful high school entrance exams. Her cool dad rewarded her with a trip to visit us. They were our good friends back then, one of the people who took my mom and us out to dinner when she came to visit.

Meeting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-Je by chance, Kavalan Distillery 

They stayed at the nearby Country Grange Guesthouse, not our first choice. The recently opened glamping Nayi Villa was fully booked. He rented a car and our first day we went to Jim and Dad's Brewery and the Kavalan Distillery. It was crazy timing, the mayor of Taipei, Ko Wen-Je, was there shaking hands.

Z and Emma catching up, Nayi Villa

Checking out Nayi Villa, the new glamping village down the road from my house.

We sampled whiskey and stayed up late drinking and catching up, the girls inside doing their thing. We also made a trip to nearby Jiaxio and had a soak in some hot springs his friend recommended. The next day we just splashed around the river near my house and ate lunch near the local fish pond.

The river by my home was a place we'd return to when my former co-worker from our kindergarten Tainan days came with his wife and young son. We ate lunch at a local restaurant (枕頭山腳快炒), my daughter and I often go for home-cooked Taiwanese food.



Then my friend Monica (my coworker from 18 years ago in our Tamsui days) was in Jiaoxi with her sister and mother at the new Hotel Mu. We had a swim and a dip in the public hot springs, catching up. My daughter happily played a racing game in the game room, while we chatted. She and her family sometimes made it down to Yilan in the past, and once we even were in Okinawa at the same time, and met up then. How lucky to maintain friendships and connection throughout the years!

Last time I saw Eric's daughter was years ago

Speaking of my Tamsui days (before my daughter was born, I lived in Tamsui for a year and a half), one of my first roommates was in town with his Taiwanese wife and daughter, visiting from LA. He happens to be the founder of Happy Cow and so we were eating all vegan, new places, for his research. It was really wonderful seeing him again, it was four years since our last rendezvous and a little more than that since I met his wife ad daughter. How shocking to see how much our daughters have grown.

I'm so proud of him and the success of Happy Cow, because when we were squatting in a condemned building in Tamsui, he was starting out working on Happy Cow, and not for the money.

My! Have they grown!

They came to my house and we lunched at a nearby, pretty cafe. It kept reminding them of Hawaii. Later we went to Wanglonpi (of course) and I dropped them off at a temple near Dahu Lake (ten minutes away) where they were visiting friends.

The next day we went to Toucheng, hit the beach and went hiking for Xinfeng Waterfall at the end of the famous Paoma Historic Trail, but we couldn't find. Thankfully we found another one (Houdongkeng) for a nice long swim. The following day, he and his daughter and my kid and I enjoyed more playing in the mineral waters in Jiaoxi. I went more times to Jiaoxi's hot springs the past 2 months, then I did all of last year. We took them to the Art Spa Hotel, for the waterslide of course, and then we had dinner at a new vegan mom and pop shop- more Happy Cow research. It was the 4th of July, and he wanted to have a beer and fireworks, but it was getting late and they were moving on to Hualien the next morning. We parted ways at Yilan train station and it was with quite a heavy heart saying goodbye again.

Saying goodbyes, and farewells with heavy hearts are something I should be getting used to as they are next on our agenda.

Rainy Weekends and Limited Choices

Tea Time, Artemis Garden

If it's raining on our blessed weekends, my kid and I have no problem making a pot of chai or oolong, indulging in a video in between me doing yoga and her practicing her flute. Sometimes her friend from the 7th floor comes down to play.

I feel sorry for people who come down for the weekend and the weather doesn't agree. If it's sprinkling, I think a hike or swim is perfect. But if its torrential buckets, choices are limited. My suggestions of what to do should you be stuck in Yilan when its pouring:

1. Luna Plaza: It's a shopping mall, so you have tons of food options for various budgets, plus movies and a bookstore (limited English section.) There's underground parking. Across the street is the Yilan Art Museum.


2. Yuanshan's Bee Farm, Jim and Dad's Brewery and Artemis Garden, are all basically next to each other. Hit the brewery first, sample some microbrews then sample the different honey and royal jelly before heading to Artemis Garden for an organic lunch or afternoon tea. While you're in the area might as well stop at the Kavalan Whiskey Distillery.

3. Lanyang Museum is an ultra modern building in the shape of a "cuesta" rock formation that is seen here on the coast. The Lanyang is  near where the boats take people dolphin watching at Turtle Island. It has a permanent exhibition as well as special exhibitions.

 

When in doubt, indoor hot springs either in Jiaoxi, or Datong's Sakura Spa are great choices as well as the indoor water spa in Silks Hotel (a part of Luna Plaza). We've learned to embrace the rain- yet that's easily said dry indoors and not on a scooter!

Yield to Yuanshan

To get off the beaten track in Yilan, which is already in the boondocks, look no further than Yuanshan Township. It still gets a few tourist buses from Taipei, but less so.

Yuanshan's element at first glance is the mountains, but equally so is the water element. There's so many lakes, ponds, rivers, even hot springs.   According to my kid Yuanshan is reknown for having the cleanest water in all Taiwan. Moreover, if I could describe the essence of Yuanshan in contemporary Western music, it's Beck's "Morning Phase". Or maybe I've just made the association  as that's what I'd listen to when my car CD player worked. My daughter and I have this fantasy of our last year in Taiwan. We'd find a traditional home in Yuanshan and get a goat and some chickens. Until then we commute here everyday for my job. It's a gorgeous commute, better on scooter. Driving my car is like living out Mad Max Thunder Road most mornings. Now with the construction of some fancy chain hotel the already small roads are clogged with all kinds of trucks and their equipment. Yuanshan will soon lose its wildness without a sound. See it while you can.

Yuanshan is just outside of Yilan City between county road 7 and Sanxia in the mountains. There are tons of BnB’s, recreational organic farms (scroll to bottom of this post), fishing, and hiking trails. Here are the tourist maps. The crown jewel of Yuanshan is Fushan Botanical Gardens, which is still on my to do list. You need to make a reservation in advance as they limit the number of visitors. 

I recommend renting a scooter from any of the shops across from the bus or train station in Yilan City to explore. Buses are infrequent and stop early in the highlands. A taxi to Dahu Lake or Wanglongpi will cost around 200NT from the bus or train station.

Gregorian chants in Mandarin with this view on a sunny day-timeless!

It becomes obvious soon enough that the most scenic, auspicious spots in Taiwan house all the cemeteries. Yuanshan is no different. The foothills leading into the mountains are speckled with them. Maybe I'm biased but they aren't the total eyesores they are in most places. In fact driving to work in the morning, the sunlight on a clear (rare) morning illuminates their white tiles, making a gleam against the dark mountains and sky. Clouds hover in and out, so that every morning is a different panorama on my commute.

 The graveyards in Yuanshan even has a Catholic section, the first in Yilan with a picturesque chapel over looking the valley. Surprisingly, there are several Catholic churches where one can take mass (in Mandarin and Latin). The most picturesque is in the Catholic cemetery on the hills but there is also one  (Church of the Holy Cross) across the street from Yuanshan Elementary school just off where 7 meet the 9A. 

Yuanshan Memorial Park

To begin a tour of Yuanshan you could start out at the Yuanshan Memorial park next to Yuanshan Elementary school and then head to Pillow Mountain, Dahu (Big Lake), or Hunshan Lake.  The park has a vertical set of stairs for a quick workout with some views of the of Yuanshan mountains that will wet your appetites for some further highland exploration. At the bottom of the stairs are some tanks and horses coming out of the grass which is kind of cool. Otherwise there’s not much else to see here. Elderly people like to hike the paths circling the hill in the mornings.

 

Dahu (Big Lake). My kid's first choice fishing spot  

Wanglongpi lake (望龍埤) is likewise very scenic. There are several hikes you can do from here that take you above the lake and you could continue to little villages further in the mountains. There’s a pizza café opened on the weekends and a coffee shop. You can buy fruit directly from the farmers from their orchards in the valley by the lake. The best place to stay is at the very orange Avignon Bed and Breakfast just down the road from the lake exit. Come early as Mainlanders tend to come here on the weekends, most don't do the hikes. There are more bodies of water too, the Shuanglian and Taiyang ponds popular with birders. 

Wanglongpi lake (望龍埤)

For free coffee (all you can drink) head to Athena’s Bakery (not to be confused with Artemis Garden). The tour buses definitely stop here, but you can sample the cakes and drink coffee for free. The gelato is excellent and flavors change according to which fruits are in season. If the sky is clear have coffee and some cake at the A-Maze Cafe at the top of the hill. If you're lucky you can overlook Yilan City on a fair day and see Turtle Island in the distance. Sadly. they cut down their namesake labyrinth. There are also some bed and breakfasts located on that hill. Accommodation should never be a problem in Yuanshan. Every post has about ten signs pointing to various farm stays. Still I listed the most famous leisure farms a the end of this post.

If you want to sample more than just coffee, Yuanshan happens to have its very own brewery,  Jim and Dad's (吉姆老爹啤酒工場). The owner invested a pretty penny for this top of the line brewery, shipping parts from Germany. They use fruits in season for various ales and stouts. They also serve high quality American root beer and ginger-ale for kids or the responsible driver. Its a little pricey but makes for a nice gift. Its a great venue for parties or live music, with a fun lighthouse. Too bad its such a drive.Taipei Times printed a nice review, " Yilan's Beer Oasis".

Kids might enjoy educational "hands on" tours about bugs at the Honey Bee Museum, Phoenix Beetle Museum (where you could stay the night),  farming,  water weeds, sheep or fish.  Older adults might prefer the Bowl and Dish Museum or the 23 Stone House Nature Culture. As for me, I would recommend my friends to stay at the sublime Beetle Forest. They are technically in Jiaoxi on the border of Yuanshan,  but you wouldnt have guessed. Beetle wise they are more professional than the Phoenix and have a modern BnB set up with a cheerful space. Plus I am friends with the entomologist there.

Bike riding in Yuanshan

Yuanshan is mostly bypassed by weekenders from Taipei stopping in Jiaoxi or further to Taipingshan, but if you want some muted repose, with less crowds, Yuanshan is definitely the peaceful alternative.

Leisure Farms in Yuanshan:
Yosemite
Daan Herbal medicine
Zhen Shan Zhuang Villa
Country Orange Leisure Farm
Hua Quan Living Workshop
Old House
Sansui
Shen Yang