All Swans are White…
One of the reasons I love to travel is, like most, to discover new things – new places, attractions, culture, people and be inspired and enriched by the whole experience of discovery.
Almost everything in the modern world, I believe, can attest to the influences from the Western World (primarily the American and British Culture) – fashion, finance, entertainment, education, business… For me, anything else would be a poor copy. It didn’t help that, growing up, I was forced to learn (and memorize) Chinese in a strict Chinese school which made me detest anything to do with the language and, in return, galvanise my love for everything western.
I used to tell my wife Angie “I will only go to China or any Chinese-speaking country if someone pays me …even then I might still have to consider first”. So when she suggested that we go to Taiwan for our next family vacation, not only did I give her one of those” You must be kidding” look….I actually verbalised it….right till we left the boarding gate and into the plane. I relented for a few reasons:
First, we were running out of good, clean, safe and child-friendly places to bring my 4-year old to experience the great outdoors. Second, I can never make sense of shopping holidays (which Taiwan is famous for). I believe all sense of history and culture would implode into a huge black-hole void the moment I stepped into a shopping mall – as commercialisation robs a country of its true character. But apparently, according to friends who have visited this isle, Taiwan has MORE to offer than shopping so I gotta see it to believe it. Finally, I thought it would be fun to prove myself right – that Taiwan, like its motherland, would be a country of crass, uncouth new rich attempting a poor imitation of Western sophistication and refinement.
So, armed with a loose application of Karl Popper’s Falsification Theory which roughly states that ‘to prove that a theory is right, you must consciously look for empirical evidence to determine otherwise‘. In short, to prove that all swans are white, one must try hard to look for non-white swans! So to prove my perception of Taiwan right, this cynic set out to look for a worthwhile and enriching experience there. As much as it is a family holiday, it was also a journey to discover a new perspective for me. So…Game On!
The People:
Most dime-a-dozen travel reviews would introduce the country beginning with its geography and attractions, but for me, the true pride of a country is not its places and products but its people.
When we arrived in Taipei, I was expecting to be greeted by the smog and unending traffic jams synonymous with most Asian capitals. Instead, I was greeted by “the heaviest rainfall in hundred years”, breaking news of landslide, flooding and impending typhoons, so much so we kept receiving whatsapp messages from concerned family members and colleagues asking after our safety. With our first stop “Flying Cow Ranch” being nestled in a rustic area, I was really not amused. However, throughout the snarl, we were able to speak at length to the driver who impressed me with his warmth and friendliness, advising us of the safest route and alternative itinerary to our fragile plans which seemed threatened by the unusual weather phenomenon. He was just a hotel transfer driver and he could have just chosen to keep quiet.
Throughout our journey into Taiwan, we would get to meet more common folks like that – people who cared about people: Warm, sincere, helpful and approachable Taiwanese. At the Flying Cow Ranch, the lady at the souvenir shop volunteered to queue for train tickets on our behalf after knocking off from work knowing that we were planning a detour to circumvent the landslide and rainfall…and she actually did!
At Hualien, we went on a 2-hour whale watching cruise. Before the cruise began, the operator took pains to ensure that we were all briefed on safety procedures and that we had all donned our life jackets (including a small one for Dana) before boarding the vessel. This was a far cry from the terrifying trip we made in Phuket a few years back with Dana when our island hopping cruise went ahead amidst rough and choppy waters and with our life vests carelessly strewn on the floor in an overcrowded speedboat. I’ve vowed, from then, never to compromise safety for a cheap bargain. We didn’t get to see any whales that day and they gave every patron a complimentary return trip voucher to enjoy another full trip to view the whales.
Later on in the afternoon, our lady driver took us to a local gorge in Hualien to marvel at its picturesque scenery when it started to drizzle. We were a few metres down a steep muddy ravine admiring the crystal-clear emerald river up close when our lady driver just scooped our 4 year-old up, piggy-backed her and climbed up the ravine and swiftly whisked us away in her vehicle for fear of a landslide.
Safety, and not profit as priority, is very much in their service mindset. This had my admiration.
The Pride:
From the smallest retail packaging, to their public transport and tourist attractions, one can easily sense a deep sense of pride for the quality of work they produce and deliver. Arriving at the Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli, I was instantly impressed by the details that went into their décor and maintenance of the place. Coupled with its warm and helpful staff, my one-night experience there left an indelible impression of pride, professionalism and personal attention to details.
The same attention to detail and warm customer service, was also evident everywhere we went. When visiting ‘MonCoeur’ – a local garden manicured and landscaped for couples to take their wedding photos, the attention to details really did make us feel like we’re in an old English hamlet.
Few days later, we would be travelling in a local interstate bus from Jiaoxi back to Taipei. There I stood with respect as the bus conductor waved and bowed to a departing bus …knowing full well that her gestures may not be noticed or reciprocated.
Pride in the Taiwanese service and delivery is translated to their products. Be prepared that shopping for local delicacies to bring home can prove to be a herculean task. Everywhere we visited, may it be in downtown Taipei or in small towns, local cakes and titbits would be intricately packed into tastefully designed packages. It gives one a sense of loss just having to choose one against the other. The aesthetic appeal of the packaging actually masks one’s actual judgment on the taste (which, for most, is not too bad actually). I remembered seeing and sampling a local rice delicacy prepared in actual short bamboo sticks which I eventually had to turned it down due to the sheer weight of the package. It didn’t help either that the warm smiles and personable service of the promoters makes the service you receive in Singapore pale ghastly in contrast.
Looking beyond the surface of its people and products, I’ve made some observations that are quite telling on our own society. Walking through the cramped and busy night markets both in Taichung and Hualien whilst savouring their delicious (and sinful) delicacies, I noticed that there were no litter on the ground nor were there garbage collectors walking around picking up after us. Instead, there were bins strategically placed in the center of the busy lanes and patrons would civic-consciously dispose off their rubbish there. The lone garbage collector would come and renew the garbage bags periodically. This was observed again when we took the local interstate train to Jiaoxi from Hualien when we saw the locals carefully keeping their trash in plastic bags and waiting for the train ‘garbage collector’ to come by to collect their trash. To add…I didn’t notice any threatening signs of fines for littering around too.
Finally, many of the people behind these services and products in Taiwan, are their own locals. Young or old alike, you find them serving in eateries, promoting local wares, driving buses and trains etc. Back home in Singapore, I have had to remind myself when I’m dining out in a restaurant but waited upon entirely by teams of foreign service staff.
The Places:
Angie knows I have but one criterion for trips – No Mindless Shopping please! To be specific, no modern commercialised malls please, they are all the same everywhere and we’ve given away enough things over the years to remind me how useless these touristy trinkets are. To her credit, she planned an enriching itinerary for her fussy husband and demanding toddler. The places we visited were added physical testament of the pride and passion the people have for their country. Here’s a quick highlight of the some of the key places we visited:
Flying Cow Ranch – We’re not new to farm stays and ranches but this was quite exceptional. Having been to similar themed farm locally and in Malaysia and Australia, this one truly sets a new benchmark in their level of professionalism and service. Hectares of picturesque lush greenery are punctuated by purpose-built barns offering complimentary experiences like milking, feeding of farm animals, hands-on craft-making and baking workshops ensure that it is an enjoyable and meaningful farm stay for everyone. Even a quiet walk in the farm premise would suffice to refresh. The cafés and restaurants situated within serves good, fresh food that is value for money. The resort-styled rooms are clean, cosy and comfortable. Don’t leave without trying their milk steamboat, their rich dairy products and their patented mango pudding.
Night Markets – Taiwan’s night markets in Taichung and Hualien were both more of a gastronomical experience then an educational one. As Asian night market goes, the range of dizzying products can be summarised into two words – Phone and Fashion. These are unfortunately, too commercialised and devoid of any traces of actual heritage and historical values unless one would include crass and gaudiness among them. So save yourself some time and money and go for the range of locally produced delicacies that are truly representative of the area’s culture. They are delicious, sinful and worth every calorie. Also, since we’ve experienced and see how safety conscious and clean the Taiwanese are we were cautiously optimistic in trying the street food…and have lived to tell the tale. So buy less, eat more!
Hualien – Coming from Singapore, the words ‘Hua’ and ‘Lien’ have their own uniquely negative connotations and combining them together didn’t really quite help my pre-trip impression. However I couldn’t be more wrong. Upon arrival and having stayed there for 2 nights, I must say it epitomises the Chinese saying ‘Clear Mountains and Blue Waters’. Seeing the mountain range embellish the azure Pacific Ocean and framed by a coast line which, incidentally, is littered by mile and miles of intricately designed pebbles…au naturel, leaves me awestruck. Our experience of the beauty of Hualien was further enhanced by the whale watching cruise and our visit to the local gorge Mukumugi – a less commercialised protected reserve frequented by locals compared to the touristier Tarogo Gorge. Nearby, we stopped at a shallow jade river bed, dunked our hands into the cold mountain stream and fished for precious jade. Every morning, we enjoyed some family bonding time by cycling along the shoreline, just steps away from the hotel. These proved to be such memorable experiences that even Dana still talks about them 3 months after our trip!
Shifen and Ruifang – Our last leg of our short Taiwan escapade saw us going back to Taipei. Again, to Angie’s credit, when we reached Taipei she planned for us to go to ‘Shifen’ – an old town about 2 hours by train from Taipei to experience the release of Sky Lanterns. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we participated in this centuries-old tradition, wrote our wishes and prayers and sent them ‘heavenwards’ complete with fireworks! Along the way back, we had to transit for a while at ‘Ruifang’, also another small town which, I had no impression of until I walked out briefly of the train station and saw clusters of little quaint shop houses akin to a small Japanese village. Reading a brief historical account of this ancient town and precinct is enough to convince me to tell Angie to include a short stay there on our next trip.
Taipei – Our stay in commercialised Taipei, though was short but was truly enriching. True to the nature of any Asian metropolis, it has its share of cramped streets, traffic jams and greying apartments. We were blessed not to have had to experience the full spectrum of that as we spent our first day going to Shifen and the whole of the second day going to BabyBoss – BabyBoss City is Taiwan’s first indoor themed simulation city made for children. The city is designed to create an environment for children to play and learn at the same time. There are 50 professions and over 70 different occupations waiting for kids to explore ranging from being a pilot to astronaut, paramedic, chef, archaeologists and more! I had my doubts at first on how worthwhile this would be, but having spent one entire day there and seeing my 4 year-old enjoy herself with nearly half of the occupations there, I dare say that BabyBoss, with its cleverly designed programmes, props and uniforms for each occupation, has succeeded in delivering a fun and authentic learning experience for the young ones. Disneyland should have been THIS good.
Finally, to make our stay in Taipei complete, we did stay at a new chic hotel (Amba Taipei) in downtown ‘XiMenDing’ – their shopping district and it’s worth the experience to walk thru the shops at night to feel the electrifying energy that is downtown Taipei.
Gripes – Any review worth its salt would have to be balanced, let alone one which started off on a footing like mine. You’d have to arm yourself with a good grasp of the Chinese language or at least arm yourself with a good companion who is proficient in it because EVERYTHING is in Chinese and English ‘subtitles’ are limited to names of tourist attractions and toilets. I am truly blessed to travel with my Chinese-proficient wife. Bring along a good baby carrier / harness if you’re travelling with your infant. Though generally clean and safe, there is a lack of stroller-friendly provisions and breastfeeding places in public places and attractions.
Summary: The Portugese, which were among the first few to discover the island in 1544 named the island ‘Ilsa Formosa’ which means ‘Beautiful Island’. For this once cynical and reluctant traveller, i stand humbled enough to state that Taiwan is an isle where its beauty not only emancipates from her natural landscapes but more importantly, it radiates freely from the pride, passion and warmth of the people we meet at every turn; these make Taiwan such an irresistible destination.
So finally, in case you’re wondering, not all swans are white.

Getting There
All of us are spoilt for choices when it comes to airlines which can bring us from Singapore to Taiwan. Depending on your preferences and budget, you can pick from full service airlines like SQ, Qantas, Garuda, Eva Air, TransAsia and China Airlines or budget airlines such as Jetstar, Tiger Airways and Scoot. The direct flight to Taiwan takes under 4 hours. You can either land at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Northern TW) or Kaohsiung International Aiport (Southern TW).
Travelling within Taiwan
Taiwan is serviced by an extensive local transportation network. During our trip, we relied on a combination of the Rail (Known as TRA – Taiwan Railway Administration), High Speed Rail (HSR for short), Taxis and Intercity Buses to get us around. We found it useful that we were able to pre-book our TRA and HSR tickets online and then self-collect the tickets from any convenience stores on day of travel. The websites also contain up to date timetables and fares which make trip planning a breeze. Taxis in Taiwan are clean, efficient and run by meter (except for out-of-town or long distance travel which requires pre-booking). We do have good taxi drivers to recommend should you need one for your trip.
Where to Stay
We researched extensively on Trip Advisor before deciding on any accommodation for all our Free & Easy trips. Based on our trip, these are the accommodations we’d recommend:
1. Flying Cow Farm
2. Taichung Le Parker Hotel
3. Hualien Hotel Bayview
4. Taipei Amba Hotel
Our Suggested 10 Days Relaxing Northern Taiwan Itinerary
Day 1 – Fly SINGAPORE to TAIWAN Taoyuan International Airport.
Taxi pick-up from TAOYUAN to MIAOLI: Flying Cow Farm. Spend 2 nights at Flying Cow.
Day 2 – Partake in Farm Activities at Flying Cow Farm.
Day 3 – Taxi Pick-up from MIAOLI to TAICHUNG.
Tour Sinshe attractions enroute to Taichung. Dinner at FengJia Night Market. Spend 2 nights in Taichung.
Day 4 – Tour Sun, Moon, Lake and other sights in Taichung.
Day 5– Take HSR from TAICHUNG to TAIPEI, change to TRA onward to HUALIEN.
Dinner at ZiQiang Night Market. Spend 2 nights in Hualien.
Day 6 – Tour attractions in Hualien – Taroko Gorge, Mukumugi Reserve, Whale Watching Tours (Apr to Oct only) etc.
Day 7 – Take TRA from HUALIEN to TAIPEI. Explore Ximending! Spend 3 Nights in Taipei.
Day 8 – Full day at BabyBoss Taipei! Your kids will love it!
Day 9 – Take TRA to explore outskirts towns e.g. Pingxi or Shifen to release Sky Lanterns or visit Beitou for Hotspring experience!
Day 10 – Depart TAIPEI for SINGAPORE. Home Sweet Home!
For more of our Taiwan photos, do check out Dana Mommy’s Facebook albums. And do leave us a comment to let us know what you think of our trip or if you have any questions on the itinerary, we’ll love to hear from you!
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This post is part of a Blog Train hosted by Madeline at MadPsychMum. This post is penned by Dana’s Daddy who is also the principal photographer of all the gorgeous photos you see in this blog.
Wow it’s nice to read from the perspective of a dad! We went to Taipei last year and didn’t travel to anywhere else which on hindsight, we should have. Hua lien looks like a lovely place!
Hi Madeline
Yes, when I told the hubs about this blog initiative, he immediately agreed to do a guest post on our Taiwan holidays. We teamed up: he supplies the inspiration and writes the post while I select and edit the photos to accompany the write-up! I think we did quite a decent job as a team 🙂 Thanks for hosting this very informative and fun travel blog train. Without it, we would still be procrastinating on our Taiwan trip report! Hualien is a gem, if you do revisit Taiwan again (which I’m sure you will), you MUST make a pit-stop there.
Beautifully written~! I have my negative share on visiting a ‘Chinese-speaking’ country too, not as much as your hubby though;p.
Will sure come back to look for reference if we are going there.
Wow… Brings back awesome memories of Taiwan for me! I love it for the food and warm reception… And look forward to bringing the hubby and boys along with me too! Thanks for the recommendations!
Hi PC
thanks for dropping by and leaving the compliments! Am glad you enjoyed reading this post, am sure your perception of Taiwan will change after your visit. It’s not really very ‘Chinese’ there, they are infact more ‘Japanese’ in terms of service standards, cleanliness and arty influence! Do let us know when you’re planning your trip and if we can, we’ll help!
Hi Sandra,
Taiwan is such a big country, am sure there’ll be more opportunities for us to return and explore new sights! The boys will enjoy BabyBoss, be sure to include that in your itinerary 🙂
Very beautiful pics and write-up! I went to Taiwan before I got married. Now you just made me feeling like visiting it all over again, with my girls next time! =) Woohoo! Flying Cow sounds like a nice place for family, will check it out next time. Thanks for sharing!
Wow such brilliant photos and a comprehensive guide. thanks for telling us so much more about this lovely place! I’ve been there twice and hope to go back again soon.
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Beautiful photos and a lovely piece of real Taiwanese life and culture…Thank you for sharing this!
Nice photos! Will love to bring my kid to Taiwan, didn’t know it’s actually quite child-friendly 🙂
Love the places that you visited in Taiwan especially when it’s from your hubby’s point of view. My holidays are typically all in the cities so reading this makes me wanna slow down my footsteps the next time I visit Taiwan. Oh but BabyBoss sounds too interesting to miss. Thanks for the review.
My top wishlist, to travel around the globe….very nice pics, hope i can make it too.
Lovely post ! My boys still remember BabyBoss. And we would love to have a farm stay along Hualian.
Personally, I am craving for night market’s yummy snacks 🙂
Taiwanese’s friendly and family-friendly culture has rub off on us too.
I love all your photos in Taiwan! I am going to Taipei with my sis on the next 2 days.
If you could only choose one, where or which landmark do you think we absolutely should not miss??
Thanks in advance!
Thank you for sharing! This has got to be the best blog I read on Taiwan travel. Will be going this Dec with my family and will be going to some of the places you featured.
I’m planning to go Taiwan in Jan and intend to stay at flying cow ranch. You mentioned taxi pickup. How can I get that and how much will it cost? Thanks!
Hi Michelle
sorry I missed your comment. I hope you enjoyed your Taiwan trip. If there’s one place we’d recommend, it’ll be Hualien – the coastlines are really gorgeous and we enjoyed cycling by the seaside!
Hi Gin,
We paid TWD1200 for the car pickup service arranged by Flying Cow. They will wait for you at the International Arrival Hall and send you to the farm directly. http://www.flyingcow.com.tw/en/howto_en.html Do give them a call to arrange for pick up service before you go. 🙂
Thanks so much for your blog! I am planning a trip to Taiwan next month. I see that you travelled all the way up to taipei from taichung and down to hualien- is there a reason why you travelled this way. Can we travel direct from tai chung to hualien?
hi
im so happy i came across your blog. is there any recommendation for a good taxi driver. planning a trip there in a months time and your blog is really what we r basing our trip on. please do let me know if you have any good recommendation for a local driver or taxi.
Thanks
Vinnie Jakarta
Hi, I’m also travelling with my aged parents and planning to stay over in Tai Chung for 2 nights. Would you mind share the contact of the taxi mister and his fees? Trusted that he is good especially you have a kid. Thanks in advance.
Hello everyone
thanks for leaving a comment on this post. I’ve two very good drivers from Taiwan to recommend. Please get in touch with them via their FB:
1. Tour Taiwan https://www.facebook.com/hongtourtaiwan?fref=ts
2. 背包客車(背包客车) https://www.facebook.com/jbh0905
These reputable taxi guides are usually fully booked so do contact them in advance to secure booking for your dates of travel. Enjoy Taiwan and do help us send our fondest regards if you meet them! 🙂
Hello everyone
thanks for leaving a comment on this post. I’ve two very good drivers from Taiwan to recommend. Please get in touch with them via their FB:
1. Tour Taiwan https://www.facebook.com/hongtourtaiwan?fref=ts
2. 背包客車(背包客车) https://www.facebook.com/jbh0905
These reputable taxi guides are usually fully booked so do contact them in advance to secure booking for your dates of travel. Enjoy Taiwan and do help us send our fondest regards if you meet them! 🙂
Hi,
Glad to read your detailed post on TW. We are planning to visit Taiwan with my 4yo and 1.5yo in Jun for 7 days. Planning to cover Leofoo, Flying Cow Ranch, Cingjing and Taipei. Could you please advise if it is necessary to hire a private driver throughout the trip (do we have to settle their accommodation and meals?) or just hire separate drivers to pick up during transfers to different towns? What are the estimated charges like?
Is staying in Leofoo worth the $500/nite or just an overhype? 😛
Is it advisable to bring along a light stroller or just baby carrier?
Thank you!
Hi Frances. Glad you find our post useful! We have always used a mix of self-travel plus drivers on our trips to Taiwan as certain places are more convenient (and time saving) to hire drivers. Can you ‘like’ our FB and drop us a PM there for us to give you our trusted driver’s contact? Rates wise, it really depends on where you want to go and for how long but usually the driver will be happy to help you plan. Yes, these driver-guides can pick and transfer to various other towns etc…up to you to discuss with the driver-guide.
About LeoFoo, …we found the cost reasonable because of the Safari feel and experience. The animals there are really well cared for (when we were there) , depending on the room you choose you get to have a great view that resembles an African Safari. The facilities are well-kept and clean. Best of all, children get to see these animals LIVE…rather than just thru books. Compared to going for an actual Safari in Africa, this is a good alternative. Hope it helps.
Hi, I’m in the midst of planning my trip in Taiwan. Can you let me know is 1 night in Flying cow ranch enough to experience the farm or do you think 2 nights is better. Thanks.
Hi…Flying Cow ranch is a vast ranch…it has a beautiful landscape and lots of things to do including feeding the animals etc… It really depends on a few factors namely: 1) What time you arrive…and check out 2) Age of your kids. and ultimately 3) How much you want to do. I would think that 3D2N would be suffice to cover if you want to experience most of the farm.
Hi Angie!
I am planning to do a day trip to Taroko Gorge on Jan 6, 2018. Will ride the train from Taipei to Xincheng station. May I know the email address or whatsapp number of the lady driver that you used in Hualian?
Thank you.
Hi Linda
thanks for dropping by! For Hualien, we used this driver: Ms 古惠珍 (預約專線: 886-935-083-682). Email: [email protected]
In case she’s fully booked, you can also try contacting this other Hualien driver: Mr Lu Lai Fu (吕来福). Mobile phone: +886-09-2856-9081.
Have a fun and safe trip to Taiwan!
Thanks Angie for the info!