Day 1 | Arrival & Check in
Yilan County is about 90mins drive from Taoyuan International Airport. This is my first outside of Taipei. We arranged a limousine service pickup from the airport to our accommodations at Shangrila Leisure Farm (香格里拉休閒農場) and arrived late afternoon. After checking in and exploring the place, we headed to the local restaurant for our dinner.
There are programmes/ activites at night depending on the day and it turns out we are in luck for some traditional shows and rice ball (汤圆) making class. Unlike the usual ones where there’s black sesame or peanut fillings, we will be making traditional rice balls that is plain with no fillings. It is to be served with sweet ginger soup and peanut garnish.
Day 2 | Nature walk & Traditional Arts Center
For a small fee within Shangrila Leisure farm, you can take a walk inside their fruit farms and taste fruits directly from the tree. (you’ll have to pluck them yourselves)
You can also expect to see butterflies, moths, cicada and couple of other insects thriving in the beautiful orchard. I would strongly recommend to take a morning walk after breakfast to soak the fresh air and scent.
National Center for Traditional Arts (宜蘭傳藝中心)
Located near Dongshan River Water Park, the National Center Traditional Arts is about 30 mins drive from Shangrila Leisure Farm.
There are merchandise shops and food carts inside so you can grab some souvenirs or quick bites here while waiting for traditional shows and performances to start.
We left the place in the afternoon as we need to take the rail back to Taipei where we’ll stay 2 nights before heading back home. Taiwan is definitely a place where it keeps you coming back for more. Due to the ease of getting around and communication (they understand Mandarin and Hokkien, while most millenials can speak and understand english), I think its an ideal place for family trips too.
