Thinking Thursdays: Farmstay at Flying Cow Ranch

Kids naturally seem to love farm-related stories/books/games (Peekaboo Barn, anyone?), even though some might never get to visit an actual farm.  Since Junior J really loved animals (and farm-related nursery rhymes), we squeezed in two nights for a farmstay when we went for our Taiwan trip.  We stayed at the Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli, and had a rather pleasant stay over there.

The grounds of the ranch are really huge, with wide open areas suitable for flying kites and having picnics if the weather permits (when we were there, the wind was so strong we thought we'd leave our kite in the car).  It was nice just to explore the grounds during the 3 days we were there, walking around enjoying the fresh air and greenery around us despite the cold weather...

Of course, there were all the farm animals to see...

And you could buy pellets/veggies and feed many of the animals (like the sheep, lambs and rabbits)...

Junior J was rather frightened after trying to feed the larger animals (as they would eagerly nibble the food from your hand, and sometimes nibble your fingers too), but he loved the rabbits:

And would even spend time talking to them (which was so funny considering that he's usually extremely shy!):

Hello Rabbit!  I'm Juju *pats himself on the chest*

Of course, the farm also has various educational demonstrations/shows scheduled at different times of the day, like the duck show, and you also can try your hand at milking a cow (which turned out to be not as easy as it seemed).  Do note though, that the shows/demos get really crowded during the weekends when the farm is swarming with people (the place seems popular with locals too), and on weekdays, some of the shows can suddenly become "no-shows" (the hubby brought the boy down for the duck show when I was packing, and they came back disappointed).

They also let kids "take care" of ducklings and lambs for a short period of time (for a small fee), and we saw many happy children traipsing around carrying a basket with a wildly flapping duckling inside (we didn't think it was fun for the animals though, since the ducklings looked rather stressed at being carted around, and we also spotted a mother with her daughter trying to make the lamb they had on a leash jump for its milk bottle).

On top of these activities, the ranch provides some interesting DIY activities as well, like making various types of cookies, as well as some art and craft.  Staying at the farm entitles you to some vouchers that enable you to participate in some of these activities free (but we missed some due to Junior J's bedtime, since they were run at 8 pm), and you also get vouchers for milk fresh from the farm.  We did manage to attend one art session where we painted piggy banks in the shape of cows, which was sorta fun:

The lady who briefed us told us that we could touch up the little boy's cow using white paint,
and repaint his "mistakes" from there...

... but we decided to let him paint as he wished, and I only helped to paint in the eyes
so that at least Mr Crazy Cow could see. :)  In the end, the boy's cow turned out looking
nicer than my own! I love Mr Cow's crazy happy colours...

All in all, it was a nice visit, and I think the little boy had fun.  The rooms at the farm are clean, spacious and comfortable, and the staff really show attention to detail (the hot water pot is filled up with freshly-boiled water everyday, and you get personally shown to your room)... but you do get the feeling that the farm is like a rural Disneyland of sorts that is out to entertain, rather than a real farm.  So if you're looking to see what life is actually like on an actual farm, and would rather get down and dirty, the farmstays in New Zealand might be a better bet for you.  However, that being said, its still a nice place for families to just stay for a leisurely two days of "rural" goodness! :)

Twice Taiwan: Traipsing through Taipei

The last two full days in Taipei were spent mainly getting our shopping done (we have never been the shopping type, so we left everything to last minute :p), plus visiting a few markets and museums.  Day 3 saw us shopping at Shinkong Mitsukoshi, and we managed to get some interesting toys for the little boy there.  We didn't get anything else though, since everything was so expensive, even though they were clearing the past season's clothes!  Lunch was at the food court, then it was off to my favourite street in Taipei: Dihuijie, which is home to a long stretch of stores selling cloth and dried goods.  We picked up our bakwa (of the dried beef jerky type) at the shop right at the end of the street, then headed to the market in the drizzle.  The hubby then proceeded to patiently wheel the little boy in the pram round and round the second floor of the market (to ensure he napped) while I frantically shopped for fabrics.  The variety is amazing, however this round I couldn't seem to find the shops that I visited previously, and had to settle for paying more.

We went to the flower market (Jianguo Holiday Flower Market, which is open on weekends only) on Day 4.  It was like walking into the market section of the Singapore Garden Fest, except all the booths were actually tucked underneath a flyover!  Lots to see, and the little boy loved the fountain displays best...

Bamboo seedlings.  The seeds are actually sold at the market...

... and will germinate to give you this!

Its blurred but there was a beautiful vertical garden behind the yellow blossoms. :)

Then it was a quick lunch across the road:

We always try to order a plate of green veggies for every meal and let Junior J have some.
He's been surprising us by eating these by the leaf, and can down about 15 on a good day!
Since our discovery, we've gladly stopped trying to tear/chop up his veggies...

The hubby's addiction: He ordered hong shao niu rou mian (beef noodles) at almost every noodle eatery.
With the hearty breakfasts at the hotel (which gave you 2 eggs every morning), it was no wonder we put on weight!

And then back to the opposite section of the flyover, where there was a jade market, selling all sorts of semi-precious stones:

The atmosphere at the Jade market was pretty different compared to the flower market.  Many stalls had stools for you to sit down to peruse their shiny baubles, and the stones all shone under warm yellow lights...

Then it was off to the National Taiwan Museum (with its accompanying museum of natural history across the road), where little boy got to see the dino skeletons...

... along with alot of other interesting exhibits.

There was a section on Taiwan's indigenous culture, showcasing how the various tribes lived their way of life...

This exhibition was in traditional Chinese and French, so we had no idea about what it was talking about, however, this particular time-line display caught my eye, since it was boldly exhibited in shadowboxes, and everything was in a single colour (either red or white).

Loved the tiny little models... really a crafter's dream to make these! :)

Exhibition on rice, where there was a display also showing animals found living in the padi fields...

Another interesting thing (to me at least): Little cylinders filled with different types of rice, hung gracefully from the ceiling!

An exhibition on the history of radio... along with some exhibits where you could press buttons to listen to common sounds heard in Taiwan over the years ...

Section with displays on various ecosystems.  These models are plastic, but I think they are pretty life-like!

Junior J refused to nap (with all that stuff to see, I don't blame him), so we ended up heading back to the hotel to settle him down... and after he woke we popped by another mall (I forgot the name, but it was recommended by a waitress over at the hotel) to shop a little, as we had to buy a T-shirt for the boy as all the clothes I had washed had refused to dry in the cold rainy weather.

Oh, and this time round, hubby decided to splash out on our accomodation in Taipei, since this was going to be the only family holiday this year.  We had previously stayed at Lilai hotel, which was pretty decent given the price, but the wet carpets (once we came back to find them washing the carpets, and it was all soggy) and clogged up toilets weren't too great.  So this round, we stayed at Waikoloa Hotel, which pretty nice, and the rooms were large and quite tastefully decorated:

The first thing Junior J did when he entered the room was to turn on the TV.  We were puzzled since we hardly turn on the telly when the boy is awake, and when questioned about who taught him to do so, he promptly replied "Kongkong!".  Now I know what he's been up to when he goes over to my parent's place!

The first thing we usually do upon reaching our hotel room (after putting down our bags that is),
is to unplug the telephone.  There's really something about buttons that kids find irresistible!
Oh, and little boy spent many of the nights making mock calls to us, or to his bear,
and we tried teaching him how to dial our numbers.  :) 

Yup, and that more or less covers our trip! :)  It was really tiring and challenging, but all in all we did have fun, learnt much, and ate quite abit... Have a great week ahead everyone!

Twice Taiwan: Taipei with a toddler

The next leg of the trip was spent at a farm, but I thought I'd post about that another time.  The final few days were spent wandering around Taipei, while navigating their MRT system with pram in tow (btw, their trains come every 1-2 minutes even during off peak hours, and everyone queues up, which sorta puts another MRT system to shame.  And if you carry a child, you are always guaranteed a seat!).

We made a slight detour on the way to the hotel to visit Maokong, which was a tea growing area, but the trip took longer than expected.  So we arrived at the tea promotion centre, feeling rather hungry, to be told there was no food there.  However, the slopes of the area are dotted with many teahouses which serve food, so we just walked to the nearest and had a really late lunch.  The food was rather disappointing (very dried up bits of chicken, but the veggies were freshly harvested from the garden, and the owner's cat kept harassing Junior J while he was eating), and we felt overpriced (1000 NT for a meal plus tea, probably the most expensive meal we had for the trip!)... and we went back to the promotion centre to find that it had closed!  Oh well.

The first full day in Taipei we spent at the zoo.  The weather forecast was rainy, but we decided to visit anyway, and the weather turned out perfect as it was cloudy instead. :)  Spent 5 hours walking around as the zoo has loads of animals to see (granted, our local zoo probably has better landscapes, but I think the Taipei zoo has more animals):

There is something just so cute and cuddly about pandas!

 

And if you get tired, you could always take a nap:

The little boy LOVES beavers, so we had to visit this enclosure twice as he was sleeping the first time.  

The next day we popped by to Elim bookstore (one of the largest Christian bookstores in Taiwan) to buy Chinese Christian CDs for the little boy, and chanced upon a branch of Din Tai Fung across the street.  Of course we had to eat there, since the branches in Taiwan serve way better food than the ones we get here... (and I think I've raved about the service, which is amazing.  They have dedicated waiters roving with teapot in hand just to top up your tea, and toddler cutlery pops up at your table immediately when you sit down with your child.)

We always eat this 8 treasure dessert.  Can you spot a giraffe and zebra?
We got those for the little boy from the zoo gift shop (These are from Collecta), and thought they were really realistic!

After a toddler meltdown at the bookstore as little boy had missed his nap (due to us being unable to pop him in the pram earlier as the bookstore was only accessible via a long flight of steps), we managed to settle the little boy down in the nursing room in the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.  This was after alot of crying, and the iPhone initially helped to calm him a little, but little boy managed to turn off the flight mode on the phone and call his godma!  I got a shock of my life when I peered into the pram to see him holding the phone to his ear and trying to say hello!

So, yes, we had two peaceful hours or so to explore the Memorial Hall, where there were many exhibits to view, with all sorts of interesting paintings and photos:

Eveready batteries, anyone?

There were loads of gorgeous Chinese paintings, but everything was glass-fronted so it was tough trying to take photos that didn't have reflections of lights all over them!

We also manage to witness part of the changing of the guard ceremony, however all the leg stamping was so loud we had to beat a hasty retreat lest the little boy got woken up...

The weather was pretty dreary the second day in Taipei, but it was a pretty fruitful day!

View outside the memorial hall.  You can see Taipei 101 shrounded in mist, and it rained the whole day.

Twice Taiwan: Yeliu

After freezing our butts off in Yangmingshan, we headed off to Yeliu to spend a day, and the weather turned out beautifully warm and sunny that day.  Along the way, we spotted this:

... and couldn't resist stopping the car and buying a kite to fly. :)  This round, we had no problems getting the kite up in the sky (unlike our failed attempt previously), as the wind was so strong.  In fact, our problem was making sure the kite didn't fly away!

We then filled our tummies with a piping hot Taiwanese sausage and it was to Yeliu and its limestone cape.  The place is filled with all sorts of rock formations, carved through the action of wind and sea erosion:

Some had names to them, the most famous being the Queen's head, which had a queue of people waiting to take a photo with it... which we decided to skip. :p

It was really really crowded since it was a weekend, but the little boy had loads of fun wandering up and down the slopes (while munching a peanut butter sandwich) and peering at the rocks...

We thought this rock really looked like a seahorse.  Don't you think so?

... and spotting fossils buried in the rocks:

There was also a little picturesque bay where many wedding couples were having their shots taken (I really pitied the brides in their tube tops in that cold, gusty wind)... and we tried taking some family photos there too (but they were ruined as some other people decided to step behind us and take their own photos at the same time!).  But all in all, we really had a good time there.  (Oh, and its really a great place for kids to wander around, and the visitor centre even has a nursing room!)

PS: The hubby flew off yesterday for a conference and I'm now down with the flu.  Was feeling rather crappy, but seeing these photos again made me smile.  Have a good weekend!

PPS: A gentle reminder that my little shop will be donating some profits from the sale of nursing covers to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan.  Details here. :)  Thanks for those who've shown your support thus far!