Day 3
Breakfast at the Sheep House was again simple but adequate. One nice touch was the warm soy bean milk which I have become quite partial to. Good quality coffee was available and the effort was taken to provide my daughter with her own two-year old size plate.
After breakfast we headed south down route 9 to the Shin Kong Chaofeng Recreational Farm. 新光兆豐農場 www.skcf.com.tw where, at the entrance to the farm you are confronted by a replica of the Arc de Triumph. For whatever reason it is there, it is certainly impressive.
As you enter you are encouraged to hire a bicycle or even a golf cart. This is certainly advisable due to the huge site which the farm encompasses. We plumped for a four-wheeled pedal-powered buggy type thing. 
While this was certainly fun, I got serious leg ache from pedalling around some sections. If you go in the height of summer, then I recommend the golf cart.
Once in the park first impressions are not good. It’s old and a bit rundown. Our buggy certainly could have done with the canopy replacing and a lick of paint. The first stop we made was at a rather sad children’s playground. It was still safe for play but had clearly seen better days.
Having said this, we had a really good time. The farm is stocked with lots of interesting birds and animals (examples of which are the ostriches and camels) that are clearly well cared for. Despite the dilapidated nature of parts of the park other areas are beautiful, such as the ornamental gardens to the front of the main building and the landscaped section to the rear. And while the farm itself is mostly on flat ground it is surrounded by wonderful mountains.
The Shin Kong Chaofeng Recreational Farm could obviously do with an injection of cash but nevertheless it is worth a visit.
We left the farm in the late afternoon and proceeded to our next guest house. After a wrong turn or two we managed to find the Frog House 小雨蛙生態農場 www.daai.com.tw just north of Fonglin 鳳林on route 9.
The Frog House consists of six cabins set away from a small lane. In front of the rooms is, what we were now realising to be, the obligatory fish pond. Our room was huge and the sitting platform to the rear gave a wonderful view of the mountains. Perhaps the best thing though was the bath, which was made from uneven slate tiles. The water came out through a spout disguised as a large rock on the edge of the tub. As the bathroom had a large window, it was possible to fill the bath up and have a good long soak while looking at the mountains. The bathroom also had what looked to be a really nice shower.
Unfortunately the room hadn’t been cleaned properly. There was paper in the toilet bin and other traces of previous occupancy, such as a used teapot. The management were very apologetic and gave us a new room at once. This was virtually the same as the first, only a little smaller and with not such a good view.
Of all the guest houses we were to stay in over the week this one was the least well maintained. The room was clean enough but the toilet felt a little dingy to me. Also, despite the shower looking super-duper, not all of the attachments worked properly.
On the plus side the management at the Frog House were really nice. They recommend some places for us to eat that evening without having to drive all the way back to Hualien. We ate beef noodles that evening in a typically Taiwanese down at heel place. The food was cheap, good and accompanied by the sounds of a Kaoliang fuelled party in the back room.
Details of day four will follow soon.
The dining room at the Kanazawa House is much better by day as you get a good view of the garden which features a large fish pond. After breakfast we were able to go and feed the fish; something my daughter thought was great fun. The garden is beautiful and even features a tree house. There are lots of bicycles also which guests are free to use.
After breakfast we set off again. This time for the Farglory Ocean Park.
Taiwanese police officer played by Tony Leung 梁家輝 says to David Morse’s FBI agent Kevin Richter in the film Double Vision 雙瞳 that the true beauty of Taiwan lies on the East coast. A very true comment in an otherwise daft film. With this in mind I recently packed my bags and headed south-east with my wife and daughter for a tour of Hualien 花蓮 and Taitung 台東
First of all, my recommendation for anyone who wants to get about in Taiwan when they’re on holiday is to hire a car. It is true that public transport is cheap but nothing beats the convenience of trundling about just as you please checking things out along the way. This is especially true if like me you are travelling with children. Secondly, we chose to stay in guest houses which were priced between NT$2500 – NT$3000 per night for a four person room. These places are not part of big chains and so it’s unlikely you’re going to find someone there who speaks English. If you have a Mandarin speaking friend then it’s going to help a lot.
The room was spacious and clean with a fantastic bathroom and cable TV. Of all the hotels we were to stay in this week this one probably came top in terms of cleanliness and facilities. The downsides are that the room itself and the location somewhat lacked character.
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