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Experiencing mother nature

STAFF WRITER
Saturday, Dec 15, 2001, Page 20

At this year's 2001 International Travel Fair (ITF), the Council for Promotion of Leisure Farming in Taiwan in cooperation with the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, are organizing a series of package tours for ITF visitors. There are three package tours available for tourists who want to experience the natural environment and countryside of Taiwan.

Tour of northern Taiwan -- "A Journey through Mountains, Lakes and the Fragrances of Fruits." Visitors can experience the beauty of mother nature as you walk through layers of jade-green mountains and hills. You can live in a wooden hut, release color painted skylamps or talk freely while enjoying Taiwan's rich tea. You could also make your own DIY T-shirts and amber candies, and be the only one in the world to taste the dumplings that you made yourself. Pick fruits all by yourself and enjoy a unique journey through mountains, lakes and fruits.

Tour of leisure farms in northern Taiwan -- chasing the mountains and lakes in Toucheng Farm, Beiguan Farm and Shangrila Farm.

Toucheng Farm is a two day tour. On the first day, enjoy fishing, then help yourself to a barbecue and traditional snack foods, making and coloring of sky lamps, and sit down to tea and chat time. On the second day, early risers can view the sunrise at Guishan, followed by a countryside style breakfast, a journey of knowledge (dance with mother nature) and enjoying traditional snacks of green bean soup, QQ, taro rice noodle soup. Other activities such as pottery making, leaf T-shirt printing and bamboo crafts (bamboo grasshopper, bamboo shaking-drum, reed pipe, decorative basket and others) can be included in the package (exclusive of material costs). Contact address: No 125 Ken Hsin Road, Toucheng, Ilan County, tel 03-977-2222.

Weekday activities tour at the Beiguan Farm include double bedroom suite, breakfast, Wenhsie coffee, two-colored crab T-shirts, two amber candles and country dinner. Weekend activities offer guests a suite double bedroom with breakfast, Wenhsie coffee, Lanyang-style lunch, two colored crab T-shirts, two amber candles, country dinner and Chinese hot-air balloon. Contact address: No 205 Ken Hsin Road, Toucheng, Ilan County, tel 03-977-2168.

At the Shangrila Farm, guests will stay at a European-style timber holiday hut, enjoy European style romantic garden feat or healthy organic dinner, garden snacks (flower tea, fruit juices, traditional cakes for afternoon tea), and includes ticket to Dongshanhe Water Park. Folk activities include making of rice ball, releasing of sky lamps. Your ticket to Shangrila Farm will let your enjoy farm experiences, a forest tour and creative DIY decoration. This is a tour of the environment, a tour of the countryside featuring traditional lamps and a date with fireflies. Contact address: 1-1 Tah Chin Road, Tungshan, Ilan County, tel 03-951-1456.

Tours of central Taiwan -- "Trek through Forests and Plains."

Give yourself a treat in the forests. Feel the infinite energy radiating from the forests. Hike and talk, and let the kids roam freely on the wide-open plains. Learn how to fly kites and play games. You can also learn how to make hand-made grasshoppers. Join in games that would make you jump and laugh, and visit owls and fireflies during the evening. Enjoy the night view of ten thousand lights and enjoy your trek through the forests and plains that are full of phytoncide.

Tour of leisure farms in central Taiwan -- chasing plains at Flying Cow Ranch, Longyun Farm.

Your tour to Flying Cow Ranch will include room accommodation for two, ranch-style dinner, country-style breakfast and evening ranch tour plus dairy product making demonstration. Optional hands-on activities such as cow painting and fresh milk making may be included with additional material cost. This is an educational and natural tour where visitors can discover the beauty of nature farm. Learn about the natural ecology of dairy cows, butterflies, black belly sheep and marine life, watch dairy cow milking or just relax in the wide open field of the ranch. Contacting address: No 166 Nan Ho Li, Tunghsiao, Miaoli County, tel 037-782-999.

On day one at Longyun Farm you will journey through natural virgin forests, fossil stones, dripstones, titanic stones, five-color stones, turn-head hill, shooting star cliff and milk-pudding making class. Enjoy the traditional Chinese tonic banquet during dinner. There will be an educational video on herbal plants, complimentary karaoke facilities, firefly watching tour in the evening and bamboo DIY. On your second day, enjoy a sweet potato breakfast, a tour through the herbal garden, bamboo path, Pili mountain, Dadong mountain, stone lions and elephants, 18-monks cave and experiencing Fenchihu Old Street. Contact address: No 1 Shihchao, Chungho Village, Chuchi, Chiayi County, tel 05-256-1016.

Tours of southern Taiwan -- "A Voyage of the Sun and the Environment."

You can bag all the sunlight you want when you are here. Harvest fruits in the morning and have a great wild vegetable salad and a coal-grilled goat in the afternoon. Experience the fun of catching eels in paddy fields and discover just how entertaining water-golf is. Learn all the facts about the insect planet with our knowledgeable tour guides. See if you can find the priceless stag beetles or Taiwan's national treasure, the Heng-chun birdwing butterfly. Enter the amazing world of natural habitat, and discover the wonders that life beholds. Come and join the voyage of the sun and the environment.

Tour of leisure farms in southern Taiwan -- chasing sunshine at Hengchun Nature Leisure Farm.

The first day is a professional guided tour where you will journey on an insect discovery. In the evening you can enjoy a countryside style dinner or starlight whole goat barbecue. Activities include grand spin about contest, firefly tour and star watching. Accommodation will be a luxurious European style suite. As you arise on the second day, enjoy a countryside organic breakfast, an outdoor waterfall swimming pool, rainbow bubbles, feeding the cute lambs, and rock climbing competition. All rooms include one printed T-shirt, one guidebook of the environment, one DIY bamboo pistol. Contact address: No 28-5, Shanchiao Road, Shanchiao Li, Hengchun, Pingtung County, tel 08-889-2633.

The price for two people during normal days is NT$2,399, during holidays or weekends is NT$3,800. Prices include breakfast, dinner, accommodation for two and farm activities.

Those interested in joining the tour contact the Formosa Rest Agriculture Serve Enterprises -- Taipei office, 2F, No 8 Hsinhai Road, Sec 1, Lane 7, or call tel 02-2365-2116, fax 02-2365-2117, Kaohsiung office 14F-3, No 110 Sanduo Fourth Road, or call tel 07-537-1883, 07-537-4066, fax 07-537-1884.

Birdwatching

Taiwan is an essential bird's migration route during spring and fall. There is a diversity of birds to be found in Taiwan. The total number of species (or subspecies) of residents and migrants recorded within 36,000 sq kms is 457. This record has undoubtedly made Taiwan an important place for bird watching.

In cooperation with the Council of Agriculture, The Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (WBFT) and Sen Ta International Travel Service (STITS) are introducing a bird watching six-day package tour starting from Feb 2002.

Each group will consist of minimum of six persons and is priced at NT$25,940 per person (accommodation, meals, transportation and insurance included). Airfare is not included. The tour departs from Taoyuan, north of Taiwan. This trip will enable you to sight about 170 species, including 14 endemic species and 62 endemic subspecies.

If you are interested in joining this bird watching tour call WBFT at tel 886-2-8787-4551, fax 8787-4547, email:wbft@bird.org.tw. or STITS tel 886-4-763-0938, fax 761-0051, email:sentaagn@ms16.hinet.net.
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