The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
This is part 2, where I will write about the shows and food at Universal Studios Japan with young children, aged 5.5 and 8 years old. You can start from Part 1 if you need more information about Universal Studios Japan (“USJ”) regarding ticketing, accommodation, the …
We were on the fence about visiting Universal Studios Japan with young children, aged 5.5 and 8 years old, during our trip. The rides at Universal Studios Japan (“USJ”) seemed more suitable for older children from Upper Primary, or so we thought. In the end, …
Yilan is a great place to bring young children. Some of our memorable experiences include DIY fun with scallions, the Crayon Factory and the petting animal farms at Ah Mei and Bambi Land. In this post, I will share more about our experience with scallions and perhaps more on the others in subsequent posts.
Be sure to have a taste of scallions when in Yilan. The scallions in Sanxing Township of Yilan are famous because they are well cultivated due to the optimal weather, water and soil conditions. They are also known as the 三星葱 (Sanxing scallions), a synonym for tastiness and high quality.
Notice that I didn’t use spring onions but scallions? To many, ‘scallions’ is the synonym for ‘spring onions’. Many people including myself translate 蔥 to spring onions in English, but I found out that there’s a slight variation between scallions and spring onions. Spring onions have round bulbs but scallions are straight and thin.
Do check out the good food in Yilan while you are there! And if you are renting a car, find out some driving tips in Yilan. I recommend reading all my posts about Yilan and Taiwan as you plan for your trip!
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We went to True Me Farm (初咪親子体験農場) for the scallion experience. They have packages from NT$150 to NT$250, and we bought the NT$200 (S$6.20) package for each person.
Each session takes about 60-90 minutes, depending on the crowd. We went early during off-peak season, so we were the only family doing the activities for the timeslot! We only took an hour from making the bread to plucking the scallions to the bread being ready to eat. Do buffer in more time at the end to hang around, eat the bread, and relax.
Go early to avoid the crowd and hot afternoon sun! The first session starts at 9:10 AM and the next starts at every 50 minutes, with the last session at 4:40 PM.
I highly recommend buying the tickets from Klook because of the cancellation policy (please check the policy in case of changes). You’ll get a full refund as long as you don’t redeem your voucher. And if you are visiting other attractions in Yilan, purchase the Yilan pass from Klook to get more savings!
The staff demonstrated what we needed to do step-by-step before sending us to do it. We had to knead the flour, put the scallions into the dough, shape and paint the dough. I don’t prefer spring onions in Singapore, so I didn’t put in as many scallions as recommended by the staff. I regretted it! Their scallions made the bread so fragrant.
Not sure how you want to design the bread? No worries, the shop has a chart of different designs for you to choose from and copy. Can you make out who made what in the photo below? After we painted the dough, the staff helped us to bake them in the oven.
While the bread was baking in the oven, we were off to pluck some scallions! Before that, we had to dress up in rain boots and straw hats. Rows of rainboots of different sizes, from children to adults, were neatly displayed for us to choose from. Straw hats of various sizes were also provided and we each found an appropriate size to wear.
Our package allowed us to pull four strands of scallions under the hot scorching sun. There’s a technique to pull the scallions out – hold it near the roots and give a tug. My younger daughter needed a little help from the guide to pull it out from the ground.
The field is just a short walk from the main building. There were only a few rows of scallions. I was quite disappointed because I expected a more magnificent sight — rows and rows of scallions. Rather than an actual agriculture field, the place felt like a setup for tourists to pull scallions. Not sure if that’s the case, or it’s like the guide said, it’s not the scallions season when we were there in August.
After the field trip, we walked back to the building to wash up. Rinse the boots in the water first, and rinse the scallions next.
After we were done with our “farming” experience, the bread was out of the oven and ready for us to eat. Like I said in my previous post, the bread was super yummy! The key is to eat it when piping hot. It was so good I wanted more. Thus, I bought the scallion pancake sold outside our lunch place even though we were having lunch soon. It was nice, but I think the ones we made were better. :)
There were many props and costumes for photo taking. So it’s a great place to chill, relax and have fun!
And before you leave, remember to shop for souvenirs! There are many products from food to stationery to buy home. The cashier recommended two bestsellers (biscuits) and they were delicious! We also bought the girls a scallion-looking pen each.
Our children had lots of fun and love to be back again. May you and your family have a similar fun experience! Remember to buy the tickets from Klook or the Yilan pass to get more savings!
Before you go, you might want to check out my other posts on Taiwan. Leave your comments or questions below. Love to hear from you. :)
Looking for more tips on travel, home, and baby? Subscribe to my mailing list and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube! If you like what you read here, keep it going with small support. :)
Disclaimer: JoogoStyle and Christina accept no liability (whether in tort or contract or otherwise) for any loss or damage arising from any use, misuse, inaccuracy or omission of the information or other contents published on this website.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. An affiliate link means I’ll get a small commission if you purchase. There’s NO extra cost to you. I appreciate your support in maintaining this website so I can share more tips with you. Thank you!
We stayed in Yilan for a week and had so much memorable food in Yilan! I’ll be sharing all the yummy food to eat in Yilan. The first five foods in this post are foods I will likely eat again when I return. Other food …
There are so many food recommendations from friends and social media. However, we didn’t eat all but those near where we were staying or hanging out. I’ve listed down the food we ate in Taipei, along with a short review. I’ve also pinned these places …
Yilan is a favourite weekend getaway spot for people living in Taipei. So consider including Yilan in your itinerary for a change in scenery (aka more greenery). It’s a fun place to bring your children to as well! There are many options for getting to and around Yilan.
I will share more about our choices and experiences. Jump to the relevant section:
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My 6-year-old and I took a bus from Taipei to Yilan. The bus journey from Taipei to Yilan is about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic conditions. Buying tickets in advance is unnecessary because the buses are frequent, departing every twenty minutes.
The two bus companies that can take you from Taipei to Yilan are Kamalan Bus and Capital Star (under Capital Bus).
You can buy Kamalan bus tickets from Klook. The Kamalan bus goes
We didn’t opt for Kamalan because we were staying nearer to where the Capital Star bus was departing from – Taipei City Hall Bus Station (市府轉運站). This is different from Taipei Bus Station.
Of the various bus routes of Capital Star Bus, we took the green line – 1570 Luodong Express. It’s a straight bus to Luodong with a quick stop at Wujie. Even though the buses are frequent, the buses are full each time because of the summer peak season.
Capital Star at Taipei City Hall Bus Station
We alighted at the Wujie stop because it was right outside our 民宿 minsu accommodation (Star of Bethlehem). Only one other guy alighted at this stop while the rest of the passengers headed to Luodong Station. I think you have to press the bus bell, but best to notify the driver that you are dropping off at Wujie when you board.
You can use Easycard to avoid the queue at the ticket counter, just make sure the card has sufficient funds. Since there wasn’t any queue, I got our bus tickets from the ticket counter at Taipei City Hall Bus Station. The bus felt new and the seats were spacious on our trip to Yilan.
Hence, on the way back to Taipei, we decided not to buy my 3-year-old a seat ticket and let her sit on my lap. Alas, the bus back was older and the seats were not as new and spacious. And all the seat belts must be buckled up – so the girls and I had quite an uncomfortable journey. Before the bus ended its journey at Taipei City Hall Bus Station (市府轉運站), it made a quick stop at Taipei 101.
P.s. Not all buses have toilets onboard, so clear your bladder before you board!
Ticket prices: NT131 (US$4.10, S$5.60) for adults, NT66 for those above 65 years old, and children 6 -11 years old. Children below 6 years old or 115 cm in height are free, provided no extra seat is taken.
You can also rent a car to drive from Taipei to Yilan, since you need a car to go around Yilan too. The car rental company we used in Yilan has offices in Taipei too.
My husband and our 3-year-old joined us in Taiwan at a later date. They went straight from Taoyuan Airport to Yilan. They could take the airport express to Taipei Main Station and take the bus to Yilan. However, we decided to go ahead with the airport transfer because it’s easier with a 3-year-old and arrival time is near her dinner and bedtime.
It turned out to be a good choice because there was a last-minute flight delay that saw them arriving in Taiwan around 3 AM. The plane got delayed twice and my husband reached out to the driver in Taiwan who was very nice about it: 沒事。 倒是你們辛苦啦。 我也是在家等。 (No problem. It’s tough on you guys instead. I am waiting at home.)
We booked this airport transfer from Tripool. It’s a good option for transportation in Taiwan and it’s easy to use. A Tesla picked them up from the airport. The driver was friendly and the customer service was very helpful as well. You can book in English but the invoice is in Chinese. The communication with customer service and driver were also mainly in Mandarin.
So if you prefer English, book airport transfers from Klook. However, at the time of purchase, Tripool quoted us a lower price. We booked a normal sedan with no child seat (we had our own), from Taoyuan Airport to Yilan, for NT$2424 (US$76, S$103.50).
For a more economical option, you can take Bus 1661 from Taoyuan Airport. The ride is about 3 hours, while route A is 2.5 hours. Buses start from 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM.
Ticket prices: NT300 (US$9.50, S$12.80) for adults, NT150 for those above 65 years old, and children 6 -11 years old. Children below 6 years old or 115 cm in height are free, provided no extra seat is taken.
For more information: www.ubus.com.tw/Booking/StationInquiry/91/
According to the locals, having a car is akin to having legs in Yilan. You will be “handicapped” if you don’t have a car to bring you around Yilan. This is because public transportation is not so well developed in Yilan.
We rented a car with Ge Shang Zhu Che (格上租车) (“Ge Shang”). We requested a small sized car and Ge Shang gave us:
For more information: car-plus.com.tw
Parking
Cars are usually parked at the side of the road for free. However, if there are no available parking lots, search for paid parking lots. Do not park along the roads with a red line. And if you have a paper stuck on your windshield/windscreen, don’t fret! It’s not a parking fine like in Singapore, but a slip for you to pay your parking fee at the convenience stores.
Driving Direction
We do get confused when there are no arrows/signs on the road to indicate the driving direction. Usually, the roads turn out to be a two-way street. Some roads look like it’s big enough for one car (definitely a one-way in Singapore), but you will be surprised how the cars can squeeze past each other.
Hubby was hesitant when the staff at Ge Shang told us to top up for the excess insurance. However, I’ve scoured through forums about Getgo rental and realised the importance of excess insurance. So I asked him to get it. And thank God we did!
On our third day of rental, Hubby made a right turn too fast and scrapped the car against a wall meant as a divider (see first photo in the post). We should have turned left, but because he was used to right-hand drive in Singapore… Anyway, to use the excess insurance, we had to make a police report. Is it a waste of police resources? Will the police think we are weird calling them for getting into an accident by ourselves?
The police car came with two officers and we had to follow them to the police station to make a report. It was a delay to our itinerary but quite an experience. The station looks like another home from the outside. Inside, I felt like we were in some 乡土剧 (a form of Taiwan drama).
The captain even asked his subordinates to on the aircon for us and cartoon TV for the girls, saying there were guests. Even asked hubs to buy flowers for me because it’s Chinese Valentine’s Day. He changed and we exchanged some banter as he made his way out with a bouquet of flowers for his wife.
We didn’t pay anything at the end, but the excess insurance can only be claimed once for each rental period. So we bought the excess insurance again for the rest of the trip at another NT$400/day. Thankfully there was no injury and it’s only a small loss as we only need to pay again for the insurance.
Whether you self-drive or engage a driver, enjoy the scenery in Yilan!
Before you go, you might want to check out my other posts on Taiwan. Leave your comments or questions below. Love to hear from you. :)
Looking for more tips on travel, home, and baby? Subscribe to my mailing list and be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube! If you like what you read here, keep it going with small support too. :)
Disclaimer: JoogoStyle and Christina accept no liability (whether in tort or contract or otherwise) for any loss or damage arising from any use, misuse, inaccuracy or omission of the information or other contents published on this website.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. An affiliate link means I’ll get a small commission if you make a purchase. There’s NO extra cost to you. I appreciate your support in maintaining this website so that I can share more tips with you. Thank you!
I used to visit the Shilin district for the Shilin night market. Turns out, Shilin has quite a few children-friendly venues. There’s the Taipei Astronomical Museum (“Astronomical Museum”) for space-loving children. Just next door, the National Taiwan Science Education Center (“Science Center”) excites those with …
We spent a whole week in Seoul, and that meant lots of time to try out different restaurants! Click and jump to your preferred restaurant: MiGaBon 味加本 (Porridge) Bon-Juk (Porridge) Myeongdong Kyoja (Noodles and Dumplings) Tosokchon Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) Jinwonjo Dak Hanmari (Chicken Soup) …