We woke up fresh and ready to set off… for breakfast. We were leaving the hotel so there was some packing to do after breakfast. Of course there was always time for some selfies and wefies along the way. In general, we were quite happy with the room. Nothing fancy but comfortable enough for 4 people who need a lot of personal space.
Breakfast was average, nothing that we find impressive. We didn't eat much but I really appreciated the Taiwanese porridge kind of breakfast. It seems well balanced compared to their 'continental' type. And of course, everyone got their healthy dose of Vitamin C and probiotics. People around us probably thought I'm a drug lord or something.
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| Sophie took a picture of how I looked just after I told them to finish their breakfast quickly. |
Back in the hotel room, we packed everything while the kids did their brain gym exercises and fooled around with their camera.
I must say that Sophie's photographic skills have improved over the last year and she's pretty creative with the special effects as well.
Wefie using the camera
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| Sophie's family collage |
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| Alfee's picture of us |
Taking selfies was always a challenge with Alfee around because he loves to photobomb me. Yet, it's such great joy to see his sweet grinning face next to me. And his smile is so contagious.
We finally left the hotel for 大溪花海. We made it very clear to our tour coordinator and driver that we travel leisurely and we don't rush from place to place. Actually, we can't. We have terrible time management and we go crazy if we are pressurised to hurry.
Our first stop at 大溪花海 was the DIY section. We were introduced to a huge pod with pink beans inside. We were quite fascinated by its sheer size (maybe its the colour for Sophie). Next, the expert 'uncle' gave us a crash course on the different types of flowers we saw there. Unfortunately, we couldn't seem to remember any of their Chinese names. Regardless, we picked one flowering plant each for our DIY project. Basically, we had to put the flowering plants into pots. Ta-da! That's DIY project already!
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| Our potted flowers bagged and ready to go look for new homes |
Not much of excitement there, but we were in good spirits. We moved on to take a walk in the 'sea of flowers'. The air was fresh and cool so we found it rejuvenating to walk around. However, it soon started to drizzle and eventually it was pouring. Usually, I would totally avoid exposing the kids to rain. All the red alert flashing like mad in my mind, but I took a gamble (and a deep breath) and let them continue with umbrellas. I must be crazy.
We took refuge in a cafe as soon as we found it. It was quite empty and the plush toys were cute. We decided we could do with some hot drinks and some snacks. Usually we don't snack like that before lunch, but I think the kids needed some extra energy boost.
Ahh… so we stayed for a little longer than we should, but it was still raining and the kids were still hungry. We would have stayed even longer if not for a group of tourists who came in and systematically jousted us out of the cafe by their sheer number and volume. We hopped onto the tractor train and got out of 大溪花海.
Next stop was 大溪老街. Again, I didn't know what to expect since our previous experience with any 街 hadn't been too great. It was raining slightly and not too crowded so my stress level was manageable. Surprisingly, the kids were also well behaved and went along with us. Occasionally I had to pull them closer due to the motorcycles and cars, but in general, it was still quite safe.
Along the way, we stole some time off to let the kids run around in a small park nearby. I admit I didn't feel comfortable deviating from the 'schedule' and 'itinerary' or 'losing' our driver for a 15 minutes. But after that, I think it was quite right and crucial for us to do what suited us best and fortunately, our driver realised that about us as well. By the time we had lunch, it was late. We had a simple meal at a small and unknown (I didn't see the signboard…) place. I think we left in a jiffy because the uncle was a bit impatient with us when we asked for more serving plates.
Our next stop was 小烏來天空步道 and 天空繩橋. It was something we were more familiar with - walking in wilderness. We truly enjoyed the nature and the walk although it was tiring for me. I realised that my stamina has deteriorated and my knee hurt after just a little walking up the steps.
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| Sophie, the photographer |
Alfee, the photographer
We stopped somewhere for some snacks so that we could break up the walk and make it less strenuous for the kids. I made mental note to bring more water and food if we were going to do this again. By late afternoon or early evening, we left the place and headed for our first official minsu - 拉拉山達觀渡假農場民宿.
We arranged for dinner at the minsu. It was really fantastic. The owners basically grew their own vegetables and rear their own fish. I'm not sure about their poultry but I think they probably buy their meat once a week in the market in the mountains. The lady owner is a great cook. I don't know what we ate that night but everything tasted wonderful.
Although the minsu owners kept saying their place is very secluded and simple, I found it very cozy and comfortable there. They even have a nice 'games' room which the kids soon fell in love with. They met 2 Taiwanese friends about their age and they got along straight away. They were having so much fun in the room that they refused to go back to our room to sleep. While CK watched them, I learnt how to grind coffee beans and make coffee with the owners' son (第二代) and our driver in the coffee room just next to them. I like this sort of holiday…
The kids loved the place so much that they kept snapping pictures so that they would never forget it. How lovely is that? I never thought they would like any other country except Australia. And compared to farmstays, I would say I prefer such minsus more. The air is fresh, the place is clean even though it's the countryside and the food is great. What more can I ask for?
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