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COMPASS
MAGAZINE, December 2006.
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Down
home on the farm--in the city
--
By Niang Chen Translated by Sho Huang &
Mei Lee
Urban dwellers who spend years living and working
in the city generally cherish any chance they
can get to escape to the countryside and nature
on weekends and holidays for a healthier, more
balanced environment. Unfortunately, however,
such excursions often turn out to be stressful
and tiring in themselves, given the long distances
and the huge numbers of like-minded travelers
filling the roads. In the end, taking a trip
may be more tiring than going to work.
Taichung's geographic position, surrounded
by mountains and located in a basin, gives it
a mild climate that other cities envy. As land
development proceeds, broad, straight boulevards
and major highways continue to be built. However,
even as people travel on to QingJing, Alishan
or Sun Moon Lake on the Zhong Zhang or Zhong
Tou expressways, they tend to neglect the alleyways
and villages hidden along the way.
As it turns out, one doesn't actually have
to go far to get close to nature, thanks to
an abundance of themed farms--located right
in the city--that provide the rural settings
that city people dream about. These farm resorts,
scattered in different corners of the concrete
jungle, each offers its own unique activities,
such as tubing in shallow ponds, going frogging,
making bread, playing with clay, building scarecrows
and kilns and other activities that kids and
adults alike love.
Or you can rent a piece of land and grow your
favorite vegetables. As the seasons come and go,
if you're patient and take good care of your crops,
you may be able to harvest mandarin oranges in
winter and lichees in summer. There's also corn
and cabbage, although the bugs may beat you to
harvest time. Nevertheless, the main idea is to
focus on cultivating your personality throughout
the whole process. |
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If you're not interested in
getting your hands or feet dirty, professional
flower farmers grow all sorts of flowers like
orchids, sunflowers or lavenders for sale. Farms,
which keep turkeys, geese, ducks and pigs, also
let tourists feed the animals with milk bottles
to allow direct interaction. (Feeding tip: When
feeding the pigs, hold your bottle tight to
keep the hungry swine from running off with
it.) You can learn about how bugs and other
creatures grow, including butterflies, dragonflies
or frogs found on almost every farm.
If you want to be close to the
nature, yet don't want to go through all the
trouble, you can always go for a simple organic
meal. Sitting in a farm and appreciating the
gardening, flowers and teas while savoring the
organic broccoli, you can make yourself at home
and settle down for a nice cup of hot coffee.
In winter, after farmers have
harvested the rice, they usually grow rape flowers,
which can be quite a sight as the yellow blossoms
fill fields, stretching for miles. You might
be surprised to find that these attractive farms
can be reached with a mere 10-minute drive.
One unwritten rule practiced
by these city farms is that they don't rely
on address-number plates. This means that you
might find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere,
confused by four different road signs pointing
the same way. To save yourself such trouble,
please refer to the following information.
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Mrs.
Tian's Jian Cheng Organic Farm
16, JianCheng Lane, Beitun District; (04) 2239-1019,
0911-816066
The owner here is usually out in the fields,
so reservations are preferred. It's close to
the Sunny Recreation Farm on SongZhu Road, Sec.
1. If you're coming from Dakeng Scenic Area,
turn right on JianCheng Lane and proceed to
the parking lot at the end. Features: Organic
herbal products, soothing flower tead and various
kinds of creeper plants.
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The
Lotus Seed
41, TongPing Lane, SongZhu
Road, Sec. 3, Beitun District; (04) 3609-0724
Hours: 10 am-9 pm
Features: Kiln ceramics, bread-baking school,
outdoor teaching activities, vanilla products,
childhood frogging, creative handmade dolls
workshop, press painting. Meals and beverages
available.
 
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Chen
A-Liang Eco-organic Farm
32, ZhuangNei Lane, Beitun
District; (04) 2426-4865, 0931-669213 (Only
groups of 35 or more are accepted. Reservations
required. Park outside of the village.)
Features: Boating, cotton candy, and children's
play and outdoor teaching activities.
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Sunny
Recreation Farm
526, SongZhu Road, Sec 1, Beitun
District; (04) 2239-7057
Hours: 11 am-9 pm
Features: Diabolo, peacock fish, miniature pigs,
turkeys, geese, and passion fruit and lichee
orchards. Meals and beverages available.
 
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Provence
205-1, DongShan Road. Sec 2;
(04) 2239-7099 (Take DongShan Rd to DaKeng Scenic
Area. When approaching ZhongXing Hill, it is
on your right, inside of Neihu Recreation Village.)
Hours: 10 am-8 pm
Features: Miniature pig eco-tours (Sundays 11
am-5 pm, canceled on rainy days), aerobic walking
trails, scenic views. Meals and beverages available. |
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DongLi
Farm
6-6, XiPing South Lane, Xitun
District; (04) 2465-6888 (Head west on TaiZhongGang
Road, turn on FuLin Road and go to the end.)
Hours: 11 am-10 pm
Features: Organic farming, gourmet food, flower-arrangement
art, tea-making techniques, and gardening. Meals
and beverages available. |
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Maple
Tree Ceramics
1, LeTian Lane, Nantun District;
(04) 2479-2765, 0963-493076 (Take HuanZhong
Road and pass over LiMing and YongChun East
roads; then right turn on LeTian Lane and enter
the community. Ask around if you get confused.
It's recommended that you park out front.)
Features: Ceramics, cooking pots and pans, baking
sheets, and several kinds of cooking utensils.
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Old
House Coffee
2-1, LeTian Lane, Nantun District
(Same details as the above. Park out front.)
Features: Self-serve with coin-operated machines--coffee,
popsicles, handmade soaps. (Instructions available
at the front desk.)
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XuanXuan
Garden
49, Lane 352, GuangFu Road,
Xitun District; (04) 2425-4156, 0988-206028
(Take HuanZhong Road, turn right on GuangFu
Road, and take another right turn on Lane 352,
opposite 7-11. It is on your left.)
Features: A variety of country orchids. (Be
careful of slippery grass.)
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Citizen Organic
Farm
159-2, ZhongQing Road, Xitun
District; (04) 2452-8652, 0920-289000 (From
the DaYa freeway interchange cloverleaf, take
ZhongQing Road to 155-120 ZhongQing Road. Then
turn right at the corner of a garage, drive
along the airport fence and left turn at the
end. Or take a shortcut from the gas station
at 712, LiMing Rd., Sec. 3 and turn left. Continue
untill you see the end of the road.
Features: Farmland for rent, camping, eco-education
courses, kiln-drying. Meals available with reservations. |
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