2013 Taiwan Trip Day 3 East Rift Valley (Hualien & Taitung)

16/6 花東縱谷一日遊(花蓮南部~台東)

瑞穗牧場→掃叭石柱→羅山有機村(泥火山、大魚池、羅山瀑布)→大波池(池上飯包中餐)→伯朗大道→武陵綠色隧道→鹿野高台熱氣球→台東民宿愛的真地

Great morning sun and scenery greeted us as we welcomed the new day.

Leaving Higashi, we drove up to the nearby 瑞穗牧场。There were only some cows and a few ostriches.

Nothing much to do there besides trying some milk products and feeding some cows and ostriches. Probably just worth a quick stop. :p The 金香馒头 and 木瓜牛奶 were pretty good.

金香馒头

Visitors can relax at the alfresco dining area

Nice view

Fast eater!

Next up, we went to 扫叭石柱、北回归线标 and 罗山有机村。Saw the 羅山瀑布 and 泥火山。There are lots of greenery in Taitung, a feast for the eyes.

台东地区最大遗石

羅山瀑布

I was expecting something bigger

The weather was almost unbearable. We drove up to 池上 for authentic 便当 from 全美行。Interestingly, they only sell one type of 便当。We asked for takeaway and ate on board an old train at 池上饭包博物馆。It was a lovely museum and I found the classroom setting interesting.

Receipt

Collection of 便当

怀旧

Eat onboard an old train

Special wooden box

Interesting setting

There is always room for dessert. Since 池上 is famous for its rice, we had the 多力米冰淇淋。There were bits of authentic purple rice in the low fat ice cream.

紫米冰淇淋

With full stomachs, we travelled to 伯朗大道、天堂之路. Simply loved the view there!

Spot me!

Jump!

天堂之路~Nice winding road

This year's Taitung Balloon Fiesta (鹿野高台热气球嘉年华) takes place from 1st June to 11th August. To experience a 5-7minutes not-very-high ride, one pays NT$500. There is a 30-45 minutes ride from 0500hrs to 0730hrs every day. It probably charges a few times more. For more information, check out: http://balloontaiwan.taitung.gov.tw/

We were quite lucky to catch some of the balloons going up. It wasn't spectacular but worth a visit if it is your first experience with hot air balloons. As it was getting quite late, we missed the chance to enjoy a cuppa at the 武陵綠色隧道. We headed straight to 海草健康轻食馆 for dinner, followed by dessert at  宝桑汤圆。The boss at the dinner place was extremely sociable and talked to us like old friends. He decided we should try a variety of food and gave us a special order of different 饺子all in one basket. Some of the food served tasted a bit bland but definitely healthy. There were seaweed and wholemeal mixed into the noodles and 饺子. It seems popular with many celebrities too.

Wholemeal skin

Different ingredients for each dumpling

Dessert was not too bad, but nothing beats the peanut soup at 花莲庙口红茶。See http://mytravelraves.blogspot.sg/2013/06/2013-june-taiwan-trip-day-2-hualien_21.html

Finally, time to check in to 爱的真地民宿。

Clean toilet with powerful shower head

Healthy fruit salad with 8 types of fruits

Wholegrain egg and potato sandwich. Great coffee too!

Dining area

Level 2 open area

Lovely hosts :)

爱的真地 is near the Taitung Forest Park. Taitung has many cycling tracks, thus drawing many to tour the area on bicycles. There is a cycling track just outside the house. Besides cycling, the area is also suitable for running. I had a great morning jog with my hubby.

If you would like to meet sincere and hospitable 民宿owners, 爱的真地 is one place you can consider coming to. Besides having clean rooms and scenic views, the owners were interested in making sure we get the best experience out of our trip.They offered to give us a ride to the Forest Park early in the morning and fetch us back. Nutritious breakfast was lovingly prepared by the lady host too. Her husband loves water sports and offered to bring us surfing. This is one place worth staying for more than a night.

At NT$2200 per room per night including breakfast and with lovely hosts, I think this place is worth recommending. :)

Great view from Level 2

Bicycle tracks on the road

台东爱的真地民宿
地址 : 台東市馬亨亨大道915號
電話：089-221819
訂房專線：0928-705158 李小姐
http://www.loveplace221819.idv.tw/