How to Spend a Weekend Getaway at Toucheng, Yilan.
How to Spend a
Weekend Getaway at Toucheng, Yilan.
I had one of the loveliest weekend getaway
at Toucheng, Yilan. Only 1.5 hours away from Taipei, this first city of Yilan
may seem unexciting at first glance, but that is actually far from the truth.
Truth is, Toucheng has so much to offer. From sports, history, education to
nature, food and leisure; you may have to come back a few times to truly
experience everything!
Places I went:
Day 1: Toucheng Catholic Church, Toucheng
Old Street, Mazu Temple, Wu’s Harbor Contemporary
Cuisine, Super George Surfing, No.36 Happiness Seafood Restaurant, Homestay.
Day 2: Homestay, Lanyang Museum, Drifter’s
Pizza and Pub, Toucheng.
Getting there:
From Taipei to Toucheng:
By Bus:
Kuo-Kuang Bus 1877 (1.5 hours trip) – From Yuanshan Bus Station – Nangang Bus
Station – MRT Nangang Exhibition Center – Toucheng Station (within walking
distance to the Old Street).
Train: Take
the TRA to Toucheng.
Car: Take national highway 5 east to Yilan and then turn north to
Toucheng Station. There is a parking lot by the station.
DAY 1
Getting off the 1877 bus, it was cold and
raining, I wore a fleece jacket on top of my fluffy sweater paired with
leggings, that was warm enough for the 17°C Yilan
morning.
First stop: Get to know Toucheng History
Toucheng Catholic Church (頭城天主堂)
Figure
1: Front of the church, my amazing photography skills did not capture
its signature dome!
Established in 1949, the Toucheng Catholic
Church holds an important role in the community, it has been
one of the few places where children could play outside, as the Church provided
them comfort, food and support. The church and Father Luo are fondly remembered
as the ones who took in and took care of the people who
suffered from polio.
Figure 2: Inside the church is simple and carefully decorated. I immediately
noticed the lamb by the altar.
Toucheng Old Street (頭城老街/和平街)
Figure 3: Old Street photo ops!
A minute walk in the alleyway straight from
the Church, we arrive at the South Gate of Toucheng Old Street. In classic old
street fashion, by the entrance there is a big tree surrounded by red bricks, and
surprise, there are turtles!
Figure 4: All eyes widen seeing the many small turtle statues, accompanied
by a big “Treasure God Turtle” in the middle.
Figure 5: Treasure God Turtle will bless you depending on which area you
rub. Rub the tail to get rich!
Unlike the old streets I know, Toucheng Old Street
was surprisingly empty. There were at most 5 people passing by, there were
little to no shops or food stores around either, and it was a Saturday.
Figure 6: Sima, Ira and Andrey walking along Toucheng Old Street, also known
as Heping Street.
Long ago, the nearby Wushi Harbor used to have a
river channel that passes by this street, and due to Wushi Harbor being the
outside world’s main entrance to Yilan, this street was said to be a prosperous
commerce hub. Today, the river has become ground and asphalt, and Toucheng old
street is now a historic remnant of the past.
I have to give credit, everything I know about
Toucheng history is all thanks to Kanchi Wu, a Toucheng native, and she was
always eager to share her vast knowledge of her hometown to anyone. If
possible, I would definitely recommend getting a walking tour of the old street,
as there are so many stories and history hidden in the little details in almost
every corner. Here are a few that we were introduced to, can you spot them all
on your visit?
Toucheng Qingyuan Temple (頭城慶元宮)
In the middle of Old Street lies the
Toucheng Qingyuan Temple. It’s red, its grand, and it’s super old. Completed in
1796, it is the first and oldest Mazu Temple in Yilan.
The sandstone carved walls and pillars of
the front hall of Qingyuan Palace are specially preserved, you can see and
touch the traces of Qing Dynasty first-hand here.
Figure 9: You can see the statues get more and more round as years pass.
Figure 10: As Iago put it, "This Mazu Temple is INTENSE"
Second Stop: Wu’s Harbor Contemporary Cuisine
(伍叁港)
Figure 11: Bits of the restaurant interior, decorated to represent the harbor
life in Toucheng.
A family-run business that started out as Sealuv
Homestay BnB, also serves fresh and local seafood cuisines on the first floor.
All the ingredients came locally, with a maximum of 160 km radius distance,
Wu’s Harbor Restaurant proudly promotes mindful sustainable eating, where all
seafood presented on your table came directly from the ocean- that very ocean
seen from the restaurant windows, caught on that very day.
Figure 12: Signature Rosy Sea Bass, “It’s an important symbol for us, as its
considered a high-class fish and its very, very... delicious" -Wilson
Figure 13: Yum yum! Fresh, vibrant and just the right amount of chewy.
Wilson Wu, son of the owner Bill Wu (吳世聰) took our orders that day, he also very kindly explained to us the
stories and all the details that goes into the making of the restaurant in
fluent English.
The story of the name 伍叁港 (Wu
San Gang), translated as 53 Harbor, the 5 represents the
five harbors in Toucheng, and the shape of the number 3 represents turtle
island. At the same time, the 5 also represents the Wu family, as five is
pronounced wu in Mandarin.
Figure 14: Wilson is also the designer behind the restaurant logo, there are 3 fishes in there, can you find them?
Figure 15: Collaboration artworks displayed in the restaurant. Wu's Harbor
Cuisine doubles as a gallery of local Toucheng artists as well
Third Stop: Super George Surfing
Figure 16: Iago and Ira posing by the entrance.
Learning to surf in the beginning of
winter, we were all thinking the same thing: We’re going to die. But, we
didn’t. We survived, and most importantly, we had a lot of fun.
Figure 17: The inside of Super George Surfing.
Our surfing lesson started indoors. We were
taught step-by-step, from getting on the board, to getting our feet on the
board, then to slowly stand up and surf the wave. On each step, we were all
given a chance to try, to make sure we can do them correctly. Only after we get
the trainer’s approval, to the ocean we go!
Figure 19: More practice sessions by the sea. It didn’t feel cold at all thanks to the wetsuits provided by Super George.
Fourth Stop: No.36 Happiness Seafood
Restaurant (幸福36海鮮餐廳 )
For dinner, we went to a traditional styled
seafood restaurant, complete with a round table and lazy susan. If you are
looking to have a traditional Taiwanese family dining experience, this is for
you.
This restaurant gets for their own
ingredients, fishing twice a day, and dishes are served in traditional
Taiwanese flavor- mostly steamed and lightly seasoned. As someone who did not grow up with this
palate, it took a bit of time to get used to, however the quality of seafood is
splendid, definitely worth a try!
Figure 22: Assorted seafood platter, chicken soup, crab with chewy noodles.
Last Stop of the day: 6007 Homestay BnB (6007民宿-1號收容所)
Owned and managed by a wonderful retired couple, this
homestay BnB is easily the highlight of this trip. One night staying here and Mrs
Huang has sold me on retiring in Toucheng. She shared with me how she peacefully
lives her retired life as a BnB owner as she brought me to the rooftop of her
apartment, where she and her husband would chat over drinks and the romantic
night view of the Toucheng skyline.
Figure
24: Mrs Huang's chilli plant, she gifted all the ripe chilli to me,
saying she has too much of them already
Her favorite part of managing a BnB is that she gets to
make new friends from different places. Whether you come to stay with friends
or by yourself, they will make sure you feel welcomed and not alone. Seeing
them greet all their neighbor and visitors, I can see how they are known for
their warmth and kindness: they literally talk to and befriend everyone.
Clean and comfy, every room is styled differently, with a
different plushie on each bed. You can take the stairs or elevator to get to
your room. Here I stayed in the VIP 2-person room. You can view how other rooms
look like on their website! Breakfast
is Mrs Huang’s homecooked meals!
Figure 27: It got views of the front and back, spacious, clean & tidy.
DAY 2
First stop: Lanyang Museum
Finished breakfast and checked out, I walked
approximately 5 minutes to the Lanyang Museum, where I passed by the pond and
garden.
Serving as the window to Yilan, the iconic mountain-like
architecture of Lanyang Museum was a sight to behold. Inside was also just as
beautiful, with each floor representing a theme, you enter the permanent
exhibition from the 4th floor, known as the “Mountains Level”,
introducing the biodiversity and natures of Yilan. The 3rd floor
“Plains Level” elaborates on the people, the aboriginal tribes, the culture back
then. The 2nd floor, “Oceans Level” exhibits life under the sea, as
well as above it- the fishermen and boats. Descriptions are available in
Mandarin and English, and there are audio guides in Mandarin, English and
Japanese for $100 per headset.
Second Stop: Drifters Pizza Pub
Located right by the Wai’ao Train Station,
Drifters is the hotspot for surfers, beach-goers, and just people vacationing
in Wai’ao. Their thin-crust pizzas are made immediately after you order, the
warm and freshly fired slices are heavenly. The place is most lively on
Saturday nights, when the live music is hosted every week. A pizza slice on one
hand and a drink in another, views of the beach, with music and people talking
in the background, it’s no wonder this place is so well-known! Fun fact, the
owner built the furniture and decorations himself!
Figure 34: French pizza, Nachos and salsa, Italiano pizza
Third Stop: Seed Art DIY (at宜蘭縣頭城鎮港口社區發展協會)
Lastly, we stopped by the Toucheng Townport Community Center to make a DIY seed art! The teacher holds
seed art DIY classes in the community center regularly, and this all started
from his love and passion for plants. Originally, he wanted to grow various
plants, however when he couldn’t find the time, the seed has already passed its
prime time and he thought it was a huge waste to just throw it away. With this,
he is able give the seeds a second life by making them into lovely artworks!
With just a glue gun, a board, and various
beautiful seeds, the process of putting together the shapes and sticking them
on the board was relaxing and therapeutic. Making the shape of Taiwan, there
was a certain technique involved: big to small, with the biggest and tallest
one placed in the middle for YuShan, to make sure it stays true to the
topography of the country!
Last words:
I want to give a huge thanks to S.G.A Association
for arranging this and making it happen. Unless stated otherwise, we were
provided with a car for transportation to get to places, rides were all under
10 minutes. A scooter is also an ideal way to get around. I had a lot of fun
learning and getting to know the vibrant and charming Toucheng, I will most
likely do this all over again on my next weekend getaway!
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