February 8, 2011 — A Family Trip to Green World Ecological Farm
Canon EOS 500D 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 + Speedlite YN468
We had a rare stretch of six sunny days over Lunar New Year, so it felt as though the entire country had poured outdoors ~.~
On the first day of the new year, we took relatives who had never been to the Taipei International Flora Expo. More than 90,000 people showed up that day. On my third visit, the farthest we managed to get was Lin An Tai Historical House before giving up and retreating @.@'"
The weather stayed beautiful over the next few days, but the thought of crowds everywhere killed my enthusiasm. By the end of the holiday, I had added fewer than 200 shots to the camera's shutter count. That simply would not do!!
My wife needed to travel to Hsinchu for work after the holiday, so I took the opportunity to bring Lisa and Belle along and plan a family visit to Green World Ecological Farm in the Zhudong area ^.^
When we visited in 2011, admission was not exactly cheap: NT$350 for adults and NT$280 for children, while kids under 90 centimeters entered free. Tickets could be paid for by card, and the souvenir shops even accepted EasyCard. The owner certainly knew how to do business ^.^
Only when we reached the entrance did we discover that Flora Expo ticket holders received a 20 percent discount. A deal that good had not been announced online at all—slightly lacking in sincerity, if you ask me >.<'"
The first place we came to inside was Swan Lake. Perhaps it was still too early, because there were no swans in sight.
By the time we were getting ready to leave that evening, the swans had appeared—and so had two pelicans.
One pelican had injured its upper bill. The staff had fashioned a brace from twigs, almost like a prosthesis for it @.@
Beside Swan Lake was a small enclosure with emus, sometimes called Australian ostriches. Their height made them impossible to miss, and they gave the children their first close look at such large birds.
Farther into the grounds, we came across an interesting signpost. Years of sun and rain had left it looking rather weathered.
There were lots of macaws in the park, chattering away rather noisily. Still, they were well trained and did not attack visitors. The children found it fascinating to observe them from such a short distance ^.^
Not long after we arrived, Belle began insisting that she needed the restroom. I had been worried it might be as messy as restrooms at some amusement parks, but it turned out to be remarkably clean and tidy. They even provided paper towels. A clean restroom like that immediately made the whole place feel better ^.^
With our first look around complete, we were ready to begin the day's real tour of the park ^.^
More from Green World Ecological Farm:
- Animal Theater (the macaw trick show)
- Adventure Area (adorable animals, unusual birds and animals, and exotic plants)
- Bird and Butterfly Ecological Parks
The grounds were huge, and the facilities and overall planning were both quite good. After spending the day there, I felt the NT$350 admission had been worth it!!
Complete Photo Gallery
Previewing up to 8 album photos. Open the gallery to browse all photos.
