Major's family camping #1 Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area, PingTung 28 Feb 2015

梅之家族第一露 下集  雙流森林遊樂區 2015年2月28日

Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area, PingTung 雙流森林遊樂區, 屏東

On the return of our first camping trip in Syuhai, we stopped by Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area. It was quite easy to get to from our campsite at Syuhai, just follow the main road no 199 and drive for 30 mins.

Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area, PingTung 雙流森林遊樂區, 屏東

"This area ranges from 150 to 700 meters above sea level, spans 1596 hectares, and has a mean annual temperature of 21 ºC. Although the area is situated in a tropical climate zone, there is usually a cool breeze due to the dense forest and numerous rivers. This is one of the best low-elevation forest bathing areas in southern Taiwan." -- source: Taiwan Forest Recreation website by Taiwan Forestry Bureau.

map 地圖

The weather was very hot on that day when we visited. Oliver did not want to do the walk. He is never a big fan of hiking.

The kids did well making the 7 km walk! 2個小朋友很棒的走完 7 km.

So I told him that he can play in the waterfall at the end of our walk. He was really excited and kept him going. When we arrived at the waterfall, it was fenced off and we could not get close to it, not to mentioned playing in it.

Final resting area at the waterfall. Isabel was happy to make it there!
終點瀑布區休息! Isabel 很開心她終於可以休息了!

Oliver was so disappointed and he did not want to walk back. So I told him again that he can play in one of the river bed on the way back to the car. At the end, I think playing in the water with lots of fishes swimming and nipping at their feet was the highlight of their walk!

Kids finally in the water! 終於玩到水了!

The walk is 3.5 km one way and it took us 3 hours to complete it. It was a long walk and difficult for me and the kids. But we made it! Victor enjoyed the walk a lot and he kept saying he will come back to the area on his bike! But I don't think the bike is allowed in the protected national forest!


Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area
Entrance fee: NT$100/adult; NT$50/child + $100/car
Opening time: 08:00 - 17:00 daily

Other related post
Major's family camping #1 Juda campsite, Syuhai PingTung 28 Feb 2015

Major's family camping #1 Juda campsite, Syuhai PingTung 28 Feb 2015

梅之家族第一露 九大露營區 屏東旭海 2015年2月28日

Juda campsite, Syuhai PingTung  九大露營區 旭海屏東

I have been refusing to go camping after we moved back to Taiwan simply because my impression of camping was back at my high school days (and that was many many years ago!) - dirty toilet and shower (or no shower facility at all), hard to sleep on the ground, noisy, bugs and scary! It took me a long time to find the courage and go camping again after knowing that the camping nowadays are much more civilized and the campsite facilities are much better. Victor was scared that without a good night sleep, he will end up with a cranky wife. So on our first camping trip, I actually stayed in the room on the campsite, not in the tent with the kids and Victor.

The whole camping thing starts with my college classmate organizing a gathering. We did not want to stay indoor with the kids and husbands feeling bored and playing phones while we girls chatting away happily. Someone suggested camping and I felt it may be a good start for my family. We could give it a try. So we did.

Juda campsite on google map

Juda campsite is located in Syuhai, Mudan township PingTung county. It was quite easy to get there. Follow google map on the road to Kenting, then turn left towards TaiTung on Nanhui road. 

Turn right here at the border of TaiTung and PingTung county

Make a right turn at the border of TaiTung and PingTung county onto county road no 199 like the photo above. Make a left turn at Mudan township onto 199Ja road. The campsite is on the right after passing Syuhai public hot spring bath. It took at least 3.5 hours from Kaohsiung including lunch and toilet break for us.

First time putting up our tent 第一次搭帳篷

By the time we get there, it was nearly 2pm. First thing the kids and Victor set out to do is to get the tent up. He did not want me to be around. So I left him with the kids helping him. They took 2 hours to get it done! wola!

yes! the tent is up!! after 2 hours of hard work! 2 個小時之後, 帳篷終於搭起來了! 哈!

I was relaxing and chatting while the kids and Victor were working hard! hahaha

After some resting and before it gets too dark, we drove up to Syuhai Grassland Recreation Area which is about 10 mins drive. It was on the east shire of Taiwan looking out to Pacific ocean. This grassland is one of the top spot to watch sun rise in Taiwan. It takes 40 mins to stroll through the grassland trail. Fresh air, great view, easy walk and good time.

Syuhai Grassland Recreation Area, Mudan township PingTung 旭海大草原, 屏東牡丹鄉

me and my friends~~ 我和以前專科的同學

Juda campsite is a comfortable campsite with a lot of grass area and tree, easy to get to, well equip facility although we did not actually use it because we went to the nearby Syuhai hot spring after dinner. The campsite is good when the weather is not too hot. The onsite rooms are not recommended though. It was over-priced for what it is. As for the Syuhai public hot spring, it is ok - not very clean, a bit crowed, but ok. In the future, we may go back to Syuhai area again but try different campsite and visit the famous beach around there. One thing for sure, we have had many camping trips organised after this one because everyone of us really had a great time there!


Campsite info sheet
Name: Juda campsite, Syuhai, Mudan township PingTung county.
Altitude: sea level
Temperature in Feb: cool at night. light jacket and blanket for evening.
Toilet and shower facility: available
Electricity: available (need long extension cable)
Charge: NT$300/tent; NT$500/tent+gazebo

Address: 屏東縣牡丹鄉旭海路1-16號
Phone: 08-8830196; 0910950196


Syuhai Grassland Recreation Area
Entrance fee: NT$10/motorcycle; NT$40/car; NT$100/bus
Opening time: 08:00 - 17:00

Syuhai Grassland Recreation Area 旭海大草原

Syuhai hot spring
Entrance fee: public bath area NT$100/person; NT$50/concession
Opening time: 12:30 - 21:30 Mon-Sat; 8:00 - 17:00 Sun

Syuhai hotspring 旭海溫泉

Other related post
Major's family camping #1 Shuangliou National Forest Recreation Area, PingTung 28 Feb 2015

Major's family camping equipment - tent

梅之家族之裝備篇 - 帳棚

Scooda 4 people dome tent 速可搭挪威森林4人帳

After careful consideration and friends recommendation, I have decided to buy Scooda 4 people dome tent. Only Victor and the kids slept in the tent on our first camping trip. After that, we have came to realize that in order to sleep comfortably and also have enough space to move around inside, this tent can only sleep up to 3, not 4. 

Scooda 5 people dome tent YK-001 速可搭挪威森林 5人帳
source 圖片來源: Scooda official website 速可搭官網

According to the Scooda's official website and the photo above, the tent's internal size is actually 270x270m and it can sleep up to 5 people. I think what happened in our case is that we use much longer air mattress than the one shown in the photo. Therefore there is no way we can fit the 5th person on top of our head. Because Victor is 190cm tall, we use single air mattress that is 70x200x10.5cm. In theory, having 4 of this size mattresses side by side can fit inside the tent. In reality, 3 single air mattresses is a comfortable setting allowing plenty of rooms for footing (not stepping on the mattresses which I found happened a lot with the kids) and storage inside.

Inside Scooda 4 people dome tent - fit with 3 single air mattresses
放了3張單人空氣床墊的帳篷內部

Apart from the internal space not ideal for us and Victor end up bought another single fast tent for himself (which I suspect he wants to do it anyway), the tent is made really solid. We had it tested under the gustily wind at our 2nd camping trip and under the rain at our 3rd camping trip. The inner tent stay dry and intact whole night. And everyone slept like a baby!

Scooda 5 people dome tent info sheet
Tent dimension: 270x270cm
Center hight: 180cm
Package dimension: 75x25cm
Weight: 12.5Kg
Price: NT$8000 delivered, including outside ground water proof PE mat and carry bag

Major's family camping #2 Lilenci, BasianShan, Goya hotspring resort 3-5 April 2015

梅之家族第二露 下集 裡冷溪, 八仙山, 古野溫泉會館 2015年4月3-5日

Lilenci exploration center 裡冷溪探索樂園

One of the best part of camping means to Victor and me is that we can do nothing. No checking emails, no work, no computer. Just spend time with kids, read a good book, have afternoon nap, have a drink and have a good chat with friends at night. Simply slow down and do nothing. And that was exactly what we did when we spend 3 days at Lilenci campsite.

We visited Goya hot spring resort 古野溫泉會館 both nights after dinner around 7:30-8pm. It is only 10 mins walk down the road. Walking is definitely a good thing to do after dinner and that was when we saw lots of firefly, stars and the lunar eclipse. It is less crowded at the time we visited. The resort has clean and well equipped toilet and shower facilities, including shampoo, shower gel and laundry spin cycle machine . For outdoor hot spring guests, the resort provides personal locker, clean towel and drinking water. Staying at Lilenci exploration center, the camping guests can get the 50% discount coupon from the campsite front desk, which is only NT$250/adult and NT$150/child to use the public hot spring bath at Goya resort.

The only trip we made after we arrived at the campsite was visiting Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area on the 2nd day. We departed after breakfast and it is about 30 mins drive from the campsite.

Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area map 八仙山國家森林遊樂區 地圖

" Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area is situated above Guguan on Provincial Highway 8 and is accessible from Guguan through forest roads. This vast 2492-hectare area ranges from 750 to 2424 meters above sea level. The highest point in this area is the central Basian Mountain. Since the numerous alpines and valleys block the gusty wind, the mean annual temperature is around 18ºC. With its beautiful forests and rivers, this breezy area was nominated as one of Taiwan’s top eight scenic destinations."  --- source: Taiwan Forest Recreation Website by Taiwan Forestry Bureau

Basianshan main trail 八仙山主峰步道

Basianshan main trail entrance point 八仙山主峰步道登山口

竹林 八仙山國家森林遊樂園

Camping at Lilenci can not leave this place without visiting Lilen creek. That was what we did on the last day after everything was packed. There was no exactly a way down the creek but though the broken bank and piping. Once down there, the water was cold and fresh and full of life.

the way down the creek bed

Lilenci 裡冷溪

Lilen creek is an ecological restoration area. Therefore, any sort of fishing or catching wild life is prohibited. Quite often when we were outdoor, we saw parents catching the wild life for their kids and take them home. We were horrified and feel sorry for the bugs. All the parents should teach their children and even themselves that wild life should stay in the wild. Never take anything away and leave anything behind.


Other related post
Major's famil camping #2 Lilenci exploration center, Heping Taichung 3-5 April 5015 part 1

Major's family camping #2 Lilenci exploration center, Heping Taichung 3-5 April 2015

梅之家族第二露 上集 裡冷溪探索園區 台中和平 三天二夜 2015年4月3-5日

Lilenci exploration center Heping Taichung 裡冷溪探索園區 台中和平

After our first camping trip, we were looking forward to our next. So we organise a 2 nights camping trip a bit further up in Taichung area during the April long holiday. Lilenci exploration center is a bit further into the mountain from Kukuan (a famous hot spring in Taichung area). It was actually quite easy to get there from Kaohsiung though highway no 1 and provincial highway no 8. We left at 9:30am and arrived at the campsite at 2pm with lunch and toilet break. 

Lilenci exploration center on google map

Look for Goya hot spring resort on google map. then look for the campsite sign

As usual, the google map did not show the road to our campsite. The best way to find it is to follow the sign to Goya hot spring resort. Before driving into Goya hot spring resort, make a left turn cross the Lilen creek and drive on the other side of the creek on the Lilenlin drive until the end of the road.

Big grass campsite, service center on the left 很大的草坪, 服務中心在左邊

It was a good day to be outdoor, sunny and clear sky. It took Victor less than 1 hour to set up our tent this time, big improvement from the first camp trip. We bought the tent poles after the first camp trip to put up the awning providing some shady area in front of the tent. And I found that putting a picnic mat in front of the inner tent is actually a very good idea to avoid the dirt being carried into the tent. 

Our sweet and comfortable home for the kids and me 我和小孩的豪華舒適帳

Victor's personal 1 person fast tent  Victor 的個人快速帳

preparing our 2nd day dinner, Spaghetti Bolognese 準備第二晚晚餐 義大利肉醬麵

It was a good campsite and great trip. We saw firefly, lunar eclipse, Jupiter, Venus and Mars. We enjoyed our hot spring at Goya hot spring both nights. We definitely recommend it!

    

Lunar full eclipse (blood moon)

Lunar eclipse

Camping info sheet

Name: Lilenci exploration center, Heping Taichung 裡冷溪探索園區 台中和平

Altitude: 640m

Temperature in April with sunny day: cold in early morning and at night, needs jacket and sleeping bag.

Toilet and shower facility: available, clean

Electricity: available (need extension cable)

Charge: NT$250/adult; NT$150/child

Address: 424台中市和平區裡冷巷69號

Phone: 0939 941 142

Website: http://www.lilenci.com.tw/Data/aboutus.htm

Other related post

Major's family camping #2 Lilenci, BasianShan, Goya hot spring resort 3-5 April 2015 part 2

Major's family camping #3 Labiniya campsite, Namasia Kaohsiung 11 April 2015

梅之家族第三露 拉比尼亞露營山莊 那瑪夏 2015年4月11日

Labiniya campsite, Namasia 拉比尼亞露營山莊 那瑪夏

Ever since we started camping (which is not long ago), I have been doing a lot of research on the camp site in Taiwan and planning our next camping trip. During my research, I have came to realize that how much I appreciate when I see someone made a post about the camp site. Those postings give me an idea of how the camp site looks like and help me in a great deal deciding if I want to visit there.

After our third camping trip, it came to me that I should start my own blogger and make my own posts not only to record our own good time while camping but also to help others when they are searching for camp site information. Writing in English is simply because it is faster for me than typing in Chinese! So I start my blogger with our camping trip #3 at Labiniya campsite, Namasia.

Major's Family camping #3 梅之家族第三露

Normally, my camp site selection decision is based on the following criteria: 1. toilet and shower facility 2. grass field or grass camp site 3. mountain area and the outside temperature 4. kids. Going to Labiniya was an invitation from my friend to join her camp group because it is simply impossible to book at the campsite without prior arrangement during the firefly session. Firefly watching is a very popular outdoor activity during mid-March to early May every year in Taiwan. So I was very happy to join them hoping to see the mountain full of firefly and visit a location where it is mostly resided by the Aborigines and was heavily scared after Morakot.

Nabiniya campsite on google map

We left Kaohsiung at around 11am. It is actually further than I expected to get to the campsite, 2.5 hours at least by car from Kaohsiung. It was quite easy to follow highway no.10 and then provincial highway no.29 until Jiaxian. Continuing provisional highway no.29 after passing Xiaolin and Namasia senior high school. Fortunately, my friend thoughtfully took some photos for me all the way on the circuital turns to get us to the campsite.

Take the road on the left! 走左邊那條!

Take the road on the left! 走左邊那條!

Take the road on the left! The road from here is getting narrower and into private land. 走左邊那條! 從這裡開始, 路越來越窄, 進入私人茶園區.

continue with the road on the left! At this point, this is a private tea farm land. On the right is the tea farm house and on the left is the descending tea farm. 左邊那條路繼續走! 照片左邊是茶園主人屋, 右邊是一整片茶園.

yes, the small road down the ledge on the right where can't actually see the road! 從右邊看不到路那裏下去, 不是左邊那條! 

I was really freaking out when I see the road on the photo above. Victor actually went out to check if there is road there. After descending down the road, the road reminds narrow but eventually we arrived at the campsite. There are total 3 levels of campsite at Labiniya. The main site also the largest is at the lowest level of the hill, i.e. after descending the scary ledge, continue descending pass 2 other campsites.

We chose the left side of the campsite under the tree to put up our tent

We choose the left side of the campsite under the tree to put up our tent. Because it was raining, we decide to put our dome tent under the gazebo. It is the first time we use our brand new portable gazebo. The rain was actually getting heavier in the evening. But the setup with the tent and gazebo kept us dry and warm the entire night. It was actually comfortable. Unfortunately, because the rain was too heavy, there were not much firefly around. I was glad we saw some on the previous camp trip in Nantou the week before.

Scooda 4 people dome tent and portable gazebo 速可搭挪威深林4人帳及客廳帳

It is a beautiful location here at Labiniya. Great view, fresh air, isolated. It is worth a visit and enjoy a weekend camping getaway.

morning at Namasia 那瑪夏的早晨

Apart from Isabel freaking out while we were driving getting here and leaving, the kids really enjoy our camping trip so far. Victor and myself also like it a lot. We always look forward to our next trip. No wonder people said "camping is addictive"!

Kids recommend it! 

Camping info sheet
Name: Labiniya campsite, Namasia 拉比尼亞露營山莊 高雄那瑪夏鄉
Altitude: 818m
Temperature in April with rain or at night: cold, needs coat or jacket and sleeping bag at night (Taiwan standard)
Toilet and shower facility: available (not far from our tent. It was clean enough for us.)
Electricity: available (needs extension cable)
Improvement: I think the only thing needs improvement is that the site keeper needs to do a better noise control after 11pm.
Charge: NT$150/adult; NT$100/child

Address: 高雄市那瑪夏區瑪雅里平和巷36號
Phone number: 0939189862（陳登科）；0953835776（鍾慧貞）
Website: http://1065529.88u.com.tw/