Aerial Bovines

OK, let's dispense with the negatives right away. If you're planning on making a visit to the Flying Cow Ranch Nature Farm in T'unghsiao 通霄, Miaoli County 苗栗縣, be sure to eat something before you arrive. The food at the leisure farm is overpriced, or as my wife put it, we paid high-class prices in return for low-class service. Otherwise, the Flying Cow Ranch is a great place to spend an afternoon at, especially (but only?) if you have children. Amber really enjoyed the opportunities to interact up close with (read "feeding") many different kinds of animals:

I was especially pleased and proud to see my daughter overcoming her fear of getting bitten (after what happened to her at the horse ranch in Houli 后里), and enjoy her first ride on a pony:

Probably the best thing about the Flying Cow Ranch is that it provides kids in heavily urbanized Taiwan a rare chance to enjoy open, grassy spaces. Which begs the question: why is my child growing up in central Taiwan and not in the New England countryside?:

Some of Amber's photos can be seen on her blog.

Sunset in what passes for the countryside in Taiwan; in this case, the town of Yuanli 苑裡 in Miaoli County. If you're hungry and passing through this area, just keep driving: some of the most blandest tasting food in some of the filthiest restaurants I've ever encountered on the Beautiful Island.

When cows fly

Anyone who has taught children for any length of time in the greater Taichung 台中 area (plus those who have children of their own) has probably visited the Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli County 苗栗縣. It bills itself as a "nature farm", and attracts a large number of school and youth groups, at least on weekdays. Today it was the turn of my kindergarten to visit, and our three kindergarten classes, plus some parents and siblings, boarded two large tour buses for the short drive north. As can be seen in the photo below, our group wasn't the only one there on this fine day:

It would be easy to make fun of the faux farm atmosphere, not to mention the souvenir sales opportunities (I succumbed to temptation and bought some vanilla ice cream, supposedly made from milk produced on-site), but for kids who grow up in the urban wastelands of Taiwan's cities and towns, places like the Flying Cow Ranch give them a rare opportunity to experience fresh air and open spaces, come in contact with animals such as cows and goats and even to try their hand at milking. Almost all the children seemed to enjoy the outing, and in the end, that's really the only thing that matters.

Cute bunnies and graphic (but strangely humorous) warning signs:

There were moments when I looked around and almost felt like I was back in the U.S. of A.:

 

"Cow"