[Tainan 台南 ☼ DayTrip日游] Houbi 后壁 : TOGO Rural Village Art Museum 土沟农村美术馆 + Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街 + Wu Mi Le 无米乐 @ Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in May 2017 >

Visiting Tainan for the third time within two years, and on a solo itinerary, this lengthier trip dedicated to the city permitted an even more leisurely pace and inclusion of this off-the-beaten track destination. My accomm's receptionist was surprised to hear that I had ventured as far as Houbi 后壁, as she perceived this to be a lesser known attraction, and visited by primarily locals.

And indeed, Houbi 后壁 is better suited if you are looking for a new zone to cover, don't mind some travelling to the far outskirts and basically enjoy vast landscape.

1. From Tainan City to Houbi District
2. About Houbi 后壁
3. TOGO Rural Village Art Museum 土沟农村美术馆
3.1 Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm 优雅农夫艺文农场
3.2 Village stroll 乡间小散步
4. Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街
5. Wu Mi Le 无米乐

☷☷☷☷☷ 1. From Tainan City to Houbi District ☷☷☷☷☷

The district of Houbi 后壁 is an approximate 55km or 1-hour drive away from Tainan city.

(Map taken from https://www.twtainan.net/en/statics/abouttainan)

My choice of transport was TRA 台铁 which took me to the district in about an hour. (Note to self - will set off earlier than my (almost) noon timing should there be a revisit, to allow more time for sightseeing.)

The weekday train ride was comfortable with no crowd, with enjoyable sights out of the window along the way. Quite setting the right mood for this relaxing day's outdoor excursion. I had two riceballs and a drink on the train ride - glad I did because I didn't quite get down to a proper lunch (to be explained later).

Alighting at Houbi 后壁 with just a few other passengers, already feeling the ambience of a more remote part of Tainan.

☷☷☷☷☷ 2. About Houbi 后壁 ☷☷☷☷☷

Houbi 后壁 is a paddy cultivation town, pushed into the limelight with a docu-movie titled Wu Mi Le 无米乐 about a group of Taiwanese farmers dedicated to producing quality rice here. Houbi 后壁 has also become a venue for public art, concentrated at an area called Tugou 土沟, with the birth of TOGO Rural Village Art Museum 土沟农村美术馆 - an entire farming neighbourhood rather than a museum building (as I had thought originally).

In addition to the 2 mentioned attractions:
- there is a neighbouring town Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街 (covered in this post).
- when the season is right (in March/April), cotton trees lining the roadsides at Baihe Lin Chu Bei 白河林初埤木棉花道 bloom with red flowers for a breathtaking sight (only saw barren trees passing by in my cab).

Like the rest of southern Taiwan through the year, it's really hot and sunny here. Bearing in mind this is a rural zone, there is no abundance of shops or shelter, so best to have on hand some F&B. If you need to load up before commencing your excursion proper, do pop by the convenience store right next to the train station first.

The frequency of public buses is usually low at such towns. My choice of transport for the day was by cab, which I was lucky enough to hail in front of the train station. Do note that:
- there could be none or few of them at any point, so you may need to be patient or try a cab booking app.
- you can try asking your cabbie if he/she is willing to fetch you later. Many of these are native drivers moving within the district/a limited distance, so no harm having a contact for use later.
- you may encounter your cabbie picking up other street hail passengers, which is actually common practice in such areas. (My lady cabbie picked up a random young lady who wanted to walk home in the heat, for NT$50. I was more than ok with this as it made sense for the driver and better use of the petrol, and well, take it as a good deed for the young lady not to have to walk home in the terrible heat right?)

☷☷☷☷☷ 3. TOGO Rural Village Art Museum 土沟农村美术馆 ☷☷☷☷☷

About 10-15 minutes away from the train station, I alighted at my first attraction for the day.

☷☷☷ 3.1 Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm 优雅农夫艺文农场 ☷☷☷

FB
(Doesn't look like they have an English name but it loosely translates to "Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm")
Address --- No. 32 Tugou Village 土沟里32号
Admission ticket --- NT$150, inclusive of a snack & drink

There is a sumptuous set lunch for NT$500, which requires prior reservation even on weekdays. I hadn't decide earlier on eating here, and on-the-spot wait would take two hours (noting that I arrived way past lunchtime), so I gave it a miss. Next time for their locally grown ingredients! Thankfully, the garden admission ticket (purchased from the main building) still gave me a steamed sweet corn and refreshing chilled black fungus 黑木耳 juice, which I enjoyed on the white bench beside the snack serving counter. The staff very kindly offered me a juice refill :-) ended up buying a bottle back to enjoy!

Other local produce on sale ~

▼ Beside the snack bar is a main building where you buy admission ticket, pay for purchases, dine in and also pass through to the garden.

▼ Dining area for lunch patrons

▼ This way to the sightseeing farm.

Enjoyed my convenience store dessert in the sunny outdoors ~

▼ Sat here for a looong while to pack my bag, write notes and enjoy my (convenience store) coffee. Helped that it wasn't a crowded day, if not I may not be able to hog the shelter.

▼ Even the public loo is a work of art.

The admission fee was really value for money, as I not only enjoyed a lovely snack but also ended up spending a couple of leisurely hours here, before reluctantly deciding that it was time to move off to other sights.

☷☷☷ 3.2 Village stroll 乡间小散步 ☷☷☷

Finally departing the sightseeing farm, I took a leisurely stroll down the road. It was really a good time to be there as there were few other visitors (then again, I don't know if it's even crowded on weekends). The countryside air was fresh and occasional residents I saw along the way were smiley. While it was sunny (sunblock and a hat highly advised), there was a constant nice breeze.

Mango trees were common along the road, summer being the season for 1 of my favourite fruits. Elsewhere in Tainan, Yujing 玉井 is the well known provider of delicious Taiwan mangoes such as the Aiwen 爱文 or Jinhuang 金煌 species - a town I hope to visit someday.

▼ Do you know what plant is this? Hint: it bears an edible and yummy fruit.

I had thought it was some kind of cactus... turned out to be dragon fruit 火龙果, the answer I found much later online. (My ignorance, as a city dweller ~)

▼ The padi fields by the roadside made me stop in my tracks and listened to the wind rustling through the grass.

A resident dog kept me company part of the way...

▼ More padi fields ~

There was actually more to see till the other end of the art village, but with the sun setting by late afternoon, I decided I had to make a move to my next destination. Leaving uncovered grounds for a next visit! Backtracking to Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm 优雅农夫艺文农场, I had earlier arranged with the lady cabbie to pick me up when I was ready to go (highly advisable practice when cabs are not readily available in rural zones!).

*The cab lady charged me a total of NT$600, for:
1. Houbi TRA Station to Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm 优雅农夫艺文农场
2. Elegant Farmer's Cultural Farm 优雅农夫艺文农场 to Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街; and
3. Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街 to Houbi Station.
Best to enquire about and agree on the fare when you plan to make such arrangements, bearing in mind the convenience of pick-up at your desired time and pace, the lack of cabs vs economical sense for the cabbie.

☷☷☷☷☷ 4. Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街 ☷☷☷☷☷

The cabbie pointed out the rows of cotton trees (not in flowering season) at Baihe Lin Chu Bei 白河林初埤木棉花道 along the way. Must be a pretty sight in full bloom.

About 10-15 minutes drive away, I arrived at the small town with interesting sights, free museum and shops. Also a good pit stop for a convenience store or snacks.

Looked like there were more visitors (and shops opened) here... perhaps having completed their Tu Gou 土沟 leg much earlier than I did.

▼ Free admission to Mo Lin Museum 墨林文物馆

Strolling away from Jing Liao Old Street 菁寮老街, I headed towards the direction of my next and last destination - Wu Mi Le 无米乐.

☷☷☷☷☷ 5. Wu Mi Le 无米乐 ☷☷☷☷☷

The district is a mere 5-minute walk away from the old street, and a must-see to wrap up my Houbi 后壁 excursion.

Passing by the neighbourhood elementary school, built in 1911!

Approaching another landmark - the local catholic church.

The rice association on one side, padi fields on the other ~

☷☷☷☷☷

Wrapping up my Houbi 后壁 excursion, I was back at the TRA station after a 10-minute ride. Though not a natural top of mind destination considering its distance from the city, this is definitely a day trip I would want to do again, with more hours and to pre-order a local lunch!