By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported by Chen Guanxin
Yilan is a wonderful place full of warmth and blessed with beautiful mountains and waters. Traveling by car often allows you only to skim the surface, missing the true essence of a carefree and enjoyable journey. Only by “strolling” can you freely wander through the town’s streets and alleys as well as its fields, forests, and countryside. Following the “Yilan Self-Guided Stroll,” you might have unexpected chats with locals, follow their must-eat food recommendations to savor local snacks, learn work skills from local experts and share their know-how for making a living, or exchange life experiences and listen to the resilience and endless possibilities of life. Through leisurely strolls, your trip will be more than just eating, drinking, playing, and shopping — it will offer deeper feelings and insights.
Wandering through Yilan, strolling is truly the way to go. (Photo provided by Monochrome Editing Team)
Food is an indispensable part of any journey, and especially when it's a local favorite, it can greatly enrich the experience. When visiting Toucheng, don’t miss the local delicacy beloved by the locals — Toucheng First-Class Bowl | Jun? Leaving the county, in the area where the modern highway intersects with the old provincial road, there is a small eatery that has stood for decades and is highly praised by locals. Why is this dish so popular? It’s all thanks to the secret recipe passed down from the grandmother. The dishes served here are all made using ingredients sourced locally.
The much-praised First-Class Bowl | Jun (Image credit: Photographer & Poster)
Wandering through the old alleys is the best way to feel the nuances of local life. At such times, you might want to head to Yilan City, which is like a kind-hearted elder well-read in poetry, moving at its own slow and steady pace through the lanes of time. A writer once described Yilan City in these words: “Yilan is not as bustling as Luodong or Jiaoxi, resembling more a slow-talking scholar who doesn’t dress up or engage in lofty talk...” This unpretentious charm draws travelers, moved and inspired, to slowly step forward and visit this erudite and graceful place known as Jiuxiongting.
A love for nature is never just a passing trend but comes from a deep desire to embrace it. Through encounters with the local mountains, forests, and streams, one discovers the purest beauty through all five senses. Arriving at the circular Shimen Stone Slab Trail in Jiaoxi, after passing the mid-section’s Stone Slab Waterfall, you walk into a forest surrounded by greenery, with penholder trees, maple trees, and scattered ferns on both sides — a completely different scene from the earlier mountain-and-water section. At the end of the trail, a cluster of slender, emerald-green bamboo trees partially obscures the path ahead, making you feel as if this refreshing mini-journey could go on forever.
Shimen Stone Slab Trail in Jiaoxi, an encounter with the local mountains, forests, and streams. (Photo provided by Monochrome Editing Team)
Sleeping in a homestay with a foreign flair is one of the fastest ways to leave the familiarity of home behind. The only Nordic-style homestay in the Luodong area, with its simple lines that resemble a curly cloud from the side, has been nicknamed “Natural Curl” by the owner couple. Natural Curl Homestay boasts a huge courtyard and ecological pond, reflecting the house’s image. Each room has oversized floor-to-ceiling windows that let in plenty of light. If you stay on the first floor, opening the windows brings you directly to the greenery by the pond, and the expansive, serene view might make you think you’ve arrived in the European countryside.
Walking on Yilan soil, feeling the atmosphere of the European countryside. (Photo provided by Monochrome Editing Team)
Published by Monochrome Publishing, “Yilan Self-Guided Stroll” shares travel anecdotes and local stories from Toucheng, Jiaoxi, Yilan City, Yuanshan, Luodong, Dongshan, Wujie, Sanxing, Datong, Su’ao, and Nan’ao through “travel documentaries.” These include ten categories: handmade goods, famous local specialties, homestays and inns, personal stories, classic old shops, delicious eateries, old street markets, pastoral scenery, beautiful hidden gems, and popular attractions. Each route includes information on 1–2 local shops frequented by residents, presenting detailed 2-day-1-night or 1-day stroll itineraries through the most local and heartwarming traveler experiences and stories. This offers all Yilan-loving travelers the chance to create their own unique Lanyang stories, different from any before.
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