The Rising Sun Surf Inn, Wai Ao

Some time ago, I posted about the fabulous Lan Yang Museum in Wai Ao (a coastal town about one hour from Taipei).  Wai Ao is a very popular surf beach.  Breakers on the shore, undertow, and riptides, make it a bit like the beach I grew up with.  It can be a lot of fun, but you have to try to make your kids aware of the power of the ocean and help them understand the concept of water safety.


We are now lucky to enough to have a lifeguard from the US with a fabulous surf shop, away from the real crowds of Wai Ao's "main" beach.  My son got a lesson from Garrett a couple of weeks ago, and we have been back since to rent boards from him.  The surf shop/hostel itself is very clean and well-organised, and I would be very happy to stay there with my children if the room was available.

Garrett has this great deal going - Family Day Thursdays.

Come out and bring the family on Thursdays and Kids 3-16 years old get 50% off on a bed.

星期四家庭日 3-16歲 50%折扣
加州海邊救生教練Garrett海洋安全常識免費小課程

Our surfing coach Garrett was a professional beach lifeguard in California for 6 years and will be here to give some beach safety tips on how to stay safe in the ocean.
我們教練Garrett (阿球)曾在加州海邊擔任6年救生員,
現在將提供免費的海洋安全小課程.

PLEASE HELP US TO SPREAD THE WORD TO FAMILIES!!
We remember being kids and enjoying the beach.
We would like to SHARE that experience with all the kids and teach them more about being safe on the beach and ocean.
I have been in Taiwan for two years and I notice people doing dangerous things around the ocean because they don't have the proper knowledge about the ocean many Americans learn as a child. Let's make the beach a fun and SAFE place with learning, instead of being forbidden!!

-請幫我們轉寄給有小朋友的家長.
我們都記得當我們小時後在海邊的歡樂.
所以很樂意跟所有小朋友和青少年分享經驗和海洋常識.
我在台灣住了兩年多, 注意到很多人因缺乏海洋常識而導致危險或遺憾事件.
很多美國人從小就開始海洋常識, 希望我的經驗分享能讓大家在海邊安全的玩樂. 讓我們從禁止轉換成學習安全保護小孩吧!- 教練阿球

**Tell them you read about this on my site, Kidzone, and get... the joy of knowing you've given me an ego boost.**

Be warned, boogie boarding is addictive! You may well end up like us, going out to the beach more often than you'd imagined possible in Taiwan.

I stole this from their FB page. I hope they can a website up soon!

衝浪背包客棧 We're a new hostel with a surf school/bar/restaurant right on the beach in Wai-ao, Yilan county. No. 236, Section 2, Bīnhǎi Rd, Toucheng Township

Mission

Coach Garrett was born and raised in Ventura County, California. He came to Taiwan and fell in love with it's beautiful beaches and culture. Surfing in Taiwan is a quickly growing sport and our mission is to bring the California beach spirit to Taiwan.

Rising Sun Surf Inn is located right on the beach in beautiful Wai-ao township. Our hostel is run by surfers who have spent their life enjoying the ocean and the beach. We are providing an amazing hostel experience for travelers and locals alike in a safe, fun and relaxing environment.

Description

***Surfing***

2-hour lesson with full day board rental --1500NT per person
2-day lesson (board rental and a total of 4 hours of lessons)-- 2500NT per person
Group lessons of 5 or more get a 10% discount

10% discount on lessons when booking a bed at the hostel

棧長是來自加州的國際衝浪手, 也是2012國際衝浪比賽大會裁判.
衝浪經驗超過20年安全專業教學.

1天課程/2小時衝浪教學及整天租板/ NT.$1500
2天課程/ 4小時教學及兩天租板/ NT$ 2500
揪團課程/ 5-6位一班省 10%費用
住客一律享有10% 折扣 快來學衝浪練英文吧!


***Restaurant/Bar***

Coaches Garrett and Justin come from California and know GOOOOD Mexican food. Have a blended ice cocktail on the patio or chill out and be lazy in the AC lounge.

餐廳提供-
來自加州帥哥教練團親自下廚烹調美味美墨料理和調製雞尾酒.
你可以在擁有無敵室內外的海景休閒區慢~慢放空發呆...


***Hostel***

Female Dorm-- 6 beds, private bathroom and shower with sea view. Ocean side deck connected to the room. Air conditioned. NT$ 800/bed

Co-ed Dorm-- 6 beds, Air conditioned. NT$ 700/bed

Whole house booking available at a discounted rate.

***住宿***
女生房共6床/ 無敵海景陽台及衛浴/ 冷暖氣/NT$ 800元

混合房共6床/ 窗戶/ 冷暖氣/NT$700元

包棟客製化請洽我們

PREBOOKING AVAILABLE!!
For english: Garrett-- 0938330735
中文: 0932-769-769

General Information

宜蘭縣頭城鎮濱海路2段236號
No. 236, Section 2, Bīnhǎi Rd, Toucheng Township

宜蘭外澳車站斜對面, 走路1分鐘即可到達. 由台美經驗豐富的背包客所經營的混血客棧. Rising Sun面對無敵美麗海景, 隨時可跟龜山島對望. 週邊環境有免費停車場, 外澳城堡咖啡, 飛行傘, 蘭陽博物館, 賞鯨旅遊, 礁溪溫泉, 羅東夜市, 交通方便.

We are conveniently located on the coastal highway across the road from the Wai-ao Train Station. Our beach front patio and ocean view rooms overlook beautiful Wai-ao Beach. Train service is available directly from Taipei and surrounding areas. There is free parking available 50 meters from the hostel.

There are many activities Rising Sun offers. Surfboard rentals and lessons are provided by our international staff with over 20 years of experience. Our shuttle van is available for booking to cold springs in Jiaoxi (20 min. drive), paragliding off the foothills of Wai-ao and landing on the beach (10 min. drive) and tours to the Kamalan Castle and breathtaking views in the coastal mountains of Wai-ao.

Cats, Cats, and More Cats... 侯硐火車站 Houtong Train Station

I'm allergic to cats.  I'm a dog person.  But, I have two children that I'm trying to take to interesting places in Taiwan, so when I read about this "Town of Cats" just a few train stations away from Taipei, I decided to take an antihistamine and visit the "Cat Village" at Houtong Train Station.

Had a few camera problems, but you get the idea.

It was pretty crowded on the local train, but most people got off at Reifang (also a good spot to stop).  We carried on to Houtong, one of the many ex-mining townships on the Coast.  Coal mining was a big industry in Taiwan during the Japanese Occupation era.  The last coal mine closed down in the mid-1980's.  Houtong is known for the mine pit that opened in 1935.  And, its cats.

At the station, you can purchase a postcard with a cat image on it and post it back to yourself, or anywhere else in the world. For TWD30, you can make a DIY souvenir coin.  Or, you can just head up to the houses on the hill across the railway tracks to see the cats.

It was already pretty hot when we got there.  People ignored the signs "Don't bring your dog/Keep your dog in your arms", "Please be quiet" and "Don't feed the cats".  This was very frustrating for my daughter, who was intent on lecturing people on the importance of following the rules.  I have NO idea where she got THAT from...

My son loves cats and spent a long time with each friendly kitty.  It's a bit of a hike around the little paths and it smells like cat poop, especially in the heat, so for me it was not that much fun.  It is not stroller-friendly, and you would have to watch a toddler like a hawk on the path.  My daughter couldn't take it anymore and walked by herself toward the station, so my son had to cut the cat admiring session short.  There is a cafe and DIY room up on the hill but neither were open when we were there.

It got a bit hot and noisy for the cats and people.

View of the trains from the village.

I was more taken by the view across the river, and decided we should go look at the landmarks over there.  We headed over to the visitor center and cafe for a  look.   The visitor center is small but very well done.  They have a working,  multilingual, interactive screen to introduce the area and history of the mine. There is some very nice artwork done by a famous artist who spent years recording the lives of miners.  And the coffee in the shop is very good.  Be prepared to wait for service.  The menu is all in Chinese.

Vistor Center

I was watching the weather!

Outside seating at cafe.

Nice grassy area with path down to the Keelung River.

Rapids on the Keelung River.

Riverside walkway.

 After a break, we walked over the old bridge.  The original one was built in 1920 to transport coal.  It was also a means of transportation for people.  The one still there today was built in 1965.  There is some serious restoration work going on and I can see this being a very good historical site in a year or two.  Signs are bilingual.

Walking on the bridge that is under restoration.

Very nice toilet block across the bridge.

All-in-all, it was a nice day out.  The train is cheap. You can use your Easycard to pay for the train.  I guess it's about 45 minutes from Taipei Station.  I would try to time it so you could also go to Reifang (maybe even the Coal Mine museum).  Having read so many people rave about the cats on blogs, I was pretty disappointed with what it was, but it's something to see.  I recommend the place more for the coal mine history and the chance to take a walk than the Cat Village.

Destination: 侯硐火車站 Houtong Train Station
Suitable age: Five and up (not good for strollers)

Leofoo Water Park and Leofoo Safari/Fantasy Area for $999/ person

Future price will be $1299, but until September 30th, 2012, you can get an adult ticket for TWD999 per person.  This includes the original areas of Leofoo and the new water park.

The water park includes Taiwan's tallest waterslide.  It's 15 meters high. 

You have to rent a swimring thing and wear only swimsuits without buttons, snaps (anything that might scratch the slides or get caught on the ride).

Summer hours: 9am-9pm
Address: Leofoo Village Theme Park　TEL:(03)5475665　FAX:(03)5475660　Guanshi Jen, HsinChu County, TWN

English website: http://www.leofoo.com.tw/VILLAGE/waterpark/en/