Chinese New Year day 6

The most important day in  the traditional Chinese Holiday is the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival.

It is a long 15 days celebrations starting from the 1st day of Spring up to the 15th day and they call it the Lantern Festival!

There are many legends associated with the chinese festivities including the 12 animals in the chinese zodiac:
Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

This year 2013 is the year of the (gold) snake.

Chinese New Year day 5

This Chinese character means Spring, but pasted upside down, which indicates that spring has arrived!

This character reads "fu", which means blessings and also upside down.

 

Doors are decorated in red with words and couplets for the New Year!

And a must during the Chinese New Year celebrations,,,,,

Firecrackers!  much, so much of them even in the middle of the night!

During the Chinese New Year, red is very important: people wear red clothes, write poems and couplets on red papers, give children "lucky money" in red envelopes.

Red means fire-- it burns off bad luck!

Firecrackers can drive out the evil spirits!

That's how the Chinese spend the Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year day 4

During the Lunar New Year a special emphasis is placed on symbols represented by different food or fruits.

One special traditional food is the rice cake, Nian gao or rice cake. when spoken sounds "nian Gao" means: prosperity year after year! it is especially prepared (above photo), and
fried with some flour and vegetables, like the photo below and eaten hot!

 

 

Kumquats and oranges represents wealth.

 

Candies sweeten the whole season!

 

Pineapples also represent wealth.

The new year is incomplete with the presence of the god of wealth!

If you want to understand how we celebrate Chinese New Year: it is  Mardi Gras, Christmas and July 4th celebrations in one!

Got it?

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year day 3

Taiwan coral snake

Taiwan slug snake

Taiwan reed snake

Greater green snake

Chinese New Year 2013 is the year of the snake.
Here are some snakes found in the mountains of Taiwan and seen at Toucheng Leisure Farm.

If you are afraid of snakes, I have some for you to ponder.....

A bread snake......

and another bread snake!

 

 

An some painted snakes up on a tree!

Happy New Year of the snakes!

Chinese New Year - day 2

Lunar New Year day 2 is a special day, too!
A wood-carving activity was done by a famous wood artist, see the finish work of art!

One way to cook sweet potato is using a jar and fill it with lighted charcoal at the same
same time keep yourself warm while waiting and consuming the cooked, delicious, sweet smelling product. A wise idea, indeed!

Bamboo crane decorating is another activity of the day.

 

Baking pizza using the huge mud oven!

 

 And the most palatable pizza is cooked!

during the  second day of the Lunar New year, a married woman is supposed to go home to her mother's house. Here at Toucheng Leisure Farm, both families come together to spend the occasion,

You're welcome to spend your holidays with us!

Chinese New Year day 1

Happy Chinese New Year!
Today is the 1st day of the Lunar Calendar. It is also called the Spring Festival since it is the first day of Spring., celebrated by the Chinese worldwide whereever they live.


Toucheng Leisure Farm has a new DIY center built up the hill.
Here are the new faces of the center at a different angle.

Here the T-shirt printing is done for fun!

 

 

 And the baking activity using the huge mud oven!

Ever tasted a baked-bread with a chicken inside? Delicious!

That's how we spent the first day of the Chinese New Year, how did you?

Come and join us at Toucheng Leisure Farm!

Follow us as we spend each day of this special holiday!

Ant hives

Ants have their own houses called hives. and they are usually "built" on sand.

Here at Toucheng Leisure Farm ant hives are a common sight, but in a tree
branch!

 

 

Here is a picture of where ants build their hive, in a tree!

 

A tour guide ask why do ants build their nests (hive) on trees?

One brilliant boy responded: their afraid of humans!

Who's afraid of who?

Do you have the answer?

Magic English House II

Mr. and Mrs. Chase of the Magic English House with their 8 students stayed at Toucheng Leisure Farm for 3 days and 2 nights this week.
Here are some of the activities they participated.

 

 

 

This is inside the mud hut while they acted like farmers during the olden times!

After catching a fish no matter how big or small it is, is a wonderful feeling!

 

 

Transplanting the rice seedlings in the rice paddies is easy or fun? Ask them, or try it yourself!

 

T-shirt printing and baking pizza DIY!

 

 

 

This our mud hut!

 

 

And here are the joyful, well-behaved and interesting group of the Magic English House!

This is the second time the Magic English House visit to the Farm, an indication of their satisfaction and belief in our service. Thank you Angie and Steve for your loyalty!

See you again!

Sage, plant

Sage or salvia is a small, perennial, evergreen shrub. It has  numerous species ( 700 0 900 in all!)
but all belong to the same plant, sage.
 

 

This flowers blooms with the plant and after searching, I found out they are sage

but with yellow tiny flowers and belongs to the less found specie.

If you have some salad, they can beautify and give a mint-like flavor if added to it.

I would llike to try adding it to my beef steak!

 

Besides beeing just a plant or shrub, they have medicinal uses, as sage is salvia which means:

health, heal or healthy!

 

This plant is growing all around at Toucheng Leisure Farm's. They have a special scent, which is appealing to the nose.

 

See them for yourself!

 

Welcome! 

The citrus fruits family

Pomelos are the biggest fruits of the citrus family. They bear fruits during Autumn getting ready for the Mid-Autumn festival.

Oranges comes in different species, this is close to a tangerine.

Kumquats are not actually a citrus fruit but sometimes included to it due to its color and similarity.  

This is sometimes called calamansi or lime. Its scientific name is calamondin and is one of the richest source of vitamin C.

The citrus fruits mentioned here are grown and cultivated at Toucheng Leisure Farm. They can be picked and given to guests as give aways.

Citrus are edible fruits loaded with essential nutrients for our bodies, like calcium for a healthy bones and vitamins for skin. All citrus fruits are rich sources of vitamin C.

During the Chinese New Year season, guests are allowed to pick oranges right from the trees at the orange orchard. Kumquats and calamansi (calamondin) are also available during this season.,