Budget Trip in Taiwan

Oct 02, 2014 Mar 25, 2015

I resigned, without knowing when I will land in my next job. I been always wanting to try World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) but didn’t have the luxury of time until now. WWOOF is a program where volunteers provide help (labour), in exchange for lodging and meals provided by the host.

Having uncertainties on my next pay check, the cost of living was a concern. After some research, I decided to try WWOOF in Taiwan as the enrollment fee (TWD 800, approx USD 27) and the cost of living were relatively low. Once enrolled to a WWOOF organisation, there will be a list of organic farms in that specific country provided to you.

Read here to understand how WWOOF works.

I emailed a few farms and decided on-board the farm that accept me first. Most farms will require minimum 1 week of the volunteer duration but I was lucky to find a farm that accepted me for 5 days of WWOOF-ing. I compiled few benefits of being a WWOOF-er (WWOOF volunteer) below.

Improvement in Health
This was obvious when you spent 4-5 hours a day doing labour. No, I wasn’t slave-drive. Being a city-dweller, aside from occasion jogging, I don’t exercise much; for instance, the walking duration between bus stops is just 10-15mins.

I did very simple things in the farm, like weeding and packaging, yet it wore me out every night. I could fall asleep fairly fast, aside from the physical labour, there was no electronics (e.g. TV) push back my bed time. Insomnia was non-existent, perhaps due to the simplicity of life. I don’t have stressful thoughts like deadlines, meetings, etc., that occupied my mind. I guess the fresh air and nature played a part too.

Being a WWOOF-er does rejuvenate your physical health and mental health.

Home-cooked food!
The best cuisine is home-cooked food. It wasn’t about the cost of the ingredients, the delicacy of the dish but the warmth you felt from these home-cooked food. Breakfasts were usually very simply stuff like steamed buns, lunches and dinners were more elaborated. I remembered one of the meals I had was home-made dumplings, and the fillings were almost bursting through the skin. Another plus point, some meals were cooked with literally fresh ingredients from the farm!

Knowledge
Organic farming isn’t about providing good food for the people but also about sustainability. We know pesticides are harmful to health, but little did we realised that pesticides are harmful to lands as well. Pesticides can contaminate soil, and cause toxicity to soil organisms, which causes land to be unsuitable for agriculture. Soil and water are interconnected, such effect will magnify.

The earth is in a worrying state and we are the culprits. You’ll feel and realise the impact when you’re with the farmers all day. I got to learn their passion and reasons behind their determination for organic farming. It was not an easy feat yet they persevered.

There’ll be some knowledge shared by the hosts that makes me appreciate nature better (e.g. how do you identify an organic farm) and equipped with more information on the organic products.

Unique Experience
I encountered very kind hosts, they were very forgiving to my inadequate and took efforts to ensure of my well-being. Due to the lack of entertainment at the farm, they drove me to the city or nearby place of interests in the evening whenever possible. On my off day, they brought me out and visit organic farms. They also shared some local customs, folktales, etc., during our random conversation, which were insightful and special as these information wasn’t something one can acquired online. Uniquely local experience. =)

More Photos

Just to elaborate sightly on the mini wheel chair, which was provided by the host, I sat on it to roll along a stretch of drain to pull out the weeds without any tools. This little chair helped to lessen the strain on my back as compared to constant bending or squatting♥.

Let’s see how much I saved: 5 nights of accomodation, TWD 3,000 (avg TWD 600 for private room); 5 days of meals, TWD 1,250, (avg TWD 250 per day); transportation, TWD 200 (estimation). In total, I saved around TWD 4,450 (approx USD 150), and had priceless experiences. My hosts let me stayed for the last night, despite not working on the following day, I left early the next morning for Sun Moon Lake.

For my WWOOF experience, I focused on finding a farm in Nantou to fit in my travel itinerary, and due to its mountainous landscape. I’ll recommend the same for any people keen to WWOOF in Taiwan. Side Note: The source of most bottled waters in Taiwan comes from Puli, Nantou.