What’s good about being a digital nomad is that you can plan your time as you wish. We generally try to work in the evenings so that we can visit places during the daytime (which is why I’m constantly exhausted because we try to do too much!!!) But how can you say no to a beautiful waterfall, a butterfly trail or a fascinating temple…

And the weather’s been great: hot and sunny. What really makes us laugh is that Taiwanese people wear jackets when it’s 30°C. And our hosts regularly ask us if we need an extra blanket in the flat!!!

Anyway…This post is about Lin Family Mansion and Garden which we visited this morning.

In 1778, a man called Lin Yingyin came to Taiwan from Fujian province and his family gained a fortune trading rice and salt. Eventually the family settled in Banqiao (which is now a district and the seat of New Taipei) and built this mansion and its gardens in the mid-19th century.

Today both are the largest remaining examples from that period left in Taiwan which is why it is an interesting place to visit.

However, extensive refurbishments are taking place at the moment and the works will only be finished in a year or two. For that reason we could only visit a small part of the estate.

There were some interesting windows shaped like butterflies or bats…

Some exquisite bonsais…

Some marvelous trees…

And narrow maze-like paths…

There weren’t many people so we practically had the place for ourselves (what a difference a weekday makes!) …

And this is a perfect spot to come and relax. It’s very calm and quiet, and you forget that you are in the middle of the busy town. We saw a few people reading a book and this lady came to paint. A real oasis of peace where you can go for free…

Published by natalyadrian

I am a writer, a teacher, a translator and a digital nomad. View all posts by natalyadrian