* All photos are copyright of the author.**

Fairytale Fun

 Adults turn into kids here at this, interactive fun park. Best of all, it's free of charge and opens to the public all year round.  In case you are not familiar, Jimmy Liao is an acclaimed renowned illustrator from Taiwan and has produced several picture books which have gone on to the big screens such as 向左走, 向右走 Turn Left, Turn Right (2003) and 星空 Starry Starry Night (2011).

Commonly known in Mandarin as 幾米廣場 Ji Mi Guang Chang ( Jimmy Liao Park). Simply drop off at Yilan Train Station 宜蘭火車站 to start an exciting day. Widely patronized by locals and foreigners alike, there are plenty of fun photography opportunities.

Here's how Yilan Station looks when night falls. 

Right across from the station, you will come across the Diu Diu Dang Forest (丟丟噹森林 ). This park bears a symbolic meaning to the people of Yilan. 
The structure of the park symbolizes the presence of trees amidst a forest setting and planted in total are 9 huge Sago Cycas. 9 in Taiwanese local dialect stands for the old name of Yilan ("九芎城" jiu qiong cheng) 

We had the chance to view it both in the day and night.

Right under the massive structure, is the massive centrepiece — 星空飛天火車, adopted from Jimmy's illustration sketchbook 'Starry Starry Night' and its flying train. With the crowd hoarding over for photos, you simply won't miss it. 

One side has the girl popping out her head...

.... and the other side has the boy popping out his head, welcoming the wind and every cabin is painted a different color. 
 The train's 5 cabins are suspended 5 feet in the air, making the whole art piece a sight to behold.

This was how the lovely display looks at night with the lightings.
Simply magical with less crowd too.

Jimmy Liao Park 

Moving forward we had seriously followed the crowd having no idea where it was initially.
You will not be lost, simply follow the crowd or look out for the colorful decorations along the way.
Just a short walk from Diu Diu Dang Forest and across the park, you will spot this! 

2 characters from Jimmy's Starry Starry Night depicting the boy and girl waiting for the bus to and fro school. They hardly talk to each other yet create a deep emotional bonding under the silent companionship.

Spotted the crowd?
Everyone was excited to have their photos taken with the characters from the stories.

Right across the road is where the fun begins at the Jimmy Liao Plaza/Park.

Adventures Begin

Here we were~~

Smiling Fish displays the colorful and dreamy illustrations of Jimmy. His style is evident in this bright cherry drawings. 

There are just too many people "hoarding" the placce :)

There are many fun props for everyone to take photos with.

Of course, have to take a pic with the 2 main characters of Turn Left, Turn Right.
The guy...

...and the girl.

The crowd was constantly streaming.

This theme park has so many fun props coming alive from the stories of Jimmy liao.
Cute right?

Our attempt to jump.
From some old photos I saw,  the below were previously swings. Why on earth were they hung up in the air when we visited, I had no idea. Perhaps for safety reasons.

Resting from the shopping.

Final photo in the Jimmy wonderland before we exit.

Postcard for sales!

Post boxes~~ love mailing postcard back home and to friends wherever I go overseas :)

Yilan Visitor Information Centre

This centre is located near the Yilan train station, from which you would have arrived at.
Such information centres are rare in Taiwan, so take the opportunity to ask them on any help you may need on traveling in Taiwan. 

The info centre has souvenirs shops with lots of travel information and friendly volunteers to assist with any queries you have when travelling to any parts in Taiwan.

Old Town Charm

That's what Yilan is evolving to be and this Jimmy Liao park makes the place more lively and interesting with so much to explore, incorporated with new elements of fun.

From Taipei Main Station ( Or any other stations in Taipei with links to TRA trains. See their web page for the list) head to Yilan (Region), Yilan Station via Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) Trains. The TRA are the slower, "normal" trains and are priced lower than the High-Speed Rail ( HSR) trains.
Head to TRA's webpage, key in your to and fro destinations and date. 
Look out for Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains which are faster with higher frequencies. The trains are also more comfortable and do not cost much as compared to other 'local' slower trains, but definitely saves you the time. 

Head to the counter window to just indicate to them which train station you are heading to.
 I still have not idea how their ticketing machine works, your best bet will be to tell the operator where you want to head to.

If you are planning to head to Yilan, drop by Jimmy Liao's theme park 幾米廣場 and the Diu Diu Dang Forest 丟丟噹森林 for a fun filled day.
It's an awesome way to spend your time. Cheers!!

Location:
Upon exiting the station, Diu Diu Dang Forest is on the left across the street and the Jimmy Park is some 200m down the road.