Day 3: Yangmingsan, damshui, fisherman's wharf, ah chung noodles

After a mammoth day 2 in Taiwan, our plan was to have an easy day 3 in Yangmingsan, Damshui, and Fisherman's wharf. 

So we woke up and had the hotel Mos Burger breakfast then asked the concierge about how to get to Yang Ming Shan. They were NO HELP whatsoever. Because I was worried about the frequency of buses we took the MRT to Jintan to transfer to the more rapid buses there. Ask at the MRT tourist counter if you don't know how to get the bus. There was a HUGE line when we arrived. I totally recommend taking the trip on a weekday to avoid the local crowds. 

The journey standing up the mountain on the bus was tiring and scary. Almost like a super cheap version of a theme park ride. When we arrived at the terminus, we changed to a mini local bus up to the mountains. This time, it was even scarier and more packed. I don't think they read the bus load limits when they started loading the bus. 

So I was standing up the back, face flat against the window. And as in a Hollywood movie, we had motorbikes following us up the mountain and it was entertaining to watch them pass by us. 

First stop was the tourist information centre and the main crater. We could smell the sulfur, it was like  the smell of off socks. The visitor centre recommended the hike up the side of the crater which should take about a hour each way. About 15 minutes in, and 200 steps up, I felt defeated. It was hot, I was tired and my feet hurt. 

I started crying. It was so difficult for me on the way up, it was even harder on the way down. So we rested in the gift shop before exploring some more. 

This 30 minute track was much easier. And the views weren't too bad either. I actually dropped my massive backpack with my travelling companions and just ran the distance in about 5-10 minutes. It was much easier than the ascent up the crater with my backpack!

We also spent some time in the grass paddocks on our next stop. There were cows grazing and a few people with their guitars. A nice stop, and I just really really really needed to sit down. I had basically been standing for 5 hours (MRT, bus up the mountain, local bus, the walks we had been doing). So it was nice to catch my breath and rest my tired legs. 

On the way down, we took the express mini bus that took us all the way down to the MRT instead of the yangmingshan terminus. 

If you can afford it, a taxi guide for the day on Yangmingshan is not a bad idea. You can get to a lot more places and see a lot more. 

Failing to find food elsewhere, we found ourselves exhausted at 4pm in the food markets again at Shilin. And the beef noodle broth was well worth the allergic reaction after. I would avoid food that has been pre-prepared. Taste off. And I would avoid buying fruit to take home from the fruit sellers. Taste good there, but once you take it home, you realise it is off. (Maybe because we looked like tourists).

From there it was an easy MRT + bus ride to fisherman's wharf. IT's well marked in english and chinese. You will get a little concerned on the bus ride there as the crowds start getting off and as the bus enters residential streets, but don't worry, you are on the way.

The bus ride takes longer than you expect, so arrive early if you want to catch the sunset.

Lovers bridge was beautiful. A little bigger than I had expected with steps on both sides keeping you safe. 

The reward on the other side were restaurants. If this was anywhere else in the world, there would be offering food at ridiculous prices. But instead, we found the fish balls and noodle soups stock standard prices. We didn't really feel that hungry considering we had just had our lunch at 4pm (Shilin night markets). But we grabbed a few bits and pieces anyway. I recommend the sweet and sour drink next to the famous soup shop (avoid the soup shop, nothing special there). 

If I was hungry, I would totally have one of the reasonably priced buffet offerings. But instead, we enjoyed a slow walk along the dimly lit broad water. It was a beautiful end to a gruesomely hot and tiring day. 

And when we finally found the Damshui street food, we were again disappointed. It took half an hour for the stand to cook the mushrooms. My verdict is central Taiwan definitely has better run and tastier street food. Taipei street food has been westernised and disappointing in comparison.

And by the time we go to XMD it was almost 9pm. And Ah Chung was something on our to do list. So stopping by we ordered the famous noodles. Nothing flash, I was amazed that the noodles weren't terribly sloppy given that it was swimming in the slimy soup for the better half of the day. But there was really nothing special about the taste. It was bland, even with the sauce. I talked to locals, and they recommend the noodle store a few shops down which stock better broth and soup noodles. 

But hey, if you visit this city only once, you can't really judge until you've tried it for yourself.