Day 5: Xindian, wulai, keelung

 Starting the day right/wrong makes all the difference. We went downstairs and got some traditional breakfast foods from the cart lady, and had a brief chat to her about local recommendations.

Then we headed out to our day trip. Unfortunately, the hotel staff could offer no help as to directions. Instead, we headed out to the MRT station and headed to Xindian. This was a highlight of the trip for my mum. 

At Xindian, there was a suspension bridge that would be removed soon. It was spectacular, green lake is called green lake because it's actually green.

A bit of rain didn't spoil our day. If you recognize the duck boats, you are right, it's the backdrop and outing shown in various Taiwanese dramas.

A shame we already had breakfast, but we stumbled on a nice street filled with local food. The locals were so nice, that they let me try the food before we bought any. AND it must have been the best street food experience I've had in Taipei so far. 

We also picked up a fair few gifts in a little shop by the bridge. They also have heaps of stamps you can fill your stamp book to. REMEMBER TO BRING A NOTEPAD with you when you visit Taiwan, they have a strange fascination of stamps, and you can get stamps at all the major attractions- best part? If you bought along blank bookmarks, that equals FREE gifts that you make yourself!

So we looked for a bus to Wulai. Unfortunately, the line was incredibly long, and two buses had come along without hope of us getting on. Fortunately, we had taxi drivers solicitating their services. So we negotiated, 2 taxis for x price. 

It was WORTH IT. Truly. The trip up was not short, and standing another day on the bus really didn't appeal to me.

I haven't been to Wulai since I was very very young. And I have no recollection of much except for the waterfall and tiny train. This time, our purposes was to get a soak. 

Unlike Yangminshan, the water here didn't reak. 

Of course, we could have just gone to the side of the hot springs, and just put our feet in. But we were after a different experience. 

We wandered around the town and found a place we were comfortable with. For a set price, we had 2 hours in a luxury suite with 2 tubs. Our spa hotel overlooked the natural surroundings, and NOT other spa hotels. It was lovely, but don't stay in the tub too long! Alternate between hot and cold to remove toxins.

And to cap off our time at wulai, we got some good food- my favourite was the spa eggs- eggs boiled in the volcanic water. The food street leading to the spa hotels was DANGEROUS. cars would pass by in the middle, and there was little room to avoid. 

We took a bus to the halfway between Xindian and Wulai. Got off to have some very very special Taiwanese food. 

This chicken was smoked right outside the restaurant, and I had the pleasure of talking to the gentlemen running the restaurant. 

Because one of my travel companions was leaving early the next day, we headed to Keelung. 

We travelled by train via Taipei Main Station. When we arrived, there was torrential rain. We were all geared up in our rain suits and umbrellas.

Keelung was famous for a seafood night street market. It was a little disappointing due to the rain. All the undercover seats in shops were taken, we were given the option of just taking food with us or not eating at all.

Having stood up for enough, and having enough street food, we chose to grab two things, as we negotiated our way through the flooding streets back to Taipei. And on our way, we found the famous beef noodle soup shop.

They have no official sign, and they don't really allow photos, so here is my sneaky sneaky. 

The meat was not great. But the broth was EXCELLENT. We would have eaten other stuff, but by the time we went, late at night, most of the vegetables and small snacks were sold out!

Another lazy day turned absolutely packed. But luckily, we had a soak in the hot springs.

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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. 

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Day 2: yehliu, jiufen, shifen

Day 2 of my trip was really a highlight. After an oily Taiwanese breakfast from a trolley aunty, we did a taxi tour of Taipei surrounds with our hired taxi driver. He was an absolutely wonderful guide, and great recommendation from Tripadvisor friends. 

We hit peak hour Taipei traffic but as soon as we escaped from the city, we were rewarded by scenic views of the northern coast. 

The driver was great, we could stop for as long or as short as we wanted along the way. 

For the sake of respect, we didn't take photos, but along the road in the country-side there were various little colourful houses. These turned out to be family grave sites. The taxi driver told us that there were always two doors in these graves. And the urns of ancestors would be placed inside. 

They apparently have a tradition where the entire family would go to visit the graves once a year and it would be quite the gathering. 

Unlike our customs in Hong Kong, they would bring food to offer their ancestors, and would actually have to EAT ALL the food they bring afterwards to symbolise the end of that matter. 

So we arrived at Yehliu and purchased our tickets with the masses of mainland tourists. This is where my mum met my dad all those years ago. So this trip was a bit symbolic. When she got inside, my mother was surprised at how much had changed. It was now well signed, paved, and marked.

They even made an artificial Queens Head for people to take photos with! And unfortunately, many of the mainland Chinese tourists could not follow signage and line up where indicated. This caused a lot of conflict on the site. 

A truly beautiful place with remarkable rock formations. But because of the packs of tourists, it's quite difficult to take any photos where there aren't others in the picture. 

Plan to spend no shorter than 1 hour there. 

To line up to take a photo with the Queens Head would take 30 minutes in itself. But if you go around to the other cove, you will find larger rock formations, and fewer crowds. The feeling was as if I was walking on a foreign planet. 

Please follow the simple rules. Don't touch, don't go beyond the red line, and line up where indicated. These simple rules make the natural wonders last a lot longer for everyone to enjoy. And no joke about the red lines, the guards will be blowing their whistles to get tourists back in the safe zone. There is even a monument there commemorating a teacher who tried to save his student from the edge of these cliffs and died. 

Next stop was Jinjashi. One of the places were wouldn't have gotten to in a day without the help of the taxi driver. See the picture below? It's an old abandoned quarry. In the day, the use of ventilation shafts was really innovative. From afar, it looks like a castle. And although you are forbidden to enter, you can drive to the top and see the view from above.

From the top, you can see the yingyang sea, the yellow and blue ocean below. This is caused by mineral run offs from the pipes that ran from the old quarry. The feeling of being up in the castle reminds me of old Japanese animations. Being in such a place, with mild rain feels almost mythical.

And on the way up, we were given a preview of the golden waterfalls. When we stopped and spent time there thought, it was something else all together. Pictures just can't do the place justice. You really need to go and stand there while golden rapids storm down the mountains to be able to tell. 

In a different season, the guide told us that the mountains would be white, not with snow, but the with the colour of the plants which would completely change this landscape. 

Our second major attraction for the day, Jiufen. The story goes something like this, the sloped city was once inhabited by 9 families, therefore the translation of 9 parts. In the city, they are many artsy shops and places to enjoy tea. 

We picked our lunch spot to be a traditional Taiwanese food affair. It was where a famous movie was filmed. 

Overlooking the ocean and eating wild boar, something I haven't tried before. 

The xiaolongbao here was WWWAAAYYY better than the Ding Tai Fung at Taipei 101. But unfortunately, that meant that I was way too full to enjoy the street food that followed.

Tonnes of little stores selling gifts and food lined these old streets. The streets are filled with tourists. BUT this is a dangerous place to be if you aren't careful or wearing enclosed shoes. While we were there, a lady in high heels was run over by a delivery trolley, not once but 3 times. The guy just kept going over her foot when she screamed. It was a shocking affair. 

We had the opportunity to visit one of the pineapple cake factories inside the old streets. And we watched the efficiency in which the chefs turned out the handmade Taiwanese icons. 

One of the surprising things for me during this visit was to see the fusion of offerings. No longer just traditional, the addition of ice dripped coffee? A bit odd in a street filled with more traditional meat balls and prune juices. 

2 great buys that I had while visiting this street. Jelly shaped like a bouquet of flowers only cost me NT$100 and made for a great gift for church group. The other is paper thin pork jerky, bit expensive, but really tasty. 

Our final stop for the day was Shifen. Which roughly translated is 10/10 or perfect. This is a fantastic little town separated by the old quarry train (now a tourist train). During our visit, the train passed a few times, and the tourists will have to run off the tracks. 

This is also a great place to write your wishes on paper lanterns and send them soaring into the air. Lanterns cost NT$120 for 4 colours. Staff were rude. But don't let them ruin your mood. Take your time to write you blessings and send them off. 

Each colour symbolises something different. Some people are super greedy writing things like, I want to win the lottery, I want to marry a millionaire. Mine is not less guilty, but more true to what I believe- Faith, Hope and Love. 

And here's how close the train was to where I was standing! I can't lie, I really loved the thrill of standing on the train tracks knowing that a train will come. 

There was also a fantastic little suspension bridge in the town. I was a bit shocked when I got to the other side and it said that the maximum load on the bridge was... 0??? 

After a packed day, our taxi driver took us back to Taipei. We were blessed with the sunsetting on Taipei 101. 

Too tired to hunt for anything better. We ate some noodles and duck trip advisor recommended in XMD. I don't recommend buying the plate of meat. Stick with the noodles which have a few pieces of duck in it. And then head on the street for street food. 

For example, this brown sugar mango shaved ice :D. It was a sweet ending to a packed and wonderful day. 

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