Our plan for Day 4:-
Itinerary
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How to Go
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Foodie Trail
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1. Jingtong
2. Pingxi
3. Shifen
4. Jiufen
What I would change:
Put up a night in Jiufen
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1-3. MRT to Taipei Main St>Train to
Ruifang (Tze Chiang Limited Express>
Pingxi Line Train
4. Bus from Ruifang (#1062/788)
Important Note:
Preferably buy train ticket to Ruifang
one day in advance.
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Stalls/shops at old streets
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Day 4 was another early start as i anticipated that it will take us a whole day to cover our plan. Hitting the Pingxi Branch Line old railway line this time. This is a 12.9 km single track line that was originally built to transport coal but now serves as a means of transportation and tourist attraction. There are 3 popular towns along the line namely (Pingxi, Jingtong, Shifen). I must say this place is fully commercialized (read very touristy) but i am not one that really minds this as with it comes cleanliness, convenience and comfort. Remember seeing scenes of countless lanterns lighting up skies in visit Taiwan promotional materials or in friends' photos? This place is renowned for it. These lanterns are supposed to fly your wishes to the skies with hopes of them coming true.
To get on the branch line, we took a train to a town named
Ruifang. We boarded the train to Ruifang from Taipei Main Station which was only 1 MRT station from Ximen station which was very close to the hotel we stayed in. Some advance planning is needed to catch the train to Ruifang. First of all, go for the Tze-Chiang Limited Express, this will get you there within 45 minutes. This express runs at hourly basis, that's the reason why you need to plan in advance otherwise you will be wasting a lot of time waiting for the train. You can check the train schedule
here. The other thing that would be a good idea is to buy the tickets in advance. You can even do it online
here. I noticed that there was this online booking facility but it didn't strike me that it could be difficult to get seats. We were told we could board the train but there wouldn't be seats. We decided to go for it since we didn't want to wait for the next train. Thank God, they had a coach for cargo like bicycles and we could sit on the floor in that coach otherwise we would have to stand the entire journey. Lesson learnt the hard way!
Once we got to Ruifang, we bought our Day Pass for the Pingxi line. Take note again, train is on hourly basis. Look out for the schedule (take a photo of it if you need to) and plan your time carefully to catch the train when you get off at any of the stations along the line. Although it was supposed to be an old railway line, trains were modern and clean but it could get crowded since this place is very popular. Charming scenery along the line;lush greenery, flowing river, gorges, waterfalls, old houses that are barely feet away from the track.
We decided to go right up to the last stop which was
Jingtong and work our way down. Jingtong was previously a coal mining town; today what remains are monuments of its industrial past turned into tourist attractions. Now a quaint and sleepy town if not for tourists who dropped by to take a peak at its history. It also houses one of the oldest wood built train station inherited from the Japanese rule era. One thing that catches the eye would be lots of bamboo poles with wishes written on them hanging from practically anything that can hold them; along the gates of the station, trees, bridges etc.
There's a museum dedicated to the coal mining industry just beside the station. The 2 storey building housing this museum was previously a dormitory of the Taiwan Railway Administration. Unfortunately, i couldn't make out much of the relics since there were no English descriptions.
Next up was
Pingxi. Didn't do much here except to walk about along the old street and hunt down some food as we were hungry by then. Furthermore the heat was too much to bear to do anything under the sun. We tried the popular shaved peanut brittle ice cream spring roll which was refreshing. Bits of peanut brittle shaved from a huge brick of it wrapped together with yam ice cream and fresh cilantro using a piece of spring roll wrap. Very unique and refreshing. The other thing that i enjoyed there was this porky pau that had melted cheese on top. The shops on the old street reminds me of the village where my ah mah lived; with some packaging who knows it can be as popular as this little town too!
Our final stop on this railway line would be
Shifen. This is where we intend to send our wishes to the sky and apparently this is where most people do it, i noticed although it was in Pingxi that the tradition originated. Lots of stalls selling these lanterns, food and souvenirs; very touristy i warn you.. There are choices of 1 color, 2 or 4 color lantern; the more the colors, the more expensive they are. It cost NT$100 for the single colored one which we got. I think it's worth the price for the experience. They will provide brushes and ink to write your wishes on all 4 sides of the lantern, help you take photos then release the lanterns to the sky. The stall that we bought it from even provided water from the well to wash our hands for good luck. The gesture may sound childish or old fashion but somehow seeing your lantern take flight gives a wishful and magical feel to it :)
We also walked all the way to
Shifen Waterfall. The height of the fall is 20 meters with a width of 40 meters making it the broadest one in Taiwan. It's nice enough but not spectacular and it's a bit too far to walk from the train station. I didn't take note of the distance but it was easily a 20 minute walk; once you get to the entrance gate it's another ascending walk up slopes. I wouldn't recommend walking all the way from the station if you are travelling with the elderly or kids especially on a hot summer day; just not the best thing to do. We took a cab which cost me NT$100 to get back to the station from the waterfall.
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| Shifen Waterfall |
If you have enough time to spend leisurely in this park, the walk would be well worth it. It is a nice place to relax and breathe a little slower.
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| Close up on the fall |
We made our way back to Ruifang after all the fun in Shifen. Our next destination was
JiuFen. To get there; we took a bus from Ruifang. Look out for pieces of paper stuck on walls at Ruifang station for directions to the bus stop where you can catch a bus to JiuFen. As you get out of the station, turn left and walk down the road. The bus stop is opposite a Wellcome convenience store. Look out for bus no. 1062 or 788. Jiufen turned from a prosperous gold mining town to a tourist attraction after mining activities came to a decline. As the town is built on hilly terrains from the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, one gets an amazing view of the ocean. Interestingly the name when translated means Nine Portions; said to have came about because in the early years there were only 9 families living in this village hence they request for 9 portions every time shipments are sent there.
The main attraction in this town would be the Old Streets; windy, narrow, uphill, cobblestoned with shops on both sides selling lots of local delicacies, handicrafts and souvenirs. This place is infamous for taro balls although surprisingly it's not its birth place, apparently it's Ruifang; a must try if you are there. Indeed, they were really good; a softer yet chewy enough texture and has a stronger taste of the main ingredient like yam or sweet potato. There are a couple more highly recommended food like peanut ice cream rolls, fish balls, glutinous rice cakes etc that i have read about but unfortunately the famous ones were packed and probably because we were not too hungry (had noodles at a stall opposite Ruifang train station and it was yummy!) plus feeling a little lethargic after a whole day out. Btw, i found that souvenirs are cheaper here than in Ximen, so if you find any interesting ones, just grab them don't hesitate!
Away from the busy shopping streets, the place is pretty quaint. Lots of alleys to explore; you will come across many tea houses, restaurants and b&bs nestled among houses that the locals lived in. You get that serene, cosy, laid back lifestyle feeling here. My only regret was i didn't plan to put up a night here; that would have given me a lot more time to soak up this place.
Our plan for Day 5:-
Itinerary
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How to Go
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Foodie Trail
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1. National Palace Museum
2. Tamsui
3. Beitou
4. Shilin Night Market
What I would change:
Beitou first then Museum,
Tamsui, Night Market
Important Note:
Check opening hours for
Beitou Public Hot Spring/
Museum and plan
accordingly.
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1. MRT to Shilin>Bus (#R30/255/304)
to Museum
2. MRT to Tamsui
3. MRT to Xinbeitou
4. MRT to Jiantan (NOT Shilin)
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1. Stalls/shops at old streets
(Tamsui/Shilin)
2. Yong He Soy Milk King
(No. 30, Hankou Street)
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Day 5 was our last full day in Taiwan. We started a little late today; not that we were running out of place to go but i wasn't feeling too comfortable with the amount of cash that i had left :( Most of the spendings were paid by cash. This is also another lesson learnt; you don't find money changers easily like what we have back home. You can only do it in banks (and designated ones only) apparently. So, i had to wait for the one nearest to our hotel to open (Mega International) before we could continue our travel. Since we time to spare in the morning, we decided to find a breakfast place that is famous among the locals named Yong He Soy Milk King. They have you tiao, scallion pancakes, xiao long bao among others to go with soy milk which is their specialty. Verdict? I wouldn't say it's extraordinary but if you come across one of their stalls it's worth a try; especially if you are looking for a typical local breakfast.
Our plan for today was to travel along the Red Metro Line. Stops planned were National Palace Museum; Tamsui, Beitou and Shilin. To get to the
National Palace Museum take the MRT to Shilin station. Walk out of the station towards a bus stop where you will need to catch a bus that will take you there (Bus no. R30, 255, 304 among others), it is best to ask the bus driver. There are signs that will guide you to the bus stop. This museum is a must go place if you would like to learn or appreciate Chinese history, culture or art. It's has the largest collection of Chinese Imperial artifacts in the world ranging from jade, ceramics, calligraphy, bronze, costumes, curios, books etc; over 600,000 pieces to be exact but i read somewhere that only 1% is exhibited at one time. As they say, this is the mecca! Rent the audio guide to gain a better understanding of the artifacts. You will find it beside the ticketing counter; and yes there's an entrance fee for this. Young ones can get a discount with your Youth Travel Card. They also provide free guided tours both in English and Chinese. You can even register online
here but take note that it has to be 3 days in advance. It would be good to start from the Orientation Gallery, it gives you a broad idea of Chinese history chronologically and highlights on artifacts to look out for during the rule of each dynasty.
There are 2 artifacts that people flocked to view in this museum namely the Jadeite Cabbage and Meat shaped Stone; there is a snaking queue for them and thank god they are manned by the officials making it bearable. It took me around 20 minutes queuing time to view them for maybe 3 minutes? I thought it was worth the wait. These 2 pieces are really amazing artwork, they look so real! The Jadeite Cabbage (the bokchoy kind) even had a locust and katydid camouflaged among the leaves despite being a small piece of sculpture. The meat shaped stone looked like a piece of 'tungbo meat' (a chinese braised pork belly dish). This dish is made using a whole slab of pork belly with layers of fat between the lean ones. This piece artwork look exactly like the pork in the dish. The top layer was stained to a darker shade, was of a rougher surface and had tiny little holes on it resembling hair follicles on the skin. Below the 'skin' you will see layerings of fat and lean meat in different shades making it very realistic indeed. Hats off to these masters from ancient times, just amazing! Like most museums photos are forbidden and there are officials going around to ensure people abide to the rule.
Our next stop was
Tamsui. This is a town by the sea; well known for stunning sunsets. You will see a long waterfront promenade once you step out of the MRT station. Lots of stalls throughout the entire stretch, snacks, funfair kind of games, knick-knacks, bicycles and scooters for rent too. Mother and son gave the bicycle for 2 a try. There were many locals at the park too with their children and dogs to relax and enjoy the beautiful view.
Like every other popular town, Tamsui has its old street too and they are all out to woo tourists.
The other popular attraction in Tamsui would be the Fisherman's Wharf. We took the ferry from the promenade to get there, just tap your Easy Card to pay for the ride. The Lover's Bridge would be one of the most photographed spot in Tamsui. I read that it is illuminated with a variety of colours at night. I didn't have enough time to stay till night though.
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| Lover's Bridge at Fisherman's Wharf |
Our next stop was
Beitou; place famous for its hot springs. Now, had it not been because i had to go to the bank, this would have been my first stop for the day simply because the weather is already hot enough without getting into a hot spring at a later part of the day. So, i swap it around to be the last instead which turned out to be a wrong decision. We spent too much time at Tamsui and by the time we got to Beitou it was almost dark. We missed the opening hours of the Public Hot Spring and the Museum. All we managed to do was to wander a little in Beitou Park.
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| This beautiful Tudor style building is the Beitou Hot Spring Museum |
Another place that is listed as tourist attraction in Beitou is the Public Library. It indeed is a very attractive building, look more like a resort to me. Even those who are not studious would want to be here. This is Taiwan's first green library. Huge French windows around the building maximise the catching of natural light and by night the illumination makes the building standout strikingly amidst the greens.
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| Beitou Public Library |
Our last stop for the day was
Shilin Night Market. Said to be the largest night market in Taipei. I have to agree it is huge! There are so many roads branching out from the main market street. Indeed difficult to decide where to start and where to stop! Personally, i enjoyed this market the most. One is spoilt for choice here, you will find everything under the sun here ; well. it felt that way :) I even got gifts for my doggie here, they have doggie ambassador to parade their stuff :) I don't have any blog worthy photos to share here, i was seriously into shopping and eating since this would be my last chance to shop at night markets.
Day 6, time for us to say goodbye Taiwan. Flight leaves Taipei at 3.55PM, so we still had a few hours to spare in the morning which we spent eating and doing last minute shopping at Ximending. Had our last round of pearl milk tea, lor bak pyng, carrot cake, oyster omelet, mango shaved ice etc.
The Red House was the last attraction that we visited. This building which was built in 1908 was originally a market but was turned into a theater in 1945. A very eye catching building with its red bricks and octagonal shape resembling the Chinese bagua. There are some exhibits in the building on its history plus a souvenir shop and a cafe too.
To get to the airport, we took a taxi to the
Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A. From there we took the express bus #1819 which was the same we got to the city from the airport.
Some snacks for loved ones at home. Cute crispy pancake cookies from Kobayashi on the left and the infamous pineapple tarts on the right.
So, that was it; a summary of our trip to Taipei. Really glad we did it; the time spent with my boy on our own is priceless. There were ups and downs, there were mistakes and lessons learnt along the way; there were times when we got on each other's nerves but we had a great time.
This might not be the best itinerary; just an account of how we did it. On the sideline, i hope it will be useful to some of you if you are planning a trip there :)
Yours truly signing off with the love of her life!
