Taiwan 2014 Day 5 - Yehliu, Shifen and Jiufen
On the morning of Day 5, we checked out of Ambience Hotel. We had a really comfy stay there, and were quite sorry to leave!
We engaged a cabbie called Wayne to drive us to Jiufen via Yehliu. He was the best guide ever - he provided mineral water in the car and passed us heat packs because it was going to be a very cold day. I was very impressed!
It took us about half an hour to get to Yehliu.
Yehliu is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan that is renowned for its unique rock formations that were sculpted by the wind and water.
I was a bit hesitant to get out of the toasty car because it was soooo freakin' cold (about 8-10 deg C) and windy outside. The kids were wearing about 6-8 layers of clothes, haha. Wayne was nice enough to offer me a windbreaker. (If you are coming here during the winter months, I would highly suggest bringing a windbreaker.)
It was quite interesting exploring the many potholed rock formations with the ocean waves crashing nearby. We saw rocks in the shape of mushrooms, a leopard, a fairy shoe, a candle and the famous 'Queen's Head'. We didn't linger too long because it was very crowded with tourist and quite cold. Oh, and Ryan was throwing one of his epic tantrums (over something I can't even remember now) :\
Wayne greeted with warm cups of ginger tea at the market after we came out. Such a nice gesture. I also bought some grilled cuttlefish strips that were very addictive!
On Wayne's recommendation, we had lunch at a small humble family-run restaurant in Yehliu town.
We had fish steamboat, sashimi and fresh herbal prawns. It was THE best meal of our entire trip. Everything was so fresh and delicious (and cheap too)!
After lunch, we drove on for about an hour to Shifen Old Street.
Shifen is an old railroad town that along the Pingxi rail line that was originally built to transport coal.
We bought a huge paper lantern at one of the shops and wrote all our wishes for the family on it with paintbrushes. We wished for happiness and good health for our family, and for the boys to grow up big and strong. Sean wrote his and his brothers' names and drew robots on our lantern too. (Ryan was napping at this point.)
Once our lantern was ready, we lit the lantern and watched it soar high up into the sky :)
We spent some time checking out the shops along the street and buying snacks. At one point, we even saw the old train zoom by. I wish we had the chance to ride it - maybe next time!
Wayne later surprised us with small keepsake lanterns for every one of us. He was so incredibly nice!
We drove on and made a few stops to take pictures at the Shifen waterfall and the Gold Ecological Park in Jinguashi which gave us a glimpse of how the Japanese managed the mines during the gold rush in the 1800's.
We got to Jiufen in the evening. Jiufen is supposedly one of Taiwan's prettiest towns. The mountain roads leading to Jiufen are narrow, steep, and winding; and the village itself is set atop a mountain and offers stunning views of the ocean.
We checked into Chiu Chunt Dint B&B. Really couldn't have asked for a better location for the hotel - it was smack in the middle of the Jiufen Old Street and we had the most awesome view of Keelung sea from our hotel window.
Once we put down our bags, we headed out to explore the Old Street.
The Old Street is essentially a narrow and long alley flanked by shops and distinctive cobblestone stairways. There were many quaint teahouses and artisan shops offering traditional snacks and knick-knacks. We literally ate our way through it, devouring taro rice cakes, malt candies, fruit jellies, bittergourd juice, fishballs, meatballs, taro balls dessert, mochi, fried icecream, Taiwan sausages, etc. I bought a lot of souvenirs (snacks) here too. Made for a fun and relaxing evening.
The night scene at Jiufen is very noteworthy. The distinctive red lanterns and the almost deserted street gave the place an enchanting feel at night.
We had a pretty nice moonlit walk around town looking for a place to eat. Almost all the shops close by 6pm (most people visit Jiufen on day trip) so it gets very quiet at night.
It is interesting to note Jiufen was the inspiration behind Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away. The similarities were uncanny.
I would have loved to have tea after dinner in one of the old teahouses but I didn't want to lie awake at night unable to sleep from the tea so we skipped that.
(Note if you are traveling with children: There are lot of steep stairways so you can forget about pushing a stroller here. The upside is, the streets are rather enclosed so it is relatively safe for your children to walk around.)
It was super chilly that night when we got back to the hotel so the four of us squeezed into one bed for a very cozy night's sleep ;)
We checked out of the hotel the next morning. I would definitely recommend visiting Shifen and Jiufen - I think a day trip would suffice unless you really want to see the pretty night scene in Jiufen at night!
We engaged a cabbie called Wayne to drive us to Jiufen via Yehliu. He was the best guide ever - he provided mineral water in the car and passed us heat packs because it was going to be a very cold day. I was very impressed!
It took us about half an hour to get to Yehliu.
Yehliu is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan that is renowned for its unique rock formations that were sculpted by the wind and water.
I was a bit hesitant to get out of the toasty car because it was soooo freakin' cold (about 8-10 deg C) and windy outside. The kids were wearing about 6-8 layers of clothes, haha. Wayne was nice enough to offer me a windbreaker. (If you are coming here during the winter months, I would highly suggest bringing a windbreaker.)
It was quite interesting exploring the many potholed rock formations with the ocean waves crashing nearby. We saw rocks in the shape of mushrooms, a leopard, a fairy shoe, a candle and the famous 'Queen's Head'. We didn't linger too long because it was very crowded with tourist and quite cold. Oh, and Ryan was throwing one of his epic tantrums (over something I can't even remember now) :\
Wayne greeted with warm cups of ginger tea at the market after we came out. Such a nice gesture. I also bought some grilled cuttlefish strips that were very addictive!
On Wayne's recommendation, we had lunch at a small humble family-run restaurant in Yehliu town.
We had fish steamboat, sashimi and fresh herbal prawns. It was THE best meal of our entire trip. Everything was so fresh and delicious (and cheap too)!
After lunch, we drove on for about an hour to Shifen Old Street.
Shifen is an old railroad town that along the Pingxi rail line that was originally built to transport coal.
We bought a huge paper lantern at one of the shops and wrote all our wishes for the family on it with paintbrushes. We wished for happiness and good health for our family, and for the boys to grow up big and strong. Sean wrote his and his brothers' names and drew robots on our lantern too. (Ryan was napping at this point.)
Once our lantern was ready, we lit the lantern and watched it soar high up into the sky :)
We spent some time checking out the shops along the street and buying snacks. At one point, we even saw the old train zoom by. I wish we had the chance to ride it - maybe next time!
Wayne later surprised us with small keepsake lanterns for every one of us. He was so incredibly nice!
We drove on and made a few stops to take pictures at the Shifen waterfall and the Gold Ecological Park in Jinguashi which gave us a glimpse of how the Japanese managed the mines during the gold rush in the 1800's.
We got to Jiufen in the evening. Jiufen is supposedly one of Taiwan's prettiest towns. The mountain roads leading to Jiufen are narrow, steep, and winding; and the village itself is set atop a mountain and offers stunning views of the ocean.
We checked into Chiu Chunt Dint B&B. Really couldn't have asked for a better location for the hotel - it was smack in the middle of the Jiufen Old Street and we had the most awesome view of Keelung sea from our hotel window.
Once we put down our bags, we headed out to explore the Old Street.
The Old Street is essentially a narrow and long alley flanked by shops and distinctive cobblestone stairways. There were many quaint teahouses and artisan shops offering traditional snacks and knick-knacks. We literally ate our way through it, devouring taro rice cakes, malt candies, fruit jellies, bittergourd juice, fishballs, meatballs, taro balls dessert, mochi, fried icecream, Taiwan sausages, etc. I bought a lot of souvenirs (snacks) here too. Made for a fun and relaxing evening.
The night scene at Jiufen is very noteworthy. The distinctive red lanterns and the almost deserted street gave the place an enchanting feel at night.
We had a pretty nice moonlit walk around town looking for a place to eat. Almost all the shops close by 6pm (most people visit Jiufen on day trip) so it gets very quiet at night.
It is interesting to note Jiufen was the inspiration behind Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away. The similarities were uncanny.
I would have loved to have tea after dinner in one of the old teahouses but I didn't want to lie awake at night unable to sleep from the tea so we skipped that.
(Note if you are traveling with children: There are lot of steep stairways so you can forget about pushing a stroller here. The upside is, the streets are rather enclosed so it is relatively safe for your children to walk around.)
It was super chilly that night when we got back to the hotel so the four of us squeezed into one bed for a very cozy night's sleep ;)
We checked out of the hotel the next morning. I would definitely recommend visiting Shifen and Jiufen - I think a day trip would suffice unless you really want to see the pretty night scene in Jiufen at night!