NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

The city tour may not be appealing to some tourists that some may opt to travel for hours and visit the nearby provinces and towns from Taipei City.  A bus or train ride may do, even it takes hours, for as long as, the breathe of fresh air, the scenic mountains, endless meadows, lakes and the ocean view serves as a treat en route and as a destination in itself.


JIUFEN

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

A week before we went to Taipei, my friends and I watched movies whose cinematographic setting is at the northern part of Taiwan, or as some may claim, inspired by the laddered streets and antique homes of Jiufen.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

Jiufen is an old gold mining mountain town and originally built by the Japanese.  The maze of alleyways and lanes is home to varied tea houses, souvenir shops, traditional restaurants, small museums and stylish coffee shops.  

I was able to visit Jiufen on two occasions, under a gloomy winter season and a non-stop rainy season.  I have yet to discover how it feels to be there during the summer or dry season.  Though on both visits, my expectations were met.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

Anyone who watched the award-winning Japanese animated fantasy film, Spirited Away, would see the resemblance of the setting in the movie to this town.  It felt surreal.  With the number of visitors swarming in this area, it becomes a challenge to navigate around especially when with senior citizens and children in tow.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONSNORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONSNORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

If given the chance, I would have made an overnight stay at Jiufen for a more relaxing visit.  We stayed at one of the restaurants which has a good vantage of the area and tasted their version of xiao long bao - it was a perfect way to lounge in Jiufen.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS



How To Get There:

By Train: 

1.   From Taipei Main Station, take the train north of Ruifang Station 
2.  After exiting the station and facing the Wellcome supermarket, take a left and walk 200 meters down Mingdeng Road.
3.  Next to the police station is a bus station (named Local Residents Plaza) with routes 827 and 788 heading towards Jiufen.

By Bus:
1.  From MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing, Brown and Blue Line interchange, leave from Exit 1.
2.  Take bus route 1062 (Keelung Bus) to Jinguashi, alight at Jiufen.
Note:  Exact amount of fare should be given at NT$102 and Bus 788 is also available from Keelung.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

YEHLIU GEOPARK

Home to a number of unique geological formations, we visited the Yehliu Geopark and the nearby fishing village, which as my companions exclaimed is one of the film locations for the hit Taiwanese television series, Meteor Garden.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

We had a 10-minute walk towards the gate of the Geopark and paid for the entrance fees of NT$80.  As expected, the hordes of tourists nearly blocked the attractions and natural formations that should have been revealed naturally on a wide landscape.  The challenge then was how we could get images of the geological formations on our own.  But we still managed anyway.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

In the olden days, Yehliu was a key channel of the trade route between mainland China and Keelung harbor.  The waters around are actually torrential and dangerous.  A portion though appears to be a calm beach.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

A number of sedimentary rock formations surround the Geopark and notable ones include the ginger rock, Japanese geisha and the queen’s head.  With a limited time, we were not able to roam around the whole vicinity and get near to each rock formation identified.

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

NORTHERN TAIWAN SCENIC ATTRACTIONS

How To Get There:

By Bus:

From Taipei West Bus Station – Terminal A (located at Taipei Main Station), go to the KuoKuang window and purchase a ticket for NT$96 to Yehliu Geopark

Note:  Travel time is approximately 90 minutes

A post shared by Julius (@lakwatserongtsinelas) on

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