Shifen 十分 @ Taiwan

Located amidst the moutains of Taiwan, and similar to how Jiufen derives its name, Shifen is a scenic rural town built by ten families a long time ago and is most well-known for the railway tracks and the majestic Shifen Waterfall 十分瀑布.

Directions to Shifen

1. From Taipei Main Station, take the Taiwan Railway Adminstration (TRA) heading eastward bound to Shifen Station. Train ride takes approximately 1 hour from the city.

Shifen is also famous for its traditional sky lanterns, which wishes are written on it and sent into the high heavens. The best time to launch the sky lanterns is at dusk or during the sky lantern festival, but you can see people sending their wishes as early as in the morning.

Functional railway tracks run between the old street, therefore be warned of incoming trains! The train honks proudly and security will chase everyone out of the tracks. Most tourists would then whipped out their cameras and start flashing at the train as if it is some kind of superstar.

 

We thought that cake moulded in the shape of the iconic sky lantern is adorable so we decided to give it a try. It comes in a few assorted flavours, like custard, cheese and chocolate.

There are a few suspension bridges (like the one below) in Shifen offering good views of the greeneries and the streams below.

The bridges would tremble mildly, but don't worry for they have some sturdy support (not me, holding that, I'd probably scream and run for my life if the bridge start to snap.)

We head towards the main attraction (which is Shifen Waterfall) - a 30 minutes walk from the station. It wasn't exactly rewarding and disappointing when we found out that the entrance to the waterfall is closed as it was getting dark at approximately 5pm. Therefore if you are visiting Shifen during winter, it would be strongly advisable to do so during the morning or early afternoons.

But well, the visitor centre gave us some postcards of Shifen (including the waterfall), which I guessed it meant something like a token of appreciation for walking all the way there.

We shrugged off the disappointment as we headed back to set off our very own sky lantern. It comes in different colours and prices vary according to the number of colours. We chose a combination of red and white because it is our national colour and it meant hope(red) and future(white). A two-coloured lantern costs NT$140.

My written mandarin got rusty so I've got to ask girlfriend to help me out. Health, peace, longevity for our parents, bright future and wealth are some of the wishes we hoped for.

We requested a staff who seemed to act professional with all the burst shots and later ended up with 90% blurry photos. But anyway, here is our wishes flying off:

Happy Station located at the station sells Shifen-themed souvenirs, such as sky lantern keychains, postcards etc, but I would recommend getting your souvenirs at other shops as prices are more competitive and relatively much cheaper.

That's all for this rustic town, do look forward to my full Taiwan itinerary which is set to release next week, meanwhile do check out the other travel journals!

Danshui Old Street and Museum of the Strange @ Taiwan

If you are looking for authentic Taiwanese street snacks, old school arcade games or souvenirs to bring home, Danshui Old Street is the place that you want to slot into your itinerary. Located alongside the shore of Northern Taiwan, this charming old street is always bustling with crowds, both young and old who came to chill out amidst the nicely preserved Japanese colonial buildings.

Check out my travel journal on Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. 

Directions to Danshui Old Street

1. Take the MRT to the terminal station - Danshui. It takes approximately 40 minutes to reach from Taipei Main Station. From Danshui MRT, exit at the beach side. Danshui Old Street is located along Gongming St and Zhong Zheng Rd, a 2 - 3 minute walk away from the station.

Quail Eggs (NTS$20 for 4) are probably one of the more under-rated street food, but I do strongly recommend a stick or two of this deliciously cooked eggs, seasoned with a dash of pepper and oyster sauce, doned up as the same method as your traditional Takoyaki.

One should totally try out the Ginger Tea with Black Sugar 黑糖姜母茶 (NT$250 for a pack). Drinking a cup of hot ginger tea truly warms one's body, making it an ideal choice for those feeling cold especially in the winter times.

Besides the gastronomic part of this journey, why not drop by the Museum of the Strange which is located near the mouth (from MRT station) of Danshui Old Street? It is hard to miss with its huge signage and quirky entrance. Admission fee is priced at only NT$70 per person.

And of course, as the name of the museum suggests, do expect to see lots of strange, yet interesting exhibits such as a two-snouted pig, gigantic rabits and some ancient condoms. Although Museum of the Strange is kind of small (it can barely fit 20 people in), one might spend an hour or more, reading and experimenting the different things that it has got to offer.

Holy crap (my balls shrinked for a moment)

Fish with two mouths

An ancient milk bottle. Apparently, my mum said this was still in use during her generation.

How 'bout an ancient piece of condom that looks uncomfortable to put on?

Or a piece of (what looks like an used) female condom? They even have instructions on how to put it on.

Tribal manhood protector.

(from left) Two-headed squirrel and a torture device that draws blood from the head.

Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf @ Taiwan

Danshui (淡水, or commonly known as "Danshuei"/"Tamshui") is a small fishing city located at the northern tip of Taiwan. Surrounded by peace and transquility, this beautiful paradise is often filled with foreign and local travellers, especially lovey-dovey couples who came to watch the romantic sunset and stroll along the prominent Lover's Bridge. Strongly recommended by my friends, I see no reasons not to visit this particular quainty side of Taipei.

Directions to Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf

1. Take the MRT to the terminal station - Danshui. It takes approximately 40 minutes to reach from Taipei Main Station. From Danshui MRT, take Bus Red 26 - a 15 minutes bus ride to terminal station, Fisherman's Wharf.

2. Take a ferry ride from Danshui Ferry Pier to Fisherman's Wharf. It will pass by the island of Bali as well. 

Till now, Danshui still holds its functionality as a harbour for fishing boats, and of course, a popular tourist spot. The best time to visit Danshui is obviously in the evening, when the sun goes down and the stars unveil itself. Do also take note that the sun-set timings in winter (Nov-Feb) is earlier.

More often than not, there are stage performers who bring sparkles of life to Danshui. At the point of visit, there was a Chinese guy rendering some of the best mandarin covers I've ever heard. Pretty impresssive.

Affectionally named by former president, Chen Shui Bian, the Lover's Bridge is approximately 196 metres and takes 2-3 minutes to walk from one point to the other. This "cable-stayed" bridge is probably the star attraction of the whole of Danshui, so do not ever say you have been here unless you've walked the bridge.

Pretty sleek design eh? But again, I didn't expect President Chen to be so filled with "sentimental romance." 

Besides feasting for the eyes, the restaurants along the harbour will satisfy your hunger as well. Here we had a Beef Hotpot (NT$360) at a what-seemed-to-be an atas restaurant called Water Bay. Nothing beats having a good bowl of broth filled with delicious slices of beef on a cold weather.

  

If you managed to stay till late evening, when the night falls, you will witness a spectrum of colours that lit up the Lover's Bridge. The colours of the bridge change every minute or so, representing the different elements of love (I guess.)

The Tamsui Museum of Fishiegoodies 鱼藏文化馆 contains exhibitions on the culture of Danshui and offers tourists to bring back a piece of this fishing town for memories.

 

I strongly recommend you to include Danshui into your itinerary if you're planning a trip to Taiwan, especially with your significant other, but again, one can also enjoy the beautiful sceneries and architectures there as well.

Yang Ming Shan National Park 陽明山國家公園 @ Taiwan

Formally established in 1985, Yang Ming Shan is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan that boasts various mountain formations, cherry blossoms and hot springs during the different seasons, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions. Located within an hour's reach from Taipei city, why not head there to enjoy some sight-seeing and witness the beauty of God's creations.

Directions to Yang Ming Shan

1. From Shilin MRT, take Bus 260 or Red 5 at Exit 1 to Yang Ming Shan station.

Note: From there, you might want to get the unlimited-ride pass (NT$60) for Bus 108 that goes around the park.

There are a handful of roadside stalls nestled nearby the entrance (Yang Ming Shan station). A light meal and a bottle of water are encouraged to have before you plan to conquer the mountain.

Bee-Hoon with Yam cubes (NT$50) was appetizing and the roasted yam added a delectable crunch to this noodle dish.

I love their Fishball Soup (NT$40 for 5pc). The piping hot broth which comes with elongated fishballs filled with juicy minced meat is such a delight to eat in a cooling weather.

The weather grew unexpectedly warm, so we decided to get a couple of home-growned oranges  to quench our thirst. Prices varies accordingly to weight (usually they sell 3-4 for NT$100). Besides oranges, they sell other harvests such as pumpkins, gingers and carrots which they claimed were free of chemicals (pesticides etc.)

The owners told us that bigger, the sweeter the oranges will be, but apparently with reference to my knowledge, it is the opposite. Anyway, the oranges are fragrant, but not that sweet and not as juicy as expected.

Acting cute. (I mean the orange)

Besides the usual hiking and exercising, Yang Ming Shan also features attractions like Seven Star Mountain, Siao You Keng, Flower Clock and waterfalls etc. Feeling adventurous and a need to burn off the calories from all the sinful street food, we decided to follow a hiking trail and hiked up one of the mountains.

Roads, stairs and more stairs

We were welcomed at the summit with a beautiful pavillion, which provided a panaromic view of the surroundings. There were a few elderly people having their afternoon talk at the pavilion whom I guessed were residing at the moutain houses, not to even mention how fit they are to trek all the way up here!

Generally, Yang Ming Shan is a good place to visit especially during the blossom season or hotsprings seasons, when one can truly enjoy a good walk or hot soak amongst the beautiful nature. However, it was a tad disappointing as we thought it would be cool during mid-November and it turned out to be humid and hot instead.

For more information on Yang Ming Shan National Park, do check out their official website (english):

http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw/HTML/ENG/INDEX.ASP

Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo @ Taiwan

Most tourists shunned  the idea of heading to the zoo, because they thought it is a waste of time when you could spend it somewhere else instead, moreover all the zoos in the world are pretty much the same, isn't it? Well, consider putting Taipei Zoo (also known as "Muzha Zoo 木柵動物園") in your itinerary. Boasting more than 165 hectares of combined space and, several exhibition houses and observatories, Taipei Zoo is not only a leader in conservation, research, education and recreation, it is also the largest zoo in Asia!

Directions to Taipei Zoo

1. Take the MRT to Taipei Zoo Station (Muzha line). Walk approximately 5 minutes to the zoo.

2. The following bus services head to Taipei Zoo station: 236, 237, 282, 294, 295, 611, 676, 679, 933, 1073, 1501, 1503, 1558, B3, B6, B11, B15, G1, S12

3. Take the MRT to Taipei Zoo Station (Muzha line). Head to the Maokong Gondola station and get a ticket (NT$30) to Taipei Zoo South Station. The gondola stops outside the zoo, where you can take a short shuttle bus ride (frequency varies 15-20 minutes) into the zoo.

Entrance fee to Taipei Zoo is NT$60 (NT$30 with Youth Travel Card)

(Photo source: Maokong Gondola main website)

 

The gondola ride is generally smooth with few hiccups and takes less than 10 minutes to reach Taipei Zoo South Station. For your information, there is a more expensive "crystal cabin" ride where you can enjoy the scenery from below the gondola as well. (Not for the faint-hearted or acrophobics though!)

Please kindly not mind our nonsense again. The gondola ride is safe, we were just over-exaggerating.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~

 

The scenery is pretty impressive, you could even see Taipei 101 on a clear day. It was pretty foggy and drizzling on the day of our visit, but we could still have a slight peek of Taiwan's pride. Other than the occasional buildings here and there, most of the picturesque landscape is covered with beautiful greeneries.

If you enter the zoo from the main entrance, you will be greeted by a flock of beautifully pink-coloured flamingoes. This part of the zoo reminded me of Singapore's zoo, where we have flamingoes as "welcoming escorts" as well.

 

Besides individual exhibitions (like birds or reptiles), Taipei Zoo is primarily divided into several zones which includes Asian Tropical Rainforest, Desert, Australian, African etc. The zoo is generally easy to navigate, but if you happened to get lost, do not hesitate to ask the friendly locals.

 

 

For higher quality of the map, please click on the link below:

http://english.zoo.taipei.gov.tw/content.asp?Cuitem=1128300&mp=104032

 

Why not get a Waffle Tree drizzled with dark chocolate (NT$30) before the exploration? (Note that it doesn't taste as great as it looks, I'd rather get some herbal eggs and a milk tea with the money.) They do sell other snacks as well, if you're still interested, they are located beside the gift shop of the Amphibian and Reptile House.

 

Below are some of the photos taken from the trip:

Girlfriend Peiyi was hesitating about entering the Amphibian and Reptile House, as she creeps at the sight of slimy and scaly creatures, while I find them truly intricating and interesting. Just look at the details of the frog and the uniformity of snakes scales.

 

 

Please do click to enlarge the images.

 

 

 

The stars of Taipei Zoo is none other than two pandas named Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (meaning "reunion" in Chinese) from the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a gesture of unity between the two countries. Apparently, lighting wasn't on my side, flash is prohibited and the pandas were actively moving all around, hence the quality of picture.

 

There are obviously a whole lot more of creatures, but I've only uploaded a fraction to keep the suspense. So if you want to view more, do not forget to add Taipei Zoo in your itinerary to Taiwan!