Taiwan Part 2: Side Trips to the North Coast and Beitou

This post is continued from the main post on Taiwan.

During our 5 day stay in the country over late November, we had the opportunity to take a day trip to the north coast, to the areas comprising Yehliu, Jiufen and Pingxi. We booked Mr. Michael Feng as our driver from OwnRides.com.

Yehliu Geopark is located on the north coast of the country, and has a very unique, almost Martian, landscape, carved by the wind and sea. It is incredibly popular with tourists! For this reason, get here as soon as it opens, so you can get up close to the more well-known structures such the Queen’s Head, Fairy’s Shoe, Mushroom, Tofu and others, without having to wait in long lines or be rushed. Can be cold since it is by the sea. Though we rarely do guided tours, it was great to have Michael show us all the details that we might have otherwise missed. It is possible to spend anywhere from an hour to 3 hours here studying the honeycombed structures, fossils and grooves. There is also a cafe in the park serving a limited menu.

Because of its immense popularity, the authorities made replicas of the main structures such as Queen’s Head, so that visitors didn’t have to stand in long lines for the real deal! Of course, you still have to try and see the original while you are there!

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Close to the Geopark are a fishing port and hot spring resorts.

Next stop was the magical town of Jiufen. This is reportedly the town that’s the inspiration for film-maker Hayao Miyazaki’s hit Spirited Away. Jiufen is probably the most famous of the touristy side trips from Taipei. It was pouring rain on our day trip, but that didn’t deter anyone! Before entering Jiufen, stop and admire the abandoned copper-mining town of Jinguashi. It is at once eerie and mystical, and gave the kids a chance to learn a bit about the mining process, albeit from a distance.

We started off the Jiufen visit with the Jin Fu temple, which is absolutely gorgeous! We walked up to the entrance of Jiufen Old Street, stopping every few stores to snack.

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While I don’t recall the names of the actual stores, there wasn’t a single bad choice! From the usual beef noodle soup to the warm taro soup, fish ball soup, A-zhu peanut ice cream roll, Taiwanese sausages, glutinous rice cakes and so much more. Good thing there is quite a bit of walking to do, so you’re ready for even more food! As always, the popularity of a place is a good indication of which one to go to. If you can eat only one thing at Jiufen, let it be the peanut ice cream roll from A-zhu with peanut shavings over ice cream scoops, rolled into a crepe. Sooo delicious! Half the fun however, is watching the speed and dexterity of the different vendors! The souvenir stores here have great quality products, so take your time finding something you can bring home.

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Although we left before dusk, I think Jiufen is best seen at night when the lanterns are lit and the stunning Ah Mei teahouse looks almost ethereal. At the base of the stairs from the tea-house is Sheng Ping theater, one of the oldest in the country and still playing movies. My kids really enjoyed seeing this throwback to the past.

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Walk back a different route to get to Jin Fu temple and the parking lot, and stop on the way by more unique souvenir stores. Frankly, I wanted to eat everything and buy everything. And ideally, it would be perfect to stay overnight in Jiufen and take in it’s beauty at night, and wake up to a serene mountainside the next day.

Next stop, Pingxi! But before that, we stopped at the Golden Waterfalls, so named because it looks like sparkling gold in the sunshine. A combination of the heavy metals in the area gives the waterfall a beauty all its own. This was a quick stop before Pingxi.

At Pingxi, we stopped at one of the stores selling paper lanterns. You can then paint your wishes on the sides, and depending on the type of wish (success, wealth, health etc) you are given the appropriate colored lantern. The whole lantern experience was a huge, huge hit with the kids and adults! We let the kids paint their own wishes, and we did our own. In a few minutes, the lantern was ready to be taken to the active rail line at the station, where someone from the store lit our lantern for us and guided us to release it. It was quite the sight to see so many lanterns being released at once into the evening sky. You can imagine how much more beautiful this must be at night, and especially so during the lantern festival and other holidays. The whole lantern + painting + guided release cost very about NT$200 which was around $6 USD. Take some time for pictures on the railway line, eat some stuffed wings, buy little glowing lantern souvenirs from the station and walk over to the next stop and ride the train for a bit. A very fun and unique experience like we have never had before.

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After this, we headed back to Taipei and to Ningxia Night market for another round of street food!

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For yet another side trip from Taipei, we headed to the town of Xinbeitou to experience the thermal hot springs that Taiwan is known for. Take the red line to Beitou and then transfer to Xinbeitou.

The main attractions in the area are within walking distance from the station. We went on a Monday and missed the most important one, the Thermal Valley, which is supposedly only one of it’s kind in the country.

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If time permits, visit the Hot Springs Museum. Else, head to the beautiful and serene Beitou library for a little quiet time. The vapors arising from the waters surrounding the library are a sign of the treat that lies ahead.

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Visit a communal hot spring for a dip, or if you rather prefer privacy, check into a resort such as Sweet.Me, right by the station,that for a very nominal price of about NT$1050 allows you your own private hot spring experience for a couple of hours.

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Another recommendation I received from a friend was Villa 32 resort. The resorts provide towels, a shower cap and bottled water. You bring the rest. The rooms each have a hot and cold water area. We alternated between the two to get the best experience. At the end of our visit, we were sooo completely relaxed, making this side trip completely worth it!

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO WITH PICTURES FROM THE BLOG AND ADDITIONAL VIDEO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4lp9LJ7NLo&list=LLesyCl-KaZZs7UKhhML2gDQ

If you have the time, continue on from Beitou to Tamsui where you can catch a beautiful sunset at the Fisherman’s Wharf and eat more delicious food!