My Taiwan Journey: Go Geologic!
A tiring day in Taipei, the next day (Day 2) called for adventure in the Eastern side- one i was looking forward to most.
Keelung Harbour and Zhongzheng Park
The second and final half day tour, we were first brought to the Keelung region and passed by the harbour. It was raining- but it did not dampen my traveling spirit. The stop in this region was the Zhongzheng park, located slightly on a hill side.
In this park, there is the white statue of the Goddess of Mercy, at incredibly 25 meter high which overlooks Keelung city and its harbour. You can find this statue on your way up to the park. What welcomes you first, however, upon your arrival is another statue then a gong- i tried to ring it! A temple sits behind the Goddess of Mercy statue, and on the viewing platform of the park, you can use the pay-per-use binocular to view. Also, there is a wishing well with rotating hands, each bearing a different meaning.
Something extra here is that you can enter the statue and climb flight of stairs to the top, each floor has windows for you to peek out into the open.
Me, and the Goddess of Mercy and Bixie statues. The entrance to climb up the statue is behind.
Channeling all my strength for a loud gong!
Free entrance.
Seafood
Next came our lunch break- at a restaurant near the coast. Lunch was amazing! The prawns were so fresh i could taste the natural sweetness of its flesh, the crabs were delicious, the oysters incomparable, and the seaweed soup enticing. It was considerably cheap and worth it, and after a fulfilled stomach, we headed to our next destination- my most anticipated destination!
Yehliu Geopark
To me, any visit to Taiwan without a trip to the Yehliu Geopark will be incomplete. NT 50 for adult, this geopark scores on so many levels! Firstly, you will not believe your eyes when you see the naturally formed rocks appealing to you like faces, animals or things- your imagination will simply run wild and free. Secondly, the pathway around the geopark is well built and each site is easily accessible. There are guards on duty to make sure you do not cross overboard- who knows you might be swept away by the strong currents.
The Queen's Head. To take picture with this iconic mascot of Yehliu, there is a guard on duty to make sure visitors are lined-up in an orderly manner. The Queen's Head is said to be facing weathering and one day in the future, it might collapse and begone. This led to the replica, also in the park, named Queen's Head 2. Truly, a rarity and wonder to see at sight.
What do you see before i reveal to you what it is.
Answer: It is called the Fairy's Shoe here- surreal!
What about this?
Answer: It is said to resemble a Dragon's Head. It looks like a dog to me though.
Can you see it?
Answer: A pig.
Ximending Shopping/Night Market
I liked Ximending among other night markets in Taiwan because of its right mixture of food and shopping. It is set in a modern environment. When i was there, i got to experience and see with my own eyes hawkers escaping sight from the police. Those stalls i saw were no longer at the same place the next hour- like nomads. The hawker owners were resilient and at alleys without police, they would push their carts back out to sell.
I saw this shop with long queue line and instinct told me to lengthen it. It sells Intestine Vermicelli Noodles. And although i don't eat the intestines, the noodle soup was tantalizing! AT NT 45 for a normal size and NT 60 for large, there is no question why this shop makes bowl after bowl, pot after pot, of noodles!
The next day required us to travel for more than two hours south to the central part of Taiwan, to visit the much-talked about Sun Moon Lake. On our way to Sun Moon Lake, we stopped by the resthouses along the way and were caught by surprise at its cleanliness and size. The resthouses have many toilets, shopping area and even musicians.
With my sister at the platform overlooking the lake in front of the Temple.
View of the Sun Moon Lake, blue like the sky, green like the trees.
The ride up to the Wen-Wu Temple was rather dizzying. At the Temple, there is a platform overlooking the lake with a board to point out the details of the lake such as the Lalu Island and Pagoda. Weather was nice near the lake and after admiring it, we headed into the Temple.
A picture with the sword in the Temple. Continue walking in and you will enter Confucius' side of the Temple.
Puli
After lunch, we went back down to a sleepy town (which felt more like a village) to visit the remains of the aftermath of the earthquake that shook the ground about a decade ago. A three-storey temple collapsed during the earthquake.
Kept as it is, i suppose, for people to see the catastrophic effect. A new temple was built in front.
Shida Night Market
Another three hours back to Taipei. Our taxi guide brought us to Shida Night Market. We did not spend much time here- we felt the night markets are similar. Nevertheless, i bought sushi to try! An hour in the night market, we then left to return to our hotel.
Only 6pm and the sky's dark.
Keelung Harbour and Zhongzheng Park
The second and final half day tour, we were first brought to the Keelung region and passed by the harbour. It was raining- but it did not dampen my traveling spirit. The stop in this region was the Zhongzheng park, located slightly on a hill side.
In this park, there is the white statue of the Goddess of Mercy, at incredibly 25 meter high which overlooks Keelung city and its harbour. You can find this statue on your way up to the park. What welcomes you first, however, upon your arrival is another statue then a gong- i tried to ring it! A temple sits behind the Goddess of Mercy statue, and on the viewing platform of the park, you can use the pay-per-use binocular to view. Also, there is a wishing well with rotating hands, each bearing a different meaning.
Something extra here is that you can enter the statue and climb flight of stairs to the top, each floor has windows for you to peek out into the open.
Me, and the Goddess of Mercy and Bixie statues. The entrance to climb up the statue is behind.
Channeling all my strength for a loud gong!Free entrance.
Seafood
Next came our lunch break- at a restaurant near the coast. Lunch was amazing! The prawns were so fresh i could taste the natural sweetness of its flesh, the crabs were delicious, the oysters incomparable, and the seaweed soup enticing. It was considerably cheap and worth it, and after a fulfilled stomach, we headed to our next destination- my most anticipated destination!
Yehliu Geopark
To me, any visit to Taiwan without a trip to the Yehliu Geopark will be incomplete. NT 50 for adult, this geopark scores on so many levels! Firstly, you will not believe your eyes when you see the naturally formed rocks appealing to you like faces, animals or things- your imagination will simply run wild and free. Secondly, the pathway around the geopark is well built and each site is easily accessible. There are guards on duty to make sure you do not cross overboard- who knows you might be swept away by the strong currents.
The Queen's Head. To take picture with this iconic mascot of Yehliu, there is a guard on duty to make sure visitors are lined-up in an orderly manner. The Queen's Head is said to be facing weathering and one day in the future, it might collapse and begone. This led to the replica, also in the park, named Queen's Head 2. Truly, a rarity and wonder to see at sight.
What do you see before i reveal to you what it is.Answer: It is called the Fairy's Shoe here- surreal!
What about this?Answer: It is said to resemble a Dragon's Head. It looks like a dog to me though.
Can you see it?Answer: A pig.
Other figures you can see here are the elephant, buffalo, mushroom rocks, fossils, to name a few, and a statue of a man who sacrificed his life saving people.
I rate Yehliu Geopark Top 3 'must see' hitherto.
How to get there: Take express bus (bound to Jinshan) at Tamsui station to Yehliu stop. Bus comes every 30 minutes.
I rate Yehliu Geopark Top 3 'must see' hitherto.
How to get there: Take express bus (bound to Jinshan) at Tamsui station to Yehliu stop. Bus comes every 30 minutes.
Ximending Shopping/Night Market
I liked Ximending among other night markets in Taiwan because of its right mixture of food and shopping. It is set in a modern environment. When i was there, i got to experience and see with my own eyes hawkers escaping sight from the police. Those stalls i saw were no longer at the same place the next hour- like nomads. The hawker owners were resilient and at alleys without police, they would push their carts back out to sell.
I saw this shop with long queue line and instinct told me to lengthen it. It sells Intestine Vermicelli Noodles. And although i don't eat the intestines, the noodle soup was tantalizing! AT NT 45 for a normal size and NT 60 for large, there is no question why this shop makes bowl after bowl, pot after pot, of noodles!
Others you can try: Chinese pancake, white guard juice, fried chicken (recommendation: Ji Guang Delicious Fried Chicken outside the Ximen Metro MRT station- you can hear their catchy promotion from afar; NT 55 for small and NT 100 for large; worth the try), sausage in sausage, sushi, fried carrot cake.
Day 3...
Sun Moon Lake, Wen-Wu TempleThe next day required us to travel for more than two hours south to the central part of Taiwan, to visit the much-talked about Sun Moon Lake. On our way to Sun Moon Lake, we stopped by the resthouses along the way and were caught by surprise at its cleanliness and size. The resthouses have many toilets, shopping area and even musicians.
With my sister at the platform overlooking the lake in front of the Temple.
View of the Sun Moon Lake, blue like the sky, green like the trees.The ride up to the Wen-Wu Temple was rather dizzying. At the Temple, there is a platform overlooking the lake with a board to point out the details of the lake such as the Lalu Island and Pagoda. Weather was nice near the lake and after admiring it, we headed into the Temple.
A picture with the sword in the Temple. Continue walking in and you will enter Confucius' side of the Temple.
Free entrance. Welcomes donation.
Mountain Food
That is how Jacky described to us. Lunch at a restaurant near Sun Moon Lake was not bad. I deeply enjoyed the stir-fried mushroom and the sliced roasted wild boar.
A picture with the 'paku choy'.
That is how Jacky described to us. Lunch at a restaurant near Sun Moon Lake was not bad. I deeply enjoyed the stir-fried mushroom and the sliced roasted wild boar.
A picture with the 'paku choy'.After lunch, we went back down to a sleepy town (which felt more like a village) to visit the remains of the aftermath of the earthquake that shook the ground about a decade ago. A three-storey temple collapsed during the earthquake.
Kept as it is, i suppose, for people to see the catastrophic effect. A new temple was built in front.
Behind the temple, there is a man who manned bees. We were offered to try honey and pollen powders, and if interested purchase a bottle or two.
Shida Night Market
Another three hours back to Taipei. Our taxi guide brought us to Shida Night Market. We did not spend much time here- we felt the night markets are similar. Nevertheless, i bought sushi to try! An hour in the night market, we then left to return to our hotel.
Only 6pm and the sky's dark.
Our taxi guide, Jacky, was nice and helpful. He was always on time. A day trip to Sun Moon Lake cost NT 7000 (negotiable, depending on what else you plan to do).
For our next two days, we were on our own- and the real adventure began!
My Taiwan Journey: Taipei City Adventure
My Taiwan Journey: Northern plus Old Meets New
For our next two days, we were on our own- and the real adventure began!
My Taiwan Journey: Taipei City Adventure
My Taiwan Journey: Northern plus Old Meets New
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