Taiwan - Day 2: Jiufen + Shifen + Yehliu + Ximending
Travelling with my grandma, I decided it would be best to hire a driver (book a private car). I got this contact from a friend and I highly recommend for those who are interested. It really makes travelling to the countrysides and even up on the hills so much faster and easier. I do not have to rush and worry on public transportation plus walking is definitely not an option here. Besides, the tour is so flexible that it allows me to customise my itinerary list. After reading many feedback online, I know that I do not want to waste time queuing and squeezing in Jiufen with everybody else. I have heard many rave reviews about Jiufen, hence I really want to explore as much as I can, so I decided to go there first thing in the morning. We started our day at 9am, the driver picked us up from our place and we head straight to Jiufen. It was approximately an-hour car ride.
1. Jiufen Old Street （九份老街）🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224
台湾新北市瑞芳區基山街九份老街
08.00 a.m. - 10.00 p.m.
This place is a MUST!! Come in the morning as lunch time will be packed. We arrived there at 10.30am. Do take note, many tour packages plan such that lunch will be in Jiufen, so do try to avoid going there from 12pm onwards especially during the weekends.
Food Guide
Peanut Ice Cream Roll （阿珠雪在燒）
80TWD for two
Nice, but very cooooldd to have it early in the morning ⛄
Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake （阿蘭草仔粿芋粿）🌟🌟🌟🌟
15TWD for a piece
The rice cakes were delicious! We love them all!! On the way up, we bought a few to try. They were delicious and convenient for later snacks that we bought a few more on the way down.
Red Vinasse Meatballs （金枝紅糟肉圓）
105TWD for two dishes that we chose
The meatballs were okay, the red vinasse (fermented rice) meat was tasty but a little too oily for my tastebud!
Taiwanese Authentic Taro Balls （赖阿婆芋圆 ）🌟🌟🌟🌟
100TWD for two bowls
We ordered a bowl of warm and a bowl of cold taro balls (with ice). Both are great!!
2. Shifen Waterfall（十分大瀑布)）🌟
No.11, Gankeng, Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 226
台湾新北市平溪區南山里幹坑路10號
09.00 a.m. - 05.30 p.m.
This bridge has the olden days feel. The walk from the entrance to the waterfall is not too far, though we need to cross a suspension bridge to reach the waterfall. The bridge can be slightly shaky at the end but the distance wasn't long and the bridge was not very high.
Ping River (Pingsi) Township, New Taipei City 226,
台湾新北市平溪區十分老街
The place gives out those hometown vibes. But to be honest, aside from releasing the sky lanterns, there is nothing much to do here. Well, if you do come, at least you can take photos on the railway track together with the sky lanterns as background. Oh and in case you have not heard of it, the railway track is still being used till today. You start hearing noises and whistling as the train approaches. We were hungry, hence we randomly chose a restaurant to eat here. Sorry, but I couldn't remember the names of the food.
The plain noodle from the left was worthy, I think it was called plain noodle, simple and nice. The bowl on the right was okay too though with a higher price.
We saw a line and decided to join in the queue, mostly Koreans.
Basically, there were rice inside the chicken. Overall. not bad actually.
4. Yehliu Geopark （野柳地質公園)）🌟🌟🌟
No.167-1, Kantung Rd., Yehliu Village, Wanli District, New Taipei City 20744
台湾新北市萬里區港東路167-1號新北市平溪區十分老街
08.00 a.m. - 05.00 p.m.
It is a beautiful place to visit. As it is by the coastline, you need to bring a sweater or jacket as it gets really chilly and windy. The rock formation were nice and fascinating. The famous one would be the 'Queen's Head'. You are required to queue to take a closer photo with it. If you ask me, all other rock formations are equally good too! Please be prepared as it is quite a distance to walk from the entrance to the rock formation site, hence shoes are preferable.
4. Ximending（西門町）🌟🌟
No. 127, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
108台北市萬華區漢中街127號
Monday - Thursday: 11.00 a.m. - 10.30 p.m.
Friday to Sunday: 11.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m.
There are plenty of things to see and explore here. Though the price are not very cheap, you can still find most of the things here. From branded items to their local products and food. It is a nice place to try most of their food and drinks (milk teas especially). There are performances too by the young people as they gather here to sing, dance and perform stunts. Do bear in mind that the prices here in this night market is generally more expensive being the famous one in town.
Food Guide
Ah Zong Mian Xian （阿宗麵線）🌟🌟
70TWD for a big bowl
Nice, queue was short. Though, be prepared to stand and eat just like everyone else. You can freely add your toppings like vinegar, garlic and ginger by the sides (self-service).
Bei Hui Papaya Milk （北回木瓜牛奶）
65TWD for a big bowl
I was recommended by the taxi driver to try as this is the best papaya milk. I went to try thinking that this must be also the one that a friend of mine recommended too. It turns out, my friend was referring to the papaya milk's from a packet drink that you can get from 7-Eleven, sighhh...and here I was thinking freshly made must be better. This drink wasn't really that bad, the papaya taste was just not to our taste bud. Well, it could be also due to us reducing sugar and ice, nehh...
Yang Ji Pork Rib Noodle Soup （阿宗麵線）🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
80TWD for a bowl
OMG!!! This is a MUST MUST MUST! All of us love the pork! With Taiwan food generally being less flavourful as compared to Malaysia, I am surprised that their pork was so flavourful and delicious!! If only our stomach wasn't already full, I would have also ordered the rice with braised meat (滷肉饭). The lady beside us was having it and it looks really goooooood!!
Souvenier Shopping
Vigor Kobo 维格饼家（阿西门门市）
I heard this shop sells the best Sun Biscuit （太阳饼）🌟🌟🌟, hence we went to have a look. They sell pineapple cakes too. I'd suggest to try their testers before buying any. To be honest, after trying assorted brands, everything just taste similar to me 😂. Basically, prices just varies due to its branding. From a Malaysian's opinion, all their pineapple cakes were sweet and I definitely prefer Melaka's pineapple tarts. Instead, I will suggest you to try the cakes from Ruyi Sunny Cake which I feel are better in terms of price and taste!!
Souvenier Shopping
Vigor Kobo 维格饼家（阿西门门市）
I heard this shop sells the best Sun Biscuit （太阳饼）🌟🌟🌟, hence we went to have a look. They sell pineapple cakes too. I'd suggest to try their testers before buying any. To be honest, after trying assorted brands, everything just taste similar to me 😂. Basically, prices just varies due to its branding. From a Malaysian's opinion, all their pineapple cakes were sweet and I definitely prefer Melaka's pineapple tarts. Instead, I will suggest you to try the cakes from Ruyi Sunny Cake which I feel are better in terms of price and taste!!
Ruyi Sunny Cake （一如邑堂）🌟🌟🌟🌟
Kudos to their menu, so detailed with the ingredients 💗
This plate served was a tester of almost all of the cakes that they sell. They are equally nice as the famous branded ones, yet with a bigger amount and at a cheaper price too. Most of the snacks are okay and most have similar taste with the ones in Malaysia, but I definitely strongly recommend you to try their Cheese Suncake and Mochi (rice cake) with red bean, yolk and pork floss!
In conclusion, I would suggest you to keep aside 1000TWD when shopping here.
Cheese Suncake（起司太陽餅）+ Mochi (rice cake) with red bean, yolk and pork floss（舞Q燒）
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