Hey folks! Long time, no posts! As usual, the wintertime fatigue has caught up to me (as it always seems to during this time of year) and honestly I've just been a bit lazy lately. Well, no more! Here's another set of photos from our Taiwan adventure.
After our Maokong trip (on a gondola floating through the sky over the city to a tiny tea town), I assumed we had seen the coolest parts of Taiwan and that we would spend the rest of our trip being hopelessly disappointed. I thought if we'd already done ALL THAT in just one day, what else could Taipei possibly have to offer?
Apparently, so much more. In fact, so much more that I needed to make three separate blog posts, just so I could include all my favorite photos. You're welcome!
The next day we made our way to Jiufen, a small mining town in the mountains about an hour outside of Taipei by bus. Sure, it sounds quaint and mystical, however, it's known as a huge tourist attraction. In fact, take a good hard look at these photos. If you're familiar with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, you may have seen Jiufen before. According to the internet and all the folks I chatted with on the bus, apparently, Jiufen's downtown area was the inspiration for the spirit town in the film.
I felt a little bit like I was Chihiro, even if the streets were incredibly crowded with other tourists (who also probably felt like they were in the film).
On the bus to Jiufen, we met some new friends, Mu and Meng, who were from Taiwan and Mainland China respectively. They had both studied abroad in Finland for years (so their english was flawless), and they offered to be our unofficial tour guides around town.
Our first stop was this tiny stand that sells a traditional Taiwanese dessert. Balls of gnocchi-like sweet potato, black sesame and matcha in a ginger soup with adzuki beans mixed in kept our hands warm in the slightly cold winter air.
Next we took a trip to the famous Jiufen (spelled Jioufen below) Teahouse. This was absolutely my favorite spot of the whole trip. It felt like walking into a Beauty and the Beast fairytale, but I got to drink tea and look out over an amazing mountain view.
Meng trying "Frog Eggs," a drink that actually has nothing to do with frogs or eggs. Taiwan has incredible food. It's cheap and flavourful, and super fun to try as many dishes as you can fit into your stomach!
I had some shu mai (pictured below) which reminded me of the ones I would eat back when I was studying in Hong Kong.
Bien swo was another dish recommended to us by Mu. It was sort of a mochi noodle-y situation. I have no idea what was in it, but LET ME TELL YOU, it was great. I feel like when you're traveling it's always best to just order what the locals are getting, and don't ask too many questions.
Finally, we were all sleepy and full from our day of eating and exploring. Mu and Meng said goodbye at the train station, but I was just so glad to have been able to get to know such interesting people. They were excellent company, and Jiufen wasn't half bad either.
Check out the next installment to see what the gang and I did for Christmas in Taiwan!
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