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Compared to our first visit to Taiwan (which was 70% shopping and 30% pigging out in Taipei hahahaha), our recent trip was comprised of long bus and train rides to be able to explore beyond Taipei. Tiring, but hooray for new places! The weather didn’t cooperate with us, though. Lol.
 

Taipei MRT Songshan Station

Taipei MRT Train

We began our trip by visiting northeast of Taipei. To get there, we rode the MRT from Taipei Main Station to Songshan Station, TRA train from Songshan to Ruifang, then Ruifang to Shifen— all in all, three train rides with travel time of almost three hours.

TRA Ticket

 
Umm… Please excuse my tea (and Starbucks?) obsession for a moment— before we get to the first attraction, let me just show how the Starbucks branch at Songshan serves their tea:

Tea at Starbucks Songshan Station

Cute, right? Or am I the only one who found this amusing? It literally felt like tea time! Hahaha. I’m not sure if this is the only branch that does this, but in the other branches I’ve been to, their tea’s served the normal way— in a paper cup. 10/10 would go back just because of their tea. Uhh, okay, enough with the amusement. Lol.
 

Shifen (十分)

The long commute eventually didn’t matter because of the quaint sight upon arrival:

Shifen Station

Track along Shifen Old Street

Despite being situated just a few meters from the track, the Shifen Old Street marketplace is still often busy with tourists (i.e. safety isn’t much of an issue lolz) munching on xiaochi and/or launching their respective sky lanterns.

Before Releasing our Sky Lantern

Our Sky Lantern…in the Sky lolz

Located a few kilometers away from Shifen Old Street is another famous landmark in Shifen:

Shifen Waterfall

It’s possible to get there by foot (roughly a 30-minute walk) but since it was raining, we just went there by taxi. Lol. From the drop-off point (Shifen Waterfall Walk Area entrance) to the observation deck, we walked for around 10 minutes, including a few photo ops along the way.

Mini Bridge leading to the Suspension Bridge

Suspension Bridge (trying to look like I’m not tired)

Metal Horses leading to Shifen Waterfall

Because of the rain, there was too much water flowing— making the waterfall look like a dam. Haha. Nonetheless, the visit was still worth it. *wink*

Expectation (src: aisaipac.com) vs Reality lol

Jiufen (九份)

We went straight to Jiufen from Shifen Waterfall by taxi. To be honest, the intense rain and winds made us feel irritable and weak during our visit to this beautiful Spirited Away-“themed” place. Lol. Oh well…

Red Lanterns reminding us of Spirited Away

“Hidden” Alley in Jiufen (trying to look like I’m not tired pt. 2)

Quick “Snack”: Braised Pork + Steamed Pork Dumplings

Taipei (台北)

Day 2! Back story: We were supposed to go to Sun Moon Lake on our second day, but because I didn’t feel well (due to the bad weather), we ended up spending the day in Taipei. Lol.

A touristy day in Taipei wouldn’t be complete without visiting Liberty Square:

Liberty Square Main Gate

National Theater

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (under construction— yup, lucky us)

We spent the rest of the day at Ximending, then at Zhongshan. Hooray (for shopping and food)!

Ximending

Torched Beef Cubes at Zhongshan

Aaand on our last day, we went to the north coast:
 

Yehliu Geopark (野柳地質公園)

I’m not a rock lover (lolz) but I enjoyed Yehliu Geopark. The place is so unique, and its ambiance is very relaxing due to the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. It takes one direct 1.5-hour bus ride (via Kuo Kuang) from Taipei Main Station to Yehliu, so it’s relatively easy to get there. The drop-off point to the park entrance requires a few minutes of walking, which shouldn’t be much of a hassle if it didn’t rain…but it rained. Hard. Lol. Anyway, the rain surprisingly subsided upon our arrival at the park, so yay.

Scenic Views at Yehliu Geopark

Queen’s Head

 
Seeing Shifen Waterfall look like a muddy dam, getting our shoes soaked, and feeling feverish throughout the trip didn’t stop us from falling deeper in love with Taiwan. Evidence found below. Lol.