Taiwan Day 2: Yehliu Geopark + Spirited Away in Jiufen!

by - May 08, 2018

Growing up as a kid in Taiwan wasn't any different for me in the Philippines. My days were spent mostly in the city and it was rare that I get to explore provinces or take road trips. But that was alright cos I am a city girl by heart and Taipei has so much to offer. Though from time to time, I would love to do something out of the ordinary. So, going back after all these years, I wanted to do something different and it was perfect cos my blogger bestie Ana felt the same way too! ^_^ I'm glad we're always on the same radar when it comes to interests! 

For our day two in Taiwan, we decided to do Yehliu Geopark and Jiufen!


YEHLIU GEOPARK

Yehliu Geopark has a familiar-hazy memory to me. I've been here as a kid cos my Mom's boss took me with him and his family to see it. Back then, it wasn't so busy nor were there any barricades or limitations. We were cautious, of course on where we would go around, but people all those years weren't as strict. But seeing it on Instagram a year back, I was surprised that it was packed with people and actually a popular tourist spot now. Since it has been forever, I wanted to see it again with Ana! ^_^

HOW TO GET THERE:

Yehliu Geopark is an hour away from Taipei's main City, so going there you have to take the MRT/train. In our route, Ana and I came from the Zhishan red line station (you could also come from Taipei Main Station), >> we then transferred to the blue line of Zhongxiao Dunhua Station. Once we got off the train, we took the bus no. 1815 and after 1 hour, we arrived at the Yehliu drop off point! :) Again, we used our Easy Card for all transportation for the day, so it's very helpful! You can read more about that HERE.

There's this sign below, so you won't miss it!



Before getting the park itself, we had a 7 minute walk, which we didn't mind cos we were busy admiring this wharf view! :) So stunning! I even learned recently from Ana that this was one of the shooting sites of Meteor Garden! Who would have thought that we'd coincidentally find this! We honestly didn't know! So cool!^_^

As you may notice, I'm wearing a jacket here. My Mom kept saying how lucky we were cos despite the supposedly summer weather, there was a cold front during our trip, so it was quite cold! :) Our short escape from the scorching Manila weather! ugh! >_<

Finally, Yehliu Geopark! We meet again! The entrance to the park is NT$ 80 or Php 140.





* FACTS: Yehliu Geopark is famous for its sea-erosion landscapes or rock formations. It's well-known formation is called the "Queen's Head"*

The moment you enter the park, you will get a glimpse through the chart on what rock formations you'll be able to see. :) It's really so different from what I remember, but again, I'm seeing it in a new light thanks to Instagram!

In all honesty, when we got there, it was flocked with people. I can't imagine this place on a weekend!>_< Though, even on a weekday, tourist people were present and it was a bit hard to find the perfect 'photo spot', but if you look hard enough or just be patient, you'll find some! ;)





With the famous "Queens Head" or what we fondly called "Queenie!" Haha! It also reminds me of Queen Nefertiti from Egypt, if you're familiar with her. :)

If you badly want a photo here, not to worry! They have a line, so it's organized! But you just have to bear with the people photobombing you! >_< It cannot be helped!


I think 2 to 3 hours is more than enough to take photos and explore this place. :) 

After our photoshoot haha, Ana and I headed out of the park to find a place to eat...


At first I thought we could find some here, but they're actually just for souvenirs or pasalubongs for you to take home to your fam. :)

So, we ended up at the nearest 7-11 cos we were already so hungry!


 Great thing the 7-11 in Taiwan always has yummy food! Sticking with my faves: beef noodles, Lipton Milk Tea and Tuna onigiri!♥

We ended at Yehliu Geopark at around 4PM or close to 5 already. From there, we grabbed the 1815 bus again heading back to Zhongxiao Dunhua Station. :)

JIUFEN OLD STREET

HOW TO GET THERE: 

From Zhongxiao Dunhua Station, we rode the MRT again to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, which was just the next station and from there we went out of the station to catch the 1062 bus to Jiufen Old Street.  Again, this was another hour away trip.

Since we left Yehliu Geopark late already, we arrived at Jiufen Old Street at night...



FACT: Jiufen Old Street was once a thriving mining area during the Japanese era. Now it is one of the hottest tourist spots in Taiwan cos it's inspired by the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away. You can immerse yourself here for a real-life experience of the show.

When we got there, I noticed there were a lot of Japanese tourist and just A LOT of people! Again, I cannot imagine this place on a weekend! Thank God we went on a weekday! Though, I highly suggest you go here at least 4PM and maybe stay until night time, so you can fully enjoy the place and dine in. :) Most vendors are closed already by the time we arrived at 8PM. Though some were open!








Most photos I see of Jiufen are during the day time. But Ana and I actually prefer its charm at night! After all, the bath house in Spirited Away opens at night! ;)




You cannot go to Jiufen and not take photos of the famous landmark a.k.a. most Instagrammed place in Jiufen is A Mei's Tea House. :)

Story time: Everyone was below trying their hardest to take photos from the side and you can't get a good shot. But for some reason, I kept looking at this old man who owned this restaurant across the tea house, but it had a rope enclosure, so you can't just go in. :(  I don't know if I had a sad face on, but he suddenly asked where Ana and I were from and happily I said, "We're from the Philippines!" From there, he removed the rope and said, "go in! go in!" We were so happy and feeling like we won the lottery cos mind you, he selected who could go in cos their resto was actually closed for the night already. Super thankful to the Xiānshēng that let us in! It made our trip worthwhile! XieXie!

It was truly a crazy day of long bus rides and rushing from one location to another, but glad I had my girl Ana to share this with! :) 



Ended the night with some yummy Chinese food at the restaurant my Mom and I used to go to as a child. Only walking distance from our place. :)

Can't wait to share with you, guys more Taiwan posts! For now, if you want to read my other Taiwan posts, click here: https://www.artsyfartsyava.com/search/label/taiwan.♥

Artsy Ava
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