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Published: January 8th 2006
Our 2nd last day in Taiwan.
The railway brought us to Ruifang which we had intended to visit Shifen only a few more stops away by taking the Pingxi line. To our disappointment, there was no way we could fit our schedule in. The next train leaving for Shifen will leave in an hours’ time.
Decided not to waste any more time, we took a bus instead to Jiufen, a sleepy town brought to life after City of Sadness was filmed in the area in the 1980s. 20 minutes into the journey when all the passengers alighted, “this is it!”
When in doubt, follow the crowds.
Anyway, I had high expectations of this place after two friends had narrated their positive experiences of the place. Sadly, it is more like a tourist enclave that was much stronger than what I had experienced in Danshui & Wulai. It did not do much justice that the journey to Jiufen was challenging for first timers to the place.
But credit should be given to her nice scenary overlooking the sea and the breath of fresh air lacking in the cities. The area is carefully spruce up and restored for
the tourist trade I guess. It simply reminds me of the Chinatown at home. Anyway, we did purchase some muachis on our way back….😊
We took a bus to Jinguashi, an old gold mining town with much historical value. No more gold in the area, just ple. The video that showcase the hard life of old miners was a touching one that kept visitors glued to the viewing gallery. And much was also said about the numerous POWs during the 2nd world war that lost their lives in Jinguashi. It is a living museum that paints the history of the place vividly.
Lunch was at Ruifang before we continued our journey to Keelung Harbour. Traffic is as heavy as Taipei (perhaps the MRT system should start running there). Anyway, like all visitors, we stopped by the Temple Street Night Market for a small feast before taking the train back to Taipei.
We had time that evening to completely explore the underground metro malls of the Taipei Main Station. It is big and the queues for Mister Donuts and Yamakazi Bakery were enormously long.
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