Fais comme tu veux.: Taiwan-o-blog ! (part deux)

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Taiwan-o-blog ! (part deux)

Day 2. Ximending ->Taipei main station ->Rueifang -> Jiufen -> Yeliou -> Keelung

We woke up (early) just in time to witness the morning rush. As the hustle and bustle of life whizzed past us while we consumed our mobile breakfast consisting of soya milk and 蛋饼, it was as if we were indifferent to the changing environment, guising us as a temporary misfit, passing us off as true blue tourists.

As we had to reach the train station in time for our Rueifang bound train, we made haste and do away with the luxury of time we had; at least for awhile. As we could not get the block train tickets, we were separated into 3 pairs in different cabins.

At Tapei main station...

Human traffic regulator acting busy!

Train conductor 'kiapping' his way through

Waiting for the bus to Jiufen

It was a zig-zagging trip up Jiufen as the bus captain negotiated around bends that were aplenty. Up in Jiufen...

What a nice way to enjoy old age

Curvy, wavy, slanted

Lanterns like these bloomed everywhere in Jiufen

Check out the narrow lanes

Zipping through with ease

That's where we purchased our pineapple tarts and tai yang bing

Its hard to locate rubbish bins in Taiwan, maybe that's why they do up their used coconut shell

Fish balls everywhere

The tourists !

Next stop, Yeliou.

We could have taken the bus to Yeliou. But after weighing the pros and cons (the unbearable heat, long waiting time, long travelling time, hassle to transfer buses), we decided to go by cab.

At first, in order to reduce our travelling costs, the 6 (MW and Jeff haven't arrived yet) of us wanted to try squeezing into a 4 seater cab. But after a ridiculously lengthy negotiation with the cabbie, we made do with 2 cabs instead. The cabbie assured us a speedier trip as he would be using the highway, and also, he reiterated that the cab fare was justifiable and considerably 'cheap', judging by the distance between Jiufen and Yeliou. To add on, he also mentioned that since we're there on holidays, we should dare to spend more money. Duh!

We were in for a surprise in Yeliou. The high cab fare didn't do justice to the sceneries and things we could do there ! And due to the scorching heat, most of us were well hidden under the shade most of the time. Only a few brave us ventured around the park.

Rocks

Queen's head

Street while walking to the bus stop

After a long bus ride, we reached Keelung.

Scooters always storm the front

Miao Kou night market with its distinct lantern lineups

4 storeys high Macdonalds ! Statue of libery look-alike beside that infamous golden arch. How cool is that !

After touring the Miao kou vicinity, we took a bus to Bisha Fishery Harbour. This place seemed like a tourist-trap to me. Rows of restaurants, desperate for customers. All the various restaurant staffs tried alot of hard sell tactics to lure us in. However, since the first shop we went past had nicer staffs, we decided to have our dinner there.