Taiwan 2012 - Dongshan River Water Park (Yilan) & Luodong Night Market

Sorry for taking so long to post this up. Not sure if my computer's problem or it's my ISP's problem but every time I try to upload a photo, my internet inadvertently gets cut off. As a result, I have to resort to uploading them one by one--a very time-consuming task. >.<

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy my post!

Dongshan River Water Park is a huge park in Yilan, something in the manner of East Coast in Singapore but with better scenery. Hehe. The Dongshan River runs alongside it, bringing with it a constant yet cooling breeze that feels really refreshing. In fact, this place was built to cater for several recreational activities. The architecture was designed such that people could sit along terraces to enjoy water races etc. Quite neat huh.

It's a great place for a day trip, especially if you're coming from Taipei. You can rent a bicycle or one of those 2/4-seaters to explore the park in its entirety and enjoy the fresh air. One thing about this place though. There are lots of tiny bugs flying in the air, so be sure not to...well...open your mouth too often. LOL.

Even the sky is bluer here

The tunnel that leads to the park from my B&B, cycling is
a rather popular activity here! XD

The first glimpse of the park

A well-kept path that meanders along the river

A map! You can see that it's a really huge park.

The iconic red bridge of Yilan - Lizejian Bridge 利澤簡橋

Water sports galore...you can even sit along the terraces to
enjoy the breeze

You can tell that it's a really popular spot for water-sports
lovers

An abandoned coffee place...but it DOES have the air of a
modern Taiwanese love drama setting, right? 

Another place in which to admire the scenery

I'm not sure what this building is for, but it appears to be
empty as well.

So nice and peaceful, right?

Gorgeous expanse of grassy fields for the picnic lovers

The benches are like something out of a fairy tale, no?

Even the shelters are so pretty! Not just chunks of shady concrete.

DINO! They definitely planned this park for the
kids.

Truly a kid's world

Food for the hungry & bicycle rental

There is not much to eat nearby...a couple of restaurants that requires a good deal of walking after you've crossed the Lizejian Bridge (the red bridge that is pretty iconic in Yilan) to the other side, but you can always consider visiting the Luodong Night Market which is located in the middle of the Luodong Township near the Luodong train station.

Now the night market, like any other in Taipei, is absolutely PACKED. There are loads of delicious food and you can see long queues of people in front of popular stalls that can also be found in several locations scattered throughout the night market. So what exactly does one eat here? Regrettably, I didn't take a lot of photos of the food. But here is a post by Kampungboycitygal that not only includes a map where all the delicious treats are, it also has loads of pictures for your visual feast! XD

Whole streets of food, fun & shopping
at Luodong Night Market~!

You can get here from the Dongshan River Water Park via a cab. It's easier than taking a bus & it doesn't cost much either. I took a cab and the driver was so friendly. Hehe.

My thoughts:
Not exactly a touristy spot, but it's good for a leisurely day trip. You can also take a small boat from here to the National Center for Traditional Arts. The park is very pleasant, but you can't help but feel that it was meant to be a more commercialised area. The beautiful yet empty buildings that you walk past are a mute testimony to that. About the only shops that survive around here are the food and bicycle rental kiosks because people love to come here and cycle or buy some food to share with their friends. On the whole, Yilan appears to be a sleepy town with not much happening. There are a lot of B&Bs around though, so you can count on a restful vacation if you decide to come here. Among the more popular ones are Rothenburg Lodge and Sunday Home, but do note that these places are extremely popular so if you want to stay there, you gotta book fast and way before you make your trip into Taiwan. =D

I didn't get to stay at these B&Bs coz they were already booked by the time I got around to doing the nitty gritties BUT I did manage to score myself a room at the Beautiful Ilan B&B. I'll cover that in my next post. =)

Taiwan 2011 - Maokong Gondola (貓空)

Maokong (貓空, literally translated as Cat Empty) Gondola is located in the Wenshan district of Taipei and used to be the largest tea growing area in Taipei. To get there, you can either take a bus or a cable car to the last stop along a string of stations that include Zhinan Temple.

Popular folklore (and my Taiwanese friend) say that unmarried couples are not encouraged to visit Zhinan Temple because they will break up after that. It is said that the temple's main deity, Lu Dong Bing, is jealous of lovers due to his unrequited love for He Xiangu and will break them up if given the opportunity. So if you're going there with your boyfriend or girlfriend, visit the temple at your risk. =)

Married couples should be fine, I guess. Don't ask me why. XD

Zhinan Temple is the stop before Maokong Gondola so don't walk downhill if you want to avoid the temple after you reach the last station.

To get to Maokong Gondola, you must first take
the MRT to the Taipei Zoo Station.

The signs showing the right direction to take the cable car up
Maokong.

A dreary and rainy day, as usual on a day in November. Once
you reach the place, you have to grab a queue number and buy
a ticket but if you have the EasyCard, you can go on right up to
ride on the cable car. People usually take the normal cable cars
though coz they are cheaper.

You can either choose to take a bus up the Maokong mountain
or take cable cars, the normal ones or the crystal cabins which
allow you to see what passes beneath your feet. The crystal
cabins are slightly more expensive, of course but you can pay
for the rides using your EasyCard. =)

The view below: if you take a crystal cabin...do bear in mind
that you're not allowed to take a cabin alone or in a couple
so you have to share cabins with another couple or a few
other people. Guess they don't want any hanky panky to happen.
Hehe...

Maokong Gondola is the last stop at the top of the mountain
and is the perfect spot if you want to have some tea with a
beautiful view. The way downhill is to the left of this picture.

Information counter

A nature's paradise, surrounded on all sides by Mother Nature

A food place~! Empty at the moment, probably coz it was still
early in the day...

There were no pavements but strips were designated as
pedestrians' right of way.

Foggy skies, thanks to the incessant drizzle

You will see this town if you walk down the mountain...they
have a lot of tea places for people to chill out.

A tea place where they apparently sell nice Yakitori...

Tea leaves being grown...

One of the roadside cafes where you can sip tea atas-ly

It would have been nice had it not been raining... >.<

One of the temples you can consider visiting...

I walked past this little shop that sells excellent pastries such as
sun biscuits. And they had a doggie that was quite friendly. XD
They wouldn't allow me to take photos of the interior though. =/
This is a recommended place to get your sun biscuits, oh and
hand-made soap that is quite good for the skin as well.

Thanks to my usual blur-ness, I took a mini bus in front of the above little shop and ended up at the bottom of the mountain again. =x But the thing is, if you don't want to take the cable car down, you can always try taking a bus. They have these bus signs where you can wait next to until the bus arrives but no shelter, which could get tricky if it rains.

All in all, lots of walking to be done if you want to explore the place in depth. But if you're just there for the tea, then don't forget to buy a box of pastries before you go there coz it will taste great with your tea. =D

Taiwan 2011 - Ximending

Ximending is a shopping spot that is best visited at night. I went there during daytime and the place was almost like a ghost town, save for a few open stores and cineplexes...which by the way, seem to be mushrooming all over the place. I guess the Taiwanese love their movies. =)

Otherwise known as the "Harajuku" of Taiwan, Ximending is the favourite hangout for the young, the fashionable, subcultures and Japanese culture. To really experience the night life (as well as the crowds & gay bars that are scattered over the area), however, you've gotta start late.

Abandoned building for sale...yep...the whole building

One of the many cineplexes in Ximending, their
ticket prices are about 10SGD per ticket.

Another cineplex, one that offers an IMAX experience too

This entire street consists of a whole stretch of cineplexes...I
kid you not. Ximending became well-known as 'Theatre Street'
way back in the 1930s and has over 20 theatres today plus 6000
vendors. It's also a popular area for street performances, album
launches and small concerts. 

Not open for business...but they sure have colourful shutters!

Dead town but the cineplexes and some stores were already open
for business

English movies seem to be quite in vogue here...

How to get there:
The most straightforward way is to take the MRT to the Ximen Station on the Taipei Metro line & go out via exit 6. Me, I had actually walked there from Hope Hotel, which is very near to Taipei Main Station. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes of getting lost and asking directions from people but it was kinda fun coz you get to see things that you don't see on guided tours. =D

For instance, I walked past a small restaurant that sold economical rice (the type where you can pick your choice of meat or veggie) in rather large portions. It looked rather delicious if you asked me, hehe...picked up a large cup of bubble tea and fell instantly in love with Taiwan's bubble tea. I will never be able to drink Singapore's version of bubble tea...ever again. =x

Unless they are of the Taiwanese brand like A-gan tea. =D

Advertising with bad English... =x

My first bubble tea in Taiwan~!

The Taiwanese typically go everywhere on motorbikes. Seems like almost everyone owns a set of wheels and most people don't really take cabs...coz they usually take the train or buses, which are pretty convenient.

Since it caters mainly for the young people (and the young at heart), the stores there mainly sell Japanese inspired stuff like anime-themed stationery and soft toys as well as beauty staples like face masks. While comparable to night markets like the Shilin Night Market, shopping could get a tad expensive though so do take note. =)

Taiwan 2011 - Jinguashi

A bus ride away from Jiufen lies Jinguashi, a gold and copper mining town that has been converted into a tourist attraction with the opening of its Gold Ecological Park. It was an interesting spot to visit because you can learn all about the history of gold and copper mining. This spot was also the place where POWs during WWII were brought to work as slave miners. They even had this mini museum that featured Sun Yat Sen's letters so if you're a Chinese/Japanese history buff, you should go check it out. =)

The entrance to the Gold Ecological Park

A statue of what a typical miner would look like
in the good old days.

Gold Ecological Park map: A rather large space to explore if
you ask me, so try to allocate at least half a day to tour around
this spot. =)

Signs to the different spots of the park

Fluffy clouds floating past

The residences where the owners of the mines used to live in,
apparently one has to queue up to enter the area but the queue
was too long for me that day. =.=

A long time ago, they prepared this gorgeous place for the
Imperial Prince from Japan to stay for a visit at the mines but
he never came so it turned into a tourist spot instead.

We weren't allowed into the residence but you can tell that
the interior has been painstakingly prepared for his royal
highness. A woman walked past me grumbling about the size
of the living space though. =x 

Mini golf range for his imperial highness's entertainment

A rainy path outside the Crown Prince Residence,
in case his garden didn't suffice?

Mountainous view...nice fresh air 24/7 

See the gold and bronze statue in the distance? It's on
the Cyuanji Temple built in 1896 and is the largest idol
of that deity in the world.

Wagon of rocks...kinda heavy to push around

One thing I hate the most...stairs...to get to
the next level of the park =.=;;

More stairs... T.T

I'm not sure where this staircase leads to but
adventurous types could give it a try! =D

GOLD BAR~! It's as heavy as one person. =D Imagine getting
this as a proposal gift. LOL. You can find this in the museum next
to the mining tunnels.

The entrance to the mining tunnels, entrance is
ticketed though.

The stairs that will take you to the Shinto temple...you can also
spot the Teapot Mountain from here as well...

The Shinto Temple at the halfway point. Took
me quite a while but I finally reached it! Had to
go down though, coz it was getting dark.

Being the not so athletic type, I found all the climbing tiring. LOL. But if you're a nature lover, then Jinguashi is a good place to visit for its mountains, blue skies (when it's not raining) and mining history. As always, I didn't manage to cover the entire area coz I set off late due to the rain in the morning. So do remember to set aside a day or two if you want to explore the whole place~! =)

I didn't get to explore much but if you want to find out more about its other attractions, click here for the Wikitravel version. Hope this helps.

How to get there: 
If you're going there from Jiufen, you can take a bus from the bus stop in front of the pavilion that overlooks the sea. Make sure the sign bus says that it's going there. If you want to make doubly sure, ask the bus driver. Bus fare is payable using the EasyCard or cash...about 100NT if I remember correctly.

The same goes if you are coming from the Ruifang Station. Hop on the bus that is opposite the station square and make sure that the bus sign says that it's heading for Jinguashi. =)