July 15, 2012
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Taipei…..Jiufen - is about an hour car ride from the city, and is well known for its hilly vista and cozy small town atmosphere. It used to be a mining town, nowadays, visitors go there for the tea houses dotting the hillside……
This tri-level teahouse hanging precariously over the hillside…..
In this small town, this is the main “food street”, fish balls shop on the left…..
More shops ahead as we approach deep into town…..
Peanut shavings wrapped in thin starchy sheets…..
Glazed fruity balls and bitter melon (for juice)…..
Stinky tofu…..
Rice wrapped in lotus leaves…..
Sweet or salty mochi made from green beans, these are quite delicious actually….
At the end of an alley, there’s is this hole-in-the-wall spot, selling mochi & taro balls over shaved ice (see those patrons eating on the steps)…..
A brief history of this dessert…..
They all come in one size, quite a lot for a single serving…..
On our way back, we stopped by this huge temple…..
Colourful spires decorating the hillside…..
View from the upper levels of the temple…..
It was a misty day after all…..
Last glimpse of the temple on our drive back to the city…..
We arrived in Jiufen around two o’clock in the afternoon, and spent only three hours there, including exploring the huge temple. I wish I could spend more time trying out the teahouses. Oh well, there’s always a next time!
Comments (28)
you are in taiwan?! aww could’ve taken you around! but seems like youknow where to go already!
Gary the pictures of the mountains and the temple are absolutely incredible. I couldn’t take my eyes of the details of the workmanship of BOTH, the temple and the mountains! What a glorious place!
My goodness the temple is ornate — how beautiful! And the shopping district is so crowded, but so colorful. Thanks for sharing!
Nice pictures!! (I guess Nikon cameras are ok…) Was it easy to navigate the village without getting lost? Also – did you guys rent a car and drive or hired a car w/ driver?
More street food and rolling hills with lush greens
@Made2Order – Next time when we are in town, I’m going to give you a call for sure!
@ZSA_MD -Thank you, Zakiah! I’m glad the pictures came out good, it was a worth the time for a detour to this interesting temple!
@slmret – Yes, colourful indeed! The shopping place gets even more crowded when we left. There were these huge tour buses going up the windy streets.
@ElusiveWords – Of course Nikons are just as good. LOL. On this trip, we hired a taxi driver who knows the area well. We were lucky since he knows where to locate the good food and scenic spots!
@oxyGENE_08 – Gene, thanks for the description! LOL. I’m sure you have seen a lots of these lush hills in the Phillipines!
I’VE BEEN THERE. I’VE BEEN THERE. I’VE BEEN THERE. gosh, i want some of those taro balls. i also miss the tiny tea pot/ceramic shop at the end of the trail, where i bought some tea set. sigh… i miss taiwan.
@CurryPuffy - Haven’t been traveling around the country much lately but I might go to Baguio this weekend (City situated on a mountain) so I’ll be seeing lotsa greens indeed.
Fun – will have to remember this for our visit next year.
@rudyhou - Time to go again, perhaps?
@christao408 - You’ll love the scenery for sure! And the tea houses too.
Please tell me u had tofu! The one by the temple is the most famous place for tofu!!! I love the yam and taro balls!
@yang1815 - Next time around, I’ll try the tofu and lounge in the teahouse.
@CurryPuffy - ahhh!!!
how’d you get there btw??? the only times I went were when somebody else drove hehe…
@CurryPuffy - u have no idea how many times i’ve planned of the return visit. but opportunity never seems to present itself with the right timing. perhaps a xangan meet-up there?
@rudyhou - That sounds good! I can’t wait to eat delicious food in Taipei again! Let me know when!
@yang1815 - Andy, we took a taxi. The driver was nice enough to act as tour guide, and he treated us those green bean mochi.
Nice guy!
@CurryPuffy - wait a minute, didn’t we agreed on a xangan meet-up in HK?
@rudyhou - Haha~that too! I’ll be there around the last two weeks of the year. Would be nice to meet up!
@CurryPuffy - is this confirmed? didn’t you also invite other xangans? i forgot whom u invited.
@CurryPuffy – wow that is very nice!!!
I know I had come here earlier and posted a comment, but I came back to look at the mountains again. The second last picture is so beautiful. It could be a picture on a famous calender.
@ZSA_MD - Thanks Zakiah! Maybe I should use that on my FB cover page! LOL