Our recent Taiwan trip, we explored more of New Taipei’s attractions. We flew with EVA Air from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei.
EVA Air is a Taiwanese international airline based at Taoyuan International Airport. The airline is part of Star Alliance was awarded 5-star airline rated by Skytrax.
Eva Air’s B777-300ER KL to Taipei consists of 311 seats from 3 classes. We were seated in Premium Economy class with the seat configuration of 2-4-2.
We were amazed at how spacious & comfortable EVA Air’s premium economy seat is! The recliner seat comes with a generous 38″ Pitch and 19.3″ Width.
Yangmingshan Tien Lai Resort & Spa 陽明山天籟渡假酒店
Upon arriving at Taoyuan International Airport, our hired driver brought us to our hotel in Yangmingshan which is an hour away from Taipei.
Yangmingshan Tien Lai Resort & Spa 陽明山天籟渡假酒店 is one of the top-rated hot spring resort in New Taipei. The Michelin Green Guide awarded hotel is located on a plateau that offers a rare view of the entire Yangmingshan National Park.
The hot spring resort offers 6,000sqm of spa water facilities and an outdoor swimming pool. The outdoor hot spring & spa water world is complimentary for hotel guests while visitors can pay NT$1,000 to enjoy. It is open from 7.00am to 11.00pm daily.
We stayed in the Japanese style quad room that offers a semi-open-air hot spring bathtub at the veranda allowing us a more private and exclusive hot spring experience surrounded by nature.
Enjoying our own private hot spring tub
Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock (象鼻岩)
Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock is located near Shenao Fishing Port. The huge elephant-like rock gained famed due to its similar geologic features as in Yehliu.
Nearby the Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock, there is a marvellous scenery place not to be missed. It is located at the Red Indian Face Mountain.
As Shenao is a small fishing port, you can find local seafood restaurants nearby. The restaurant we tried happens to specialize in squid dishes. Black squid sausage is a local speciality that you must try. Despite its look, they taste delicious.
Shen’ao Rail Bike
The Shenao Rail Bike was once an abandoned rail train track that used to transport coal to the coal-fired Shen’ao Power Plantalong. It has been turned into rail bike route by the New Taipei Government.
Riders can pedal slowly along the 1.3km old rail track which passes LED beautified tunnel and offers soothing scenery along the north coast. The rail bike cost NT$150 for a one-way trip and NT$250 for a round trip.
Yin Yang Sea
The Yin Yang Sea is formed from the convergence of coal-rich yellow mountain soil and the blue sea thus creating a striking 2 tone colour.
New Taipei City Government Gold Museum
The Gold Museum was established to offer visitors a glimpse of the past where Ruifang was a vibrant city due to its gold mine. The museum provides information about the discovery of gold in the area, with displays on the Benshan Tunnels, old mining equipment, mining transport systems and a brief introduction to the World War II.
The main highlight of the museum is the 220.30 kg 999.9 pure gold brick which visitors are allowed to touch. Within the museum, there are several traditional Japanese houses as the gold mine was mainly controlled by the Japanese.
One of it is the Crown prince chalet, specially built with a Japanese Garden to host the then Crown Prince Hirohitoon which planned a visit to Jinguashi.
Crown Prince Chalet
220.30 kg 999.9 Pure Gold Brick
Jiufen Old Street
Jiufen was founded during the Qing Dynasty. The isolated village housed nine families, thus the village would request “nine portions” every time shipments arrived from town. That is how the village got its name.
In the past, Jiufen got its popularity during the Gold Rush in 1890. Many present features of Jiufen reflect the era under Japanese colonization, with many Japanese architectures surviving to this day.
In current time, Jiufen became a must-visit attraction mainly due to its similarity to the village in Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki though the claim was rejected by Hayao himself.
We rented traditional Chinese wear nearby before wandering the old streets of Jiufen. It proves to be a great fit as the traditional Chinese wear blends well with the old surroundings and tea houses.
Jiufen Old Street is full of restaurants, tea houses and souvenir shops.
One interesting way to spend time in Jiufen is to visit one of its tea houses. A variety of unique tea can be found and to learn the art of brewing Chinese tea
Enjoying our tea at tea house
Keelung Night Market
From Jiufen, we went to Keelung Night Market for our dinner. The Keelung night market houses plenty of food stalls offering a variety of local delicacies.
Ru Rou Fan
Fried Sandwich
Mitsui Outlet Park Linkou
For shopaholics, Mitsui Outlet Park Linkou might be a great choice to score some steep bargains from its 170 international, Taiwanese and Japanese brands store. There are plenty of dining options as well in Mitsui Outlet.
As the Mitsui Outlet Park Linkou is situation between Taoyuan Airport and Taipei, most visitors will drop by from the airport or before heading to the airport.
The outlet mall also houses a cinema and a hello kitty themed cinema cafe
Park City Hotel Luzhou Taipei
Another hotel we stayed at the Park City Hotel Luzhou Taipei. The hotel is located above St. Ignatius High School Metro Station offering hotel guests the convenience to get around with public transport.
Staying in New Taipei has its advantage especially when exploring the surroundings. It greatly reduces travelling time while avoiding the city’s traffic.
Park City Hotel Luzhou Taipei
Park Deluxe Room
Sanxia 三峽
In olden days, Sanxia was key goods distribution centre in Northern Taiwan due to its location. The area established itself as a base for production and in the town were lined with shops that sold dyes, manufacturing materials, and tea.
A local twist of croissant
Qingshui Zushi Temple (清水祖師宮)
Until this day, Sanxia cultural value remained undiminished instead flourish mainly due to Qingshui Zushi Temple. A grandeur temple that involved a painstaking amount of craftmanship with a combination of religion and art during its construction.
This Taoist temple is the epitome of exquisite carving and complex structure as well as the dynamic center of Chinese religious worship.
Sanxia Indigo Dyeing Center 三峡蓝染展示中心
Blue Dye is a traditional Taiwanese cloth dying technique. Sanxia was the epic centre of clothes dyeing industry in Taiwan during the Qing dynasty. We came to the centre to learn the art of dyeing and we can even try it ourselves.
Hsi Lai Chen Restaurant 喜徕珍古井餐厅
We had our lunch in a family restaurant at Hsi Lai Chen which mainly served Taiwanese home-cooked food at a reasonable price. The restaurant also housed ancient well with more than 100 years of history.
Sanxia Old Street 三峽老街
Well preserved Baroque red brick buildings can still be seen along Mingquan Street, Heping Street, Renai Street and Chongshan Road. The 260 meter-long old street area on Mingquan Street has over 100 antique houses.
It used to be a commercial hub during the Qing dynasty, now the area is filled with shops selling antiques, souvenirs and food.
Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭
Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf is a scenic spot at the western tip of Tamsui. The area is renowned for its beautiful sunset and the Lover’s bridge which illuminates the night with its changing colour.
Mesmerizing Sunset
Lovers Bridge
Tamsui Old Street
After visiting Fisherman’s Wharf, we went to Tamsui Old Street which is full of shops, eateries, street food and even carnival games. A nice place for a night stroll while enjoying a variety of local street food.
Tamsui Sponge Cake
The sponge cake is one of the local delicacies in Tamsui. The fluffy egg sponge cake is freshly baked with an option of adding cheese in it. Extremely soft & fluffy with nice flavour of the egg.
Golden Tulip FAB Hotel Tamsui
We stayed in Golden Tulip FAB Hotel Tamsui during our visit in Tamsui. The 4-star hotel is newly opened and offers 100 well-appointed rooms that come with a spacious bathtub.
The hotel is located less than 2km away from Tamsui Metro Station and offers complimentary shuttle van service to the metro station. Tam Sui Old street is just beside the metro station.
Golden Tulip FAB Hotel Tamsui
Deluxe Room
Bathroom
Be the first to comment