Exploring some of the most beautiful towns in Northern Taiwan

Another travel day means another early start. I should know by now that if I travel with my photographer, 90% of our days will involve a 7 am start (I will never be a morning dinosaur). Unfortunately, this was one of those days that I dread, but since it involved quite a bit of driving, I hoped to sneak in a snooze along the way. It was a trip that my photographer and I were both very excited to be on. This trip focused on my photographer’s childhood love of Studio Ghibli and my love of food. We were very excited for this adventure, which is something neither my photographer nor I have felt for a while. It was truly a bucket list adventure in Taiwan.

I had an early breakfast and then headed to Taipei Main Station to catch a bus to Northern Taiwan. Taipei Main Station was a bustling hub of activity when I arrived at 7:50 am. It may have been rush hour, but there was an organised feel to the chaos ensuing around me. My photographer and I had done a practice run through Taipei Main Station because it is huge and has 11 different exits across three floors.

The bus was waiting outside exit M3, so I quickly ran into FamilyMart to grab some snacks before boarding. Surprisingly, I completed the entire FamilyMart side quest using only Mandarin, making me feel like I earned the snacks I bought.

Departing from Taipei Main Station offered an incredible view. I hadn’t seen much of Taipei during my travels because the MRT mainly operates underground. The buildings were a mix of styles, adorned with colourful advertisements. Although I was in the city centre, it didn’t take long to reach a bridge over the Keelung River. Once on the bridge, the mountains and greenery began to appear in the distance. Houses lined rocky streams, hidden between some of the greenest forests I have ever seen. Wanting to see as much of Taiwan and the beautiful views out of the window, I didn’t manage to snooze. 45 minutes of driving through the steep mountain roads to Shifen, once a bustling old mining town that has since reverted into a sleepy village.

Shifen (十分)

Shifen may not have a lot to explore, but it does have a train line running through the centre of the main street. Fortunately, during my visit, the train passed through twice. I was fascinated to see that a man with a whistle was the only way to announce the approaching train. After the train had passed, humans would step onto the track to release brightly coloured lanterns into the sky. Each colour had a different meaning, and it was beautiful to see the vibrant lanterns floating in the sky above. However, the scattered remnants of lanterns littered in the surrounding trees and fields were not a pleasant sight.

My photographer and I chose not to release a lantern because we could not agree on a colour (but we all know blue is the best). Instead, we wandered through a few of the many cute shops lining the edge of the train line. Although I was only in the town for a short time, I loved its calm and relaxed feel. Taking a ride on the train is also something I would have loved to do (maybe on my next visit).

A short 20-minute walk away from the town was Shifen Waterfall; Taiwan’s version of Niagara Falls, just on a smaller scale. However, when you are only 1.5 KitKats tall, everything appears giant. To reach the waterfall, I had to walk through a park area and cross a rickety suspension bridge. The bridge was next to an ancient bridge used by trains crossing the water. Statues, mostly animal-shaped, lined the path along the river. They were a fun addition to the natural environment, though I’m not sure of their significance. Heavy rain covered Taiwan the day before my visit. Fortunately, I was lucky to visit the waterfall on a dry, sunny day, which made the steps less slippery as I walked down to the viewing platform.

As I returned to the bus, I spotted a train travelling across the rickety bridge. A background of beautiful blue skies, fluffy white clouds and bright green trees made the scene look like it had come straight from a Studio Ghibli movie. In that moment, I realised I had a very happy photographer.

Jiufen (九份)

Another 40-minute drive further into the mountains took me to Jiufen, a town once renowned for its gold mining. Though the gold has all gone, the charms of Jiufen remain. It is the home of Ah-Mei Teahouse, which is said to have inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away (fangirling photographer alert).

I was surprised to discover that buses are not allowed in the town; the central area is 100% pedestrianised. But this meant I had to do some exercise to get to the centre of town. 10 minutes of walking up a very steep and narrow staircase. Walking to the top of the stairs, I found Shengming Palace, but didn’t have enough time to explore inside. I was disappointed that the tour only allocated 1 hour and 45 minutes in Jiufen; I know that next time I visit, I’ll choose to stay overnight to enjoy this incredible place.

Disclaimer – my photographer did all of the walking whilst I sat in the handbag of doom, enjoying the view.

While I enjoyed the view outside the palace, I decided to head straight for lunch – I didn’t want to miss the chance to visit Ah-Mei Teahouse after travelling all that way. I was shocked to find no queue outside the building, as many other blogs had warned about the waiting time.

It was my lucky day as I also had the opportunity to sit on the roof terrace, where I had a table overlooking Keelung and the Northern Taiwan Coastline. Sadly, the kitchen was closed. But my lunch plans were still intact thanks to the dessert set they offered, which included fresh iced oolong tea and four kinds of local desserts. Living in Asia has made me fall in love with these desserts since they are less sweet and small enough to enjoy.

My favourite was the chewy peanut moji (similar to mochi in Singapore), and my photographer loved the green bean cake. The set also included sesame crackers and dried sweet plums, which paired perfectly with the oolong tea. After spending some time enjoying the view, I decided to head off to the lookout point at the other end of the town before embarking on a noble adventure to explore more food—sampling all the street food in Taiwan is a must!

There is a street in Jiufen lined with individual food stalls. Before my trip, I researched the best stalls, but I also discovered several others that had huge queues of people—a great sign that the food is delicious. As a vegetarian, my options were limited, but I am a fan of stinky tofu and taro balls, so I was more than happy with the food I found.

However, my photographer was on a quest to locate the Ah-Zhu Ice Cream Roll stall. This traditional Chinese dessert has become a firm favourite for Team Veganosaurus. The stall was hard to find, but it was worth the search. Two ice cream rolls cost 50 NTD (£1.25), which was very affordable compared to other ice cream stalls in the town. The ice cream roll featured vanilla ice cream coated in peanuts and coriander, all wrapped in a pancake. It wasn’t sweet at all, and the coriander added a refreshing touch.

Unfortunately, the warm temperatures on the street meant we had to eat quickly as the ice cream was melting rapidly. Our next stop was going to be for bubble tea, but we were running out of time and had to make our way back down all the stairs to catch the bus to our next destination.

Yehliu Geopark (野柳地質公園)

After a windy 50-minute ride through the mountains, I arrived at Yehliu Geopark. The coastline of Taiwan is vast and beautiful, which was a pleasant surprise during my trip. The geopark contained natural stone sculptures, and the entrance showcased a massive rock resembling a sleeping camel. Each rock had a unique shape, and it was amazing what others saw when looking at them. I discovered many fossils in the ground; they were huge and easy to spot.

My favourite rock looked like the Queen’s Head. Sadly, it’s gradually eroding due to the severe typhoons that hit Taiwan. It may not be around for much longer, serving as a reminder to appreciate the fleeting beauty of nature before it disappears. This beautiful place was a perfect way to conclude my trip, as many crabs scurried around the beach area, and the evening sun created a lovely atmosphere for relaxing and taking in the view. Armed with FamilyMart snacks and drinks, I sat on the coastline watching the boats whilst my photographer was a model for a group of Korean tourists (we love making new friends when travelling).

As evening approached, it was time to return to the city. Unfortunately, a 40-minute drive took twice as long due to rush hour traffic. The highlight of my return was getting dropped off in central Taipei and enjoying a stroll through the streets as the neon signs began to light up at dusk. My evening ended with a visit to Din Tai Fung to indulge in some well-earned vegan xiao long bao.