Today’s excursion brings us to the charming towns of Pingxi (平溪) and Shifen (十份). Located in Taiwan’s Northeast about an hour from Taipei, both are former Japanese era coal mining towns that today offer rich histories, quaint streets offering a good feel for old Taiwan, and of course, great street food.
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The story of Jiufen is in many ways a riches to rags (and back to riches, but of a different sort) tale. The small town about an hour away north of Taipei was built just outside of an active gold mine during the Japanese occupation, and it’s said that gold was plentiful during the good days. But the town is also remembered for a darker history during the later days of occupation when it was the site of a POW camp whose prisoners were made to labor under hard conditions.
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Taipei is a year-round kid-friendly city, and finding places that will keep the little ones cool and entertained isn’t difficult. The trick, of course, is finding a few kid friendly spots that the grownups will enjoy – or at least be able to endure without too much difficulty.
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When you think of the great destinations for tea lovers, Taiwan might not always be the first country that comes to your mind. Places like China and Japan might have more international renown, but any true lover of good tea sipped while relaxing and gazing at magnificent views of nature hasn’t really lived until they’ve visited the Bagua tea plantations in southern Taipei.
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The Beitou (北投) hot-spring district, now long enclosed within the borders of Taipei City, was voted one of Taiwan’s “Top 10 Tourist Towns” in a nationwide poll and expert survey concluded in 2012. Travel in Taiwan recently spent an afternoon with Yang Yeh, well-known Taiwan mapmaker, resident of Beitou since childhood, and expert on its history and culture.
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The north coast of Taiwan is a place of rugged yet easily reached natural wonders – a condensed version of the splendors of the east coast, if you will. With its abundant geological formations, evidence of the island’s fiery volcanic past, and bike trails delivering you to one interesting spot after another, it’s a great area for a day-trip out of Taipei, and easy to get to. Here are some destinations worth checking out via rail, bus, and bike on your journey. For this trip of the north coast we started in Keelung and made our way westward to Tamsui (淡水).
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Keelung (基隆; pronounced “jee-long”), Taiwan’s second-busiest seaport after Kaohsiung, combines frenetic energy, distinctive local color, and great seafood with a long and fascinating history.
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The Taiwanese are fond of their tea and love to climb hills overlooking their hometowns to take in a “night view.” Put these two together, stipulate that you do not want to drive more than one hour, and Taipei residents still have a large number of choices. One of the most popular is the historic tea-growing area around Maokong in the southwestern part of the city.
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While Jiufen, sitting high on a hillside, has perhaps the best setting and the most popular teahouses, Jinguashi (金瓜石), in a valley on the south side of Mt. Keelung is the best place to find out what got the whole gold and copper mining era here started, well over a century ago.
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In the early days of Taipei, the river provided the industry and access to international trade that facilitated the rapid development of what are today inner-city districts such as Wanhua and Dadaocheng, which could have led it to a polluted present sandwiched between gray high-rises and factories
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