Jiufen, Taiwan

On our last day in Taiwan we decided to venture out into the countryside to see more of the country.  Despite the torrential rains we we glad we had made this decision.  Even the small towns we passed through had huge high rises with high density housing.  As in Taipei houses were rarely seen.  The freeway system is quite impressive and much of it is raised road.  We travelled north and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean which was much like at home.  We made a stop along the way at some very impressive rock formations before continuing on to Jiufen.  Jiufen is an old mining hilltop mining town situated 400 meters above sea level accessed by a long winding switchback.  For hundreds of years it was a tiny little village and then in 1893 gold was discovered here by the Japanese and it grew overnight.  Once it was mined out it reinvented itself as a tourist destination.  The original winding cobblestone alleys are now lined with small shops and eateries and it reminded us of an upscale all day night market. After returning to Taipei and drying off we decided to go for a foot massage before dinner.  I would call it more of a foot and leg beating and have a bruise to show for it.  I am in search of a nice oil massage in Thailand.  We woke this morning to heavy rain for our drive to the airport.  We realized that in all our travels we have mostly been blessed with good weather and it does make a difference in what you can do yet having said that we have seen and learned a lot about Taiwan and are really glad we came here.

The lines in the left hand side of the picture are heavy rainfall. Despite umbrellas we were soaked by the time we returned to the van.

The rock formations were very unusual and worth getting wet for

Unusual colours which would have been spectacular in the sunlight 

Braving the rain yet once again

Picturesque waterfall on the road up to Jiufen

Old miners homes now repurposed as shops and small eateries

The town sits high on a steep hill and the views are spectacular on a clear day.  Lantern festivals are held here regularly

The narrow cobblestone roads curve amongst the buildings and are the originals.

Very popular with the tourists even on a wet day

Do not know what coal chocolate is but liked the display

Glimpses of the old brick buildings through the awnings

Certainly no space between buildings with the living space above the shops. About 3000 people live here today

This stall was selling a variety of squid and it was light and delicious and really cheap. We enjoyed the one on the left which due to size was more like octopus which is right up my alley

These chickens were also for sale but not as appetizing as most of the other foods so we took a pass

This is a different take on peanut ice cream and one I am glad we can not get at home because I could easily become addicted.  The gentleman is shaving peanuts from the big block

The scoops of ice cream are placed on the shaved peanuts and it is wrapped in a paper thin wrapper to be enjoyed

Absolutely delicious and only $1.50.