Breakfast on my fifth day in Taiwan was fuss-free as we just grabbed two packets of sandwiches and two bottles of mineral water from one of the stalls opposite CityInn hotel.
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Why so rushed?! Because we woke up a bit too late and our friendly Mr Jiang, appointed Mandarin / Hokkien speaking chauffeur for our day trip to the outskirts of Taipei city, was already waiting for us outside the hotel at 8.30am!
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It wasn't a good day with an overcast sky with the occasional rain. I am only comforted by the fact that it wasn't bad enough for photo-taking; albeit with a few inconveniences.
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After around an hour of drive, we came upon the scenic ocean road of Taiwan. This picture obviously didn't do justice to what we actually saw with our naked eyes!
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The appearance of this beautifully patterned rock meant we were pretty near to our first destination; Yeliu Geopark! Mr Jiang explained the pattern arose due to the metal content within the rock, resulting in rust due to oxidisation.
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Honestly, i regretted not recording down what he said since the information was really educational. Oh well, i am pushing the blame to the sleeping bug in me that was only partially awaken then!
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I was, however, more curious with this large piece of rock by the sea; the surface was so smooth yet walking on it wasn't as slippery as expected.
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With typhoons being an annual menace to Taiwan, precautions (like the placements of those ugly looking phallic shaped structures) must be taken to prevent the shoreline from being decimated and resulting in injury / death.
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Yeliu Geopark! Mr Jiang gave us a lot of flexibility to plan our itinerary and i thought it makes perfect sense for everyone to visit the geological park first. With minimal shelter on a hot day, the afternoon sun would likely be damaging to one's health and skin! For more information, click here!
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Drove past a cemetery while on our way to Jiufen Old Street. Mr Jiang, like many friends, was curious on our interest in the dead but did suggest a few places we can visit in the future!
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It took us close to an hour to reach the old street which was high up on the mountains.
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More tombs!! I cannot imagine the price just to be buried there; they commanded an extraordinary view that would have been expensive private property back in Singapore.
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For my comprehensive post on Jiufen old street, please visit it here.
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Gold Waterfall, a fifteen minutes drive from Jiufen, was next in the queue! We were given the option to check out the gold museum although we eventually decided to give it a miss after recollecting Kon's advice that there was nothing much that would interest us except for the heaviest gold bar in the whole world!
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On the nearby Yin Yang Sea (陰陽海), King Kong Mountain (黑金刚大山) & Remains of the Thirteen Levels (十三層遺址), do check out my post here.
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Nowhere in Asia did i remember ever seeing so many plots of cemeteries and i am referring to only one day! Unlike the boring tombs in Singapore, those in Taiwan featured way more designs and structures and from a far distance, do look like small little houses!
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Keelung night market - absolutely the right place for one to starve himself / herself so that he / she can save the stomach for incredibly amount of food found in the market! For more review, especially on the food we had, click here.
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Another hour was spent on travelling to Shifen! It was indeed quite a tight itinerary and for those keen in a more relaxed pace should consider only Yeliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street and Pingxi (includes Shifen). My blog post on releasing the lanterns in Shifen can be read here.
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We were exhausted but it seemed a bit too early to turn in for the night at 8.30pm. Hence, we made a trip down to Shida Night Market! Sadly, the market wasn't as vibrant as we thought (maybe because it was already quite late when we reached at around 9.30pm).
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Managed to get a packet of salted water chicken to eat back in the hotel though.
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Drinks were required and what's better than a big bottle of yogurt drink (that tasted like yakult) that cost us only NT$89 (S$3.70) for close to 1.8 liters!
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Details on Engaging a Private Chauffeur
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I was supposed to engage Mr Mickey Yang, an English speaking chauffeur who is immensely popular with Singaporeans but he was already booked. Sensing my helplessness, he personally recommended his friend, Mr Jiang, who turned out to be a nice, chatty chap who took great care of us in that twelve hours!!
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His rates were as follows (subject to change): NT$3000 for 1-2 persons, NT$3300 for 3-4 persons, NT$3500 for 5 persons and NT$4000 for 6 persons! Do note that he doesn't speak English and you are free to call him at the above number. You may also SMS him at http://www.afreesms.com/intl/taiwan and let him have your details; date of engagement, the number of persons and the places you would like to visit.
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Like many cabs in Taiwan, Mr Jiang drove a Toyota Wish to bring us around. Please also keep in mind that he only covers Taipei and the surrounding New Taipei vicinity.
For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.