For the final stop on this Asian adventure I decided to go back to Taiwan. Its the first time I’ve gone back somewhere I’ve already been. When I was here before there was just something about it that made me wanna come back; the feel and pace of Taiwan, the warmth of the people, the food (and bubble tea). I loved all these things when I visited before and didn’t even get round seeing what the capital, Taipei and North had to offer.
Once in Taipei, the first thing I did was go grab a bubble tea. Love bubble tea! Big fan of plum green tea flavour. Bubble tea in hand, I decided to head up Elephant Mountain to catch a view of the city for sunset. After watching the sunset, it was time to head to one of the night markets to eat and snack and eat again.
The next day, I headed out to Shifen and Jiufen. In Shifen there is a decent waterfall to see, but the reason most people come here is to release a lantern off into the sky, whilst standing on the train tracks. I decided against doing this. For one it just felt touristy, but the main reason was environmental. From what I could tell the lanterns were landing in the surrounding forest and river. I saw a few old ones laying in the river and heading into the forest, but didn’t see anyone clearing them up. That’s not to say they don’t get cleaned away, but it didn’t look like they did. One thing that has been a downside on this trip is seeing the amount of pollution and plastic that gets everywhere – beaches, forests, mountains.
Waterfall seen, and sky lantern not released, it was onto Jiufen. As a big Studio Ghibli fan visiting here was always gonna be on the cards. Although it was wet and windy it was still cool, especially at night when the lanterns came on. Spending the night also meant I could spend some time walking around, enjoying it and grabbing photos without loads of other tourists in the way! The next morning, thankfully the weather cleared which meant I was able to head up Keelung Mountain to catch a view of Jiufen and the surrounding area. Before heading back to Taipei, I also went to see the Golden Waterfall and YinYang sea.
Once back in Taipei, my time was spent wandering through the different areas, eating plenty of good food, having a few drinks, sitting and people watching, visiting a couple of museums and of course going to the hot springs. The hot springs in Beitou are only 40TWD – £1, deffo worth it and I went more than once. Some time was also spent thinking about what happens once I get home, but nothing really came of this…..
I also popped down to catch up with my friend Rachel, who I caught up when I was in Taiwan before. Said it before, seeing friends has been a major highlight of this trip.
Before leaving and heading home, I also visited the national park, Yangmingshan which is just outside Taipei. Unfortunately, the views weren’t good due to cloudy weather. But it was a good tough walk, which must have burnt off loads of the food I’d been eating.
At the end of Taipei, I was sad to be leaving but excited to be going home. The excitement of putting on fresh clothes, eating a Sunday roast and seeing friends n family is real. But Taiwan, I will definitely be back again at some point. For a tiny island you pack a big punch.
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