Taiwan – Day 3 ( Yeh Liu Geopark – Departure)

Itinerary for the day: Klook Tour (Yeh Liu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen), Sugar And Spice, Vigor Kobo, Taoyuan International Airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Although today was our last day at Taiwan, we still had a scheduled tour curated by Klook. We chose this one because part of the itinerary includes a visit to Shifen, where one can fly lanterns!

We checked out of our hotel early and left our luggage with them. Once we settled everything, we went for our buffet breakfast. We left the hotel at around 7:20 am and went to the meeting point since our tour’s meeting time was at 7:45 am.

Note: A great view on the way to Yeh Liu Geopark! My friends were asleep so they weren’t able to see this.

Almost all of us in the tour were Filipinos, with some who were also Chinese. Our driver only spoke Mandarin so we had a somewhat difficult time communicating. It’s a good thing Klook wrote all the important details such as the schedules in English.

Our first stop was at Yeh Liu Geopark. Based on the name, the place is famous for its landscape and rock formations.

The walls look really smooth from far out! The waves on that day were really strong too. From the shore, we could feel droplets of water reach us.

The one you see above is a replica of the Queen’s head while the original one can be found near the shoreline. It does indeed look like the head of the Queen (of the Nile) doesn’t it?

Tip: We went there around the end of summer to the start of fall so it was really hot. Instead of looking at more rocks, we decided to just lounge around in their cafe.

Next, we drove by the Yin Yang Sea. You might have noticed how the color of the sea changes so fast. According to the driver, aside from the depth, minerals from the mountains flowed to the sea causing various colors to show. On a side note, I’m glad my limited Mandarin was good enough for a conversation and even learning a thing or two!

After that, we reached the Golden Waterfalls. I’ll be honest, nature doesn’t really seem to excite me as much. It’s awe-inspiring sure, but just at that particular moment…

A few more winding roads uphill, we finally got to Jiufen Old Village. For the part of the tour, this is where you can grab lunch.

If you haven’t bought any souvenirs, you can actually buy some here. The stalls sell different flavored nougats, crispy and dried beef and pork, and signature tea. Some shop owners even offer free taste! I would definitely recommend the dried beef or pork. They are as addicting as the salted egg chips!

For our lunch, we sampled a number of things. One of them is the shrimp ball above. Inside the breading, you can find a single shrimp and loads of other vegetables.

Then we had some fish and squid balls. We also got some fried mushroom to compare it against the one we got from Mushroom Garden. The latter ones were definitely better since the mushrooms were cut thinner.

After getting solid food in, we stopped by a cafe that sells milk tea. I went with Earl Grey Milk Tea since it was available. And my god! It is to die for! I may be biased towards Early Grey and Milk Tea but this was really good!

Note: Lots of stores are lined up. If you’re having a hard time deciding what to buy or what to eat, you can do what we did. On the way to the end or to the inner parts of Jiu Fen, we took note of interesting stalls. Once we felt we walked enough, we went back, going through the stores we were interested in! 

Note: We were actually lucky to be able to witness the train’s arrival and departure too!

Finally, we arrived at Shifen. Quite a rustic and calm scenery, don’t you think? Anyhow, to the goal at hand! Flying lanterns!

Note: Different colored lanterns mean different things! Which are your priorities right now?

Chinese are especially fond of four-word quotes. So the night before and on the way here, my friends and I thought of really crazy ones. Things such as “have money everyday”, “look for a hunk”, and “have painless childbirth”! Of course, the last one was for the future! Kidding aside, we also had some more serious ones such as good health, better career, and abundant wealth. Last but not the least, to more trips like this!

After the tour, we were dropped off near our meeting point. Instead of going back immediately to the hotel, we went shopping for more souvenirs to take home. Our first stop was at FE 21 mall. This mall is actually near Ximen Station. At the lower floors, you can find Sugar and Spice, a store known for its nougats and other sweets.

Right across the street, you’ll see Vigor Kobo, this time, a shop known for its pastries such as pineapple cakes and sun cakes. We also stopped by Ay Chung Rice-Flour Noodles on our way back to the hotel. This noodle place is another highlight in the area, although to be honest, it simply tastes like the maki noodles we have in Binondo.

After trying out the hyped noodles, we went back to our hotel to place the souvenirs in our luggage. Then, we went on a last stroll around Ximending Walker. When we were done, we also dropped by Eslite Spectrum, a shopping mall in the area.

With the flight time nearing and the train operation time ending, we took a taxi to Taipei Main Station then the express train to Taoyuan International Airport. After checking in at the Cebu Pacific Counter, I stayed at the Plaza Premium Lounge while waiting for boarding time. You can check out my blog post of that here.

And that’s it for that packed, spontaneous trip to Taiwan!