ANOTHER stop of the SuperStar Virgo Cruise was to Keelung in Taiwan. I selected the Jiufen Highlight Tour which brought me to several fascinating sites.
The GOLDEN WATERFALL is located near the Gold Ecological Park where gold and copper was mined during the Japanese occupation in the 19th-c. Its water has a beautiful yellow hue as a result of the combination of regular rainfall in this mining area and the abundance of heavy metal elements deposited in the riverbed.
Although the waterfall is not vast and there is no real gold flowing down the stream, the setting is quite unique and magnificent. Tour buses and cars stop here for an average of 30-min to take pictures. It rained that day and visitors were seen everywhere, with shutter-bugs busy finding the best spot, including myself.
A famous tourist mountain municipality, Jiufen was originally built by the Japanese. This decommissioned gold mining town today exists mainly as a visitor destination packed with retro Chinese and Japanese style cafes, teahouses, street-food shacks and souvenir shops, with fantastic views of the ocean. There are tons of delicious snacks to be had here.
At the well-known Grandma Lai’s Taro Balls, I ordered a mixture of sweet potato and taro balls, red and green beans, in steaming hot sweet potato soup. A little downside, you have to climb up and down 300 steps which were quite a bit exhausting.
Set in a lovely natural environment, SHIFEN is a charming former coal mining village since the Japanese era. Just across the rail tracks you can see and explore the remnants of several mining buildings.
On Jintong Old Street, anybody could set off a big sky lantern, write on bamboo wishing tubes, and walk along the old railway with souvenir shops and eateries lining the station. Like everyone, I bought a large red lantern from one of the many lamp shops along the timeworn tracks, wrote my wishes, and released it to the heavens. I like this place a lot. It retains the authentic feeling of the old town, including the edifices, train station, and some ancient architecture.
There is character to these preserved mountain towns that’s unlike any I’ve experienced in Taiwan. It’s a charm you can appreciate in their designs, alleyways, and of course, in their food. On your next trip to Taipei, be sure to go and visit Jiufen and Shifen.