Taipei | Day 2
A pleasant morning and I could not wait to explore Taipei! The itinerary for the day:
- Breakfast at Hotel 73 (新尚旅店)
- Jiufen (九份)
- YongKang Street
- Shida Night Market
The complimentary breakfast coupons are given daily and for this hotel, the key to the room will have to be returned to the front desk whenever we leave the premises. Breakfast was decent and is served daily from 8am to 10am.
I was so excited! We have decided to take a bus from Taipei to Jiufen for the travel. We boarded bus 22 from the bus stop that was 5 minutes away from our hotel, Hotel 73 (新尚旅店), to the MRT Taipei Main Station to take the train to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxin Station where the Keelung bus service 1062 will stop to pick passengers travelling to Jiufen.
Our plan was changed after we were approached the 2nd time by a taxi driver, offering the price of NT200 per person for the ride to Jiufen. This is approximately NT80 more than what the bus ride would cost but with the benefit of a 40 minutes journey as compared to an hour plus bus ride. The taxi driver was extremely sociable and we learnt quite a bit of things during the drive, such as if you are quoted more than NT1300 for a transfer from the airport to hotel, you might just be paying too much; NT1200 is the general average. The cost of a transfer from hotel to the airport, on an average, ranges between NT1000 to NT1200.
The view was great! 2 hours is probably a good duration to explore the area and grab some lunch, sip some tea and enjoy the scenery. Eats that we love along Jiufen Old Street:
- Grandma Lai’s Yuyuan (賴阿婆芋圓) ♥♥
These are sweet taro balls made by tapioca starch and taro. The delicious one is not the one at the entrance but somewhere in the middle of the street. They have 2 sections of sitting areas for you to enjoy this delicacy. - Mochi ♥♥
- Tai Yang Bing (太阳饼) from Li Yi (李仪饼店)
If you are planning to head to Jiufen, you might wish to aim to reach Jiufen around the afternoon to avoid clashing into the tour groups. There were buses upon buses of tourists arriving at Jiufen while we were waiting for the Keelung bus service 1062 back to Taipei at around 3pm.
Next stop, Shida Night Market. Since it was barely 5pm, we decided to take a little (long) walk to Shida Night Market via YongKang Street. YongKang Street is known for the streets of eats and restaurants and there, I found my love – 手抓饼!
There were some good finds in Shida Night Market. We walked and ate our way to cover every lane and every corner of the area until my legs ached so badly but it was all worthwhile (=^x^=) Tasted my first snow ice (雪冰) in Taipei whilst walking back to the hotel via YongKang Street *yum yum*
For information for Jiufen
If you would prefer to take a bus from Taipei to Jiufen,
- Go to the Taipei MRT Zhongxiao Fuxin Station.
- Board the Keelung Bus 1062, bound for Jinguashi. The bus service accepts EasyCard.
- Should you decide to take 1062 back, the return ride to Taipei will stop you at the same bus stop where you boarded the bus.
Another alternative is to
- Take the train from the Taipei Railway Station to Rueifang,
- Then take the Keelung Bus 1062 to Jiufen.
There are a few other options that you may wish to explore which are readily available by doing a Google for “Jiufen Taipei“. Additional information about Jiufen can also be found on taiwan.net.tw.