iTravel by maplRN: May 2018

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The Heart of Asia - Taiwan!

New Taipei City

25 - 29 April 2018

Twilight in the City: View from the Elephant Mountain

Hey! It's me again and I'm very excited to share my recent travel for this summer. It is indeed an amazing 5 days of discovering the beauty of the capital city of Taiwan, the New Taipei City! Taipei is a modern city with an innumerable amount of historical attractions, numerous acclaimed night markets, shopping districts, as well as cultural amenities like modern coffee houses, museums and fantastic nightlife.

Ximending

It is a neighborhood and shopping district in the Wanhua District of Taipei and considered as the first pedestrian zone in Taiwan. It is commonly called as the "Shibuya of Taipei", the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture and Japanese culture.

Ximending Night Market

Ximen in the morning

Early Bird at Ximen

Taiwan Provincial City God Temple

Yehliu Geopark

It is a cape in Wanli District also known as Yehliu Promontory. It stretches approximately 1,700 meters into the ocean and was formed as geological forces pushed the Datun Mountains out of the sea.

Yin Yang Sea

Located beside the northern coastal road in the Gold Ecological Park region is a bay where sea is a mix of yellow and blue color. It is correlated with the Chinese principle of yin and yang, the natural concept of duality. It is believed that the coloration of this bay was cause by a chemical runoff from the nearby mining areas in the past.

13 Layer Remains

Located just across from the Golden Waterfall are the remnants of a massive copper melting refinery also known as the Shuinandong Smelter. It was built during the Japanese occupation for refining gold and copper ores which are abundant in the area.

Golden Waterfalls

It is located near the Gold Ecological Park in Jinguashi. The water flowing is certainly a beautiful gold color that comes from the regular rainfall in this mining area and the abundance of heavy metal elements deposited in the riverbed.

Jiufen

A mountainous area located in Ruifang District, New Taipei City is an old street founded during the Qing Dynasty. It is a small town where you can find lots of food stalls and souvenir shops and you can see the magnificent view of the pacific ocean.

Shifen

Is an old street located in the Pingxi area where you can see a collection of lanes and alleys in and around the Shifen railway station area. The area is surrounded with food stalls and sky lantern stores where visitors can fly their own sky lanterns with their wishes written around it.

Elephant Mountain View

Blue hour of the New Taipei City from the elephant mountain.

Longshan Temple

It is the most well known temple in Taipei that was built in 1738 by settlers from Fujian as a gathering place for Chinese settlers.

Longshan Temple in Multiple Exposure

Bangka Park

An old man waiting at the park.

Bopiliao Old Street

It is an old street located near the Longshan Temple and considered as one of the most popular attractions in Taipei. It consists of historical buildings and stores as well as creative art works.

Wuji Tianyuan Temple

It is a Taoist Temple worshiping Yu Huang Dadi, a Jade Emperor, the most appealing structure within is the five stories Tiantan at the middle. It is very popular during mid-March because of the pink blossoms of Yoshino cherry trees planted all around the building.

Beitou Hot Springs and the Thermal Valley

It is one of the Taiwan's 12 Great Sites, the springs at the Thermal Valley have the highest temperatures in the Datun Mountains area, giving off an eerie sulfuric steam that rises from the surface of the pond that plays around the breeze.