Meeky Yang was our driver+tour guide for the day to the Northern Part Taiwan / outskirt of Taipei which covers:

He speaks English, and is a recommended driver by Taipei Cab Service as his name card is actually provided in most big hotels, though he isn't the only one. But is really highly recommended. Despite his age, he's still have every bit of a young guy's spirit in him and is very adventurous!

Plus Point about Meeky / 杨先生, he was the one who recomended us to have this tour on this day - 6April, Tuesday. As the day before was a Public Holiday (QingMing Festival) in Taiwan, so over the weekends it will be very crowded, hence Tuesday, 6April would be a perfect day and he was pretty right! No jams, not much crowds, enabling us to have an enjoyable journey with him!

Is this real or fake?

It's a REAL one! The colours on it's body was really beautiful...

Can you spot Mr. Teo among the food stalls located outside the entrance of Yehliu Geopark? He's forever hungry and on the look-out for food. He says - "this is what we're supposed to do in Taiwan - eat, eat, eat and eat!"

The iconic “Queen’s Head” rock formation - a famous sandstone, sculpted by waves and wind over time into a shape that resembles an Egyptian queen’s head, is a popular attraction for many tourists.

But exposure all year round to the onslaught of wind, sun and rain has caused the neck of the Queen’s Head to become thinner. It is estimated that the neck will break within five to 10 years.
To cope with this inevitable and unfortunate situation, there came the production of Queen’s Head II, an artificial rock that looks almost exactly the same as Queen’s Head. The only difference is the color, in that the color of the real Queen’s Head will change depending on the weather, but the color of Queen’s Head II stays the same all year round.

And of coz, as usual, like all tourist attractions, it leads to a street/warehouse selling touristy goods.
OOOooo, pics taken with the Betel Nut Lady! Long-awaited moment for Mr. Teo *hur*hur*=P

The Betel Nuts - free treat from Meeky...

Not to my taste - I find it disgusting, but Mr. Teo was enjoying, till Meeky has to stop him and got him to spit it out coz it's easily addictive! *Phew!~

Next Stop: Shifen / Pingxi

Shifen is located at Pingxi township, in Taipei county. Shifen actually also means there used to be ten families working together to build the home in this area.

We did not visit the Shifen Waterfall (十分瀑布) =( The place is very quiet and we spent NT$100 to light up one 天灯.

The most interesting about this village was the rail track that cut through it.

Here comes the real train! Chug-a-Chug... Choo-Choo!~

We added fire crackers too! The first time in my lifetime viewing the fire crackers in real-life!

Next Stop: JiuFen

Jiufen is a traditional village on top of the mountain. How did the name came about? It was said that the village has only nine families during the Qing Dynasty. Everytime shipments arrived from town, ‘nine portions’ were distributed to the villagers. Hence, the village was named after “Jiufen”, or rather nine portions in Chinese.

It comprises of winding streets with food vendors and craft stores on the side. The view at those old tea houses from the 30s are simply stunning! With the view of the Pacific Ocean!

In 1989 a Taiwanese film called The City of Sadness was shot in Jiufen and since it was a big hit in the cinema, many flocked to Jiufen to experience that nostalgic feeling. Its downtown was also used as a model in the anime movie Spirited Away.

Jiufen has since evolved into one of the most popular tourist hub in Taiwan now. It is advisable not to come during weekends and Taiwan’s public holidays to enjoy the serenity of the town.

Peanuts with Ice-Cream in Popiah!
A special combination of grounded peanut, malt sugar, ice cream and celery leaves. It tasted quite good with celery leaves actually, but remember to ask them to exclude it if you are not a fan.

Jiufen is actually famous for it's Taro Ball.

阿柑姨芋圓 Ah Gan Yee Taro Balls. This is one of the popular dessert shop in Jiu Fen and there is always a queue at the store front. You can eat the yam ball soup while enjoying a great view of Jiufen here.

This is where I bought the hand-made gifts!

Next Stop: Gold Ecological Park

It is located at one of Taipei's County - Jinguashih which was once a booming gold and copper mining town.

Look carefully at the following picture, and see if it reminds you of anything?

This house was actually used in the film set of - 转角遇到爱!



Crown Prince Chalet

The Crown Prince Chalet was built was built to welcome a visit by the Japanese crown prince. Although he did not actually stay here, it still bears his title, and is the most representative example in Taiwan of a Japanese-style villa.

The landscaped gardens of this luxurious guest compound have been opened to the public. It is possible to peek inside the buildings from the gardens. Also make sure to visit the unique cement miniature golf course in back.



This is the main attraction of the museum, where visitors can touch a 220kg gold brick and try their hand at panning for gold.

There is also an area that presents one of this area's most crual eras - World War II POW camp. In 1942, the Japanese began to bring Allied POWs here from various parts of Southeast Asia. They were forced to work in the cooper mine as slaves, digging the ore in the lowest depths of the mine where the temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius, with little food or rest. Many of the men died, and were replaced by men from other POW camps around Taiwan. In total 1,135 Allied POWs slaved in the Jinguashi mines during World War II.

Golden Fall (黄金瀑布)

Ferric ions react with air. The resulting insoluble ferric ions precipitate out from the water and produce riverbed rocks that are yellowish-brown in color. On top of these rocks flows an undulating waterfall. The fall is located close to the roadway, so it may be tempting to put your hand in the water. Please refrain from doing so as it is heavily laden with metals and thus toxic.