25 Aug
#1 Neiwan Train Station. From Taipei Main Station, we took the train to Hsinchu and then take the Neiwan Branch Line to Neiwan. Logistic information here.
#2 Neiwan is a Hakka village that retains a strong Japanese influences from the Japanese occupation era. It is also known as the “city of cherry blossoms” where the vivid pink flowers come into full bloom in spring.
#3 We stayed at Xing Guang Bed & Breakfast (NT 1600 per night)
1 Jun
For our Taiwan Trip Summary, please click here.
bring me to the railroad track – lyrics, captain jack
I’ve decided to continue blogging about Taiwan somehow. We’ll be writing about places off the beaten track such as Neiwan, Yingge & Sansia. It’s nice to visit the less-travelled parts of Taiwan sometimes. We’ll start with a Neiwan, a quaint little Hakka village.
As a Hakka, CityGal is pretty excited to visit Neiwan, a Hakka community in Hsinchu County encircled by hills and run through Youlo Stream. Getting to NeiWan is somewhat a gruelling experience. We took train to Hsinchu, transferred to a bus heading to ZhuDong station before riding a train along the beautiful neiwan branch line to the lovely town.
The Neiwan Branch line is among the three infamous train branches in Taiwan other than the Jiji line and Pingxi line which we took. It is also the reason why I insisted in taking the long way even though part of the Neiwan Branch Line has suspended operation from February 28, 2007 for three and a half years. We still enjoy our journey from Zhudong to Neiwan nonetheless.
Logistic Information
1. Take the High Speed Rail to Hsinchu Station → Continue by bus or taxi
2. Take the Taiwan Railway to Hsinchu Station → Take the Hsinchu Bus (Neiwan Line) to Zhudong station and take the train to Neiwan station.
Note: High Speed Rail service between Hsinchu and Zhudong is temporarily suspended due to construction. For connections between Hsinchu and Zhudong please take the Hsinchu Bus. The Zhudong-Neiwan section of the High Speed Rail is operating normally.
We spotted a hearing impaired man selling bread at the Hsinchu station.
He hugged me as a gesture of thanks. It’s really heart warming.
8 Mar
1. Digital Tour Buddy
In order to encourage backpackers to make use of Digital Tour Buddy service, from 1st March date to 31st December, 2010,the first 2,010 borrowers will be given NT$100 worth of free calls by the National Youth Commission.
Excerpt from our previous experience:
We find the Digital Tour Buddy (consist of a hand set, sim card with talk time of NT200 and phone charger) very useful. It offers 24-hour service and assistance. Besides, it has in-built dictionary function of English-Chinese translation for backpackers enable to communicate without language problems. If the travelers are confused about where to stay or how to approach a local attraction, the English booking system of the youth hostel and the taxies has set up the one-key dials in the Digital Tour Buddy. International backpackers should visit the National Youth Commission’s (NYC) youth travel website, http://youthtravel.tw and complete the online booking application form seven days to thirty days before entering Taiwan and bring relevant documents with them, including approved booking forms, passports, passport copies, and one extra valid ID. After leaving a copy of their passport and other ID as deposit, you will be issued with the Digital Tour Buddy.
2. Yang Ming Shan Flower Festival (cherry blossom!!)
source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Image:Yangmingshan_Park.JPG
To ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the Yangmingshan area during the period of the flower festival, Taipei City Government Public Transportation Office (PTO) announced that special flower festival routes are now in operation, helping passengers get to their destinations with the least amount of hassle.
The 2010 Yangmingshan Flower Festival will last until March 28.
According to PTO, the seven flower festival routes will operate only on weekends and holidays. The special buses include:
- Route 126 (Taipei Train Station – YMS Second Parking Lot)
- Route 127 (MRT Jiantan Station – YMS Second Parking Lot)
- Route 128 (MRT Shipai Station – Flower Clock Area – YMS Second Parking Lot)
- Route 129 (MRT Beitou Station – Flower Clock Area – YMS Second Parking Lot)
- Route 130 (YMS Second Parking Lot – Flower Clock Area – Yangming Shuwu)
- Route 130 Limited (Flower Clock – Capital Bus Terminal)
- Route 131 (YMS Second Parking Lot – Flower Clock Area – Yangming Shuwu – Zhuzihu)
With the exception of route 126 (two-zone fare), all the buses listed above charge single zone fare for the ride.
However, PTO also reminds visitor to take heed of the operating hours of their buses. For routes 126 and 127, the last bus of the day departs at 4 PM; the last bus for routes 128 and 129 leaves at 5:30 PM; and the last bus for routes 130 and 131 is scheduled for 5:20 PM. To serve revelers enjoying the beauty of flowers in the night, the last bus for route 130 Limited departs at 8 PM.
On weekdays, visitors can take route 260 (or R5) from either Taipei Train Station or MRT Jiantan Station to Yangmingshan Terminal and take S8 or S9 to the Flower Clock Area or Yangmingshan Second Parking Lot.
3. Matta Fair 12-14 March 2010
In collaboration with Taiwan Tourism Board, we’ll be having a sharing session and the details are as follow:
Date: 13 March 2010
Time: 2pm & 6pm
Venue: PWTC
Free gifts will be given away for the Q&A session. See you there!!
4 Feb
I wanted to write about some other “remote places” around the island, but it’s probably too far away or too unexciting for some of you. So this is truly, probably my last post on Taiwan (unless I’m going there again 
)
Yong He Dou Jiang is almost synonymous to a traditional and authentic Taiwanese breakfast. However, as I googled around, I was shocked to read about Yong He Dou Jiang’s history.
*clear phlegm and start my grandmother’s story*
In 1950’s, there was an influx of China Chinese immigrants to Taipei and most of them settled down at Yong He, a small town in the Taipei county. To make a living, most of them set up stalls that sells soya bean products and staple food such as you tiao and shao bing. Business usually starts as early as 3am because a lot of preparation need to be done.
It wasn’t until the baseball fever that these stalls got a lot of businesses and attentions. It was a nationwide thing to watch Taiwan baseball team in Little League Baseball, Williamsport during the 1970s. As the nationals stayed awake into the wee hours of the morning watching and listening to the live broadcast due to time differences, everyone is hungry by the time the game ended. These stalls were the only eateries that starts business early. So everyone flocked to Yong He area to cure their hungry pangs. Through words of mouth, the Yong He area is booming with identical soya bean shops which created a trade mark issue.
Most people referred Dou Jiang shops around Yong He area as Yong He Dou Jiang. In 1985, a Taiwanese businessman registered a trade name under Yong He Dou Jiang and manufacture the soya bean drink and manage it as a brand. However, there are still other similiar names like Yong He Mei, Yong He Tian Xia etc that exist.
23 Jan
Choosing a right place to stay is one of the most crucial part in planning your trip. I’ll be nice by listing out some of the better place to stay in Taipei (and around Taipei). Basically there are four types of accommodation in Taiwan and I’ve tried them all. :p
1) Hotel
Most Malaysians love to stay around Ximending area but I would recommend hotels around Taipei Main Station for convenience sake. It is so easy to move around the island by taking MRT, rail train or high speed rail train. The plus point is you can leave your luggage with the hotel before travel down south. Here’s some of my personal favourite especially a,b,c,d and g.
a) Ambience Hotel – http://www.ambiencehotel.com.tw/ starts from NT 2990
b) City Inn & City Inn 2 – http://www.gocityinn.com/ starts from NT1300
c) Dandy Hotel Tianjin - http://www.dandyhotel.com.tw/info_eng.html starts from NT2080
allie: I like Dandy Hotel! Stayed there during my last trip. The hotel staff is friendly and hotel is clean. Although it might be a bit pricey for backpacker
d) Hotel 73 – http://www.hotel73.com/ starts from NT3000
*Hotel a,b,c and d are related
e) Lio Hotel - http://www.liohotel.com.tw/index.php
f) Orangeone.Forte (guan qian branch) – http://www.forte-hotel.net/ starts from NT2800
g) See You Hotel – http://www.taipeionestarhotel.com.tw/index.html starts from NT1980
2) Hostel
Hostel is cheap, you meet a lot of interesting people and it can be a memorable experience. BUT to be frank, I don’t really enjoy my stay in a hostel, even though it’s an individual room. We paid NT100 for it, but I would prefer to top up a little bit of money and stay at one of those suites or hotels around Taipei.
a) Camel’s Oasis – http://camelsoasistaipei.tripod.com/index.html starts from NT350 for dorm room
b) Eights Elephant Hostel – http://www.eehostel.com/ starts from NT490 for dorm room
c) Taipei Backpacker’s Hostel – http://www.taipei-backpackers.com/hostel/index.php starts from NT500 for dorm room
apple foodees: I don’t recommend visitors staying at Taipei Backpacker’s Hostel given the fact that for a little bit extra, you can get a better room somewhere near there.
d) Taipei Hostel – http://www.taipeihostel.com/index.html starts from NT500 for dorm room
e) Taipei Home Stay – http://taipeihostel.blogspot.com/ starts from NT800
kbcg: Superb location, complete with basic necessities but dodgy surrounding because it is located at the end of some smelly alley.
f) Taipei Teacher’s Hostel – http://www.tth.url.tw/index.html starts from NT1400
g) YMCA (Y Hotel) - http://www.ymcataipei.org.tw/room_ch.php starts from NT 1800
3) Minsu (B&B)
A minsu in Taiwan is like a Bed & Breakfast kind of inn where you established a close relationship with the owner. Even though most daily rent suites/rooms claimed themselves as minsu but I beg to differ because you hardly interact with the owners. There are a lot of nice minsu outside Taipei such as Windsor @ Jiufen and Rottenburg @ Yilan.
We have become best friends with the Windsor B&B owner. The warmth and kindest of the owners have melted the hearts of many too.
When they came to visit last week, we met up and the other Malaysian guests who have stayed in the B&B before were there. We had fun catching up with each other over a bakuteh dinner.
4) Daily Rent Suites/Rooms
Strongly recommended especially when you are traveling in a small group. Some suites come with living hall, kitchen and even washing machine. However, some suites are actually apartment divided into parts so privacy can be an issue.
1. Taipei York - Longshan Temple Station (apartment divided into suites)
2. Julie Home Stay – Ximen Station
3. Baby Home - Shida or Ximen Station
4. 不小心的鳥 - Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall Station (individual suite)*
5. gofortravel – Zhongxiao Dunhua Station (individual suite)*
*personal favourite
Gofortravel apartment is just 30 seconds walk to the nearest MRT station and we like the security feature that come with it. The owner gave us a pass code prior to our departure so we can just “check in” anytime. For payment, we received the invoice (NT1400 per night) in soft copy. We just need to print it out and make the payment at any convenience store in Taiwan. However, the room can only fit a maximum of 3 person and this is the only suite that owner has. Here’s some pictures of our apartment.
security feature
It took us only 2 minutes to reach the 24 hour Elite Bookstore.
Please share with us your experience . We’ll quote your comments in this post and hopefully we can compile a list for our readers. It’ll be very useful for those who are visiting Taiwan soon. 
15 Dec
For our full trip itinerary, please click here.
Read Part I here. For our travelogue, please click here or here. I’ve completed the itinerary from our June 2009 trip, and now I’m going to do some add ons (from our August 2009 trip) for your easy reference and the following post is part of it (linked under + North East Coast.
Gold Ecological Park, Jinguashi – trying to move the 220 kg gold brick that made it into the Guinness World Records.
One of the highlight of our Taiwan Trip was our visit to Jinguashi, an ex gold and copper mining town. We reckoned if you ever visit Taipei, please plan a day or two at Jiufen and Jinguashi. It’s worth going out of your way just to visit the beautiful towns.
Situated between the mountains and the coastline just like Jiufen Town, the scenary in Jinguashi is exceptionally beautiful. Once a booming gold and copper mining town, Jinguashi was named a potential World Heritage site in year 2002.
Places of interest includes Jinguashi Shinto Shrine, Yin Yang Sea, Ruins of Shisancheng (13-level) Ore Refinery, Gold Waterfall, and most importantly the Gold Ecological Park. Most places of interest are located along the Tea Pot Mountain and are accessible from Gold Ecological Park. Do take note that you need to do a lot of climbing up and down. Or you can opt to spend your time inside the Gold Ecological Park alone.
Train:
Visitors from Taipei should take a train heading eastwards to Yilan and Hualian and get off at Rueifang train station. A Keelung Bus Company vehicle can be taken to Jinguashi from directly opposite the station (ticket price NT$22).
Contact: Taiwan Railway Administration
Web Site:http://www.railway.gov.tw/
Traffic Information:02-23815226 ext 3135, 2215, 2216
Group Reservation:02-23815226 ext 2538, 2539
Bus:
(1)Taipei-Jiguashi:A Keelung Bus Company vehicle can be taken from Exit 1 at the Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station. This passes through Rueifang and Jioufen. Passengers should alight at Jinguashi station (ticket price NT$95).
Web Site:http://www.klbus.com.tw
(2)Keelong-Jinguashi:A Keelung Bus Company vehicle can be taken from Keeling train station (in front of the I-Mei Foods Co. Ltd.). This passes through Jioufen and passengers should alight at Jinguashi station.
Keelong Bus:0800-588-010
Web Site:http://www.klbus.com.tw
Besides taking the bus from Taipei straight to Rueifang and Jinguashi, it is also recommended to take the train to Rueifang Station and then take the coach or share a taxi with other tourists (about $50 NT per person).
29 Nov
For our full trip itinerary, please click here.
For our travelogue, please click here or here. I’ve completed the itinerary from our June 2009 trip, and now I’m going to do some add ons (from our August 2009 trip) for your easy reference and the following post is part of it (linked under + North East Coast.
From Jiufen, we traveled along the north east coast to Jinguashi. Mr Hsu, the Jiufen B&B owner took the freeway and we enjoyed the scenery along the coast line.
Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) Fulong Station. During summer, Fulong Town can get really crowded because tourist would gather here to enjoy the sun and surf at Fulong Beach.
Getting here:
1. Take the THSR to Taipei Station, continue by train to Fulong Railway Station.
2. Take the train to Taipei Railway Station, continue by Kuo-kuang Bus (bound for Yilan, Luodong) to Fulong stop.
3. Take the train to Keelung Railway Station, continue by Keelung Bus to Fulong stop.
21 Nov
For our travelogue, please click here. I’ve completed the itinerary from our June 2009 trip, and now I’m going to do some add ons (from our August 2009 trip) for your easy reference, just like the example below:
Day 4
Pingxi, Jiufen, +Dong Bei Jiao, +Jinguashi, +Keelung: JingTong 菁桐 – PingShi 平溪 – ShiFen 十分 - Jiufen 九份 – Windsor B&B 溫莎堡景觀民宿 – Seafood Dinner near KeeLung 基隆 (+Dong Bei Jiao, +Jinguashi) + Keelung Miao Kou Night Market
Note: I have included some places of interest from my latest Taiwan Trip into the itinerary with a “+” sign. Pingxi, Jiufen, Jinguashi, Keelung are townships that lie adjacent to each other. It is best to spend 2D1N to cover places of interest like Pingxi + Jiufen + Jinguashi + Keelung Night Market (spend a night in Jiufen). Mode of transportation includes inter-township buses, taxis or chartered car. It is best to charter a car (check with the B&B owner) to avoid complications and to save time, and the view along the way from Jiufen to Jinguashi (Dong Bei Jiao 東北角海岸) is spectacular!
If you are looking for a free Taiwan trip planner/trip advisor, remember to click here ya!
Keelung’s Miaokou Night Market is famous throughout Taiwan for its large selection of food. The night market is easily accessible on foot for most travelers arriving from other cities. From the Keelung railway station walk east straight along the street following the harbor in the direction of the Keelung Harbor Bureau (identifiable at night by its large orange neon sign. The night market is roughly one block from the point where you cross a freeway overpass. (information from wikitravel)
We would highly recommend Miaokou Night Market if you plan to pay a visit to Jiufen/Jinguashi. Keelung is only 20 minutes away if you take a bus. We took a bus from Jiufen to the night market but please remember that the last bus will depart from Keelung at 9.50 pm. If you are late, hail a cab or take a bus back to Rueifang Train Station and from there, take a cab to Jiufen.
Situated near the sea, the night market is especially rich in seafood. Comparing to other might markets in Taiwan, the Keelung Miaokou Night Market is relatively small but the delicacies such as Potside Sticker Soup, Butter Crab, Shaved Ice, etc made up for it.
17 Nov
everywhere in Taiwan & Singapore
MOS stands for mountain, ocean, sun.
As one of the largest hamburger chain in Japan, MOS Burger has established its presence in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and (used to be in) Malaysia. Ooooo MOS as MOS, why did you ditch Malaysia?
12 Nov
For our full trip itinerary, please click here.
On the last night of our trip, KampungBoy wanted to splurge on dinner. Apparently, he had “too much” of Taiwanese Dollar left because he spent very little on food, accommodation, transport, etc (credits to my good planning). Being a good girlfriend, I did my fair bit in helping him by……buying cosmetics and skin care products as seen in the picture above! If you love drug store brands, just walk into any Sasa/Watson’s/Cosmed outlets and you’ll go crazeeeeee over the beauty finds!
Together with two huge shopping bags, we then walked for about 45 minutes to Tripod King, a very famous hot pot restaurant in Taipei other than Tai He Dian. You can opt to take a cab but since our “dinner” reservation was set at 11pm, we took our own sweet time to stroll along the streets of Taipei. Originally from Taichung, they have recently set up a branch in Taipei and is so popular that reservations have been pretty hard to get, which explains the “odd” slot that we got.
8 Nov
For our full trip itinerary, please click here.
We visited Taiwan twice this year and there is one place that we never fail to visit – Wufenpu 五分埔. Located opposite Songshan train station in XinYi District, Wufenpu one of the largest clothing markets in Taipei. One can also take the Bannan line to Houshanpi station and go out Exit 4. The market is a five-minute walk from the station along YongJi Road.
During our second visit there, I was really surprised that KampungBoy knows his way around sans a map because according to him, “you spent a freaking 6 hours there on our first visit!”. Oooooops!
Although the market is definitely not a high-fashion zone, it offers the latest street fashions for a fraction of the cost found elsewhere, with many items priced at less than NT$500. Bulk buying generally yields a discount.
Simply "US"! Epicureans from Kampung and City. Thus, we are named after: "KampungboyCitygal"
Email us at kampungboycitygal@gmail.com
