Taipei Solo Trip – Day 2 (12 Nov 2017)

I woke up late, thanks to to beers I had the night before and spied through my hotel window a cloudy morning. Perfect, as I was hoping for more chilly weather as a respite from a boiling hot Singapore.

As mentioned before, I decided to forego Taroko Gorge, and instead undertook a more-than 2 hour trip via buses and train to Wulai (southernmost Taipei amongst the hills)

Directions from XMD to Wulai

From Ximen Station (green line)
Ride 8 stops to Dapinglin
Walk 1 min to Dapinglin Station
Wait for bus 849 at this nearly undetectable bus stop
Travel 49 stops to arrive at Wulai terminal station

Wulai (烏來) is a small town in Taipei County, Taiwan, famous for its hot springs and aboriginal culture. The name of the town derives from the Atayal phrase kirofu ulai meaning “hot and poisonous”.

The town suffered great damage from typhoons in August 2015 and again in late September 2015. Anything below street level along the river was washed away and at least 4 large hotels were destroyed. Many businesses had suffered as well. During my visit, the town was mostly back in business, but some construction was still going on in some parts of the town. Wulai is still a beautiful location surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

I was well rewarded as lush mountain scenery greeted me at every turn. I strolled through another Diagon alley look-alike and emerged out the other end to embark on a long 1 hour trek to see the Wulai waterfall.

(Above: various shots of the stalls I passed by along the “Diagon Alley”. Interestingly there are a lot of family restaurants who serve their own farm produce to their guests. It appears to be quite popular among China and Japanese tourists.)

What followed was a torturous climb of steps to the cable car station, to take a cable car not designed for the faint-hearted.

Then, it was more about walking up paths to finally reach the top of the waterfall.

Needless to say, calories were lost, and this pair of 43-year-old fat legs nearly gave out a few times. But I (with a lot of wheezing) managed to head up , and then down the mountain; all this while soaking in the amazing scenery and sweet air.

There was a chance to go further up the peak to this very weird “Westworld” like run-down amusement park called the Yun-Hsien Park & Resort (雲仙樂園). It probably failed at the same time of the typhoon. But it looked rather creepy on the posters and brochures, and I internally vetoed against it as I didn’t think there would be anything interesting to see anyways. The fact that there was another long trek to a second peak factored into my decision as well.

Nonetheless I leave its history here for reading. Who knows, maybe I could be leading the Fat Furious Group here someday.

On the way back to civilization from the far south of Taipei, I stopped by the Bitan Scenic Area at Xindian. It is one of the eight famous attractions in Taiwan which is near by MRT Xindian station and a good place for people to relax and enjoy their weekend

The Xindian River branches off the Tamsui River and winds its way through the Bitan area. There are terraces, ponds, and sand bars on both banks of the stream. This area is suitable for canoeing, fishing, barbecuing, rowing, and exploring nature.

The lake’s aquamarine water make it one of Xindian’s scenic spots. The green lake suspension bridge was renovated and reopened to public use in 2000. A park on the eastern shore contains paths and viewing stands. Floating in a boat on the lake, the reflection of the green mountains create and exquisitely beautiful scene. (Source: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/)

For my evening foray, I went out to hunt down another craft beer joint and my first jazz pub.

The Landmark Craft Beer Tap was right smack in the middle of the City Hall district and I thought it was a pretty decent place, except for the fact that there were no seats. (Read more about my experience at the Landmark Craft Beer Tap here)

From there, I traveled further south towards the old business district, to check out the Brown Sugar Restaurant and Bar. Now I bet this joint had seen better days, but it looked like a has-been establishment, and the band wasn’t as much into jazz that night. Maybe I came in on the wrong night.
(Read more about my thoughts about this place here)

I took a last bus back to XMD just before midnight and I roamed XMD again to get my street food fix – and it was back to the hotel room for a nice nap. This was a tiring, but rewarding day, and the evening was chiller than the first one. Very satisfying night for a long walk.