Thrice Taiwan: Jiufen

Our memories of Jiufen during our first trip were lovely ones: winding cobbled paths dotted with tea houses, hot soup to warm you up on a cold winter's day, and old houses nestled among the hills. 

Because of those fond memories, we decided to pay Jiufen another visit this round. However, our experience was different, perhaps because we had three grouchy littles in tow, or maybe because we were visiting during one of the peak periods for travel in Taiwan. Jiufen was packed, even on a Monday, and its windy, cobbled streets felt less welcoming with all the jostling tourists, many who were carrying umbrellas because it was raining. A fair number of tourist attractions are closed on Mondays (eg. some exhibits at the zoo, certain museums etc), so that might have explained the crowd there (A side point: do your research on opening hours and days for museums and such when planning your trip). 

I think in general Jiufen is lovely for a visit, but you might want to give this place a miss if you have a few littles in tow. Also, ditch the pram, since the cobbled walkways and crowds usually make it hard to navigate if you have one. And try your best to avoid the place on weekends. 

Crowds aside, it is pretty interesting to shop there (you can read our Taiwan shopping guide here). We usually make a stop to look at ocarinas, and there are at least two ocarina shops in Jiufen. We always like browsing in the there, since it's quite amazing how the ocarinas can come in so many shapes and sizes!

There are shops selling all sorts of merchandise, though of course, these are quite touristy. We did make a stop to buy leather pouches, and the kids were rather fascinated at the process of how the shopkeeper would burn the leather to engrave names on the pouches. 

We didn't make a stop in a teahouse, or visit any of the little museums there, but the kids had some fun spotting interesting crafts dotting the various houses there. They would spot glass pebbles embedded in the steps, upcycled art, and random paintings adorning the houses, and that kept them occupied for some part of the visit. The crowd did get to them, so after awhile everyone was cranky and whiny, so we decided to leave after lunch. (If you're wondering about the photo below, they were trying to mimic the cat painting. But Junior J decided he wanted no part of it, so he hid behind Papa.)

There's food aplenty in Jiufen, but we usually make a stop to eat beef noodles. Most shops do not have high chairs, so do bring a clip-on if you have a squirmy toddler! 

And one thing that helps to keep our kids happy for sure: dessert. We love the taro balls here, and there are many dessert shops to visit after you had your main meal.

I'm not too sure if we'll come back to Jiufen if we visit Taiwan again, but I know we'll definitely not visit in November!

PS: This post is part of a series of posts for our third visit to Taiwan. For our trip itinerary, go here, and you can read about our first and second trips to Taiwan here, and here. 

Thrice Taiwan: What we brought and bought

There are Black Friday sales happening everywhere today, but I highly doubt you'll be finding those in the night markets of Taiwan! But sales aside, I thought our three trips there have warranted at least one post on what to bring as well as the interesting things to buy! 

What to bring

Taiwan gets a lot of rain, so do bring raincoats for the kids, and umbrellas. Or even better, buy an umbrella when you are there, since you'd be spoilt for choice with regards to the range of brollies available! And speaking of weather, check the weather forecast and pack accordingly. It can get really cold up in the mountains in winter, and the best would be to layer since that gives you more flexibility with regards to the fluctuating temperatures. The UV radiation can get quite intense, so do bring sunscreen and hats!

For those travelling with toddlers and babies, you might want to consider bringing a clip-on high chair, as many of the eateries do not have high chairs. Most eateries provide only plastic soup spoons and chopsticks, and do not have forks. As such we found these training chopsticks (from Qoo10) were really useful, if you're travelling with kids old enough to feed themselves. The chopsticks are easy to handle, and even our 4 year old had no problems using them. We also brought along spoons for the toddler, since soup spoons are a tad too large for him. 

The baby carrier would come in handy if you have kids that still need to be carried. Prams can be useful, if you have a kid that can nap in there, and it is relatively easy to navigate the city areas with a pram in tow. Leave the pram behind when it comes to the nature areas though! For more packing tips when travelling with kids, read this post. 

What we bought in Taiwan
Taiwan is quite a great place to shop! We found that in general, you might find similar products being sold in the night markets and tourist spots, but they tend to be a tad cheaper at the night markets. If there is a local market near your accommodation, take the time to check it out first since sometimes you can get some stuff at an even cheaper rate there! (You can read about our local market buys here.)

Unlike places like Thailand where bargaining is necessary, the shopkeepers in Taiwan don't take very well to bargaining. We usually do ask for a discount, especially if we buy more, but most are quite reluctant to lower their prices, so don't push too hard! However, I find most sales people are really friendly and nice folk, and do not show any signs of unhappiness if you leave their shop empty-handed.

Shopping: Clothing and accessories

The night markets are pretty good for shopping for clothes and accessories, and I've heard that the wholesale area at WuFenPu near the RaoHe night market can be a place to find good deals. However, most posts I've read (like this one) have not had very promising reviews of WuFenPu, also do note that the clothes available follows the changes in seasons. We didn't really bother to hunt for clothes, since clothes shopping with 3 littles in tow is quite a nightmare, but we managed to pick up some interesting finds along the way. 

We found our colourful hand-sewn leather shoes at the local market near our apartment in Taipei (more details here), and these were being sold at 40% cheaper than the retail price at department stores. We were told that the stall makes its rounds around the local markets, and can be found at that particular market only on Mondays, when all the usual stalls selling produce are closed. We also bought some cute socks for the kids at the same market, from another stall that only sets up on Wednesdays.

Ximending probably has the most number of bag shops amongst the tourists spots, and has lots of trendy shops selling all sorts of merchandise. We picked up backpacks for the boys at one of these shops, and I love the prints!

We spotted this shop selling these cute leather pouches in Jiufen, and bought some as gifts (I think there were a few of these shops that stocked these in Jiufen). There was a stall over in RaoHe night market selling similar pouches, but at a cheaper price. However, the shop which we purchased the pouches offered the complimentary service of engraving names on the pouches, which I thought was a nice touch. 

Shopping: Home accessories
I've shared before about these little train carriages, which we bought at a shop over in Shifen (a kind IG follower recently sent me the name of the shop: Shifen Handmade Shop, which has a bright yellow signboard). That aside, the same shop sells all manner of pretty wooden musical boxes and other home accessories.

We bought some of these waterproof mats over at the RaoHe night market, then subsequently found that they were also sold at the local market near our apartment, at a cheaper price (they were sold at the same stall selling socks, that sets up on Wednesdays). These are soft and machine-washable, and are useful if you are training your kid to go off diapers at night. I loved how comfortable these felt, compared to the usual waterproof rubber mats or incopads, and their cheery designs that were cute and not tacky looking! 

The Taiwanese really seem to love owls, and you'll find all manner of merchandise with owls printed on them! The hubs picked this fellow up at the museum over at the Toucheng farm, and we spotted some similar ones made of twine over at a shop near the calla lily farms at Yangmingshan. The shop sells all sorts of gardening accessories, and our friends probably bought most of the owls there, but I'm sure they will restock!

Shopping: Yummy food

There are all sorts of snack galore, so I'd say, just try samples as you go and buy whatever your tastebuds fancy! One of the most popular ones would probably be their pineapple pies, which are sold everywhere. Even some bakeries stock their own versions. We also bought these seaweed snacks for the kids at the RaoHe Night Market: these are strips of seaweed with nuts/seeds sandwiched between, and are addictive and make quite healthy snacks. The kids have almost finished them up, and Baby J demands for them everyday!  

Another interesting buy we spotted at RaoHe was this stall selling this sweet ginger herbal drink. You can buy pre-packed blocks of the ingredients to bring back, and all you need to do is pop the blocks into hot water and stir. We purchased some yummy veggie and fruit chips from another stall in RaoHe, only to discover that the market near our apartment sold them in larger packets at the same price!

Shopping: Kids stuff

Eslite is great for shopping for books, and certain Eslite stores also sell toys and games. In general, I find that their other products tend to be more high-end, so we usually only window shop when we are there. We discovered the Lonpos range of logic puzzles at Eslite during one of our earlier trips, and thought those were pretty interesting, and those are worth checking out if you have kids who are into these things. 

The Taiwanese produce their own range of toys, so it can be quite interesting to visit various department stores to check those out. We've spotted a Taiwanese version of Lincoln Logs, and you'd find stationery stores and market stalls selling imitation Lego. We picked up a few sets in the market near our apartment, and those were pretty cheap (by now you would have deduced we did the bulk of our shopping at the local market!). 

We also purchased a few ocarinas from Jiufen to give as gifts to some of the kids' friends. There are at least two shops in Jiufen which sell ocarinas of all shapes and sizes, and you just need to follow your ears to find them. Each usually comes with a fingering chart and a song-book, and I think those with six holes have a larger note range compared to those with four. These days, they come in such cute designs!

And finally, with all that shopping you might be doing in Taiwan, I must add one more thing to bring along: a foldable luggage tote/bag that you can use for all that extra baggage you'd have at the end of the trip!

PS: This post is part of a series of posts for our third visit to Taiwan. For our trip itinerary, go here, and you can read about our first and second trips to Taiwan here, and here. 

Thrice Taiwan: Yangmingshan

We headed up to Yangmingshan on a Sunday. Since it was the weekend, we made sure to head up early, since access can sometimes be restricted due to the crowds. Our first stop were the trails around the calla lily farms:

We had chanced across these farms during our second visit to Yangmingshan (you can read about our first and second visits here and here), but didn't realize there was so much to explore! This round, our driver dropped us off, gave us some vague instructions to walk further in, and then left us to wander about. 

So wander about we did. The calla lilies seem to bloom later in January, but we did spot a few flowers:

The trails make for lovely exploring, especially if you visit in the colder months of December or January. It was really hot when we were there (again, bring sunscreen and hats!), but the kids really enjoyed walking around the area, looking at all the flora and fauna around them. We spotted all sorts of insects, such as busy bumblebees, gorgeous blue-green damselflies, and butterflies. 

One highlight of the visit was the chance to splash about in the icy cold stream! The kids loved it.

There are quite a few places to dine at Yangmingshan, but our driver recommended us to Laohutian for lunch. 

The menu there is mind-boggling, with all sorts of dishes being served. Certain soups and noodles are free-flow. 

They served the best roast pork I've ever tasted!

It's a great place to dine at, but do order in moderation as the dishes can be quite large. The lady serving us kept recommending dishes, so we over-ordered, but we'll definitely come back for the good food. Especially that roast pork!

Another stop we made at Yangmingshan was to Xiaoyoukeng. The kids were fascinated with the sulfurous fumes issuing out of the fumaroles: 

But after awhile, the smell got to everyone. So we walked about abit, grimaced alot for some photos, then escaped to the visitor center. 

We were due to visit some relatives, so we didn't continue exploring Yangmingshan, but this is one place we'll definitely revisit! 

PS: This post is part of a series of posts for our third visit to Taiwan. For our trip itinerary, go here, and you can read about our first and second trips to Taiwan here, and here. 

Thrice Taiwan: Yeliu & Shifen

We decided to make a day trip out to Yeliu and Shifen after moving from the farm to the Taipei apartment, as the weather was forecast to be sunny over the weekend. This was our second visit, our first being when Junior J was two, and I was expecting Lil J. Time really does fly!

The geopark is very popular with tourists, and is really packed on weekends. It almost impossible to have nice family photos, without having someone's head or legs photo-bombing your shots. However, even with the crowds, it is a really lovely place to visit. Just try to pick a weekday, and check the weather forecast! There is little shelter, so bring your sunscreen and hats, and wear comfortable footwear as there are rocky places to traverse. 

Upon entering the park, you will first have to walk through an area that resembles a regular park, with lots of plants. This area features some rock formations amidst all the greenery, and is usually crawling with tourists trying to take photos. 

Beyond that, you will hit a small stretch of sandy beach, which is probably the only area within the park where the kids can dip their feet (so crocs/sandals are great if the weather isn't too cold). Do note they are not supposed to climb on the rocks in the water for safety reasons. If you do, you'll be reminded not to by the warning whistle of the guard standing on duty! This is the area that the kids loved the most, so we let them dig around for awhile before moving on. The sand here is really coarse, and there are also broken bits of glass washed up on the beach, so do keep a sharp eye on the kids when they are digging, and ensure they clear their sandals of sand before moving on. 

The path beyond the beach meanders through the park, and we spent a fair bit of time admiring the scenery and spotting crabs in various holes, as well as giant sand dollars buried in the rocks. Most paths are wheelchair-friendly, so you'd find you can still navigate your way through with a pram. However, there are a fair bit of steps, and the fun part is getting off the path to walk amidst some of the rock formations, so it's best to bring a baby carrier instead of a pram, if you have little ones that can't walk for long distances. 

The kids loved giving names to the various rock formations that they saw. One was a great dinosaur poop (they gamely posed for this shot!), while another was a dragon (hence all the roaring in the photo).

Yeliu is really lovely, and I won't mind visiting again the next round. Just not on a weekend!

Shifen was our next stop after Yeliu, however, we were quite tired out and didn't do much exploring, and opted not to visit it's famous waterfall. This railroad town is pretty touristy, and was packed to the brim with tourists that day (again, don't visit on a weekend!). 

We decided to do what everyone else was doing, which was to paint and release a sky lantern along the railroad track. These lanterns were used for signaling purposes in the past, and now many flock to the town for that sole purpose. About half of the shops along Pingxi Old Street seem dedicated to selling these lanterns! The kids loved painting on their lantern (there are lots of colour combinations to choose from), and Junior J painted dinosaurs while Lil J painted monsters:

... and usually the person who helps you to light the lantern also helps you to snap family photos too! 

I had quite a thrill seeing the lantern go up!

Lanterns aside, both sides of the railway track are filled with shops selling various souvenirs and food. We were too tired to do much shopping, so we opted to plonk ourselves down at a shop to eat shaved ice desserts, and watch everyone scramble off the tracks when a train approached. 

We did venture into one shop though (I can't recall the name, but it has a bright yellow signboard), which sold all sorts of lovely wooden handicrafts. I couldn't resist getting the little train, which was quite a steal (it was NT100 for 3 letters, and NT50 each for the caboose and engine)! 

PS: This post is part of a series of posts for our third visit to Taiwan. For our trip itinerary, go here, and you can read about our first and second trips to Taiwan here, and here.