Taipei Off The Beaten Path

You can find tofu made in all kinds of way on this street in Shenkeng in Taipei County.

Unlike other places, the tofu here is handmade and free of plaster powder, which is why Shenkeng is well-known for its tofu. You can try it from the street vendors, or dine-in.

Don't forget to try the stinky tofu, they are the best!

The unusual rock formations from erosion created this beautiful scenic park, located near Keelung.

The most famous rock is the Queen's Head. Currently, there's a debate on whether to preserve it from falling with chemical as erosion continues to make her neck smaller. Some estimate that the Head will fall in about 20 years without any preservation - so go see it while it's still there.

You can take a long distance bus from Taipei to Yehliu, or from Keelung. Details on website below.

Jiufen used to be gold mining town in early 20th century. Things have changed and it's a nice get-away for city dwellers over the weekend.

The village is built on the side of the mountain. The main street is made of stone steps going all the way up from the bottom of the village.

There are quite a few tea houses, with a nice view of the ocean. Specialty food is the hand-made tapioca dessert, served hot or cold.

Details on how to get there is shown on the website.

One of the largest and oldest temple in Keelung, it has been around for over 200 years. It honours the Goddess Matsu.

It's best to go during a Chinese festival, especially during the Ghost Festival (7th month of the Chinese calander), when there are lots of activities going on in the area.

It's located on 1 ZhongEr Rd.

Don't get too excited... it''s just a lounge/restaurant (China Bar) that depicts the chinese version of the ways of the kama-sutra in their bathrooms (yes, I went into both just to make sure). The rest of the establishment is quite quirky too. I think they're trying to outdo Sofa, seeing that they are practically next to eachother and there's almost always no seats at Sofa on weekends. I haven't tried the food yet, but I will.

1F No.24 Lane 205 Chong-Siao East Road

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Window on China is the second largest miniaturization park in the world. My visit to this theme park reminded me very much of Madurodam in The Haague, Holland. The park showcases miniaturized landmarks and monuments in Taiwan and China including the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. There are also miniaturised models of other monuments in other continents like the Taj Mahal, Paris Opera House, Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, The Pyramids of Giza, Leaning Tower of Pisa and others.

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Chiufen was once a gold mining center and was referred to as Little Shanghai for its prosperity and colorful night life. In 1890, someone struck gold near Chiufen. The poor village with only nine families soon attracted prospectors of 4,000 families. However, with the decline of gold mining activities, Chiufen fades. Situated in mountains and face the ocean, Chiufen is a village with magnificent view of natural beauty which attracts several movie directors to shoot here. The movie “The Sad City” won the first prize in Venice Film Festival and thus awakened people's memory of Chiufen. Now, there are many unique teahouses and snack shops in Chiufen. These teahouses are best stops during visit to this mountain village.

The Historic Commercial District of Chiufen consists of a series of stores and restaurants running along Jishan and Shuchi Streets, which are built into the side of the coastal hills. The area is known for its collection of historic businesses, eateries, and teahouses, allowing visitors to relive the past while sampling local specialties and purchasing handicrafts and other knick-knacks. The area also provides spectacular views of the harbor and the Pacific Ocean below.

To get to Chiufen, take a guided tour from Taipei. If you are an independent traveller and can speak and read Chinese, take the train north to Ruifang Station. From Ruifang take the Keelung Transit bus from the bus stops in front of the train station to Chiufen. The bus trip is roughly 15 minutes. Alternatively, take the Chiufen bus from the Adventist Hospital bus stop on Bade Road, east of the intersection with Fuxing Road.

The Port was opened as a commercial port in 1863. In 1872 a navel defence headquarters was set up here and later the railroad was linked to the port. It wasn’t until 1886 that the first wharf was completed despite the port being in operation for around 100 years prior to that. When the Japanese occupied the area during 1895-1945 a 5 stage development plan was initiated. During World War II in 1939 the port was heavily bombed and almost all of the port facilities were destroyed.

Location : Keelung, North Taiwan