Today, we journeyed by rail from Hualien to Chiufen.
Hualien train station
After a comfortable 2-hour train ride, we arrived at Ruifang, the AP for tourists making their way to Chiufen. As it was a Saturday, Ruifang was buzzing with activity and we decided to take a cab up the hills to Chiufen, instead of squeezing on the overcrowded public buses.
Ruifang
Chiufen proved to be even more crowded, as locals mingle with tourists along narrow streets lined with stalls selling souvenirs, local snacks, apparel and accessories. It almost felt like Chinatown during CNY.
Great view on the hill
After Chiufen, we made our way to the peripherals of Taipei city, first visiting Yeliu Stone Park, where an amazing array of rock formations sculpted by the sea was on display.
Whale! (and an unknown old man...)
Fishing on the rocks
Lover's Bridge
Tamshui Old Street
We then took the Taipei Metro System (Taipei's equivalent of our MRT) to Shihlin Night Market, the largest and most famous of them all. It was incredibly crowded, and we were in no mood to shop, though we had a taste of the renowned XXL chicken cutlet and 大肠包小肠.
Metro Station
Guess I was too tired to take a pic of Shihlin, and the crowd was really scary. You get pushed along the "human ocean" and there were long queues for everything. Not for those with ochlophobia, and pretty girls.
