Taiwan (2013) Day 3: To Shifen (十分) From Taichung

Date Visited: 28th November 2013

After spending three days two nights in Taichung, it's time to say goodbye and move forward to another destination, Shifen (十分) in Pingxi District. From Fengjia Business District, we took taxi to HSR Taichung Station and from there onwards, we took HSR train back to Taipei. Because we purchased the ticket directly from the counter instead of pre-booking, thus we unable to enjoy the early bird discount. The normal fare for a trip cost NT$765 and it takes less than an hour to reach Taipei station. 

#1: Breakfast at our favourite 24 hours convenience store, none other than 7-Eleven

Summary of How To Get To Shifen From Taichung

1. Take HSR from HSR Taichung Station to Taipei Station (Normal fare NT$765; less than an hour journey)

2. Upon reaching Taipei station, make way to Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to purchase  northbound train ticket to Ruifang Station (瑞芳) for NT$49 each.

3. Then from Ruifang Station, purchase One Day Pass at NT$54 for unlimited rides along the Pingxi Branch Line or a single trip at NT$20. 

Pingxi Railway Route: Sandiaoling >>> Dahua >>> Shifen >>> Wanggu >>> Lingjiao >>> Pingxi >>> Jingtong. 

#2: Shifen Station 

Shifen is a quaint little town but rich in both culture and history. Besides being well-known for lighting up the sky lanterns, this old street is manicured with souvenir shops, grocery stores and restaurant on the both sides of the railway. It's my first ever trip here and I glad to make this trip far along together with my Boyfie to enjoy its nostalgic and relaxing ambiance. By travel independently, definitely both of us able to enjoy all these precious moment without any rush and hurry. 

So basically what did Boyfie and I do in Shifen  (十分) ?

1) Shifen Waterfall 

From Shifen Old Street, both of us walked for 15-20 minutes to Taiwan's broadest waterfall, Shifen Waterfall. It took us more than an hour for this visit, hence it is advisable to plan your trip well and check-out the next boarding train from the platform. 

Admission Fee: NT$100 for adult 

#3: Shifen Scenic Area

#4: The waterfall behind me

#5: The magnificent Shifen Waterfall with a total height of 20 meters and 40 meters in width

2) Walking on the railway track

It's illegal to walk on the railway track but not here along the Pingxi Railway Branch as the train only operates every hour. Therefore, grab this chance, ready your camera and take as many shots as you want. 

#6: Walking on the railway track 

#7: Random bridge we stumbled upon and I love this photo

3) Writing our wishing lists on the sky lantern and set into the sky 

Regardless whichever stores, these huge lanterns are selling at the standard cost; NT$150 for two colours and NT$250 for four different colours. Each colour symbolise different meaning; pink represents love and relationship, yellow represents study, white represents health and so on. Once we done with writing down our wishlists (I guess I was the only one writing in English), the seller helped us to lighten up the sky lantern and released up into the sky. Is it our wishes come true? Maybe some of you may not believe this but both Boyfie and I passed our professional paper with flying colours. 

#8: Write the wishlists and release it into the sky. The higher, the better

#9: Grab some of these cute miniature sky lanterns for souvenirs

4) Experience Jingan Suspension Bridge

Located right behind the Shifen Station, this famous Jingan Suspension Bridge connects Shifen and Nanshan Village. One fun fact about Nanshan Village is most of the houses include windows, doors and exterior walls are painted in blue colour. 

#10: Embrace yourself walking throught Jingan Suspension Bridge 

5) Enjoy the local snacks 

Although we couldn't found any restaurants to settle down for our dinner, we glad that these local snacks managed to satisfy our taste buds. It's not only cheap but scrumptious and delicious, especially the crispy and huge fried squids. I never been a fan of seafood but for this, I went back and bought for second time. 

#11: Cheap and delicious street food in Shifen 

My OOTD:
Blue bowler hat from Kyoto, Japan (RM9)
Red winter coat from Fengjia Night Market (RM90)
Pink sweater from Fengjia Night Market (RM20)
Blue jean from Uniqlo, Japan (RM30)

We spent almost three hours wandering around Shifen Old Street and I think this is the best ideal of time to enjoy all the above things we experienced through. From Shifen Station, we took train back and alighted at Ruifang Station. Instead of taking bus, we grab a taxi to Jiufen as we chosen to overnight there earlier. One single trip cost NT180. So, my next post is about Jiufen, once a prosperous gold mining town. 

[Credit To: Guide To Taipei, Travelking]