Welcome to Taiwan! In this 24 hour layover trip, we scope out the top most instagramable places to photograph. We cover the northern coast, then head into the mountainside to Jiufen where we try street food, and finally Pingxi to make the magical sky lanterns. We booked our tour with MyTaiwanTours which took us to all these amazing sights.
Behind the Scenes Video: 1. Jinguashi We travel from Taipei to visit the northern coast at Jinguashi. We visit the Yin-Yang Sea and a copper and gold mine dating back to the era of Japanese rule over the island. The ocean even turned a copper color from the mine. We also visit the Gold Waterfall which is right next to the copper mine.
2. Jiufen
We travel a few miles north into the mountains to visit Jiufen, the town that inspired the classic anime movie "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's equivalent to Walt Disney in film making. Jiufen is a lively and quaint area that includes tea houses decorated with lanterns and winding allies filled with street food. It can get quite crowded here during the weekends, so try visiting during the weekdays if you can! 3. Night Markets / Street Food Taiwan is a foody nation. Some call it the country that never stops eating. There are numerous night markets in the city selling everything from sweet, savory, and exotic snacks. We wander the cobblestone streets and alleyways filled with food vendors and try the bubble tea and Taiwan's traditional dish - stinky tofu.
4. Pingxi / Sky Lantern
Pingxi is a unique area where you can make sky lanterns and release them in Shifen Old Street to send the wishes to the heavens. Our lantern's wish was "Peace Love and Taiwan!". Even if you don't make a sky lantern, they are fun to watch as the sky is filled with glowing lanterns which look like mini hot air balloons. The tradition combines culture and art and draws tourists from all over the world. There is also the famous Sky Lantern Festival in February.
5. Elephant Mountain
Many people go to Taipei 101 observatory for the skyline view, but the only problem is that Taipei 101 will not be in the photo! The best way to get the iconic Taiwan cityscape photo is from Elephant Mountain which is a relatively short and steep hike. We didn't quite have time to do this hike during our layover, but the Elephant Mountain hike offers one of the best (and free!) views of the city.
What are your favorite places to photograph in Taiwan? Comment below!
Comments are closed.
|
Published Travel ArticlesWelcome to Run The Atlas!
We are two adventurous young professionals who turned our passion for travel into a blog to help others travel more.
|