Northern Taiwan Road Trip

Old railroad track in Shifen

Possibly the most romantic place we visited on this road trip. You buy a lantern from one of the local merchants and write your wishes on it. Then it’s lighted and released into the sky. I think this is far more lovely than hanging a padlock on a bridge. Our lantern stuttered several times as it made its way up. I thought it would come crashing down and that would have been the end of our wishes. But after a few hiccups, it went up, up and away. Now I just have to wait and see if my wishes are granted. :) My friend, Ruby, took this photo because I left my phone camera in the car. :(

Coastline of Northern Taiwan

It was raining intermittently during our entire road trip to Northern Taiwan. The sea was churning and the waves were quite high in some areas. It was beautiful to see the rugged coastline and imagine what it would be like on a clear day.

Keelung Islet

The little island in the distance has a lighthouse.

Wanli UFO Village, New Taipei City

There are several UFO looking houses in this neighborhood overlooking the sea. They’ve all been abandoned except for one. It’s forlorn and in various stages of decay. There is not much information indicating the reason for the demise of this futuristic village. I hope they’ll start maintaining these buildings soon because they are unique architectural structures, very few of which remain today. And a familiar place for those who might stray into our planet.

Yehliu Geopark

This windswept geopark should be on every visitor’s list. There’s a short walk from the main entrance to the causeway. Along this route is the famous rock formation or hoodoo called Queen’s Head.

This is the causeway that leads to the Queen’s Head hoodoo and Guito Shan or commonly called Turtle Head Mountain.

Queen’s Head, Yehliu Geopark

The Queen’s Head which you can see in the image above (just above my logo) is in a fragile state. It is slowly eroding from the sea and wind. At the park before entering the causeway is an exact replica of this natural formation. Turtle Head Mountain towers in the background.

Notice the replica of the Queen’s Head in the background. It is made of fiberglass from a real size 3D model. Also on this trail leading to the causeway are several colorful statues of cartoon characters which the children will love.

Yehliu Geopark

These rocks remind me of broccoli heads.

Golden Waterfall, New Taipei City

This was the most stunning place we saw during our entire trip. Sandwiched by the mountains, it sits in a lush, secluded and tranquil area. The water running down the rocks is actually toxic because it contains sulfur, arsenic and copper ore which ingredients give the water a golden hue. The waterfall trails down to the Yin-Yang Sea.

Jiufen

Jiufen was a real treat for the eyes but going up the narrow, old street was hard on my knees. The wet alleys made it even more difficult because it was slippery and slipping was a real thing. At the end of the climb, we found this view. So pretty and serene. I’ll be writing a separate article about Jiufen because the food images define so well what this place is all about.

How to get there:

By train from Taipei to Shifen: take a train from Taipei Main Station to Keelung. Change trains here for one bound for Shifen.

From Shifen to Jiufen: take a train to Ruifang and transfer here for Jiufen. In Jiufen, you’ll need to take a taxi to the Old Street. Check rome2rio.com for details.

By bus from Taipei to Yehliu Geopark, check the Tourism Administration of Taiwan website for details: https://eng.taiwan.net.tw

With a guide: the best way to see all the places I mentioned above is to hire a private guide. There were four of us and our guide/driver had a van where we could all sit comfortably for the long ride. The other advantage of having a private guide is that you can customize your tour to include the places you wish to see. Our guide drove us safely through rain and wet roads. His name is Raul Ng of Taiwan Tours and you can reach him through his Facebook page or at 886-926-177-849 or by email at hellotaiwantours@gmail.com.

Currency: USD$1.00 = 32.54 New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) as of this writing.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie unless otherwise indicated.

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

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