Friday, June 7, 2019

Taiwan Day 2 - Jiufen and Pinxi Tour

Our Day 2 is one of Taiwan's most popular day tours ~  Jiufen and Pinxi

Jiufen and Pinxi are relatively near Taipei.  Jiufen the nearer of the two is only about 40 minutes by private car.  A DIY is a viable option, but we want a worry free tour and so we opted to simply book a tour via My Taiwan Tours. Click on this link to their website ~ MY TAIWAN TOUR.

Our Jiufen and Pinxi Tour is an eight (8) hours day tour which includes: hotel pick up and drop off (via a 9 seater sedan), a local guide  and a sky lantern crash course :P

Our ride for today



Arrangement via My Taiwan Tour was fast and easy.  They contacted me 2-3 days before our schedule, which assured me everything will go as planned.  

Lucy our guide was at our hotel doorsteps early to pick us up.  She is energetic and bubbly. Her enthusiasm is contagious, enough to make us feel excited of our day's itinerary. It was clear that she loves Taiwan and she is proud to show-off its beauty!



Jinguashi

Our first stop ~ Jinguashi is a  mining village, which was famous for its vast gold mine exploited during the Japanese colonization of Taiwan.

Here is a view of an abandoned mining refinery called Thirteen Ruins





The Golden Waterfalls and Yin-Yang Sea




Next stop is the decommissioned mining  town of Jiufen.  It is now alleys and alleys of tea house and stores selling local  snacks and souvenirs. 





We tried their Peanut Ice Cream Roll and Taro Balls 


From Jiufen we travelled to SHIFEN, PINXI
the  Lantern Capital of Taiwan.  

Our HANDMADE Sky Lantern  with our Family Wishes:


GOOD HEALTH and LONGLIFE, HAPPINESS and PROSPERITY, PEACE ON EARTH, LOTS OF LOVE (and my youngest son's personal wish "MORE FOOD" ~ I think there is no need to explain)!



The highlight of our day ~ seeing our sky lantern FLY!


31 comments:

  1. Thanks for a great write up .will definitely go back to Taiwan again

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  2. Cool Taiwan trip!! Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. Happy to share our Taiwan trip. I hope I was able to inspire you somehow.

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  3. I want to fly sky lanterns, too! Sana we can visit Taiwan rin habang visa-free pa sya. :)

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  4. Such a nice place to visit with the family! And, it's a good decision for you to avail of full package tour for a hassle free tour.

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  5. Sometimes I chose to avail tour package too for convenience especially if you have kids in tow. I hope we can visit Taiwan habang free-visa pa.

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    1. It was a tad more expensive though, but it was okay as we've achieved our goal - experience Taiwan.

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  6. Ansaya naman ng Family vacay na ito! Never been to Taiwan sana makavisit din kami jan :)

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    1. It was fun . My boys liked the Lantern making activity the most.

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  7. I want to go to Taiwan with my whole family as well and try that sky lantern! Mukang masarap yung taro balls :)

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    1. I personally think our taro balls version (ginataang bilo-bilo) is a lot better though.

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  8. I love the view of Golden Waterfalls and Yin-Yang Sea! It looks like your family had a blast in Taiwan. I haven't been there but I wish to visit too.

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    1. The view really isn't that much. The do looked good though on photo.

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  9. I've been reading so much about Taiwan lately. I have to admit, I didn't consider going there before, pero now, nakita ko ang ganda pala talaga!

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    1. My thoughts too. Now I am actually thinking of coming back to see places and attractions we missed last time.

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  10. I wanna go to Taiwan too. Is it kid-friendly? :)

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    1. Taiwan is akin to Japan in terms of order and safety. Yes it is good for kids, especially if you want time off gadget and more time to explore the outdoors. Do bring your bugs spray though.

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  11. My dream is to go to Taiwan! Apart from the sceneries, there's so much food that you can visit, and explore the country through your palette!

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    1. Oh I know what you mean.
      I was there for the sights, but my boys were there for the chow 😋

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  12. I wasn't able to try the taro balls when I was there. I hope we can go back real soon to Taiwan, there are a lot places to explore pa.

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    Replies
    1. Common mistake in travel is staying in the city. There are actually more to a country outside the capital.

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  13. Parang ang sarap ng peanut ice cream rollll!

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    1. It was good. I find the garnishing (i think it is parsley) in my icecream odd tasting.

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  14. Thanks for sharing My Taiwan Tour. I can use this when we visit Taiwan.

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    Replies
    1. I am happy to hear that. I hope you get some kind of inspiration from our experience.

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  15. this is such a memorable and happy famtrip. How I wish we could travel out of country :)

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    1. I wish everyone could travel abroad and experience first hand other culture. There so many things to see...

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  16. This is our next travel goal. Mas na-excite ako tuloy!

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    1. Oh, I am excited for you too. Best pasalubong tip: nougats and pineapple cake/tarts. I bought through Klook for pick up at the airport. So convenient.

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