An Afternoon in Shifen

Shifen Waterfall is a picturesque waterfall located in Pingxi District on the upper reached of the Keelung River. It is the broadest waterfall in Taiwan with a total height of 20 meters (66 ft) and width of 40 meters (130 ft). It is a cascade waterfall in which the water flows in one direction and the rock sloped in the opposite. We went to the waterfall on an afternoon. There were a lot of tourists like us wanting to see the waterfall. 

To reach the waterfall you will have to pass on a suspended bridge. Adjacent to the bridge is a functioning train railroad. After passing the bridge, you will pass by at a small temple. After that you will reach the food stalls and waterfall. After the food stall, you will see the majestic waterfall. There are several viewpoints of the waterfall, and it is mostly crowded of tourist. However, each viewpoint will give you a stunning look at the waterfall.

Shifen Waterfall is open daily from 9AM to 4:30PM and its free. I would suggest going early to avoid the crowd.

A few walk away from Shifen waterfall is the Shifen oldstreet which is popular for its sky lanterns. Tourists flocks the Pingxi Railway Line to write their wishes on the lantern and release them on the sky in the middle of the train tracks.

The custom of releasing sky lanterns can be traced back to the Fujian province of China. In the middle of 1800s, the Pingxi area is full of bandits. The local villagers would send up sky lanterns to inform others that it was safe to pick up supplies. The locals started to writing wishes to the gods on the lanterns since it goes high into the sky.

The price for a sky lantern and Shifen is TWD 200 (single color, red is the most common), 250 (four colors), or 350 (8 colors). Each color of the lantern has a meaning. Once you light up the lantern and release it, it will immediately go up. One of the vendors will assist you in arranging the lantern so that you can write your wishes. They will also assist you in releasing your lantern and they will take photos of you releasing the lantern.

You can also buy some souvenir items on the stores selling lanterns. There are a lot of lantern keychains. Aside from shops selling lanterns, there are also some food stalls along the train tracks.

A Guide at Yehliu Geopark

 Yehliu Geopark is one the popular tourist attraction in Taiwan. Yehliu Geopark is located on the north coast of Taiwan. Yehliu Geopark is divided into three section. The first section has rocks like the famous Queen’s head, Fairy’s Shoe and Candle. The second section has rocks like Bean Curd and Dragon Head. The third section has sea-eroded caves and seal shaped rock. The rock formations in the Yehliu Geopark are caused by weathering, marine erosion, and crustal movement.

Travel time from Taipei to Yehliu Geopark may take 1.5 hours. There are buses from Taipei that can bring you directly to the Geopark. There is also an option to take the THSR or TRA. However, you will still have to take a bus after going down the train station. The entrance fee at Yehliu Geopark is NTD 120. There is usually a long line in the ticket booth.

Since Yehliu is popular tourist spot it can easily get crowded, so it is better to plan your travel to maximize your trip. The Queen’s head always have a long queue of tourist wanting to get a picture with it. You can try to find other angle wherein you can get a picture with the Queen’s head without people in the background.

Aside from the different interesting rock formation, the Yehliu Geopark offers a scenic view of the sea. There is also a market just outside the park where you can buy souvenirs and food.