Hongludi Mountain Trail

I recently went on a day trip to hike up Hongludi trail in New Taipei City. Surprisingly, the attraction, with a temple dedicated to the Earth God, isn't too well known, but I think the short hike up the mountain is well worth it thanks to the gorgeous panorama of Taipei. It rivals the views from Xiangshan, and it is far less crowded on the weekdays. 

Hongludi is a bit tricky to reach. First we took the MRT to Nanshijiao Station. A few blocks down from the MRT is the stop for the free shuttle 512, which arrives hourly. The shuttle stop is next to this adorable image of two koalas, in case you have difficulty locating it.  

After about twenty minutes, the shuttle dropped us off at the terminal stop at the base of the mountain. On normal weekdays, 512 ends its service at the bottom of the mountain so you have to hike up to the top of the mountain to get to temple at the top On weekends, the shuttle actually goes all the way up to a parking lot near the temple, so you would only have to climb a few sets of steep stairs instead of the entire mountain. 

Though we ended up experiencing the "difficult" option, it ended up only taking about 1.5 hours, and we got to see some interesting sights along the way. There are long stretches of steep stairs though, so be prepared for some moderately strenuous exercise. 

First we walked up from the shuttle stop to the mountain, following the signs for the trail. 

The older area around here is an odd mixture of rural fields, small workshops, and small traditional houses.

After a few hundred meters, there is a point where the road splits into two. One way leads to stairs going up alongside the main road to Hongludi, while another one takes you first to another temple lower on the hill. We walked up the path that bypassed this other temple.

There were so many steep stairs, and I knew this was only the first stretch! However, there are clear views of the city when you turn around, and seeing the slow progress upwards was quite motivating.

I'm glad we got to pass by this first temple. I didn't get the name, but it is vibrant and colorful.

Even at this lower elevation, there are already stunning views of Taipei City.

After more stairs, we arrived at the base of the top of the mountain, marked by this gigantic statue of the Earth God. There is a parking lot here, where the 512 shuttle stops on weekends. There were also some visitors who had driven up in cars.

After a few more steep steps, we finally arrived at the top of Hongludi. The beautiful temple had all the amenities of a nice rest stop, with a large convenience store, bathrooms, vending machines, and a small eatery.

The food vendor, near the back of the temple, sold many local foods like stinky tofu. We decided to get a warming early dinner.

The food was not bad at all for coming from a random small shop at the top of a mountain. I got the soup on the right, full of different vegetables and tofu in a rich, spicy broth (about $2 USD). 

There is a trail leading out from the back of the temple to other mountains, but the real stunning view is right in the front. On a clear day, you can see most of Taipei laid out in front of you. Dusk is a particularly nice time, as the orange-hued sun rays hit the city and create a warm glow.

At this time, I was quite jealous of all the people who had driven up in cars! We still had to hike down the entire mountain, and we weren't sure if the shuttle would be on schedule, or if we could even make the next hourly departure. Fortunately, we caught the 6PM shuttle.

Near Nanshijiao Station is a small neighborhood full of Burmese immigrants. There are Burmese and groceries all along a street called Huaxin St. We decided to eat dinner here, though some of the businesses were closed by the time we arrived, since they focus on providing breakfast.

The restaurants seemed really authentic! There were Burmese language posters and menus everywhere, and a bunch of rich curries laid out on a counter. It brought me back to my travels in Yangon.

We decided to try out a Burmese classic, mohinga, otherwise known as fish noodle soup. The soup is made with a pungent fish paste, giving it a savory and rich taste.

There was also a shop down the road that sold some Indian-style foods, like naan for $1USD. I had to get a piece! It was enormous but surprisingly light and fluffy. My carb craving was deeply satisfied.

What a fun day trip! I'm so glad I spent this long in Taipei, to be able to see some of the lesser-known sights in this great place. Hongludi Mountain is the place to go for gorgeous views, a moderate hike, and fewer crowds. 

Qixingtan Beach

Last week I went on a four-day trip to Hualien, a city on the east coast about two hours outside of Taipei. Hualien is most noted for its nature and varied geological formations, included a beautiful pebbled beach called Qixingtan. 

The beach is along the coast and can be accessed by a beautiful winding bike path. We rented bikes in the city for 150TWD ($5 USD) for the entire day. Then we rode the bikes in search of the bike path that would take us to the beach. 

Hualien is a relatively quieter and laid back city, so it is not too difficult to get around by bike, even for an inexperienced rider like myself. The bike path itself is glorious - wide curves, gentle hills, smooth pavement, along an interesting and diverse scenery of fields, agriculture, coast, and industry. 

Perhaps November is a low season for tourists in this part of Taiwan, but we found the path devoid of other cyclists, providing us with the freedom and space to go at our own pace through the hills. Eventually, the path leads down to the coastline.

 

Even on this grey and cloudy day, the water of the Pacific Ocean was breathtakingly clear and turquoise blue. It was such a peaceful scene, with barely any people in sight. 

   

In the distance you can see the mountains, shrouded by layers of clouds.

Closer down by the beach, you'll see that the ground is composed of smooth blue and grey pebbles, rather than sand. 

 The pale pebbles offered such a nice contrast to the blue waters.

Swimming is not allowed; the waves are really strong and come up unexpectedly strong. This crashing wave nearly caught us unprepared! Thankfully, I jumped back in time to avoid getting too wet.

If you ride the bike trail along the coast, going south towards Hualien, you soon come across some really interesting landscapes, like these old industrial mills. You get to have an unique look at the different parts of the city which are rarely seen in a normal tour. We passed by some old cows grazing at one point.

This row of nice palm trees were ironically neatly placed in front of a large landfill.

The bike path transitions into a concrete and drab cityscape, and then later enters a nice harbor area and a large park with more people.

We probably covered 30 kilometers on the bikes during the first day, well worth the cost of the bikes. It was definitely the longest distance I've ever ridden a bike at one time, and while it was immensely tiring, it made for a memorable experience and it was a fun way to get to know a new city. 

Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market

Yesterday I decided to pay a visit to the Wufenpu Wholesale District. This area is comprised of blocks upon blocks of clothing wholesalers, selling everything from men's suits to fancy gowns and cute ribboned headbands. Stores are laid out like a market, and the little boutiques face open to the street. There is a dizzying array of goods, and seemingly endless alleys and turns that lead to evermore stores. If you really wanted to carefully shop and find the best deals, you might need at least an entire day to explore!

Wufenpu is located a few minutes walk away from the Houshanpi MRT station. You'll know it when you see it! It's not for the weak hearted. I started feeling almost dizzy after wandering the streets, with the limitless options, bright lights, trendy fashions, and welcoming storekeepers. The selection here is great, though I don't think the prices differ too much from your standard night market. Perhaps the deals are better if you are a wholesale buyer.

In order to get some fresh air, we wandered to a nearby riverside park by Keelung River. Taipei has a lot of great public parks, and they usually are well-maintained and popular with residents. There are basketball and tennis courts, benches, playgrounds, and bike lanes. In the cool of the early evening people were riding bikes and jogging alongside the water.

It was quite a picturesque place to watch the sunset, and we saw a few photographers setting up tripods near a bridge to patiently capture the gorgeous but fleeting view.

The parkway is thoughtfully separated from the main throughway by a high wall. This wall probably provides some soundproofing, and it also preserves the natural feel of the riverside from the feel of the busy city. You can see in the below photo the difference between the two sides of the wall.

After the sun set, we walked to the nearby Raohe Night Market to grab some food to eat. Raohe is especially famous for its panfried pork buns. They are toasty on the outside without being fried and oily. This vendor is right at the entrance of the market, near the large temple. There are usually long lines that have to be cordoned off with tape.

The pale buns sitting outside the large pan are uncooked, and the ones inside are ready to be served to the next lucky person in line.

Another interesting snack that we stumbled across were these little egg pancakes. Now, they look like the round pancakes that are normally sold on streets that contain red bean or peanut paste. However, these were special! They each contain an entire egg that is cracked into the middle of the pancake before it is capped during the cooking process.

I wish I managed to take a photo of the inside of the pancake. The egg yolks are a brilliant shade of orange, which means that the egg is really fresh and good quality. You could also add additional flavors like cheese and chocolate.

Lastly, we had dessert! This was an unplanned dessert - the best kind. We were walking out of the night market when we came across a girl handing out samples of snow ice. The sample was good enough that we decided to stop for a mango snow ice. We were confused by why this cafe was so empty - the desserts were fantastic!

The mango snow ice is a complex and layered dessert. At the bottom is a huge mound of snow ice (a light, milky, creamy version of ice cream. The snow ice is topped with fresh cubed mango, a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream, sugary cornflakes, and a biscuit. It was really fun to eat, and the size was made for sharing. This big bowl was $160 TWD (about 5 USD).

This was a fun little excursion - a little shopping, a little nature, and delicious food!