Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen and Bonus Shopping Day Trip from Taipei

When we went to Taipei in January, it was our second visit so I wanted to do something new. When my friend went to Taipei a few months back, they had a lot of cool pictures from Yehliu Geopark, so this is where I dragged the whole family since they were looking for places to tour.

Yehliu 野柳  is around an hour away from Taipei. There are a lot of directions online on how to get there using Public Transport, but the easiest way to is take a cab - which you can arrange to use for the whole day (8 hours). My aunt who was travelling us got in touch with Mr. Chen who was recommended to her by her friends. The benefit of hiring a driver is so you have the flexibility of deciding where to go.

Mr. Chen adviced that we leave the hotel early, so that we could avoid the crowds at Yehliu. It was good advice, because I remember that the trip there was quite fast. On our way, my aunt even spotted something that looked like a warehouse sale, and Mr. Chen told us it was a Customs Warehouse, where they sell their confiscated goods, so we asked him to bring us there after we went sightseeing at Yehliu.

The drive to Yehliu is very scenic, especially the when you get closer to the
coast. It reminds me of South Africa. Both the drive to Cape of Good Hope,
and the guys fishing from rocks in Umhlanga in Durban.

Tickets are just NT80 (SG$3.50 or Php120) for adults or NT40 for kids.

Kids below 115cm enter for free.

The first thing you'll see is a park with some geo formations.
You don't need to spend a lot of time here.

Beyond that, there are several areas with the rock formations where
you can explore. We did the smaller area first.

Sofia was attempting to climb up, then we were told
this was not allowed. Ooops.

I wanted a picture with the C rock for Coley, but Ady didn't get the brief.

Sof loved taking our picture.

This is one of my favorite shots. Even if it's off-center.
Photo Credit: Sofia San Agustin 

We had to take a picture near the water...

Because of the Shark we brought with us.

We needed wanted to maximize the photo ops with this super cute
hoodie from Ninang Jem!

We moved on to explore the other side.

It's not a swimming beach, but some people were exploring by the shore.

Can you tell what time it is by the direction of the sun?
I can't. Hahaha.

The other side has more interesting rocks.

And it feels closer to the water.

I think people line up to see and take a picture of the rock shaped like
the Queen's Head, but we unknowingly did a counter-flow.

This was the last trip of my royal blue flats before
I retired them.

On the way out, one of the last formations you see looks like a Leopard,
overlooking the sea and the other rock formations.

Over-all, you'd probably need around an hour to explore.
Best to arrive early, so you don't get a lot of photobombers in your pics.

After Yehliu, we asked Mr. Chen to take us to the Customs Warehouse that we passed on the way. He warned us that not everything was cheap, so he just told us to look around.

Since I have no other way to describe it, look at for this.
It's on your right, when travelling to Yehliu.

This is what the entrance looks like.
It's literally a big warehouse.

They have everything under the sun, from clothes, to tacky paintings.
Price-wise, this top has an SRP of NT799, and is selling for NT390 or
3 for NT1000, so that's 50% off or more.

They had everything from Rainboots to toys, even Unilever products.

 My mom was happy because we found the Taiwanese
thermos brand she's been looking for.
So we all hoarded a lot.

They also have a motherlode of Sanrio stuff.
You just have to know the price, so you don't end up paying more.

I wouldn't recommend a trip just to visit this place, but if you're passing it anyway on your way to Yehliu, then it's worth the experience. I just think finding something to buy (which is part of the thrill), is very hit or miss. 

Our next stop was Jiufen 九份 another tourist place nearby, which is normally visited together with Yehliu. Jiufen is like a traditional old street, lined with souvenir shops and traditional Taiwanese food where you walk till you reach the top, where there are tea houses and restaurants where you can stop and enjoy the view.

Temple in Jiufen, which I saw from the car, before we started our trek up.

It was quite a long walk, but we just kept going, not really knowing what to expect when we got to the top.

The whole way was lined with red lanterns.
I've read it's very beautiful at night.

Since it was nearing lunch time, the parents bought Taiwanese
Sausage to snack on.

While Ady has deep fried Squid. This was very good.

The other food stalls didn't really look appetizing.

Stinky Duofu (Stinky Tofu)

All kinds of balls. Quite Colorful, but no thanks.

Looks like meat in some glutinous rice patties.

Dried Squid

Herbed or Soy (or both) Eggs

Giant Snails. Fancy some escargot?

Giant Mushrooms, served either grilled or fried.

Along the way, there were also a lot of souvenir stores.

There was a store where you can do pick-a-prize for the kids.
and they had something where you pick a red envelope to see if you won
any money, both bills and coins up for grabs.

Other food and souvenirs.

Leather store. They can even personalize, handwritten though,
not machine so I found it too crude.

Sof really can't go anywhere and not buy,
so when she was asking to be carried,
I bribed her with a NT10 massager.

When you finally reach the top, you see the Traditional Jiufen Tea House.

I guess, the sign also tells you where else you can go,
but everyone was rushing me to leave before I could explore some more.

Wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean from the top of Juifen.

The walk back was definitely easier and much faster than the trek up. We just asked Mr. Chen to take us back to the city so we could shop at Takashimaya. It was quite traffic, so everyone was able to have a good nap in the car. If I remember correctly we got there around 3pm. We just had a late lunch, we shopped a bit, then Mr. Chen took us back to the hotel.

Over-all it was an enjoyable and hassle-free day trip. I would recommend if you're visiting Taipei for a few days and have some time to spare. just saying.

If you want to make arrangements, just contact Mr. Chen and tell him
you got his contact details from my blog. You can also arrange your
airport pick-up and transfer directly with him.