{"id":22,"date":"2019-02-20T03:29:22","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T03:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?p=22"},"modified":"2023-12-30T23:21:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T23:21:48","slug":"epilogue-and-chapter-4-hot-rocks-by-the-beach-they-look-like-other-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/epilogue-and-chapter-4-hot-rocks-by-the-beach-they-look-like-other-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Epilogue and Chapter 4: Hot rocks by the beach, they look like other things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My last full day at the hotel and I finally manage to partake in their &#8220;semi-buffet style&#8221; breakfast. It translated to a set plate with all the beverage and soup you want. Unfortunately, I had to rush to finish it since I spied my tour van parked outside 30 minutes earlier than expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GeoparkView-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GeoparkView-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GeoparkView-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/GeoparkView-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The Yehliu Geopark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After getting everyone picked up, we headed to Yehliu Geopark where there were interesting rock formations by the beach. Note: bring sun protection and plenty of water. The rocky beach tends to reflect heat and makes the temperature much hotter than the surrounding area. I found a path leading to a staircase with a gazebo at the top of a rise and a view of the beach below. There&#8217;s a waterpark across the way from the geopark if you have the rest of the day to cool down. Otherwise, the local 7-11 has a rest area upstairs with central AC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliurockshrooms-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"120\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=120\" class=\"wp-image-120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliurockshrooms-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliurockshrooms-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliurockshrooms-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>mushrooms<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliugeoparkfromabove-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"119\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=119\" class=\"wp-image-119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliugeoparkfromabove-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliugeoparkfromabove-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliugeoparkfromabove-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>a ship<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliucandles-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"118\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=118\" class=\"wp-image-118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliucandles-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliucandles-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliucandles-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>candles<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeachrocks-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"115\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=115\" class=\"wp-image-115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeachrocks-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeachrocks-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeachrocks-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption>turtle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeach-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"114\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=114\" class=\"wp-image-114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeach-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeach-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yehliubeach-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>looks prehistoric<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ridgeYehliu-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"109\" data-link=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=109\" class=\"wp-image-109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ridgeYehliu-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ridgeYehliu-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ridgeYehliu-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>like a road among the rocks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some waterfalls by the main road on the drive up to Jiufen. If you&#8217;re self-driving there, make a quick stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/waterfallbythehighway-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/waterfallbythehighway-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/waterfallbythehighway-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/waterfallbythehighway-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>A quick stop for waterfall photos along the road<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/JiufenLanterns2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/JiufenLanterns2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/JiufenLanterns2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/JiufenLanterns2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The tea houses remind you of the Spirited Away bath house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Exploring Jiufen involves stairs. Lots. Of. Stairs. Make sure you try the stuffed honey pancakes and the grilled mushroom. Also, a refreshing iced milk tea beverage always helps. If you are a Studio Ghibli fan like me, you can channel your inner Chihiro Ogino and explore after dark. Watch out for the spirits and don&#8217;t let No-Face follow you home. I didn&#8217;t get to stay the night since our tour group had more places to see. I&#8217;m saving that adventure for my return visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Jiufenfood-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Jiufenfood-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Jiufenfood-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Jiufenfood-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Chihiro&#8217;s parents would have been quite at home here<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ShifenFalls-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ShifenFalls-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ShifenFalls-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ShifenFalls-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Shifen Falls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/buddhiststatue-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/buddhiststatue-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/buddhiststatue-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/buddhiststatue-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>A welcoming breeze blows through the trees and prayer ribbons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Before heading back to Taipei, we stopped at Shifen. There&#8217;s a trail that leads to a gorgeous waterfall before you reach the town. Shifen itself is a small village by a set of train tracks with plenty of touristy shops. If you squint a little, you can almost imagine travelling back in time to when the mines were still functional and life was so much simpler. The town&#8217;s main street is lined with shops that sell snacks, cold drinks, and souvenirs. Here you can write wishes on a paper lantern and float it up to the sky. I wished sincerely for more adventures and the requisite good health and happiness. It was a nice ending to my tour. I walked around up and down the main drag and by the train tracks but it seemed pretty obvious all the other shops were selling the same things so I decided to pass up on the heat and humidity and decided to relax in the van.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Damper-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Damper-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Damper-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Damper-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The wind damper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the way back, I asked to be dropped off at the Taipei 101 Building. I bought the Privilege Pass(about $40 and costs twice as much as a regular ticket). If you don&#8217;t want to wait in line forever to get up there, it&#8217;s worth the spend. You also get savings coupons for shops and a special gift if you buy something from the gift shop. Don&#8217;t forget to check out the gem shop. It&#8217;s a nice place to buy gifts and souvenirs, and a little shiny thing for yourself as well. Also, check out the damper ball and go upstairs for access to the outdoor walkway if weather permits. I&#8217;m trying to establish a travel tradition of going to the highest viewpoint of every destination for a &#8220;golden hour&#8221; evening shot so I hung around the view deck waiting for sunset and the golden hour for some awesome &#8220;from high on up&#8221; shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"849\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiSunsetPano-1024x849.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiSunsetPano-1024x849.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiSunsetPano-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiSunsetPano-768x637.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Taipei at twilight from Taipei 101 Tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiGoldenHour-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiGoldenHour-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiGoldenHour-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TaipeiGoldenHour-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Taipei&#8217;s Golden Hour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom 5 floors are home to shops much like in a typical mall with high end shops as well as stores for plebeians like you and me. I didn&#8217;t really spend a whole lot of time window shopping since there wasn&#8217;t anything overly unique on sale that I wouldn&#8217;t be able to buy online. I ate my dinner at the food court downstairs before taking the MTR back to Shilin and to my hotel (there is an MTR station downstairs inside the building).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I spent the rest of the night packing and getting ready for my flight to the Philippines to see my family. The next day, I woke up early and checked out of the hotel. The desk staff was kind enough to call me a cab to the airport. And just like that, off I went to my next adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In which I channeled my inner Chihiro, brought home a No-Face ghost, and began my obsession with stuffed mini pancakes. I also came away with a big bag of nougat I&#8217;m not allowed to eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91,92,18,25],"class_list":["post-22","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-beach","tag-solo-travel","tag-taiwan","tag-tours"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions\/121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecheshiretrail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}