JIUFEN(九份), A SPECIAL PLACE TO MY FAMILY

(Jiufen, a small village)
(Jiufen in the rain)
(Shuchi Road of Jiufen)
(grandpa's old home over 40 years ago )

Jiufen, a small village located in northeast of Taiwan and a very popular spot for tourists. Once Jiufen was famous of gold mining, but later it faded because of decrease of gold production. It became popular again because it was the main shooting location of a famous movie "Sad City".

After being a hot spot, Jiufen became alive again. Many original residents and immigrants started to run souvenir store, restaurants and hotels there. Though it brought prosperity to Jiufen, it also added too much artificial flavor to Jiufen.

Jiufen is not only a tourist site to me. It is also a place where my mom grown up and where my mom met dad.

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A JOURNEY OF THE NOSTALGIC TRAIL (草嶺古道)

(the entrance of Caoling Historic Trail)
(mountain full of silver grass)
(Caoling Historic Trail)
(souvenir of this trip)

Caoling Historic Trail (草嶺古道) is the only major surviving pre-Ching Dynasty trail in Taiwan; it connects Taipei and I-Lan. Now this historic trail becomes a popular hiking trail in Northeast coast of Taiwan, and it is a great place to enjoy the view of silver grass in autumn.

During Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, 2007 is the 6th Silver Grass Season of Caoling Historic Trail. We also spent a day for a hiking trip. The total distance of this trail is about 8.5 km and it took us about 4 hours (including lunch) to complete the whole hiking trip.

Because Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration was having a special event for Silver Grass Season, so we collected 3 stamps at the entrance, middle and the end of the trail to get a great souvenir for this trip - a pair of wood chopsticks.

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SANSIA(三峽) DAY TRIP

(Sansia Horn Bridge)
(Sansia Qingshui Zushi Temple)
(Sansia Qingshui Zushi Temple)
(Sansia Old Street)
(Sansia Old Steet)

Once father was the deputy chief of Sansia Police Dept., but I have never taken a good look at this town. Today I spent a day for a Sansia trip to feel this town which father spent several years of his life with.

The three major historic sites in Sansia are:

Sansia Horn Bridge: this 93 meter long bridge was built in 1933, and was the main traffic line for this town. Now they have another bigger bridge to handle the heavy traffic, but it is still a popular spot to look at this town.

Sansia Qingshui Zushi Temple: This temple was built in 1769 and has been renovated for three times. The first time was in response to damage from a massive earthquake, the second time was because of fire set by Japanese Army during WWII. Then the third time was after the war, the people elected professor Li Mei-Shu as architect for a rebuilding of the temple. Professor Li did what he could and dedicated himself to building a temple that combined Eastern and Western art. This temple is also called "Art Palace of the East."

Sansia Old Street: Near the mountains and by the rivers, Sansia Old Street is one of the longest old streets in northern Taiwan. It is a complete traditional street with historical value. This old street and is about 200 meters long, and those buildings have stood since early 20th century. Today you can see a lot of interesting souvenir stores there; the most popular souvenir is the blue-dyeing clothes.

for more information about Sansia: please visit Sansia

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HOTEL OCEAN VISTA & SPA

(hotel and its porch)
(View from hotel, the Green Bay)
(part of main bed room)
(huge bathroom)
(unfinished birthday cake)

Family gathering is always exciting to me! Cousins and I spent a weekend in a hotel for one cousin's birthday. The hotel we stayed was Hotel Ocean Vista & Spa, a hotel located near the Green Bay in Taiwan's north coast. This hotel is famous of its nice view and BIG room. The room we had was for 4 persons with 2 bed room and one HUGE bathroom with shower, jacuzzi, and a steam room.

You will be surprised by their huge rooms and luxurious decoration at the first sight. But after looking into detail, you will find they are just like a county girl with heavy cosmetic. Anyway, we did have fun there and enjoyed their hospitality.

THE OLD TRAINS GO NO WHERE

(the passenger train)
(the train for transporting logs)
(the old rail)
(the remodeled old resident houses)

During the I-Lan trip, we visited the Luodong Forestry District Office. There are some old trains used to carry passengers and logs in forest. Now they are retired from daily service, so just displayed as a part of history in Taiwan.

THE BEST HOTEL AT CHIAO HSI (礁溪)

(the Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi)
(view from our room, the pools and I-Lan Field)
(beautiful lobby)
(nice room)
(wonderful bathroom with private hot spring)

This was my second time to visit this hotel; it was because of my wife's company employees' tour. Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi is so popular, so they had to book this trip in March. Though the rate is higher than other hotels in this area, they serve the best quality service, no matter room, food and facilities. If you are a hot spring lover, don't miss it! You will have an unforgettable experience.