Sunday, January 17, 2016

What’s in Yangmingshan (Yangming Mountain) National Park? Top 5 reasons you should visit Yangmingshan, Taipei, Taiwan







Compared to most of the peaks in the Central Mountain Range, Yangming Mountain is just a hill.  Why is it on our list of top 10 things to do in Taipei? Why, despite of so many fun things to do in the Taipei city, you should spend a day in Yangmingshan? Here are the top 5 reasons you should visit Yangmingshan. And you could probably experience it all in a day, if you plan it right. By the way, “shan” means mountain in Mandarin, if anyone gets confused.

·         The hot springs

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park hot springs
Huanyi Chun hot springs. photo: Taiwan Hot Spring Directory
Yangmingshan is dotted with hot spring resorts. With the tallest dormant volcano in the national park, Yangmingshan offers great hot spring bathes in quality and variety. 

You can often find hot spring bathes with views of mountains and greens in Yangmingshan, which is rare to see in the hot spring resorts in Beitou.   However Beitou is conveniently located on a MRT line.  


Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park hot springs
hot springs in the ditch
Huanyi Chun (Floral Manger) hot spring is one of our favorites. The hot spring quality is great. PH 2-4 volcanic hot springs. You can smell and see the hot spring flowing in the ditch nearby. The outdoor nude public bath offers fantastic view and volcanic mud for the most natural skin care.  The price is friendly… $5usd per person for the public bath. The only drawback about this place is their restaurant area. Food was just ok but it gets crowded and noisy.  It’s convenient to eat there after a hot spring bath.  You could also choose one of many healthy restaurants in the national park.


·         The fog

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park things to do
Dreamy foggy view. Photo: aki blog
In my opinion, the best time to visit Yangmingshan is not a sunny day or a blossom day. It is actually… a rainy or cloudy day!! 

In a sunny day, you can enjoy the mountain under the blue sky and bright light. Yet in a rainy or cloudy day, the fog often surrounds the mountain. It offers a surreal experience doing things in the fog, driving, walking, cycling or taking a hot spring bath... and the best part is… you and your party could totally own the place!! 

Yes you read that right… Taipei is a highly populated city. Yangmingshan is the “garden” of Taipeiers. People love to come here to relax and decompress.  The best time to avoid the crowd is on a rainy or cloudy day! We were lucky enough to enjoy a public bath by ourselves for as long as 3 hours on one of the rainy weekends in the winter.

·         The wild veggie (not vegetarian)

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park eat
A small wild veggie restaurant in yangmingshan
Since Yangmingshan is one of Taipei people' favorite get-away places, many restaurants offer healthy cuisines. Among those, the “wild veggie” cuisine is probably the most signature one for the area. 

These types of “restaurants” are usually hidden in the woods or in the mountain somewhere with very simple ambiance. It could be just a few tables and chairs under the trees… or in a hut. 

You may miss it but it’s not too hard to find them, just follow the parked cars. ^^ The wild veggie cuisine is not vegetarian. It offers all kinds of meat too. They make the dishes with your choice of wildly grown vegetables. 

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park food
shansu, chanchi, bitter melon and drunk chicken
One of these restaurants locates at the entrance of a road to a high-end resort, TienLai hot springs. It is close to Huanyi Chun hot spring house as well.

It’s just a little hut owned by a lovely couple. You pick the wild veggies you like from the baskets. Tell them to steam or stir-fry it… (no salad so far).  You can order other dishes from the menu or make a-la-carte order. 


Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park eat
The fresh free-roaming eggs
We recommend their free-roaming drunk chicken, assorted wild veggies, the wild bitter melon with free-roaming eggs and black rice. All fresh and delicious. See the yolk of their free-roaming eggs.



·         The little mountain village

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park bayien
Boulders in the Bayien village. Photo: Ba-Yien Village
This little mountain village is probably the quietest village you can find in the Taipei city. 

Terraced paddy fields reflect the surrounding mountains and clouds. Boulders oddly scattered in the fields. You may forget that you are in a big city… until the next crowd of tourists brings you back to the reality. : )  This little town is popular among photography enthusiasts and Taipei locals looking for a convenient farming, country-like scene. Please do your best to not disturb the villagers.

·         The night view

Taiwan Taipei travel information: Yangmingshan national park night view
The night view from Zest 35 cafe. Photo: ET News
There are many places to see the Taipei city at night, such as Taipei 101. 

Yangmingshan definitely offers the most nature ambiance to enjoy the night view of Taipei city. 

You can view it in the car, in a restaurant or in a resort up in Yangmingshan. Public transportation to the mountains stops at sunset. You would need a taxi or car to get around the area at night.


To get around the Yangmingshan national park, you could hike, bike, drive, take a bus or taxi in. Just like every national park, there are many well developed trails with great scenery (such as waterfalls) if you are feeling like hiking. The season of blossom could be a great time to visit the mountain. The scenery is insane, so is crowd. Avoid weekend if you would like to avoid crowd. People watching could be interesting too if you can’t avoid the crowd after all.



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Sunday, January 10, 2016

Top 10 Things to Do in Taipei - pocket list special included...




Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do
Sunrise in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Taipei 101
Taipei is a big city. Like many big cities in the world, it never sleeps. You would definitely find more than 10 things to do. Yet surfers and outdoorsy travelers may need to cut down their Taipei time for waves and mountains out of town. Other folks on business trip or on a layover to Bali may have a few hours only for the city. If you are one of these folks, make sure you hit some of these top 10 things to do in Taipei to maximize your Taipei time.


1  .      Gourmet restaurants (eg. Ding Tai Fung)

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - food
Tasting Xiao Long Bao in Taipei. Photo: Ding Tai Fung
Eating is one of the most important cultures in Taiwan. The big city, Taipei, attracts all kinds of chefs to compete in the arena. There is excellent food in each corner. Just bring enough cash and pace yourself.

Three things must-try: traditional Chinese breakfast, Ding Tai Feng and beef noodles.

For traditional Chinese breakfast, try everything on the menu if you can… If you can’t, following special items are highly recommended.

danbing (Taiwanese egg crepe or egg pancake), shobing (baked bread), youtiao (Chinese donut), sweet rice milk, salty soy milk, sweet or unsweetened soy milk.

It’s easier to make a choice for beef noodles. You only need to decide between clear-broth beef noodle and braised beef noodle. Braised beef noodle has a richer flavor. If you like ramen, go for braised beef noodle.

You can find good traditional Chinese breakfast and beef noodles just about everywhere.  The Michelin 3 star restaurant, Ding Tai Fung, only has 2 stores, one is at DongMen stop on blue MRT line and the other is conveniently located in Taipei 101.  Their truffle dumplings are made of real truffle slides. Enjoy the soup inside the dumpling exploding in your mouth with truffle aroma. Truffle lovers’ must try.

Besides these three choices, Taipei offers diverse cuisines. You can find all sorts of fine dining restaurants, vegetarian or health-oriented restaurants, restaurants with live performance such as Taiwanese puppet show or themed restaurants.  Here are some themedrestaurants on CNN news .

2.      Taipei 101

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - taipei 101
Taipei 101 New Years Eve Fireworks. Photo: Taipei 101
Used to be the tallest building (508m/1667ft) in the world from 2004 to 2010, Taipei 101 still attracts thousands of visitors every day. Being a landmark of Taipei, it is also one of the touristiest spot in town. 

Don’t be discouraged by the crowd. An engineer could appreciate the design besides the view of the city.  Ding Tai Fung is conveniently located at B1 of the building.

If you happen to be in Taipei at New Years Eve, you definitely need to check out Taipei 101 fireworks. Major roads will be blocked miles away around the area. It will be crowded but not as crazy as New York Times Square. You don’t need to wear diapers to wait in line for hours.  Fireworks itself is spectacular, a 238 seconds display in 2016. Every year many enthusiastic photographers and videographers, international and domestic, fight for the best spot to shoot the event a day before. Watch some of the best in 2016 .

Taipei 101 wiki introduction 


3.       National Palace Museum

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - national palace museum
THE jadeite cabbage (AD 1875). Photo: NPM
Chinese-descent culture is part of Taiwan’s diverse cultures. Like The Louvre to France, National Palace Museum is one of the most important and iconic museums in Taiwan. It has the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world, ranking #7 the most visited museum worldwide. Read more on CNN’s 10things Taiwan does better than anywhere else. 


Here is more information about the culture and museum. 

Across the street is the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, which displays another important part of Taiwanese cultures. 


Visit Shilin night market nearby after your museum tour.




4.      Tea culture experience

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - tea tasting
Tea tasting in Taipei. Photo: Wistaria tea house
The eastern coffee, tea, is such an iconic culture in Asia. Being a mountainous island, Taiwan has the natural advantage to produce some of the best tea in the world. 

 Most of Taiwan’s best quality tea comes from the tea farms in the high mountains outside of Taipei. If you have time getting out of town, we highly recommend you to visit one of these. 

 If you only have time in Taipei, there are some tea farms on the hills of muzha and pinglin area. There are also plenty of tea houses or restaurants around the city where you can experience the zen of tea. That often offers the introductions of tea productions and culture, tea tasting and the art of brewing tea.


5.      Temple

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - temple visiting
Photo: Longshan temple in Taipei
Buddhism and Taoism are main religions in Taiwan. Some of the most important folk festivals are originated from the religion. Temples are the spiritual centers in Buddhism and Taoism. 

 There are an estimated 12,000 temples in Taiwan. If you only have time in Taipei, these two temples below are recommended as your highlight temple tour. They are historical. They are conveniently located on MRT lines. There are interesting things to do around them.
  
a.      LongShan Temple + historical street Bopiliao + Huaxi night market
b.      XingTian Gong + the underpass avenue, “fortune-telling” street


6.      Hot spring

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - hot spring
A historical hot spring house in Beitou, Taipei. Photo: Long Nai
Blessed with numerous active and extinct volcanoes, Taiwan has natural hot springs all over the island. Influenced by Japan in WWII, we also develop a popular hot spring culture. 

 Mineral hot springs provide healing effects. Minerals in a good quality hot spring could penetrate your skin and relax your deep muscles. 

 Two areas below have good quality hot springs in Taipei. Many hot spring hotels, resorts or houses scattered around in these areas. Luxury ones usually equip with standard spa services. You will sometimes have to prepare your own towels in a budget hot spring house. Yet surprisingly, some of the public bathes in budget hot spring houses offer the best quality hot springs in town.  

 If you have time travel outside of Taipei, try exploring natural hot springs in the mountains. It is an extremely fun experience.

a.      BeiTou + hot spring museum
b.      YangMingShan National Park (Yangming Mountain) + wild veggie tasting

 Visit Shilin night market nearby before a hot spring bath.


7.      Night market
        
Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - shilin night market
food.. food.. food.. Photo: Shilin night market wiki
Night market is another important part of Taiwanese cultures. There are plenty of night markets around the island, more in the populated areas. A big city like Taipei offers many in different districts. 

 You can find everything in a night market… food (small eats), beverages, entertainment, massages, clothes, toys, accessories, shoes.. etc. Cash only. So bring enough cash. Go with an empty stomach.. (although it’s a little difficult to do).

We recommend Shilin night market if you are visiting National Palace Museum tour or taking a hot spring bath. It’s one of the largest and most popular night markets. Walk or float in the crowds and enjoy the street feast from the dusk to the midnight.


8.      Hair salon

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - hair salon
This is how you'd feel in a
salon in Taipei. Photo: MPM
If you come from an area with costly hairdressing services, you got to try the hairdressing in Taipei. 

 For example, with $50 - $100+ USD, you can get a haircut in one of the top celebrity hair salons in Taipei. A package of shampoo, conditioning, and blowdry costs $5 - $10 USD in any average salons. Luxury or not, these salons all have great services. 

 Feeling like being a king or queen for a few hours? Book a hairdressing service in Taipei. Many top celebrity hair salons are located in the “east district” which is also a trendy area scattered with fashionable boutique stores, restaurants and cafes.



9.      Massage

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - foot massage
Reflexology on feet. Photo: wiki
Who doesn’t love massage? Massage is believed to be one of the important regimens in Chinese medicine. Therefore it’s a popular activity in Taiwan. 

You can find all kinds of massage services in Taiwan. But you would probably find some of the best foot massage or the acupressure (shiatsu) massage.  If you haven’t tried it, we highly recommend you to try a session. 

 In Chinese medicine, a pressure point reflects a part of your organ. An acupressure massage would help release the stress of the organ. The relief feeling would last for days after a good massage. 

 If you are lucky, you can feel the “chi” flowing in your body when an experienced massage therapist pressed your pressure points accurately.



10.  Performing arts

Taiwan Taipei travel guide information things to do - cloud gate
A modern dance group in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Cloud Gate
A big city like Taipei brings all cultures on the island together. The performing arts in town present the best sample. 

From the east to the west, traditional to modern, classic to street, you can find just about anything in Taipei. Street performers are likely to perform in the ximending, Taipei train station, or the xinyi shopping district (Taipei 101) area. Some bars offer live music, pop music, jazz, rock and roll.. etc. 

National Theater and Concert Hall  hosts all kinds of programs. It is also conveniently located in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. You can plan a show after strolling around the memorial hall that represents some of the most classic Chinese architecture.   DaDaoCheng Theater  features Taiwanese and Chinese opera. Cloud Gate Theater  features award winning modern dance performed by Cloud Gate. HuanShan CreativePark  displays creative works of Taiwanese designers.


It’s easy to travel around the city by MRT, taxi, uber or bicycle. There is no much need for a guide unless you are in an extreme tight schedule. There are more English speakers too if you need help. Besides these activities, Taipei also offers a lot of interesting things to do such as all kinds of classes (choriagraphy, taichi, cooking.. etc), water skiing, panda watching, going to a doctor... etc. 

 If you don’t find ANYTHING interesting on the list above, please feel free to write to us for more information. For those of you that want the convenience and ZERO research time, we offer a custom tour schedule design with a modest fee.  Enjoy your Taipei time!


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