Travel: Taipei, Taiwan – Day 5

With a full rest on Day 4, we started Day 5 even earlier to catch a bus out to Ruifang then a train to Shifen. We stopped at 3 places – Jingtong (菁桐), Pingxi (平溪) and Shifen (十分). We had an hour only for each places as we were following the train schedule. If not, we will be stuck in one place for 2 hours. Also, we had to keep in tight schedule as we had to be back in Taipei at 2-3pm to meet up some friends. We have 2 very kind Taiwanese friends that accompanied us pretty much the whole day and one has to travel from Tainan (2 hours by bullet train).

The train tracks…

The typical attractions at these stations are the bamboo wish sticks and sky lanterns.

Jingtong

This was our 1^st stop for the line and also the last station for the Pingxi line. It is a small and quiet town and I am sure this is nice retreat if you want to get away from the bustling city and people. If you a time, have cup of coffee at the old street and enjoy the cool weather.

 

There are a few stations here people will make wishes on the bamboo sticks and hang it around the train stations. Jingtong is one of them. In fact, pretty much all the stations we stopped have them.

The main attraction here is the Jingtong Coal Memorial Park. It was active from 1918 till in the 1970s before it closed down for good. There are some structures still visible around the area so as the cart tracks. The trees and its roots are growing around the building structures which made it very unique. The place can be a bit spooky as it was just 2 of us.

The next thing to visit here is the Lover Bridge. It is basically a red bridge with the bamboo sticks that hung around.

Pingxi

This is a slightly larger town than Jingtong and it has nothing much to do besides letting go of the sky lantern. It is also known as Kongming or Chinese lantern. It is like a hot air balloon that made of paper. Normally, there are 2 places where you can release the lantern and they are Pingxi and Shifen. Shifen is more crowded, so the shop workers would want you to release them quick so that they can attend to another customer. I find the shop workers in Pingxi will give you more time or attention to you in releasing the lantern.

When you are here, have a bite of the Taiwanese version hotdog. It is Taiwanese grill sausage wrap around glutinous rice, onions, spring onions and veggie. It sure was delicious and it was our breakfast too. The funny thing was, we didn’t have to open up the wrapper. All we had to do was to twist and turn the wrapper and it pushed up the hotdog. No mess.

Follow by a bowl of tofu fa (豆腐花). Also, I got a cup of good Americano at Family Mart for just NT$35. It lasted me till late afternoon before I ate again. Generally, you can just walk into any convenient shops and you can get a good cup of coffee.

Shifen

This was our last stop before we headed back to Ruifang to catch a train back to Taipei. Shifen is like a repetitions of the 2 towns we visited earlier. The sky lantern, the bamboo wish sticks and the sausages. The only unique thing is the train track is running along a busy shops. It is like the Maeklong Railway Market in Bangkok.

  

As you can see from the picture below, the crowds were just too overwhelming. They were lining up to get their turns to release it.

The good part is you can see a lot of them up in the sky at once.

If you have time, do visit the waterfall in Shifen as we have missed it due to tight schedule. I saw some pictures posted online and it is quite beautiful. Also, if you are a cat lover, you may want to stop at Houtong Cat Village (猴硐貓村). According to some blogger it has like 100s cats there. I did see some cats here and there at the 3 stations we stopped.

To get here: Take Bus 788 from Jiufen to Ruifang train station. Then, purchase the Pingxi Line & Shen’ao Line to Shifen. Make sure that you are purchasing a ticket that allows you to hop on and off at any stations. We saw a couple bought a single trip ticket to Shifen and they were not allowed to get back onto the train after hop off.

Back in Taipei

When we were back in Taipei we went straight to Dihua Street which is near Dadaocheng Wharf to look for our friends. This area is mainly selling dry seafood or Chinese herbs.

Sadly, you can still see a lot of shark fins being sold.

We stopped for a small bowl of noodle and this place is mainly selling every part of the pig that you can think of. This is highly recommended by our Taiwanese friends but of course you have to like pig intestines and stuff. If you are, then head to Yongchang and Minle Street and look for 永樂米苔目.

Our next stop is to visit some hot springs in Xinbeitou. There are a lot of hot springs around this area and some are open to public for free where you can soak your legs into the hot pool. There are places you can bath or soak your whole body in but you have to pay to get in. Do visit the Beitou Thermal Valley to view the 3500 square meters of hot springs.

Before we left the place, we went to a Fuxing Park (復興公園) and soak our tired legs. It is not far from Xinbeitou MRT Station. It has 3 pools and each has different temperatures.

To get here: Take the red line MRT to Beitou then change train to Xinbeitou. The Xinbeitou train is very unique compared with others.

Taiwan is all about eat and eat and eat. Pretty much nonstop eating. We had our dinner at Shilin Night Market food court (士林夜市).

Even the 7-Eleven stores has wide variety of food.

Our 1^st stop was to try the cuttlefish thick soup (生抄鱿鱼庚). It has squid, bamboo shoots, cabbage and of course cuttlefish. The soup was very sweet as it got all the sweetness from the seafood. Something ought to try as it was quite unique way of cooking and new to my taste buds.

Next was chicken chop from Hot-Star (豪大大雞排). I felt the quality of this shop has dropped since I last visited in 2012. In fact, there is another roadside store is even better which I will talk about it more in my next blog.

Our grand finale was the herbal spare rib soup which I find it nothing to shout about but this place is quite famous. The herbal soup does not have a strong taste as in Malaysia “Bak Kut Teh” (aka BKT). If you don’t like the strong taste, then this might suits you well. So, head to Hai You Shi Jin Pai Gu (海友十金排骨).

Too full to go home and sleep? Play some games along the street stores. There are plenty of these stores here.

How about catch some prawns?

To get here: Take the red line MRT to Jiantan.

Trail: Fox Hill (Update)

I went to Fox Hill again yesterday and it was a disappointing run. They have smoothened the trails for this coming Sunday Penang Hill Race2 jamboree. They have made the trail wider at certain places and removed the tree roots to avoid any drops. It wasn’t fun and technical anymore. Also, they have make the trail dangerous to ride now as they have cut the bamboos and left it at the side of the trail. Also, there was a fallen tree probably due to the soil erosion.

Sigh… Hope that I can find another off road trail like “old” Fox Hill again. Or how I wish we can have Bukit Kiara in Penang.

Trail: Balik Pulau Leisure Ride

Bored of cycling in Georgetown or the dedicated bicycle lane? Wanna get away from the city center? Well, why not come to Balik Pulau to enjoy the nature and tranquility. It is a good thing that Penang is a small island as you can head west or south of Penang Island from Georgetown with only 1 hour drive.

There are many kampong (village) trails in Balik Pulau and I have just explore 1 but it is not going to be my last one. I will definitely go back there again when I find time. The one we went was at Jalan Kuala Sungai Pinang off Jalan Sungai Rusa. There are plenty of space to park your car and I parked it outside of a school.

 

We started off our bike ride at Thean Hor Keong Temple and move inwards. I wouldn’t classified this as a trail at all, as a truck can drive by also. So, a better term will be a fire road. I would said 70% of this road is off road and 30% tarred. There were no cars at all when we rode there and with just a few motorbikes and cows. The roads are quite shady and we didn’t feel hot even we rode at around 10-11 in the morning. Since not many motorized vehicle pass by, this place is quiet and peaceful with a great view. You pretty much see greens and stream running down along the path.

Shaddy ride

Greens

Since the road is quite short, we continue our journey to Pantai Acheh to get a bit of distance. From here it was all tarred road and on a main road. Though not many cars around but they can be quite fast, so be a look out if you have small children riding with you. Also, there are 2 small hills that they need to climb but not difficult.

At the end of the journey, don’t forget heading to Balik Pulau town for a bowl of delicious Asam Laksa and a freshing nutmeg juice. At the same time do enjoy the latest piece of Penang street art.

There are bicycle rental and tours you can join in Balik Pulau such as Explore Balik Pulau or Audi Homestay. Or you can bring your own bike and follow my path. My next exploration will be riding around the paddy fields and fishing villages. I am sure it is going to be another relaxing ride.

Trail: Fox Hill via Thai Siang Low Koon (TSLK)

My intention of this ride was to try out Fox Hill as it is an off road trail. To find an off road trail in Penang is hard and it is even harder if it is for XC ride. One by one, the trails are converted to single track cemented and some even make it to jeep tracks. Like in Hill Turn, Ngor Hean and Oh Kio. There are a few ways to get to Fox Hill and going thru Thai Siang Low Koon is being 1. We used that for shorter route and avoid the afternoon sun.

Thai Siang Low Koon or better known as TSLK to Penang bikers. It is also one of the toughest route to cycle in Penang with the highest elevation of just 431m. It is not about the elevation as it is more about the continuous steep climb. For ~1.4km, it is all about straight climb without any flats or an average gradient is 17 degree. There are 2 parts of this trail has the hardest climb which is about 26-30 degree gradient and it is a single cemented track. One of them is named Stairway to Heaven as all you can see is the sky when climbed this stretch. Right after this toughest climb, it will have another shorter climb with about the same gradient. By now, I was so exhausted and my legs were screaming to stop and heart asked me to cool down. Strava has ranked this place as Category 2 climb. Fox Hill is not far after the 2^nd toughest climb. Smell of relieve for me.

Fox Hill is just 2.1km off road with some pedaling require at certain sections but mostly are downhill. The trail is well kept for now as they just cleared that part for a competition. So, some parts the soil was a bit soft. The trail was covered with tree roots and drops but too bad no switchback. It is hard to find non-cemented switchback in Penang. The trail is single track and some part is just next to a cliff but it is rideable. This place reminds me Bukit Kiara in KL. The exit of the trail is linked to Tua Peh Kong Temple in AID.

It took me about 38 mins for the ascent and descent, so it was still bright to do another loop up to AID. I had fun and I will come back again but will not go thru TSLK this time.

How to get there? Follow the pictures below 1 by 1 and you won’t go missing. The entrance to the place is near the Air Itam Police Station. Look for the arch below as it sandwich in between a coffee shop and a house next to Indian Temple.

Then follow the red arrow and always follow the main path. Don’t worry about those path connecting to it.

Always stop for the magnificent view or more like a break for me… 😀

You will hit a trail built in between the hut.

This is Stairway to Heaven.

Stop for another breath taking view before continue on.

Finally, the Fox Hill entrance. This is the only connecting path that is off road and they sprayed pain on the floor. Going straight will lead you to Penang Hill.

My friend told me always follow the red and white ribbon and you won’t go missing.

 

The end of the trail which will connects back to the cemented track and down to the Tua Peh Kong Temple.

Well, enjoy your ride.

Ride: P2W Ride

For very 1st time, I have another person going to write in my blog. We used to ride together until he joined as an air steward and it was a pleasure for me to ride with him again last weekend. After the ride, I saw him posted this in his Facebook and I find it very interesting and a good write up. So, I borrow his article and post it here. Of course, with his permission. So, let me present you Hafiz Feroz…

Never have I ever felt this lethargic before. Came back for cycling with P2W team to Pulau Betong and back using Batu Ferringhi hilly and winding road. Was so exited for this morning ride as it has been awhile since I last cycled with a large group. Leading the group whole way from Island Plaza till Teluk Bahang. Once reach the dam, I was planning to turn back and head home as I started to feel fatigue on both legs from those hilly climbs. My team mates motivate me and push me so that I’ll follow them all the way to Pulau Betong and back. Feeling heavy hearted, I did follow them with my half fatigue legs.

There’s about 8km straight road before reaching Pulau Betong and most Penangites will know this part as the only place in Penang island where you can push as fast as you want without worrying any traffic lights ahead. The moment we entered that road, the team start to place themselves in one straight line which is commonly known as “drafting”. At that time I was in the second group which consist of 6 to 8 riders and most are them are tri-bike cyclists. The first group is 1km ahead of us and most of them are road bikers. As my team started to cruise along the straight village road, I look down on my speedometer and we were cruising around 41 to 43km per hour and that’s quite fast considering that I haven’t touch my bike for nearly 6 months. I know deep inside myself that I’m gonna bonk halfway but I try to maintain with my group until we reach Pulau Betong and back.

There is this coffee shop at the foot of Balik Pulau hill which is commonly known as Aik Joo cafe among cyclists in Penang. We stop there to refuel, not refuel our bike but refuel ourselves with “milo peng”, “swee kam peng” and 100 plus. At that time I was silent most of the time, tried to calm myself down from the agonizing pain on my legs. Tried to rest my legs as much as I can before cycling back up to the Balik Pulau Hill peak, which is also known as 800. This was the long last climb before we reach Batu Feringghi. So we started cycle up the hill and I was the last guy at the back of the group. The only thing that motivated me slowly to pedal up was just my trance songs in my iPhone. Head banging and singing to the songs kinda help me to forget the pain on my legs.

It was a never ending climb for me until I reach 800. At that time, the whole group was waiting for me to reach the top before we decent together. That was the only best part because I can just relax my legs and let gravity take over my speed. It was a smooth and relax ride till we reach Hard Rock Hotel. I started to notice a few riders in my group cranked up their gear and pushed the pace. I was left with two choices at that time, either draft with them or cycle alone and suffer from the headwind. It was a tough decision as I can’t feel both my legs then and I can’t even stand and sprint with my bike because at the moment I tried to stand and cycle, I can feel both of my quads cramped. At that point, just left 5km more till we reach our resting point. Well, it was consider as a resting point for me and a finished point for others. So I just hang on with the group, trying my best to draft with them. It was the most painful moment that I have ever had in my cycling life. Both legs screaming for me to stop.

Hung on as much as I can till we reached our resting point. This is one of the usual coffee shop that we used to hangout before. Usually I will have my light breakfast here before cycling back another 10km to my house. I guess this was the first time I didn’t eat anything at that shop, only drinking two glasses of “swee kam peng”. Too tired until I don’t have the appetite to eat.

After finish refueled ourselves, we slowly headed back home. Once I reached home, opened the door and my legs gave up and I stumbled onto the carpet. Stumbled really hard. My dad gotta picked me up and laid me down properly as I can’t even stand at that time. I was laying flat for almost 30 mins till I try to stand back on my own legs. I can’t really walk properly at that time and all I can do was slowly walk to my room and laid down on my bed. My upper body was perfectly fine but my lower body was totally numbed. Laid down on my bed and slept for nearly two hours. Didn’t even manage to shower.

It was a bitter sweet moment for me as I finally get to cycle with my team mates and to see them improved so much from the past 6 months was incredible. Time to rest my legs and fly back to KL. Will be back on 14th with the hope that my legs will fully recover to cycle back with them.