Trail to Pingxi District
On the third day of my Taiwan trip, I decided to go farther from the city. Originally I was planning to go to Jiufen but I had a doubt in mind if I am going to push through with this plan, as I was travelling alone and I was not sure how to reach the place. I was only relying on the Taiwan Rail app and on what the other travel bloggers instructed from their post. I was afraid that once I get lost I will spend too much on the taxi fare going back to Main Taipei. But I took the courage and I thought I was already here so, why not go for it?
From Main Taipei, take the train to Ruifang Station. You have to be very mindful in taking the train because this line is a bit confusing. I bought my ticket in the self service vending machine for 40NTD and the ticket had no English translation on which train I had to take. There were schedules of trip flashed on the screen but the destination to Ruifang Station may not be there all the time. So never hesitate to ask the staff to avoid missing the train.
From Ruifang Station take Exit 2, and on your right is going to Pingxi District then to your left is to Juifen. I thought I could visit both so I decided to go to Pingxi District first before heading to Juifen. I suggest to spend one whole day in Pingxi District if you want to visit all the stations. My lazy self acted up and I didn't bother to get up early so I arrived in the place around 2:30PM.
From Ruifang Station, you can buy an unlimited one-day pass to Pingxi Line. It consists of seven different stations (Santiaoling, Dahua, Shifen, Wanggu, Lingjiao, Pingxi, and Jingtong). Each station has different attractions that you can visit but the most popular stations are Shifen, Pingxi and Jingtong. One important thing that you should consider is the train schedule, it has specific timings which you don't want to miss or else you’ll need to wait a bit longer for another trip.
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| Macha Green Tea 40NTD Chicken Dumpling Noodle Soup 50NTD |
SHIFEN
Shifen is the most famous stop in Pingxi District. It is filled mainly by sky lanterns, souvenir shops and street food. It is the most crowded street because most of the tourists choose to light their lanterns here because of the unique trains passing through the rail. Despite its popularity, they are still able to maintain the nostalgic ambiance of the place.
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| Jingan Suspension Bridge |
Jingan Suspension bridge is just behind the Shifen Station, it connects Shifen and Nashan Village. During the old age, the bridge was used to transport coal but later on when the mining has ended they renovated the bridge, and now it serves as a pedestrian for the tourists. If you have more time to roam around you may explore more of the streets at Nashan Village, and for about 15-20mins walk you can reach the famous Shifen Waterfall. I wasn't able to visit the waterfall, since the weather was not cooperative so I couldn't walk to the destination, but you can take a taxi from there. If you are in a group, it will be cheaper as you can divide the fare of 800NTD.
PINGXI
Pingxi is also similar to Shifen Old Street, it has a collection of souvenir items and sky lanterns. The main activity at Pingxi is lighting and flying the sky lanterns as it is more calm and less crowded in this place. I personally chose to fly my lantern at this place because I thought I could have peace and privacy while writing my thoughts and wishes on my sky lantern. There are way less street foods in this place but there are mini cafés where you can chill and relax.
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| Wishing bamboos which are all over the place |
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| Sky lantern 200NTD |
Jingtong is the last station at Pingxi District. It is a small town where coal mining is part of its history. As the times pass by, abandoned infrastructures are getting bigger. The locals are saying that some of the buildings are lucky enough to be converted into cafés and souvenir shops.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the place around 6PM and most of the stores were closed so there was nothing else to see. Then, I had to wait one and a half hours until the train came. I wanted to explore more of the town near the station but it was very dark and I didn’t want to take the risk of missing the train.
If you wish to visit all the stations at Pingxi District, I advise that you come early in the morning. There are many places to visit in every station but you should manage your time wisely. Even half of the day is not enough to explore the three most visited places, and so I told myself I will definitely go back to all the places I missed.
Then this happened while waiting for the train... (don't judge)
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| Denim Jacket: Calvin Klein Top: Agaci Midi Skirt: Koton Sandals: Agaci |
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