Crazy! Somebody told me that I'm crazy to travel for 3 hours just to see a secluded town in Hsinchu. And another 3 hours train ride back to Taipei. I could have been to more exciting places in Central Taiwan just like in Taichung in Taiwan Day 553 & 554 but this classic town in Northern Taiwan is a must see for anyone living in this beautiful island. Have you ever heard of the town of Neiwan?
The reopening of the Neiwan Branch Line of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) made it possible to reach this place. How to get there? Take a train from Taipei to Hsinchu Station or North Hsinchu Station then transfer to a train going to Zhuzhong Station and then transfer to another train. This time it will be a diesel powered train going directly to Neiwan Station. The Neiwan Branch Line is not yet electrified and that is the reason why archaic trains are still used to transport people in Neiwan. Why not? It's classy.
I enjoyed the train ride and most especially the scenery outside the train. As the train passes by I remember my Pingxi trip during my One Year Anniversary Special in Taiwan Day 365 (The Towns That Time Forgot). And I'm here again in another classic town, Neiwan. I was surprised when I went out of the train station. Lots of food stalls were already opened and were waiting for hungry customers.
I have nice photos with the train station because I arrived at 10am and there were not many people at that time. Just a few meters from the train station was the Neiwan Police Station which was built during Taiwan's Japanese Colonial Period. What's interesting is that the building is still used today as a police station. The wooden structure is still preserved and even the tiles on the roof. I salute all the men and women of the Neiwan Police Station for keeping the town safe.
I went down to Youlou River and above it was the wooden Neiwan suspension bridge. I took off my shoes at the riverside and have fun preparing for a pose within 10 seconds. My digicam will soon flash and I have to be in proper position. It's really hard to walk on the slippery stones of the river! I don't want to lose my balance and get wet just like what happened to me in Wulai in Taiwan 519 (Wow Wulai) where I stumbled and fell into the river.
I got hungry and I strolled around the old town. I saw lots of Hakka glutinous rice cakes as well as mochi type of desserts. I even tried the signature dish of Neiwan, the zongzi. Other types of foods can be found and I felt that my trip in Neiwan was a repeat of my adventure in Jiufen in Taiwan Day 533 (Hungry in Jiufen). A pineapple juice quenched my thirst as I take a rest at the benches in the Neiwan Forestry Exhibition Hall.
If you're not happy with street food, you can eat at the old Neiwan Theater. It's now a restaurant serving Hakka dishes. Hakka is an ethnic group in Taiwan and the Neiwan town in Hsinchu is a place to experience Hakka culture. I went inside the old theater and I felt I was transported back in time. The dim yellow lights and the ambience of the stage made me realized how the glorious were the days of the Neiwan Theater as the prime source of entertainment in town.
Neiwan may not be as classic as Pingxi, as popular as Jiufen or as beautiful as the water fall in Wulai but it is a town with its own story and its own culture. I even didn't expect that I can experience again my past travel adventures in just one place. If you have already visited Pingxi, Jiufen and Wulai, come to Hsinchu and experience a nostalgic Neiwan.
Sakura Series - Taiwan
2025 Forecast
Taipei 101 first flowers
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Taipei Flower Test Center
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Broadwood Park
Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura
Wuling Farm (武陵農場)
SYS kawazu sakura
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
CKS Memorial Hall
Shibafen Yoshino Sakura
Hope River
Dongfang Temple
Tianyuan Palace
Neicou Stream Trail
Orange Garden Cafe
Yangming Park Visitor Information Center
Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop
Huashan Road
Qianshan Park
Zhongshan Hall Entrance
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura
Neihu Creek Trail
Shulin Land Office
Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest
Lung Yen Sakura Forest
Yangming Park cherry stream
Yangming Park fountain
CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura
Wugu District Tianyi Road
CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura
Loving Farm
Yong Long Farm
Zhongbaling Sakura Road
Sun Link Sea
Tai'an Police Station
Cherry Hill Slope
Hsinchu Park
Taipei 101
Kāng Gào Kēng Creek
New Garden City
Broadwood Park
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Alishan Ranger Station
Alishan House
Alishan Police Station
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Station
Alishan Entrance
Alishan Gou Hotel
Alishan Magnolia Garden
Wulai tour
Wun Chang Elementary School
Bishanyan
Sanzhi Sansheng Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan
Nei Cuo Stream
Orange Garden Cafe
Sansheng Trail
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Yangming Park Cherry Stream
Yangming Park Fountain
Flower Test Center
Broadwood Park
New Garden City
Yinghua Park
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Yangmingshan Visitor Center
Taipei 101
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Sakura Series - Japan
Kamonyama Park
Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Shinko Park
Minato-mirai 21 area
Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus
Onda River
Tenryuji
Byodoin
Kiyomizudera
Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple
Hōryū-ji Temple
Nara Park attractions
Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus
Sumida River
Tsuruma Park
Gion
Maple Series
Taipei Aowanda
Shimen Dam
Alishan
Aowanda
Shanlinxi
Taoyuan Valley Garden
Fushoushan Farm
 |
| Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis |
The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)
Always in my heart
MRT birdman
Valentine's Day
Tulips Festival
2018 Taipei Lantern Festival
City of Azaleas
Linji Huguo Temple
Nanjichang Night Market
Gudetama Chef restaurant
Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
Shilin hollyhocks
Ningxia Night Market
Ximending graffiti
Discovery Center of Taipei
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Double-Decker Bus
Shilin Cold Balls
Jingimoo
GomanMango
mud volcanic ice
Fire and Ice Dumpling
Opium Fen-Yuan
Ichiran Ramen
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
hydrangea flowers
National Palace Museum
Other attractions in Taipei
Taipei on a budget
Japanese buildings
Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles
Presidential Office Building
Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain
CKS and SYS Hall
City tour
Beitou ramen
MRT Monopoly Game
Winter city tour
Zhicheng Park
Shilin Plum Blossom
Art museums
Shopping in Taipei
Summer desserts
Qingtiangang
Qixingshan hiking
2015 Calla lily
2016 Calla lily
Beitou tour
Beitou-Zhuzihu tour
NTU
Confucius Temple
2015 Dadaocheng Festival
Puppet Museum
Fantasy Ice World
2016 Bread Show
Strawberry picking
2015 Rose Garden
Modern Toilet
Shilin Night Market
NASA Exhibit
Raohe Night Market
Longshan Temple
2013 Taipei Zoo
Maokong Gondola
Lupin flowers
Taipei 101 day visit
Taipei 101 night visit
Tiger Mountain
Din Tai Fung
Taipei Story House
2014 Flower Show
Chrysanthemum Show
Miramar Ferris wheel
Miniatures Museum
Archery
1600 Pandas
Wulaoguo hot pot
Upside Down House
2016 101 Fireworks
New Taipei
Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel
Shifen Waterfall
2017 Sand Sculpture
Dragon Caves
New Taipei tour
2016 Kite Festival
Pingxi Crags
Bitou Cape
2016 Sand Sculpture
2015 Christmasland
Juming - Jinshan
Houtong - Pingxi
Sandiaoling Waterfall
Jiufen foodtrip
Guanyinshan hike
Yehliu Ocean World
2014 Kite Festival
Pingxi Rail tour
Jinguashi tour
Vigor Kobo Pineapple
British Consulate
Yehliu Geopark
2014 Sand Sculpture
Paragliding
2014 Christmasland
2014 Pingxi Lantern
firefly watching
Yingge Ceramics Street
Jiufen tour
0 comments:
Post a Comment