Day Eight of My Taiwan Trip 2014: Wulai, Chiate Pineapple Cakes, Yu Jan Shin Milk Pastry & the Humongous Shilin Night Market!

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Despite watching movies till the wee hours at CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch I (新驛旅店), we were up pretty early to catch the train to Xindian MRT Station where we had to take a bus to the remote Wulai district! 

The bus stop was just outside the station, to your right. It would be hard to miss with those people queuing up in an orderly manner! To make it easier for you, note that Huxuzhang has a branch right across the road! 

Arrival of bus number 849! I read the following from a blog somewhere; sit on the right if you are those who enjoy the views of natural scenery. In the case of Alex, he would be better off on the left where he can snooze throughout the journey.

Just two photographs to pique your interest! The trip wasn't as long as i expected and took us roughly about thirty minutes before the bus pulled the brakes at the last stop; the rustic town of Wulai.

It might appear boring but there was so much one could do at Wulai! Let me explain further even though i would strongly recommend that you click the respective hyperlinks for more information! 

1. Ignore the old street especially if you are early since most shops would only open later in the day. To gain knowledge of the indigenous Taiwanese tribe, Atayal, please step into the ATAYAL MUSEUM located right in the middle of the old street. 

Looks like there was some media hype on this man. Oh well, local politics wasn't my concern anyway. 

2. Take the toy like WULAI TRAM and save your feet some energy for a lot more walking later!

3. Marvel at the beauty of WULAI WATERFALL and wonder why no one is bathing / enjoying / playing at the base. p.s. i am unsure if it is possible but i sure didn't see anyone when i was there. 

4. Take the GONDOLA LIFT for a splendid view of the waterfall and the surrounding scenery. 

5. There is another reason for taking the gondola; a visit to YUN-HSIEN PARK & RESORT (雲仙樂園) that remained stuck in the era when i was a kid. I doubt it would attract much attention from the youngsters nowadays but it brought back fond memories of my first visit to Genting Highlands!

6. Soak yourself in the FREE HOT SPRING by the river and enjoy the relaxing activity of people watching (note: mostly ajumma and ahjussi).

7. Walk along WULAI OLD STREET and gorge yourself crazy! 

Time to be back at Taipei! As it was already the second last day of my incredibly fun Taiwan trip, i had to make some time for a trip to Chia Te Bakery (佳德糕餅). Situated along the long Nanjing East Road, don't bother taking public transport; in fact, i was so glad to have taken the cab! 

Our incomplete haul from the bakery (i was holding on to another two bags of pineapple pastries at the same time)! By the way, you may save yourself the hassle by calling in for a delivery (minimum spending of NT$1,200; delivery charges may apply). For more details, check out the website (Chinese only). Oh, before i forget, an advance notice of seven days for delivery is recommended.

We stepped into another bakery nearby; Yu Jan Shin (裕珍馨) !! In my next visit to Taiwan, i am going to stock up on the milk pastries (奶油酥餅) from this bakery as they were just way too delicious!!! I am known to be a rapid eater but when it comes to this delicacy, i only wanted to slowly savour every bite!

Even though we didn't buy a lot (an early premonition our luggage might have breached the limit), the service staff was so kind as to help us put all our purchases (including the pastries from Chia Te) into a box! 

I am impressed by the high service standard in Taiwan yet nothing beats the one we experienced in Yu Jan Shin! By the way, a branch could be found at Raohe Night Market!

Given the load we had, it's cab time again so that we could unload everything at the hotel! After taking a well-deserved bath, i am out on the street again! Chanced upon a branch of the famous pepper buns from Raohe Night Market.

Bo'Ai Street - also known as Camera Street for the many shops that cater to photographers. I should have gotten a wide-angle lens from the shops there; pity time wasn't on my side.

The historical North Gate [known also as Cheng-En Gate(承恩門)] that hailed from the 1800s and the only one out of five gates in Taipei to have retained its original appearance! Location: Start of Bo'Ai Street. 

Taking the train where we passed by the Grand Hotel once again; no, we were not on our way to Beitou! 

Destination would be Jiantan MRT Station. Why? Because the world famous Shilin Night Market (exit from Exit 1) was beckoning us to pay it a visit! 

Walk out of the station and follow the clearly marked signs! If not, just follow the crowd; almost everyone would be walking towards the direction of the night market.

For my review of Shilin Night Market, click here! I was so bushed by the time i left Shilin; i just wanted to take a hot bath and sleep! Night and look out for the blog post on my last day in Taiwan!

Last Day >> 

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For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.