Keelung

Good news, after two days at sea we are ready for another adventure, aren’t we. Bad news, it’s raining, a lot! Ah well let’s make the best of it as you probably won’t visit again. Raincoat on, we are spending the morning in the mountains. Taiwan is settled mainly along the west as there are steep mountains on the east.

As we travel up , we pass many small fishing ports.

Suddenly you come to a valley with industry, train lines and skyscrapers

If you look closely beside the road , there will be small vegetable gardens. Despite the rain , there were people gardening and even a fisherman out on the rocks in Bitou Port. Crazy!

At last we are in Chiufen. This was originally settled for workers in a gold mine.

The township nestles into a steeeeeeep mountainside.

Most of the workers homes are now shops and tea houses. When you get halfway up , you will be rewarded with tea! Yes it is wet but you can’t stay in the bus.

Tea? Great

Raisins and plums? Great.

Sesame biscuits? Interesting

Wasabi and sweet nuts? Well the wasabi clears your sinuses.

There is some interesting shops….food, bubble tea, hand painted clothes and crafts and of course tea houses and tea shops.

In some places , there are tunnels under the houses or shops to reach other areas of the village.

Time to get back in the bus. I don’t know about you , but I am seriously wet. What’s that sound? It’s the water in my shoes squelching.A change of clothes and perhaps lunch before we explore Keelung Port?

The port

Keelung Port has a Buddhist temple and festival temple in Chung Cheng Park. The park has a shrine to commemorate the soldiers who fought the communists so Taiwan could be formed . You want to go inside… sorry it’s closed. Just further up is the Zhuputan shrine(also closes). It used to be constructed every year for the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. You can reach it by a lift…yes I know we walked up the stairs. You can now boast that you walked up 39 flights of stairs today. The lift and platform is to link the city to nature.

Not far from here is the Buddha temple. As it is raining, you didn’t have to share the experience with anyone.

Look the lights are coming on, it’s getting late so let’s head back just in case the lift closes.

What fun things did you notice? Look here are mine.

Rest time. You have another day at sea to dry out….especially your shoes before we reach Hong Kong.