#sandiaoling

[chengyangblog]

[nawu]

Cafe Hytte, 三貂嶺

8 February 2020
 Photograph / Na

[jobim1983]

⠀ ⠀⠀ | 秘境咖啡 | ⠀ ⠀ #northamericanhandmadebicycle #calfee #calfeedesign #lovemycalfee #calfeedragoflypro #corima #corimamcc #corimamccwsplus #corimacarbone #vsco #vscocam #newtaipeicity #ruifang #sandiaoling (at Cafe Hytte) https://www.instagram.com/p/CANfKE6nCjV/?igshid=lzoiy250gm8s

[some12hold]

I Will Follow You #taiwan #rain #unbrella #lomography #lomolcaplus #lomographypurple #analogphotography #台湾 #雨の日の散歩 #ロモグラフィー #アナログ写真 #sandiaoling (三貂嶺駅) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0tBWNbneuQ/?igshid=130sdnnan8wme

[joeynation]

gusto — ˈɡʌstəʊ. noun. enjoyment and enthusiasm in doing something. #三貂嶺 #台北 #台灣 #sandiaoling #taipei #taiwan (at 三貂嶺瀑布群 Sandiaoling Waterfalls Hike) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzsH2IJAilT/?igshid=o571qs2ky23h

[lettersfromtaiwan]

Slightly Lost In Sandiaoling

At the beginning of March we hosted two German students, one of whom was already studying in Kaohsiung and the other who arrived in Taiwan to meet up with her friend.  Like we do with most of our Couchsurfing guests, we wanted to give them a taste of the Taiwanese countryside and the amazing hiking this country offers (still the most under-promoted and neglected aspect of Taiwan’s international advertising as a tourist location).  Our plan was to take the train to Sandiaoling and hike a loop from there back to Houtong Station ...

Taking the train from Nanggang, we alighted at the very minimal and mosquito ridden Sandiaoling Station (originally built as part of the Japanese east coast line that both served as a delivery line for coal from the local mines and a vital connecting route to the East Coast) and walked some ten minutes along the track to the village of Sandiaoling that sites next to the Keelung River.  

You can see from the image below that the railway line splits off to run through the village and on to the former mining, and now tourist-subsistent, villages along the valley to Pingxi.  On Maps.Me it is clear that a circular route from Sandiaoling to Houtong exists, as can be seen in the app screenshot below where the white line is an established paved path and the black line more of a rough but well trodden trail. We took the white paved trail north west up towards 合谷瀑布 He Gu Waterfall. 

As an introduction to Taiwanese hiking, the trail was perfect: not too steep, not too many steps, a nice level earthen path section with great views of the valley and the other waterfalls in the area, and a ropeway bridge to boot. All in all a delightful trek ...

Along the path we came to a t-junction and this sign below with a hand written note that the trail up the mountain was for advanced hikers only ...

... noting the warning, we continued on the main path to a viewing platform for the 合谷瀑布 He Gu Waterfall - a rare and tall 2-step waterfall, one of the largest in Taiwan ...

... and further on we arrived at the 摩天瀑布 Motian Waterfall ...

Having rested up here for a little while we followed the path up by the side of the fall ...

... and took some steps up to get to the top (from where I shot the image at the top of this post). Here, EVA negotiates the steps ...

At the top of the fall were signs, and signs of other trekking groups who marked the route for their members ...

We continued on the path past the 福興宮 small buddhist temple, enjoying the great views, relative scarcity of other hikers, and the nice variety of pace and style of trail (a lot of Taiwanese hikes are are endless steps up to the top then endless steps back down which crushes your knees and legs - the descent much worse than the ascent) ...

It was shortly after that we appeared to go off the path without realising it, going onto the black dotted trail back towards our starting point instead of staying on the white line.  After walking for an hour around the edge of the valley on an increasingly precarious path we finally came to a fork in the trail. Knowing that we were definitely not on track and with time ebbing away, we sent a scout up one path to see if it looked promising. She came back with two elderly Taiwanese hikers she’d found walking towards our position, who complained extensively about also being lost and there being no clear directions to or from Houtong.  With this confirmation we decided that the path going down the valley was most likely the quickest route out of the jungle and back down to Sandiaoling before dark. Our instincts were right when the path of rotten wood chips soon gave way to a splendid bamboo forest complete with solid wooden steps. Imagine our surprise then when we came to the bottom of that path to ... a t-junction ... the very same one we had encountered on our way to the He Gu Waterfall.  We had inadvertently completed the advanced hike section without realising it!  Another (mis?)adventure I’m chalking down to mad dogs, german girls, a slightly concerned Taiwanese girlfriend, and Englishmen in the mid-day sun. Oh and an over-reliance on the accuracy of the signs placed along the trail, which like a lot of road signs in Taiwan, are more suggestions than dependable navigational aids. 

Perhaps another day we’ll return to complete the circuit to Houtong, this time giving us enough time to complete it (I would estimate now that it’s a good 4~5 hour hike).  It is certainly one of the prettiest and most interesting hikes I’ve done in Taiwan and one that I’d be happy to introduce to other guests even if they only want to go as far as the Motian Waterfall and just explore around Sandiaoling village.  

[ifeeeshtravels]

Hiking from the Sandiaoling Station to Dahua - waterfalls, rope ladders and suspension bridges.

[jitsslo]

Nature🌿 @goprotw @gopro_ammo . . Using the @gopro.momentsofficial preset pack💪 Use my discount code for 30% off: JITSSLO30 . . #gopro #goprotw #tripon #hiking #goproliveit #gopromoff #goprohero7 #ammo趣爬山 #thule #thuletaiwan #goprotravel #weekendwarrior (at 三貂嶺瀑布群 Sandiaoling Waterfalls Hike) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzqUKQNH0gb/?igshid=orv9zb6d2o8p

[rebeltofu]

Sandiaoling dan stinky tofu

Aku memberi nama paper pertamaku Sandiaoling. Sandiaoling adalah sebuah nama tempat hiking/trekking di New Taipei City, terkenal dengan tiga air terjun besar di tengah hutan. Aku menamai paper pertamaku demikian karena setelah paper pertamaku selesai ditulis, aku akan pergi kesana. Ini adalah janji yang kuberikan untuk diriku sendiri.

Stinky Tofu adalah nama jajanan street food terkenal di Taiwan. Aku ambil nama itu untuk folder di komputer yang isinya data-data thesis termasuk manuscript dan buku. Stinky tofu akan selamanya kukenang sebagai jajanan yang paling bau namun paling memorable persis seperti perjalananku menyelesaikan studi memuakkan ini.

[errric-photo]

Sandiaoling, Ruifang District, New Taipei, Taiwan, September 2020

[abigailtan]

Abi-goes-SOLO [Taipei] Part 1 [JiuFen]

[START 23/11/2017]

My flight was at 5.55am and I reached the airport before 4am... Which gave me plenty of time to write my journal and read my book. [To kill a mocking bird] 

It’s exciting! Really~ I had this planned for a really long time and it’s finally happening. And of course, while I’m typing this, it’s all over and just a memory. A beautiful memory. 

This happened mid flight!!! How cool is this?! I did not choose my seats because I felt that since I’m going budget I should go all the way. I let scoot chose my seats for me [both ways]. The only thing I paid extra for was the extra cabin bag so that I don’t have to restrict myself too much with regards to packing or even getting a checked in baggage. 

I was extremely exhausted after the 4 hour flight... I did manage to get some sleep. But it’s not fun having a duffle bag alone and in the LONG line at immigration... (I need to invest in a good backpack)

I did get out of it pretty fast, it was better than I expected. 

Got out of immigration and found my way to the MRT and this was where I met my first stranger. Max, German, airline planning (something I can’t remember). And we were both going into the city so we talked the entire ride. 

This is what I like about traveling solo, the conversations I had with Max was interesting. I can’t remember exactly what we talked about, but it was rather insightful. Something about the temperature, basic architecture of the cities (comparison), ummm languages and what his plans were. 

So at Taipei Main Station... what on earth is this? 

WHAT’S KISS AND RIDE?! 

So I got my friends to translate it, it’s a pickup point. XD

Day 1 was such a physically demanding day! It was a 36 minute train ride to the city and that was where I got lost. So during my research, I read that I had to take the train to Rui Fang and then a bus to Jiu Fen. And for some reason, I noted that Rui Fang was on the Red Line. So I went to the Red Line (MRT) instead of the TRA. 

To be honest, I was freaking out when I couldn’t find my way. And this young lady refused to ask for help because well... I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do this ALONE. 

I was so confident... I stood in front of the map and I couldn’t find Rui Fang station! First minor freak out! Mind you, I had my duffle bag and my other bag with me... I managed to ask for help and this lady was so sweet............. At first, she said that she had no idea where and not 5 minutes later she walked back and told me that I should go back upstairs and walk over to the TRA. [1st experience of Taiwanese hospitality] 

Reached the TRA and I missed my train... I was soooooooooooooooo lost. So I wasn’t prepared to wait for an hour for the next train to RuiFang so I took the one going to KeeLung. Googled that I’ll take about an hour-ish but well... Halfway through the train ride, the announcement on the train said that I could alight at Qi Du and take the next train to Rui Fang. I felt more comfortable doing that. But... ... The next train would only arrive in 35 minutes. 

I literally watched the train to RuiFang leave because I was completely clueless as to if I should have boarded the train or not. 

I’ve realised that I don’t have to go as far as Paris to be in a city where I don’t understand the language. Taiwan was a good start. Yes, my 2nd language is Mandarin, but honey, I could hardly understand half the time. 

It was raining when I arrived. And thus it begins... lugging my duffle bag for only God knows how long more... 

The bus ride up was amazing~ The view, the people and it’s only the beginning of my trip. 

I boarded the bus and started talking to the lady next to me. She was local and she asked me where I was staying and then showed me directions. Sooooo... I underestimated the distance of the road. I was supposed to walk past the halfway mark, hit the public toilet before making a turn up and I’d be right in front of the hostel. But noooooooooooo... I turned before the halfway mark because I freaked out. And I ended up climbing up to the Old Street and walking all the way to the end....... [totally worth it]

I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to find the place and I was wet and exhausted and hungry. 

But the vendors along the street were incredibly helpful and I couldn’t have gotten better help. 

So I reached around half 3. Dropped my bag got changed and went to wonder. 

LOOK! Look at the beauty of God’s creation. Oh nature.......

Reached the hostel by half 6, just in time for steamboat!

LOOK! Look at how scrumptious. 

Let’s start with me, the girl behind me is Kate our brilliant host! Next to her is Alison, she’s from Manchester. And lastly, in pink, Korean girl and I can’t remember her name. There was supposed to be another guy (Eric) joining us, but he got kind of lost. 

He came after we finished our dinner and we sat down and talk. It was AMAZING! Like you wouldn’t believe it! We talked about politics, job opportunities, housing, healthcare, education, traveling and movies. Between Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, UK and South Korea. 

So suffice to say that day 1 was amazing. 

DAY 2!

Day 2 started out early. 

I was in full hiking gear~ Mt KeeLung here I come!

Then it rained heavily... ... Sooooooo I did tried to hike to Mt KeeLung until a local said “You’re gonna hike in this rain?” so I chickened out... 

Took the bus down to RuiFang and then decided that I could go to ShiFen. 

Went to the map and saw that it would pass by HouTong. So there I went. [at this point I was about ready to throw my plans out the window] 

CAT VILLAGE

LET THE WONDERING BEGIN!

I had ABSOLUTELY no plans when I alighted at Hou Tong. So I literally just wondered. No research was done, nada. 

Found a cafe and soaked up nature~

Oh how picturesque. I am not the most artsy of people, but sketching brings me to a different place. I’m so focused that there’s nothing else on my mind. 

Next! Took the train out and~~~

I didn’t spend a lot of time at ShiFen as I missed the waterfall sighting. Which means that I'll be back! There wasn’t a lot and I didn’t do research on this place either because I had planned to hike SanDiaoLing, but because of the rain and part of it involved a vertical climb (so I’ve read), I figured that if the hike didn’t kill me, mum would. So I chickened out again, but this time for good reason. 

The lanterns cost me TWD200 and I was probably the only one who was alone. But whatever. 

So I took the train back to JiuFen and STREETFOOD!!! Again, yes. 

I spoke to a few of the vendors as asked about the best timing to visit the tea house when the crowd disperses. They said around 8/9pm. So I went back to the hostel first. 

Alison came back not too long after me and there was a new guy, an American who is teaching English in Japan. Crap.. Can’t remember his name.. Scooter? Scooby? SSSS... Something. Not important. 

Left the hostel And tada~ Ah Mei Tea House. 

this is my kind of Saturday night. No plans, no worries, just sip tea and enjoy the view. 

This truly marks the end of my 2 days stay in JiuFen and it was nothing short of amazing. 

The experience of the start of my solo trip has taught me that no matter how much I prepare, things will/may not go as planned. Plans change and it’s totally okay. The fact that I threw my plans out the window by day 3 was a huge step for me; especially for someone who plans 5-10 years ahead. It was liberatiing~ Absolutely. 

It was a blessing to be able to have been on this trip even though it was fully paid by myself. It was a blessing to have met other travelers and had really friendly and in-depth conversations. [Holiday friends] The chance to actually sit at the same table despite coming from different parts of the globe was invigorating. I never thought that I’d have such intense discussions about global issues such as; politics, jobs, housing, education, healthcare, loans, lifestyle, traveling and even music. 

The first 2 days were truly the highlight of my trip and I’m glad that it started that way. 

[Not even halfway]

[irvinekwang]

早安⋯ (at 三貂嶺瀑布群 Sandiaoling Waterfalls Hike) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzjnDrdjoqPLAmyrUUxPeGfsQEWQuNn9srosYc0/?igshid=1payqwq5jzuiy

[thepossibilitiesofanisland]

Morning light (à 三貂嶺瀑布群 Sandiaoling Waterfalls Hike) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzeu9BOAAPj/?igshid=56amxww185ib

[jobim1983]

⠀ ⠀⠀ | 福隆-猴牡-三貂嶺 | ⠀ Photo by @lovelo_cafe ⠀ #vsco #vscocam #newtaipeicity #sandiaoling #fulong #houtong #ashmei https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-IbjFHHUE/?igshid=40wyi7zpewfa

[some12hold]

三貂嶺駅で、次の電車が来るまで駅前を散策。何もない(笑) 帰国後になって、もうちょっと歩いたところに、いい感じのカフェがあったことを知る。次の楽しみにしておこう。 #台湾旅行#taiwan #三貂嶺車站 #Hipstamatic #MattyALN #ATypePlate (Sandiaoling Station) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpag6BKgoER/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gspkyvxjf8tb

[joeynation]

pilgrimage — ˈpɪlɡrɪmɪdʒ. noun. a journey to a place of particular interest or significance. #sandiaoling #sandiaolingwaterfalls #waterfall #taiwan #三貂嶺瀑布群 #三貂嶺 #瀑布 #台灣 (at 三貂嶺瀑布群 Sandiaoling Waterfalls Hike) https://www.instagram.com/p/Byy5VYogr1v/?igshid=ppfc05sifkna