Let's Just Go

I’ve just had my first wonderful but rainy day in Taipei, exploring this excellent city.

I do love exploring the areas near cities and travelling into suburbia – I am also fascinated by public transport around the world, and love travelling on different transport systems as much as possible – whether that be metro or tube, bus, cable-car, tram, train, or any other public transport that might be in operation. I also love getting away from the city for a while and trying to see some nature. Taiwan has a lot of amazing natural areas, close to Taipei, and I set out to find some!

My hotel in the centre of the city was already on the red Tamsui-Xinyi line, so I hopped on this line to Hongshulin, towards the north-east of Taipei. Similar to the London Underground, the MRT zooms above ground, out into some of the Taipei suburbs, and snakes its way through between office blocks and housing blocks.

In a few minutes, the suburbs glide into more mountainous views, and plants, hills and rocks join the view.

Once at Hongshulin I took the Danhai Light Rail tram through to Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf – where you can see the river meet the sea.

The sea landscape was breathtaking, as was the little mini wander around the area.

After having a good wander about, it was time to go back to the centre of town for some activities I planned for the evening. On the journey back, some of the tram seats were already taken…

Back onto the MTR now, I must say that the pubic transport everywhere I went in Taiwan was exceptionally clean. Sometimes busy, but well-packed and a very efficient system.

I took the Metro to Beimen station on the green Songshan-Xindian line, and went for a wander around Dihua Old Street – one of the oldest shopping streets in Taiwan, with a lot of the original 1850s architecture and shop fronts well preserved. The shops mainly sell dried goods with a few street food carts around. It’s a vibrant and busy area, with a large temple in the street and people paying their respects and lighting incense outside in the street.

I am using a “biscuit” lens for the following pictures – it’s a fixed f/11 50mm lens with no capability to focus – a small toy camera lens fills the frame, and the rest of the lens is in the shape of an Oreo biscuit! It produces dreamy-quality pictures, all a little out of focus, but a little vintage looking and colourful.

The light started to fade, so here is more Dihua St with a more wide-open aperture!

It was a superb wander, but I was starting to feel hungry – so over to Raohe Night Market, a few steps away from Songshan Metro station, for some fresh food. And what a brilliant selection was on offer here – anything and everything!

It’s a very popular and incredibly chaotic market. However, there is organisation, in that you walk on the right-hand side of the market and everyone walks in the same direction. The stalls on the left-hand side, you will see when you’re on the way back.

If you need a repreieve from the market madness, as it is incredibly busy, Rainbow Bridge is not far away – you can take your hot food here and eat with a view of the river!

Raohe Night Market was a treat for all the senses – so much going on, so much delicious food to try, and so many different stalls offering completely different food and drinks from all around Asia.