Jiufen - 九份

Location: Jiufen is a mountain area in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City near Keelung.

Accessible by the many buses that head there daily.  The nearest train station is the Rueifang Station of the TRA Yilan Line, which is roughly 15 minutes away from Jiufen by bus.

Some quick historical notes: Jiufen (九份) was an isolated village until 1893 when a resulting gold rush really helped the towns development.  The name derives from the fact that during the Qing Dynasty, the village housed nine families, and therefore would request nine portions every time a shipment arrived from town.   Jiufen (九份)  literally means nine portions in Chinese and later the village would adopt that term as its name (pretty cool i think).  The downtown of Jiufen (九份) was the model used in the 2001 anime movie Spirited Away.
Okay... I felt that that was necessary, but no one goes there really because of these sorts of things.  They go because the town is packed with good food, interesting stores filled with neat trinkets, possesses ridiculous scenery and has the charm and atmosphere that Hollywood could ever hope to artificially muster.  I can't believe I never heard of this place let alone actually ever coming here.  I can now understand why so many movies are filmed here and why so many tourists flock there from both in and out of Taiwan.... it is deserving of its status as one of the must go places in Taiwan.

 What it looks like as you get off the bus.  A bit of a foggy day.. i'll go on to state more obvious things.

 Entrance into the 'old street'.  A world of wonder awaits.

 First thing we ate.  Tofu wrapped around some meat with a sweet and sour sauce.  Also covered in fish paste then fried.

I could use another one of these right about now.

The trek from Taipei to Jiufen (九份) is a bit arduous.. but only slightly so, and I might be only saying that because of my well documented gift to get lost.  We took a train from the Taipei Main Station (about 40 mins), after that you just hop on one of the many buses that head up the mountainside that take you to Jiufen, and based on traffic conditions, you'll be there between 15 minutes and eternity.  Quick tangent, the people who operate buses and taxis in these Asian countries must be some of the best drivers alive... that or they just really have no regard for their own safety and the safety of their passengers.

 One of the things Jiufen is famous for are these wooden sandals can be crafted to order.

Shops such as this one line the street.  They are filled with all sorts of things and really give a great charm and a lot of color to the area.

As you disembark from the bus, it really is a rather unassuming start.  A sloping street and a few landmarks are all there is.  The entrance to the street is nestled next to a 711, and it's a long winding street to the coast with only a few off shoots here and there.  Food stands, shops and the numerous tea shops that Jiufen (九份) are famous for are everywhere along the street.

 I've seen this lady in a lot of other peoples pictures of this place.  I suppose its a good marketing strategy to dress up like that.  I didn't buy anything from their stand.. but i sure as hell did stop and gawk for a little bit.  Can't pass up a good photo op these days.

 A popular xiao chi in taiwan.  Technically its a meat ball.. except they use a chewy dough as the outer layer.  It's pork, bamboo shoots and mushrooms topped with with a sweet and sour sauce.  The ones that they sell at Jiufen cook the pork a bit differently.. giving it that reddish rue.  Very Yummy.

This is the Yu-Yuan from one of the two really famous stores that sell it at Jiufen (九份).  They are essentially colorful and chewy balls made from taro.  You can choose to either have it served cold or hot.. being deathly afraid of anything about 70 degrees, I opted for the extra ice.  They incorporate a good mixture of sweet red beans, mung beans and or peanuts that help to give the dish even more flavor.  The texture of the taro balls goes well with the mixture of beans.  Thumbs up all around.

 Loving the lanterns that line the street.

 Gorgeous shop selling all things tea related.

Little touches such as this sign post outside the store really gives the place a whole heaping of charm.

There are an copious amount of tea shops in Jiufen (九份).  The most famous are the ones that over look the mountainside and offer gorgeous views.  I didn't venture into any of the shops to sip on some tea.. because well.. I rather stuff my face with other goodies and sitting down and being served tea didn't sound like something I wanted to do.  There is some regret here for not doing so, but the fact that it was a foggy day mitigates that somewhat as the views were obscured by mother nature.

 Fog dominated the forcast.  It dampens the effect of the pictures somewhat, but at night.. you can imagine how picturesque and beautiful it must look with the addition of lights to the scenery.  These tea houses all seem very posh and clearly are owners of amazing views.

They do a good job of clearly marking everything and having arrows to direct your way.  There is only one area where you have a choice of either continuing on or taking a different route.  The upper path leads you to the other famous Yu-Yuan place and a school.  Down leads you past many restaurants and other little shops.  I'd recommend heading up first than going down... both routes are riddled with incredible charm and need to be experienced.

People enjoying yu-yuan.  A fantastic little candy shop with traditional taiwanese candy that conjures up memories of my youth.

 Beautiful Street.  Lots of interesting things to see on the way down.

Memorabilia all over the place.  Because of the singular feel that Jiufen possesses, it is a popular place for film directors to capture their movies.

 Awesome old timey movie theatre.  Felt like it was released from a time capsule.  One glance at the gift shop brought a giant smile to my face.

As you can see.. I immensely enjoyed my trip to Jiufen (九份).  I didn't particularly partake in too much of the food, but that was probably because I was too taken in with all that there was to see.  For once on these adventures.. my eyes feasted more than my stomach.  I have friends visiting Taiwan soon, and there is without question that Jiufen (九份) will be one of the destinations in which we visit.  For someone like me who enjoys staying close to home.. that is truly a singular compliment that can be paid to a place.  I loved it, and I can't wait to return to rediscover what I saw this time and anything that I might have overlooked.

Til next time - some more treats for your eyeballs.

 Jeremy Lin spirit mask.