All night the rain thundered down and danced in the town’s tin roofs! This morning the forecast wasn’t good - well not until 14.00!! There were continuous, torrential downpours interspersed with dry periods! Up to yesterday, we had luckily avoided rain and particularly typhoons!
We departed the Delicateperfume hotel and took the 11.02 Pingxi line.
Pingxi was a traditional, mountain village until the discovery of coal in 1927. The railroad was built and miners came in search of wealth. The economy boomed and then declined with pit closures. The line would have closed but for railway enthusiasts, film makers and tourists.
The line is 13km long. We boarded at Ruifang and initially rode the line to the terminus at Jintong,
where the best preserved station exists modelled on aJapanese residence of the colonial period.
Vestiges of the coal mining era lay all about
the Old Street now sells food and souvenirs,
including wish inscribed bamboo tubes.
Shifin Old Street, Jintong.
On our return trip, we stopped at Pingxi. Here again street food and souvenirs.
Every New Year’s Eve, the town holds a lantern festival, when thousands of lanterns fill the sky. One can purchase lanterns, write your wishes on it, then ignite them and they lift off!!
Our final stop was Shiffen. It was crowded with holiday makers more so than the two previous stations. The interesting feature of this town is that the train tracks run beside the street at a distance out 2-3m
Shiffin appears to have stolen Pingxi’s thunder as there was more lantern activity here - the crowds were also much larger.
The lanterns were soaring skyward by the minute and the smell of the diesel from the lanterns was nauseating - so much for Health and Safety! In addition people were lighting these lanterns on the railway trac. When the train arrived, there was one blow of a whistle for all to leave the track as the train pulled into the station!
The town also boasts a long suspension bridge.
We departed and arriving back in Ruifang, we collected our cases and took the local train to Tapei, where we again met the Thai family!!! We proceeded to the MRT ((Metro) to Beitou, a spa town favoured by the Japanese during their occupation.
We needed to refresh our weary bones and enjoy a little luxury having traversed Taiwan from coast to coast. We booked Aqua Bella, a spa hotel, with a spa in the bedroom. The spa waters were most refreshing after a long day!
Bitou is a spa town 30 minutes by MRT north of Taipei. Under Japanese rule it was one the largest spa towns and attracted tourist from all over the world including Sun Yat Sen. In 1911, Beitou Park was open and it has a hot spring running through the centre. Tomorrow, we go in search of the public hot springs - an interesting experience we have been advised!
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