Jioufen

My colleague and I joined the crowds again this weekend, there are so many people on this small island.  This time we joined the locals in Jioufen, an old gold mining town, set in the hills, with great views of the Pacific Ocean.

Views of the Pacific Ocean

Jishan street is the main attraction.  An old, narrow street with lots of food stalls to sample, shops to browse and people to squeeze past.

Crowded Jishan Street

The Art of Tea Making

On Jishan Street, we visited Jioufen Tea House, a beautiful tea house.

Jioufen Tea House

There is quite an art to making green tea:

Step 1 – Fill the tea pot with hot water and then pour the water away.

Step 2 – Add some green tea leaves and hot water to the tea pot.

Step 3 – Pour away the water.

Step 4 – Add more water and brew for 20 seconds.

Step 5 – Pour the tea into a jug.

Step 6 – The green tea is now ready to be served, pour into a cup and enjoy!!!!

Step 7 – Repeat steps 2-6 until you can no longer drink any more tea :o)

It was a lovely experience, just spending a Saturday afternoon sipping green tea.  There was plenty of water, which was kept hot by the little stove built into the table and was constantly topped up by the lovely staff.

Enjoying an afternoon cuppa

It was definitely the best cup of tea I have ever drunk!!!

Info: To get to Jioufen you can catch the train to Ruifang and then a bus to Juifen.  Well you could if you were organised and booked the train in advance.  On the weekends, in Summer, lots of Taiwanese are escaping the city and the trains are all full.  I’m a spur of the moment girl (i.e. not very organised), so like me you can alternatively catch the bus from outside Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT at exit 1.  It takes just over an hour and it’s quite a pretty journey. Again I would highly recommend using an Easycard if you are planning on doing lots of trips around Taipei.

Raohe Street Night Market

The bus back to Taipei passed Raohe Street Night Market, claimed to be the oldest night market in Taipei, so we decided to jump off and explore.

Raohe St Night Market

Warning!!!! Veggies may be disturbed by the next picture, so do not scroll down!!!

Roast Pig