While day one and day two were all spent fairly close to our hotel. On our third day we would venture further away from Taipei. While researching our trip, my daughter discovered information on an unusual place she decided we should explore. It was a cat village where cats are allowed to roam freely. The town's actual name is Houtong.
Houtong is located outside Taipei, but one can get there easily by train. We hopped on the usual looking subway train at the main station. The train was crowded, and initially we had to stand. It was about a 40 minute ride to the town.
Houtong was originally a coal mining town and did quite well until the mine was closed in 1990. That history is still there for people to see with informational signs and displays around telling the story of the mine, but people don't come for a history lesson. They come for the cats.
The story goes that there were a number of stray cats around the village when Jian Peiling visited in 2008. She began to write about them in her blog and organized some people to help take care of the cats. The word began to spread, and today tourists come from all over to visit the Cat Village.
Welcome to Cat Village
Cat Home Stairs
Now I have to say I am not a cat person as I am allergic to cats so this visit was not high on my list. It was my daughter's wish, however, so we went. Once we de-boarded the train, there were obvious signs this was all about the cats. From art work around the train station to the various gift shops selling all kinds of cat items, the cats ruled.
What was most fascinating to me was how the people were so excited to see the cats. Apparently there are more cats than people now, but I didn't see that many. However, if a cat was easily visible, someone was there taking a picture of it as if it was a unique and unusual creature. I found it rather amusing to see people running around with their cell phones trying to take pictures of the cats. The people were much more interesting to watch than the cats.
Taking Pictures of Cats
Once we had had enough of the Cat Village, we reversed our course and headed back towards Taipei, but we didn't go far. We just went to the next train stop of Ruifang. Ruifang is a decent sized town with a large train station. However, it was not our destination. We were going to the village of Jiufen, which is a popular tourist spot up the mountain from Ruifang.
Jiufen Street Sign
When we left the Ruifang train station, we began looking for the stop for the bus that would take us to Jiufen. We weren't completely sure where we were going, but we sort of followed the crowd and ended up in the right spot. We didn't have to wait too long, but when the bus finally came, it was already full. Thus began a true adventure as we went up the mountain. I was one of the last on the bus and was pretty much standing in the door well. The bus went at a rather quick pace up the windy and narrow road. It was a breathtaking ride. Fortunately we arrived safely at the village.
Like Houtong, Jiufen was a mining town, but rather than mine for coal, it was gold. The village became prosperous and was a location of some importance, but as the gold dwindled, so did Jiufen's allure. But as luck would have it, two well known movies were shot here in recent times, and Jiufen's image improved. Now it is a popular weekend destination.
The town is on the side of the mountain so there is quite a bit of up and down walking to do. The old covered market area is the most popular place to be. It winds for some distance through the town with some streets going off in different directions. Rather than an open air market, the market is covered. Along the market ceilings are red paper lanterns which are lit at night.
The market itself was not that different from the other markets we had wandered through. There were quite a few food places to eat at as well as various stores selling a wide variety of products. We wandered down the market path and took in the views. However, the views were not as expected. The town overlooks the ocean, and the views were supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately on our visit the fog (or smog) was so thick that the ocean was barely visible. That was a disappointment.
View from Jiufen
Steamed Buns
Although there were a variety of restaurants, we ended up at a place selling steamed buns. Now if you have been reading my blog you would know that we are not adventurous eaters. None of us had ever eaten a Chinese steamed bun before. However, we were hungry and quite thirsty as well so getting something to drink was a priority, and they had some tempting drinks. So each of us decided on a bun or two. I enjoyed my buns and thought they were good. My wife unwittingly ordered a sweet filled bun which was not what she had wanted so she had a less positive perspective, but it was a new experience.
Our plan had been to stay and see the red lanterns lit up with the sunset, but we were hot and tired. We were ready to go back to our hotel. We caught the bus, which was not quite as crowded as when we came up, and rambled down to the Ruifang train station. After purchasing our tickets, we waited on the platform. Trying to be smart, we walked toward the back of the train expecting less people getting on further back.
When we got on the train, we were surprised to find a regular train with two seats on each side of the center aisle. All the seats were full. Our tickets were not for assigned seats so we were left to stand in the center aisle. My wife and daughter decided to stand outside the train car on the platform, but it was loud and noisy there so I stayed inside. It felt awkward to be standing right next to someone seated in their seat, but the people didn't seem to be bothered by it. It was definitely a strange experience.
Ruifang Train Station
With another day in the books, we were looking at our last full day in Taipei. It was time to see the landmark of Taipei, Taipei 101. Next week's entry will tell that tale.
If you would like to see the original post at Batterdsuitcase.net, click here.
Credits: The photos Sitting Next to a Cat?, Jiufen Street Sign, Shoppers, and Steamed Buns were taken by Silvette Lee.