After two days and nonstop eating, I was well-acclimated and wanted more (no, not just food). A significant aspect of my week in Taiwan is that I changed my mind so many times that even I had lost count.

Original plan: A one-day trip to Jiufen-Shifen-Pingxi, to visit old towns, train stations, waterfalls, etc.

Reality: A few hours in Shifen only.

Every travel blog recommends the full-pack trip, but it seems to be overrated. If you are a newbie traveller and/or like to crawl in the crowd, it is certainly for you.. but not for me.

My problem with travel blogs and marketing is that everyone goes to the same place, makes the same shots, and sells the place like something extraordinary and magical. And too many people in one square meter is just the perfect recipe for the mass destruction of the experience. So why did I choose even Shifen? Well.. I wanted to take a day trip, the waterfall looks nice in the pictures, and there are sky lanterns.

I only had a half-day for this, but that was enough. The local transportation around Taipei works very well, and accessing these old towns is simple. Take the East Line train to Ruefang (here you have to decide where to go – Jiufen or Shifen, but don’t panic, everything is tourist proof) > to Shifen, change to Pingxi Branch Line > get off at Shifen Railway Station and there you are. Travel takes about one and a half hours and is pretty chill and cheap.

After arriving at Shifen, I waited about 15 minutes until the crowd left the station via the narrow street. Then, I walked to the Jingan Suspension bridge and back to the tracks where people painted lanterns and let them fly.

I have mixed feelings about this thing. Of course, it looks lovely how those colourful lanterns take off.. but what goes up must come down. Higher trees and hidden parts of the woods are full of fallen lanterns (locals try to collect as much as they can, but it’s impossible to get them all). Also, it’s business, so people come, have a few minutes to paint their balloons, pose for selfies, let the lanterns fly, and then leave. Is this really worth the experience, or is it just superficial mass consumption?

The waterfall is about 20 minutes from the station. The walk was lovely, and I was mostly alone.. but I found the crowd when I arrived at the waterfall. Anyway, music in my ears and sunshine in my face solved any disturbance.

Obviously, Shifen offers lots of food. As I was more interested in leaving, returning to Taipei, and getting soup in my favorite street before catching my train, I only tried the famous fried ice cream. It’s actually not bad – best to eat right after you have it in your hands while it’s still hot outside and cold inside. I had all flavours (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate), and surprisingly I loved strawberry the most (I’m more of a chocolate person).

Oh, and another thing that Shifen is famous for is that the rails run between the houses, so when the trains pass, the track has to be cleared of lanterns and people. There are a few places like this in Asia, and I think the Maeklong Railway Market in Thailand is cooler!