1 September 2006: Picturesque Jioufen!

I woke up much earlier than I usually do to catch a train to Ruifang（瑞芳）, and from there departed for our eventual destination of Jioufen（九份）. Jioufen lies in the outskirts of Taipei and is located near Keelung（基隆）, and it took us approximately two hours to reach there.

We stayed in a family-owned-and-managed hostel（民宿）, and had enjoyed great hospitality from the hosts. That is, we derived excellent service at really cheap rates. It had cost us NTD 500 for a night of lodging there, and I deem it a bargain to die for!

Soon after checking in, we roamed the bustling streets to scout for exotic food and souvenirs. We combed the place to find ourselves munching cuttlefish balls, smelly beancurd, taro balls and yam snacks. As for souvenirs, all shops sell basically the same touristy stuff and they didn't really appeal to me. A group of us then decided to spend our cash on tea and dinner instead at a restaurant that offers superb ambience and magnificent view of the rustic landscape of Jioufen, and we found it!

Our group is a cosmopolitan one, in USP spirit and fashion. We have Belgians, Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese and Singaporeans. We remained in the restaurant till dark, and the view from the balcony where we were sitting at was simply breathtaking. As the sun set below the horizon, so had the chicken rice and lavender milk tea in the same motion to my stomach.

The wonderful day came to an end with playing cards and some booze, and we slept to gear ourselves up for yet another exciting day ahead.