It’s been a few years since I last visited Taiwan, and it’s been even longer since I last visited the area around Keelung. My former visits were very memorable and arriving in Taiwan I was filled with nostalgia about almost everything I saw. On my last days before heading out not knowing when I’ll be back, I decided to do the daytrip to the Keelung area again. On the train to the station close to Jiufen I realized there’s a place in the area I haven’t been to yet, so I stayed another station and went to see Houtong, a former valley mining colony which now has a few attractions about the mining history of Taiwan and a nearby village famous for its very large and well taken care of cat community. From Houtong I took a station back on the train and then a bus up to towards the mountains of Jiufen, just in time to get spectacular views of the Keelung harbour. Since it was my first time wondering around on my own, I had more opportunity to explore areas I haven’t seen yet and try all sorts of different foods I’ve been curious about or missed that were offered in the long narrow alleys. From Jiufen I took the bus all the way to Keelung to take a slow walk through the very lively and very crowded Keelung night market, and then finally, I took the last train back to Taipei.
What a day, filled with a combination of new explorations, strong nostalgia, and the best of Taiwanese scenery and culture.
Here’s a bit from that day.
Houtong
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Jiufen
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Keelung night market
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More on the Houtong and Jiufen visits to follow…