Keelung Surroundings

2010/03/14

Everybody from our room except Blue went to Keelung today. Andrej with his friend from Bohemia, who is here just for several weeks, Sasha by bus and I wanted to go there by bike. However in the end when I found out Sasha is going to Keelung I decided to go with him.

We woke up in 8 and departed in 9. The first plan was to go to Keelung by bus directly from the NTUST, however I have been informed before it would be very long, because the bus stops everywhere. According to this we redecided to go to Keelung by bus from Taipei Main Station.

On Taipei Main Station we found a wrong bus station and we had to search for the other one. After 15 minutes we came to right bus station and right bus. There was a row for a bus to Keelung already. I stood into the row and wait. The row didn't move, because the bus was still waiting. Sasha panicked and left the row to get some information just in the moment the row actually started to move. I was calling but no response. Fortunately the door keeper thought I am confused and don't know what to do, so he was patient and waited to my reaction when Sasha emerged and give him the ticket. The first stage was done, we got into the right bus.

Sasha slept all the time. I just made my Chinese pocket-size dictionary, so I was practicing: Ni hao. Ni hao ma? Wang siansheng, hao. Wo shi mei quo fen, ni ne? ... :) We arrived to Keelung around 11 o'clock. The bus stopped in the center, just in front of the harbor. There were a lot of ships including Taiwanese marine light cruiser. We searched the Information Center and asked for advice. The staff was very friendly and gave us several tips for trips. The most recommended was Yeliou National Geo-park. So we went there ...

The bus station is on the street without any concrete sign. We were wandering around 15 minutes before we found it and additional 15 minutes before the bus arrived. The trip to Yeliou took 40 minutes. The number of bus was 1022 and price approximately 45 NT$ (= 27 CZK). The park is a little aside, so we took a walk around the small port on the left hand and seafood fast-foods on the right. Sasha was typically hungry, but he controlled himself in this moment.
The entrance to the geo-park costs 25 NT$ (=15 CZK) for student or 50 NT$ for adult. The Duration of stay there is not limited of course. In the park there is about 1800 limestone formations, most of them in the shape of mushroom, however other very interesting shapes can be seen also. Unfortunately this day a half of the peninsula has been closed due to the reconstruction of the pavement.

Except for this we has some confrontation in front of the stone called Queen's head when we wanted to take a picture. It was certainly my mistake as I didn't realize that from the other side of the pavement just around the corner there is a long row and a security allowing people to take pictures one by one. Some vulgar words changed other and I quit really angry. Later I felt a little ashamed as I was wrong :)

Outside the peninsula there were another mushroom formations and also some other which shape seemed to me like pots with lids. Both of these formations are in the gallery.

Except this in the distance on the open sea a Keelung Islet could be seen, pointing to the sky with his monstrous cliffs. The Islet is normally possible to visit, however today no ferry went there, nobody knows why. That also violated our plans in the future.

On the way back to the bus station we stopped in one of the fast-food restaurants. When I saw prices I was really hesitating ... 300 NT$, 280 NT$ etc.. Fortunately they had 3 meals for 80 NT$ (= 45 CZK). Both of us chose fried rice with vegetables and shrimps and we both agreed it was wonderful :) but which food is not wonderful here ... just the non-Asian one :)

When we returned to Keelung City it was almost 3 o'clock. The trip to other geo-park was for this reason a little out of line, so we decided to visit the fort Ershawan, the most well-known fort around Keelung, made by Spanish conquerors in 17th century, which defended Keelung during the 1st Opium war.

It took some time to find the fort as it was not marked on the map well. In the end a strider gave us a hint and we found the path to the top of small hill where the fort is. The path is paved and it was totally slippery. I almost fell down at least 5 times and so did Sasha. On the top there were guns from north and east batteries and a rest of fortification with the main gate and long stairs into the forest (viz gallery). It was interesting, however I expected something else. The advantage was no entrance fee :)
Later on we proceeded to the north to see the Keelung Islet. The map said "2 km". Well, we went the "2 km" almost 2 hours. In the end, when we finally came to the end and saw the Islet, it was already dusk and no-one can take a picture anymore. At addition all around the path there were frogs which scared Sasha. The end came when a bat flew over our heads. Sasha insisted to do not go any further and we returned back.

We took a bus back to Keelung. But Sasha was decided we should get off sooner and visit a statue in the Jungjeng park before we will leave. So we did. Immediately we got lost. Sasha didn't hesitate and asked a girl walking around us for direction. It showed up she is not good in English and she doesn't know how to explain it, so she lead the way. However it was really distant, so she insisted to call a taxi for us. We rejected it and insisted to go by walk. Later I realized she is maybe a little worry, because she doesn't know how to get rid of us and she doesn't want to go with us to the park in the dark. So I tried to explain her again we need just direction and she can go home, she haven't to accompany us. No reaction.

After some time she called the taxi and tried to pay the fee. We didn't agree of course, why she would pay for us the taxi? I tried to give her the money back. She refused and just walked away. In this situation Sasha made the most stupid thing ever. She blocked her way saying "no no no no no no". The girl was obviously nervous. An idea of taxi driver calling police of some sexual harrassment ran trough my mind and I yelled to Sasha to stop it and let her go. The taxi driver took us to the Jungjeng park.

In the park, there was almost nothing. Just a statue with no meaning. Later we found a temple, at least some compensation for all of this. In the dark it seemed to be from plastic. We climbed down the hill and went to night market.

Sasha was hungry. It's not surprising as he ate just one lunch. So he bought 3 big dumplings filled with vegetables and meat, fried squid and a gyros. (Just for the record I bought one dumpling and tried the gyros).

The bus went to Taipei in 21:30 or so. We arrived to Taipei few minutes after 22.

2010/03/14 - Keelung Surroundings [37 pictures]

Keelung
Yeliou (Geopark)
Keelung Islet

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