Jiufen/Jinguashi/Jilong

I got up early because Eva and I had big plans for the day.  We took the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing and then took a bus to Jiufen, an old mining town in the hills that overlooks the ocean to the East.  It also apparently inspired the look of the movie "Spirited Away," but I couldn't really see the connection. We walked up the old "jinshan jie (gold mountain street)," looking into all of the shops that lined the sides while simultaneously battling the insane crowd.  At the top, we took pictures at an overlook of the view below, and then took some less-traveled staircases/tunnels.  We briefly checked out a temple up on a side street.  Eventually we ate lunch, but it was a bit disappointing since it was overpriced and the waiter was kind of rude.

After lunch, we walked around some more before heading to the bus stop to go Jinguashi, a neighboring mining area.  There, we explored the Gold Ecological Park, looking into exhibits, a mining tunnel, the Prince Chalet House, and looking at the world's biggest gold brick.  Eventually, we headed back down the mountain, grabbing some fruit popsicles on the way.

We eventually figured out which bus to take to get to Jilong, and endured a long ride with the craziest bus driver I have ever encountered. At one point he jumped out of the bus to scream at a man, drawing attention from everyone around.  I wanted to get off the bus but I was afraid he might murder me.  We finally arrived in Jilong, and a helpful high school student directed us to the famous Miaokou night market.  It was jam-packed with people and seafood.  When we had seen our fill, we asked around until we found a bus station, passing the Jilong Harbor in the process.  A kind woman heard us speaking English and asked if we needed help, and she took us directly to a bus that went straight to NTU campus for only $45 NTD.  It was only about 7:00 pm at this point, and we figured we should eat something substantial, so we went to Bravo Burger and reveled in the Americanness of it.