When I taught in Taiwan, I worked six days a week, so I always had to go to popular daytrips on Saturday afternoons or Sundays. I was always jealous of my friends who were studying and had more freetime to enjoy the beauty of these areas without the crowds.
This time around, things are different though, so I get to experience a different pace walking through some of my favorite places.
Jiufen
About 50 minutes from Taipei by bus, Jiufen is an old gold-mining town, turned tourist destination. It was at it’s height during the Japanese annexation, so many of the hotels here are still the original Japanese style. When I visited before, I never got to really take in the old-street alley vendors as well as I would have liked, as the narrow passage was packed on the weekends. This time we went on a Monday morning, when many shops were just starting to open. We had breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the sea, slowly eating our dumplings, pastries, tea, and more. It was a lovely slow start to the day, with absolutely beautiful weather too!
Houtong Cat Village
After Jiufen, we took a short bus ride to Ruifang station and brief train transfer to Houtong.
Once another mining town, this one for coal, the area declined in the 1990s.
Around 2008, a cat lover started a project to rescue abandoned cats in the area. Since then it’s become a center for cat lovers with art projects popping up.
The Wandering Wisconsinite 
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