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New Taipei City Travel

LOHAS Paradise ~ “Houtong-Shuangxi” A Fun One-day Trip with Cats and Forests

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LOHAS Paradise ~ “Houtong-Shuangxi” A Fun One-day Trip with Cats and Forests
Category :
Outdoor excursion
Travel days :
1 day

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      Introduction

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      Starting from the “Houtong Station,” cute cartoon cat billboards and popular cat station-master statues can be seen once exiting the station. Enter the “Houtong Cat Village” through the first pedestrian-cat bridge in Taiwan to have a close encounter with the sweet cats, then take a ride on the Taiwan Railways to Shuangxi Station. One may rent bicycles from the “Low-Carbon Station” on the side when exiting the station, then follow the “Shuangxi Bikeway” to admire the clear rivers and beautiful mountain forests along the way and then savor the aromatic ancient-flavored traditional egg cakes at the “Haishan Bakery.” After taking a break, visit the century-old historical “Lin Yi He Tang” Chinese herb store with oriental sentiments in order to admire the colored tiles, decorations as well as the antique medicine apparatus. Experience the nostalgic glory of the old street at the “Shuangxi Ferry Port,” which used to be an important checkpoint for transporting daily supplies. At last, visit the “Slow Café” enriched by a strong art and cultural ambience to enjoy the hand brewed coffees and the store’s signature kiln bread. Experience a Taiwanese field trip in the company of gourmet food and magnificent sceneries.

      Note

      【Return traffic information】
      Take a ride on Taiwan Railways Tze-Chiang Limited Express / Fusing Semi Express / Local Train, get off at “Taipei Station.”
      Previous
      Linkou Handcraft Experience
      The scenic attractions along this journey are perfect for the entire family, because aside from plenty of fun, children can also experience different cultures through traveling. The starting point of this journey is the Taoyuan Airport MRT “Linkou Station”; the first stop is the Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple, which is rumored to have an extremely efficacious 18-armed Guanyin enshrined here, hence countless followers have made the pilgrimage to pray for family blessings at the temple since its inception. The solemn, silent atmosphere in the temple is complemented by delicate, elegant wood or stone carvings of flora, fauna and people. The couplet engraved on the stone columns emanates powerful calligraphy strokes of a master. The essence of traditional temple architecture is preserved and merged with modern technology to create the magnificent temple with plenty to offer. After admiring the beauty of the Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple, the next stop is Taiwan’s Socks Museum, which takes the visitors on a journey of art, where they can catch a glimpse of the history of socks and knowledge. Each section within the museum tells a different cultural story and the stunning knitting is simply enchanting. In addition, they can also partake in DIY activities to produce their unique socks and take them home! Located near Taiwan’s Socks Museum, the W & W Museum of Jewelry is an ideal destination for couples, as they can observe how skillful artisans apply ingenious designs to create dazzling jewelries and ornaments. The delicate, painstaking metalworking process culminates in unique, handcrafted matching rings to romantically join two hearts together. At the last stop, the “Asia Pacific Eco Park”, besides exploring the stunning natural scenery, the park also offers a diverse array of entertainment features, including: outdoor cooking experiences, kiln cooking, or scintillating paintball, laser tag or water battleground, etc. These activities are perfect for the whole family and it is an exciting playground for children.
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      Jinzibei Historic Trail – Houtong overlooked mining glories and offers a healing journey searching for kitties while visiting local attractions.
      Jinzibei Historic Trail’s starting point at the Mudan end is the same as that of Canguangliao Historic Trail; Canguangliao exits from Jinguashi, while Jinzibei hiking trail exits from Houtong. After getting off from Shisanceng Old Tree Stop, walk for 15 minutes and you will arrive at “Jinzibei Historic Trail Entrance/Exit”. Along the Trail, visitors will come upon century-old historic sites of Jinzibei and Fengxianshijin Tablet; the total distance of the Trail is approximately 3.4km, and it takes about 2.5 hours to finish walking the Trail. The Trail is mainly made of stone path and stone stairs, which will take some energy to finish the route; but the lush green woods give refreshing coolness along the way. After exiting the Trail, visitors will connect to Jiuqiongqiao Rd. and then Houtong Rd. if they continue going straight. And going further down, visitors will see Ruisan Coal Transporting Bridge and Ruisan Coal Preparation Plant. Walking into the “Vision Hall” transformed from previously the coal preparation warehouse, visitors will have an in-depth experience of the old-time glory of Houtong’s coal mining industry as well as an overview of the local coal mining development through the introduction provided inside the Vision Hall. The other key feature of Houtong would have to be “Cat Village”! Walking over Houtong Cat Bridge, and visitors will arrive at cat lovers’ “promised land” – Cat Village. Let us kindly remind all visitors to follow the rules here, and please do not hit, feed, disturb, or pet the cats, and please do not free your cats here and do not litter. Let’s safeguard this precious “cats’ heaven” together as we enjoy a healing holiday and wander amidst the historic paths.
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