Visiting the Historic Jiufen and Radiant Shifen Waterfall

It's Saturday and the students were excited about having finished the first week of classes. The day started early with a bus ride to the historic Mining town Jiufen which has been inspiration for many films and TV shows. After a tour of the sites, students had a chance to roam the streets exploring all types of Chinese and Taiwnese delicacies. Afterwards, we went to Shifen waterfall which gave them a chance to take in the nature in a way that some of them had not done before. Here's one student's account of the day's adventure: 

"Today we left the city of Taipei and traveled by bus to a gold mine outside of the city. After a beautiful drive through winding roads and the Taiwanese jungle we arrived. Here we toured the impressive and stunning grounds while learning about the history of the mines. After that we traveled to one of the most beautiful places we have seen so far. We went to a town that overlooked the ocean and was nestled beautifully within the mountains. There was incredible food like mango ice cream, stinky tofu, and pork dumplings. The backdrop for this market was jaw-droppingly beautiful. From there we traveled by bus to a waterfall. This waterfall was once again set in the jungle with beautiful trees surrounding it and a nice cold mist to cool us off on a hot day. I really hope to come back to the waterfall again some day. We then returned to the hotel where my friends and I walked just down the road to a cute noodle shop. Here was the best beef noodle soup I have ever had. The friendly cooks made the environment very welcoming and the food was amazing. From here we took the train to a night market where we walked around. Here we saw cartoon artists, musicians, interesting fashion, and great food. Today was a super fun day!" --Bennett