Jiufen

Ever see Spirited Away?  No?  Well stop reading this and then come back.  I'll wait.

In Spirited Away, and a number of Taiwanese dramas, there is often a historical setting either taking place in or inspired by Jiufen.  An old mining town, it's known for keeping an older ancient feel to it, with most of the village being navigated by stairs.  The Old Jiufen Street has a number of food and souvenir vendors in a tight space, and very cheap for a tourist destination.  Of all the tourist destinations I've ever been, this is the only one I stopped and thought "I'd actually like to live here for like a month or so."  Very beautiful and picturesque town.

And with that, my trip through Asia is over.  I head back to the US for a few weeks, and head to South America on May 19.  My first stop is Ecuador.  I'll try and update this blog every now and then with some more cultural posts on what I've seen here in Asia.