The perfect couple retreat- Wulai 烏來

For couples that love nature or simply want a quick getaway from city life, Wulai 烏來 will be a great place for you.

Well, I didn't go with my prince charming but I wished I did! This place has amazing fresh air and beautiful scenary. It can aid in resolving any conflict you two might have prior the trip ;) HAHA I'm just kidding. But well, no harm trying!

Wulai 烏來 is pretty near Taipei city and a one day trip will suffice. In fact, depending on what you do there, half a day might be enough!

How to go:
The fastest way I feel will probably taking the Metro's Red-Green (Xindian) line to Xindian, the very last stop. From there, take a bus right outside the station (turn right). Hop on to 849 where the last stop is Wulai so you don't have to worry about getting lost! HAHA

The only bad part is, you prolly won't get a seat if you are going on a weekend. The bus is normally cramp and packed with people going up! The good part is, it's approximately 30-40 mins so it isn't that long a ride!

See that bridge behind?

Hehehe decided to climb up!

And take a jump shot... (Sigh, obviously tourists HAHA)

There are 3 things Wulai 烏來 is famous for:
#1: Wulai 烏來 is famous for their delicious food in their 烏來老街

What I'm holding on in the previous picture is actually this sticky rice cake (taste and texture is abit like our Muachee) that they grill it over the fire. Can give it a try if you like sticky stuff. There isn't much taste to it though, just sticky HAHA maybe thats why I didn't really enjoy it but it's famous! So do pay NT35 (SGD 1.50) for the experience HAHA

Well, since Wulai is famous for their Hotspring 溫泉, its not surprising they sell Hotspring egg 溫泉蛋. This is like a MUST EAT. For just NT10 (SGD 0.40) you get to taste yummy eggs with their soft half boiled center! If you love those tamago (eggs) which they put into your Japanese ramen, YOU WILL LOVE THIS. While you're here, try out the eggs soaked in wine as well. They taste equally awesome.

This isnt a must try in Wulai but I gave it a shot as this guy was entertaining. He will dance while BBQ-ing his pork sticks so I thought I would give him some credit for trying to attract some attention HAHA. Well, he was nice and gave me an additional pork stick for free!

Last but not least, you got to try the Taiwanese sausage from this stall! THIS IS WHY YOU CAME TO WULAI. Yes, just to have a taste of this famous sausage. HAHA. This store is located right at the end of the Wulai old street 烏來老街 so you wouldnt miss it! There will be lots of people queueing for it.

While you're queueing for the sausage, get one of the pork thighs to try as well. They taste pretty good.

So there, the end of a little food introduction. Now comes Wulai's second specialty:
#2: Their hotsprings!
There are many hot spring shops all around Wulai's vicinity. They are a private pool and you can go there with your partner for a dip. The price ranges from NT300-NT1000 (SGD 12-40). The wide range in prices is due to the type of services they provide (e.g. whether there is a time limit, whether there is food provided, whether you get a room to yourself etc etc.) So do make sure you ask first!

Sigh, I wish I was able to take a dip with my prince charming too... But thats alright, all you readers out there can enjoy it for me! HAHA

Hehehe no private hotspring, why not try the large common pool? The 大眾泉 is a place for everybody to dip their feet into the water, or even swim in it. Lots of locals do that and they water is really clear. Clear not equals to clean so if you're a clean freak, then maybe not. But it was definitely a refreshing experience and I'll recommend you to go down!

You'll see lots of locals there and its hard to miss it. Some other stuff people do in Wulai will be River Tracing. But you'll need to wear shoes and not be afraid of getting your shoes wet! Reason being there are lots of rocks and pebbles at the bottom so you wouldnt want to hurt yourself!

#3: Last and final of Wulai would be their waterfall 瀑布!
As you walk to the end of  Wulai Old Street, you'll reach an intersection where you'll see this!

 Please do not attempt to walk up to the waterfall. It isn't that far up to be honest, but trust me. Take the stairs up.

Taking the stairs up will lead you to the mini railway train! While turning left at the intersection will lead you to the walking path up to the waterfall!

For NT50 (SGD 2) you will get to sit a one way ride up to the waterfall in this really cute train. IT WAS SO FUN! This also means that Wulai is a great place for the older folks to visit as well as transportation up the waterfall is convenient and they wouldnt need to walk!

Selfie on the super fast train HAHA skillz.

First sight at the waterfall and the first waterfall I've seen in my Taiwan journal. Took tons of pictures of the waterfall and me with it and god-knows-what-reason. Come to think about it, all angles of the waterfall are actually rather similar LOL.

Yup. HAHA similar indeed.

Wulai is a rather easy place to visit as you can't get lost! The place is really small and walking by foot will take you everywhere. Best part, its a rather straight forward route.
DONT TAKE THE CABS. It cost NT200 per cab to get you to the waterfall area, but that means you will miss the Wulai old street where the food is. Yes, you can always eat while on your way down but NT200? You can better use NT200 to sit the railway train and food up ;)
Then again, its up to you! If you have 4 people with you, then perhaps taking the taxi up will save you lots of time!

I haven't mentioned it before, but Wulai is where they are also famous for their aboriginal culture. Its not hard to notice that the type of clothes they wear, and the music they play is all very, hmm aboriginal. HAHA.

Wulai has a rich culture as well. This place used to be a mining area and men will often use the trolley (See above picture) to transport rocks up and down the mountain. Though you wont see them doing this anyway, they actually have demostration classes and a heritage museum at the waterfall area which you can go in and learn more about them for free!

Thats about it for Wulai. I hope you'll enjoy yourself as much as I did.


Bringing you the ultimate Taiwan experience.
Love,
Tricia