Yehliu Geopark

This is the longest hiatus since my last post! -_-"' Been damn busy with packing and unpacking of stuff to prepare for house moving that I did not even have time to properly sit down and rest..sigh..hopefully next month will be better?

Anyway, try to squeeze my energy now to at least write a post this month..as its so sad to see my blog stats dropping :-(

Last year is my first visit to Yehliu Geopark eventhough I have been to Taiwan twice before. Have always been curious when I saw most ppl visiting Taiwan taking photos with rocks...hmm..what is so nice ya about those rocks? So this trip, I manage to discover what is so unique huh about it...

Yehliu Geopark

Before that, did you all know how Yehliu Geopark derived their name from?

From Yehliu Geopark website:

The name “Yehliu” was derived from:

• 1. A term translated from the Pinpu language; 
• 2. An abbreviation of the Spanish words “Punto Diablos(which means “devil’s cape”); 
• 3. In early days, local residents earned their living at sea and they relied on rice suppliers from inner land to offer rice to them. During transportation, some local people would use the sharp bamboo tube to stick the rick sack and leave a hole on it, so that the rice may slip out and could be picked up by them. 
•  As a result, rice traders often mentioned “the rice was stolen by the savages” (whereas “steal” and “savage” are pronounced similar to Yeh (savage) and liu (steal) in Taiwanese).

And Yehliu is divided into 3 areas:

Yehliu is divided into 3 areas

The first and second area:

Purple color number is first area, Blue ones is 2nd area

The second and third area:

Blue color is second area, Brown ones is third area

I heard that in first area, the mushroom and ginger rocks are the main attractions..

Not sure is this mushroom rocks?

Some ahjummas trying to take a shot of the ocean erosion pothhole

In second area:

Spot statue of Mr Lin Tien-Chien

Why this is the only human statue that is so unique in here?

Queen’s Head, one of the most famous scenes in Yehliu, is a kind of mushroom rock. It is formed due to the differential erosion caused by seawater during crust movement.

Long queue for Queen's Head

Wonder why this rock is so famous?

And since they realized that the Queen's Head natural 1 was eroding fast, they man-made Queen’s Head II as replica first.

And something caught my sight when I was about to exit the park..and I find this rock is even more unique than the Queen's Head rock actually. After reading this news here...only I know this is the replica of it since it's damaged in 2010. So sad :-(.. Otherwise, you only can get a lucky sight of this rock on 18 days each year, when the tides allow it.

A replica of the “Leopard” rock formation placed in the popular tourist attraction Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei City is seen in this photo taken on Wednesday. The original formation was damaged during a typhoon in 2010.

The Yehliu Geopark is really indeed beautiful place to visit, just not on a hot sunny. And especially if you wanted to take a photo of the Queen’s Head, you have to queue under hot sun! 

Overall, if you love natural landscapes, Yehliu Geopark is a must visit attraction for you, but it may be more advisable to go during cooler season...make sure it's cold enuf even during winter. And also..I recommend that you travel there in the morning when the weather is not too hot. Wear sunblock and bring an umbrella for both sun and rain.

How to get here?

Address :
No.167-1, Kantung Rd.,
Yehliu Village,
Wanli District,
New Taipei City 20744,
Taiwan, R.O.C.

Tel : +886-224922016
Entrance ticket: NT$50

Website: http://www.ylgeopark.org.tw/ENG/info/YlIntroduction_en.aspx

Transportation :
Nat'l Hwy 3 → Exit at the Jijin Interchange → Prov. Hwy 2 → Yeliu (Yeliou)

Public  
1. THSR Taipei Station (or TRA Taipei Station) → Kuo-kuang Bus (bound for Jinshan Youth Activity Center) to Yeliu stop.
2. TRA Keelung Station → Keelung Bus (bound for Jinshan) to Yeliu stop. 

* Check here for the summary of my 2012 Taiwan trip itinerary.