Yingge: Getting There was an Adventure
Getting to Yingge (鶯歌) is pretty simple. Just go to Taipei Main Station, approach the ticket counter and buy a ticket for Yingge. Pretty straightforward...or so I thought.
As luck would have it, it was my first time to ride in a local train (apart from the MRT). The ticketing area was overwhelming for me. There were ticket counters which had lines of people waiting to buy their ticket. There were also numerous ticket machines where you can get tickets the self-service way. Having no clue whatsoever, I first tried to use the ticket machines since I did not want to fall in line. Ooops, wrong move! Apparently, the ticket machines I used were for the high-speed railway, mostly going to Taichung or Hualien or Kaohsuing. I wasted about 30 minutes in front of the machine, trying out different options and routes in the hope of seeing the word Yingge. But no Yingge appeared.
Finally, I joined the long line in front of the counter. Lo and behold, I just told the person at the counter that I wanted to go to Yingge and I got my ticket in less than a minute. So much for my train station exploration. It should have been a pretty straightforward process, after all!
Anyway, back to the main topic. Once you arrive at Yingge train station, it's a ten minute walk going to Yingge Old Street. Signs are not as abundant, but the place is relatively easy to find.
1. Exit the train station using Wunhua Road exit (文化路)
2. Walk down Wunhua Road until it intersects Guocing Street (國慶街)
3. Cross the street and make a right on the footpath under the railway overpass
4. Turn left on Jianshanbu Road (尖山埔路) and go up the hill where you will find the entrance to Yingge Old Street.
One shop I loved the most was ironically not selling the usual pottery or ceramic wares. It had all sorts of figurines -- for decor, for trash cans, for piggy banks, for salt-and-pepper sets, etc. I loved looking at all these figurines.
As luck would have it, it was my first time to ride in a local train (apart from the MRT). The ticketing area was overwhelming for me. There were ticket counters which had lines of people waiting to buy their ticket. There were also numerous ticket machines where you can get tickets the self-service way. Having no clue whatsoever, I first tried to use the ticket machines since I did not want to fall in line. Ooops, wrong move! Apparently, the ticket machines I used were for the high-speed railway, mostly going to Taichung or Hualien or Kaohsuing. I wasted about 30 minutes in front of the machine, trying out different options and routes in the hope of seeing the word Yingge. But no Yingge appeared.
Finally, I joined the long line in front of the counter. Lo and behold, I just told the person at the counter that I wanted to go to Yingge and I got my ticket in less than a minute. So much for my train station exploration. It should have been a pretty straightforward process, after all!
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| The local train stops at several towns. The facilities and the train itself are quite old and not as modern as the high-speed railways. Here's the Yingge station. |
Anyway, back to the main topic. Once you arrive at Yingge train station, it's a ten minute walk going to Yingge Old Street. Signs are not as abundant, but the place is relatively easy to find.
1. Exit the train station using Wunhua Road exit (文化路)
2. Walk down Wunhua Road until it intersects Guocing Street (國慶街)
3. Cross the street and make a right on the footpath under the railway overpass
4. Turn left on Jianshanbu Road (尖山埔路) and go up the hill where you will find the entrance to Yingge Old Street.
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| Palm-lined and cobblestone-paved streets of Yingge Old Street |
One shop I loved the most was ironically not selling the usual pottery or ceramic wares. It had all sorts of figurines -- for decor, for trash cans, for piggy banks, for salt-and-pepper sets, etc. I loved looking at all these figurines.
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