Contact Admin. When I tell people that Keelung is my favourite city in Taiwan they think I am mental. Coined the darkest city, and statistically the rainiest city in the country; it is one of the wettest towns in the world and almost no one voluntarily goes there. Once a upon a time it was very much a place everyone one wanted. Originally inhabited by tribal groups, the Spanish built a fort there in the early 17th century, they were followed by the Dutch, the Chinese and the Japanese.
Interestingly, the British and French fought several battles there in an effort to acquire this deep water port. Crazily in it was the seventh largest harbour in the world. Now it is crumbling. Tourist literature talks of several forts and some amazing rock formations on the coast but they fail to bring the crowds they should. The population peaked at , in and has been declining ever since despite being 30 minutes by bus from downtown Taipei. Hemmed in by hills on all sides the town seems more like a city as buildings are forced into a dense chaotic core despite being built on an orderly Japanese grid in the center.
Houses reach up the side the mountains in chaos only accessible on twisting walkways. It is possibly one of the most fascinating places on earth. In fact it took Jessica and I over three hours to walk meters one day. We even stumbled across a red light district, which neither of us knew was even legal in Taiwan.
It was set up with bars for protection and mirrors to offer views up and down the street even while looking one way. Oh this is a tea house she said. The man who arrived in such a hurry and escorted to the back by a lady in a tiny skirt was only interested in tea.
Jessica was then told to get going back to the night market where tourists belong. The back alley made it obvious with groups of worn looking 50 year olds in tiny skirts and high heeled shoes waiting in rooms under the light of actual red bulbs. It was a place time that time forgot, where the prostitutes were almost pensioners. Even next to the train station one can find abandoned buildings.
