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| Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall |
My guide to Taiwan: tips, tricks and what to do.
To kick of 2017, I took a trip to Taipei, Taiwan. Due to
the Visa free entry given to the Philippines, it’s now easy to visit without
the hassle for applying for a Visa (applies to Philippine passport holders with applicable Visa's of other countries). Applying for the authorization is easy, you
just need to fill-out the form, print and voila, present it
to the immigration officer when you enter.
(You can learn more here - http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ph_en/post/1421.html).
Cebu Pacific and Air Asia also has regular flights to
Taipei, only thing is that you’ll need to strategize because these are red eye
flights.
I planned my trip in advance, trying to research points of interest
and how to go there (Google maps, Tripadvisor and several blogs were my references)
and making a daily itinerary with notes (yes I’m that OC). I try as much as
possible to shy away from package tours because for me it takes away from the
real experience of knowing the city. I like to take my time in a place, and not
being hurried by a tour guide because we need to move on to the next
destination (which seems exhausting by the way).
Some may try hostels but as much as possible, I want to also
be comfortable, so I booked my stay via Agoda to get a moderately priced hotel.
Some people may argue that it’s an unnecessary expense and that “real
travelers” do hostels. I beg to disagree, to each his own, and at the end of
the day, after walking a lot, carrying a heavy backpack, all I want is a comfortable
bed, privacy and my own bathroom (yes, this is a must). Plus if you’re
traveling with someone, you can offset the amount because you can share the
cost (atleast you’re roommates with someone you actually know).
I planned a 4 day trip (yes some may try and do 3 days, but
then again, I want to take my time and I don’t want to cram everything in a day
because that’s exhausting).
On the day of our flight, my friend Pam unfortunately was stuck
in Edsa traffic (yes, that’s why you always need to alot time). This would mean
she’ll need to rebook her flight and that I’ll be going alone (just for a day).
I left 10PM Wednesday evening and arrived 12:10AM in Taipei (no time difference between
Manila and Taipei).
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| Terminal 2 - Welcome to Taiwan |
This is the part where you’ll need to strategize. Now you
have 2 options:
1. Stay at the airport and wait for morning so you
can take the bus or MRT to the city (which is a cheaper mode of transport) but,
you’ll be staying and sleeping at the airport. Also, unfortunately it seemed there
were no open dining options during that time as well when I was looking around so better have snacks.
2. Book
another night at your chosen accommodation (so I booked to include Wednesday
night), and take a cab going to the city (which is more expensive).
I chose option 2, why? I was sharing the room with someone
and I can offset the cost, plus, I’d rather sleep in a bed and be refreshed (which is a must) on
my first day of exploring Taipei than to be haggard and tired just waiting at
the airport (because you want to look good in pictures right?!).
One thing to note is that the taxi from the airport to the city
is expensive (like ridiculously expensive) and the cost was almost all of the money I had exchanged at the airport (yes
because unfortunately Pam was carrying my NT cash that we had exchanged in Manila). I
paid NT 1275 to be exact (with an exchange rate of around 1.60 PHP, that's PHP 2000+) but then again, I was thinking it is what it is and I
was just happy that I'll be at my hotel. Good thing I booked an extra night, because I
was able to take a nice hot shower and had a short but good night rest.
I booked our stay at RF hotel through Agoda.com which is a
moderately priced hotel that covered the basics. I had a nice view of the
street, toiletries, buffet breakfast and wifi. Plus the location is excellent,
there’s a bus stop in front, a few meters from the MRT station, a lot of
dining options (including a Starbucks across the street) and ofcourse shopping (which Zara,
Uniqlo, Forever21, Spao and Net to name a few).
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| Its a rainy day in Taipei |
I woke up early (maybe because I was also hungry), and it was a good thing since I wanted
to make the most of my day. The breakfast options are mainly Chinese dishes (I don't even know what the dishes are) so
I made the most of the congee and pork buns (things I can relate to).
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| Buffet Breakfast |
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| Pork Buns |
When the rain stopped, I was on my way. The MRT card costs NT 100 (I explained that I was a tourist but they said it was non-refundable), and I loaded another NT 100 to start my day. Make sure to always get an MRT map as well so that you’ll always have a reference (I forgot to get one initially so when I got to the platform, I didn't know which train to board).
Another tip, if you have your notebook or travel journal with you, the MRT stations have rubber stamps so you can stamp away and document which stations you’ve been so far.
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| MRT Station |
First on the itinerary was 228 Peace Park, where you have
the 228 Peace Monument and the National Taiwan Museum.
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| National Taiwan Museum |
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| Peace Park Monument |
It was a quaint
little park, not much else to see and do (I saw a squirrels on the trees). I helped an elderly couple by taking
their picture and I liked that little school children were there at the museum
ready for a day of learning.
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| Peace Park |
After taking some pictures around the park , I
walked around and nearby is the Chiang Kai Sek Memorial. There, you have the
Memorial Hall, National Concert Hall and National Theater. It’s a popular
tourist attraction in the city and you can spend the morning just taking
pictures and people watch. The area has a big courtyard and gardens surrounding
it.
Another added bonus, they have Cherry Blossoms in the garden. I know when
you say Cherry Blossoms, its automatic that you have Japan in mind. But Taiwan (and
Korea as I’ve read) has them too. And it’s one of the main reasons I went to
Taipei anyway.
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| Cherry Blossoms |
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| Cherry Blossoms |
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| Cherry Blossoms |
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| National Theater |
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| National Concert Hall |
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| Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall |
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| Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall |
I spent the morning and early afternoon at Chiang Kai Sek Memorial, taking my
time taking pictures (my monopod is my best friend) and taking in the scenery,
good thing the weather was cool so you can just sit and relax. Inside the hall,
there are souvenir shops as well as some café’s for a quick bite. There’s even a post office, maybe you can send
a “wish you were here” postcard to someone.
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| Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall |
The weather said chance of rain for the day, good thing
because just when I reached the Main Station MRT, rain began to
fall. I went back to my hotel and what else to do since it was raining? Shop
ofccourse! My area is perfect for shopping, and good thing there’s a mid-season
sale going on (because I refuse to shop at full price) so I passed the time
going from one store to another, (hello new outfits for spring and summer).
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| A little shopping |
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| View tonight |
The next day (or should I say very early in the morning,
like 2AM), Pam arrived. I was glad that she was safe and now we can explore
together. After a short but restful sleep, we hurried to eat breakfast and
went on our way. Just like yesterday, we started the day at Chiang Kai Sek
Memorial so that she can see and take pictures of one of Taipei’s main
attractions. It was a good day too because the cloudy day yesterday was
replaced with a little sunshine peeking through.
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| Taking pictures at Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Hall |
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| Taking pictures of the Cherry Blossoms |
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| Enjoying the view |
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| Cherry Blossoms |
Next, we went to Tianyuan temple at Tamsui district which
is already part of New Taipei City. To get there, we needed to go to the last
station Tamsui of the red line. Thing to note, to reach Tamsui, you need to
make sure that the train says Tamsui. The one we rode only got as far as Beitou
and we didn’t realize it until the train went to the other direction. We asked
one of the personel at the station and although he didn’t speak any English, he
tried his best to say to us that the next train will only reach Beitou
(complete with his arms making an X) and that we should ride the next train
(with 2 thumbs up).
Once in Tamsui, you need to ride bus 875 to reach the
temple. Since it was Cherry Blossom season, there was a dedicated bus that goes
back and forth from Tamsui station to the temple. I was excited (mixed with a little bit of worry because we were far away from the city already) because this is
another spot to see the beautiful flowers amidst a different background.
Unfortunately once we got there, there was only 1 tree left in full bloom, and
this was located at the parking lot (and the background were houses, not the prettiest scenery). It wasn’t a complete let down as the
temple was beautiful and it was still a nice experience.
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| Tianyuan Temple |
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| Tianyuan Temple |
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| Tianyuan Temple |
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| Tianyuan Temple |
The agenda after the temple was the night market it was just
3PM when we got back to Tamsui station. We passed the time with some food, going to the nearest
McDonalds (some comfort food before street food at the night market) and shop
at Net and Uniqlo across the MRT station. (Note: the Net store has clean
toilets compared to the McDonalds, just saying).
Pam I guess liked the stuff at Net that she
already bought a lot of things before we even reached the night market. I was
more conservative and just got 2 shirts for NT500 (not bad).
From Tamsui Station, on the same red line, we got down at
Shilin station for the famous night market. Once we got out from the station,
we followed the signs pointing to the night market. We walked a couple of
blocks and kept wondering where it was (we were even thinking maybe we were going the wrong way) until we eventually found it. I have to
say the stuff at the night market are nice, not really the cheap ones you
typically see, the styles are trendy and the materials are good. Because of
that, they don’t come cheap as well. I actually found the stuff a little pricey
for my taste (or maybe I was used to the night market where everything was
cheap, the price and the actual items).
I got 5 patches instead for NT 150 and a ref
magnet for NT 30 (I always get one in every destination I go, like our ref is a reminder of all the places I've been to). To bring back home,
I got some tea and some Mochi balls (these are sooo good I wish I bought more!).
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| Buying patches |
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| Souvenirs |
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| Option paralysis, what to get |
Aside from the shopping, not to miss is the street food.
There’s a lot to choose from that you’re already confused on what to try and
eat.
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| If you want some hot food |
I have to say the Xiao Long Bao is close to Din Tai
Fung’s.
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| Xiao Long Bao |
There are also some fun games if you want to try your luck and bring home a prize (I wanted to try my luck but didn't know what to do if I won a prize like the huge stuffed toys).
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| Win a prize |
A note to remember is instead of going down at Shilin
station for the night market, go down at Jiantian station instead. I mean we
had to walk a couple of blocks to reach the night market when the Jiantian
station is already beside it (like literally).
With our bags full of stuff and tummies full of food, time
to go back home and get some rest.
For Saturday, we wandered far from the city again to get
some fresh air and visit the Yangmishan National Park. To reach the mountains,
you need to catch the R5 bus from Jiantian station (which was already familiar
to us from last night). Since it was a weekend, there were a lot of people going
there to spend the day so it’s easy to spot the line (Note that it will be
better to go there earlier in the day). Also, make sure to also ask, it may be
difficult since most don’t speak English but ask anyway. We asked the
attendant at the bus station and unfortunately he didn’t speak English, but
when I said R5 and Yangmishan, he signaled that I was in the right line. Note
that they fill up the bus so you may need to sit farther back if you don’t want
people standing close to you.
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| Yangmishan National Park |
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| Yangmishan National Park |
The R5 bus will get you as far as the Visitor’s center. Not
so much to see (unless you want some coffee there’s a Starbucks there), and you
need to ride another bus to go to the park’s different areas and hiking trails.
I’ve read from blogs that you’ll need to go to the last stop of the 108 shuttle
going to Qingtiangang. With no internet connection and a language barrier, we
had to use every ounce of gut feel to navigate our way through. At
Qingtiangang, there’s a visitors center, where you can sit and rest, there's a charging
station, toilets and a small convenience store and vending machine. The place
seems popular with families and why not, you have a nice open field and
beautiful views of the mountains.
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| Panorama of Yangmishan National Park |
We had fun taking fun photos for our social media accounts
(good thing we had props).
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| Writing my experiences so far |
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| Lost? |
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| Just another day at the mountains |
Note that the shuttle busses going here are small and the
roads are winding, you may need to drink some medicine to prevent motion
sickness.
From Qingtiangang visitors center (good thing I asked),
you’ll need to ride the S15 shuttle going back to Taipei. We were already tired
to be honest getting a little headache (I guess because we haven’t had a
real lunch yet and it was a hot day) that we slept going back and just woke up
in time to go down at Jiantian station (thank God the air-conditioning was cold
and seats were comfortable). This was familiar territory already and first on
the agenda was to eat. We saw this shaved ice place and got some waffles
because we were thinking we lacked sugar to combat the headache. After waffles,
we passed by Hotstar XL chicken, and who could say no to extra large fried chicken anyway.
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| Because I have a sweet tooth |
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| XL Chicken, Yum! |
Already
fed and feeling better, we went back home to do another round of shopping.
Sasa? Yes! Forever21? Yes! Adidas? Yes! Starbucks? Yes! Let’s say we made the
most of our evening.
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| Shopping buddies |
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| Should I get a mug? |
On our last day, we dedicated it to Taipei 101. Again our
location proved to be a good thing since walking distance from the hotel is Sun
Yat Sen Memorial and close to that was Taipei 101 already. The hotel
provides luggage storage so we checked out and had our luggage kept (make sure
you don’t leave any valuables and bring them with you).
The park around Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is a nice place
for a stroll on a weekend. There are beautiful landscaped gardens and you
already have a glimpse of the towering Taipei 101 on the background.
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| Beautiful garden at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall |
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| View from Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall |
You can actually spend the day at and around Taipei 101.
There’s the Taipei 101 Mall for your shopping (there’s also a 5% tax refund for
visitors so make sure to inquire how), the observatory and souvenir shop and a
foodcourt. We have 2 things we needed to do: 1. Eat Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai
Fung and 2. Get coffee at the Starbucks at the 35th floor.
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| Taipei 101 Lobby |
We should have anticipated the wait time at
Din Tai Fung since it was the weekend, the wait time was 60 – 80 minutes so we
went around the mall to pass the time.
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| Wait time |
The mall is more on the luxury end with high end and
designer name labels that you know but can’t really afford (like me hahaha), Gucci,
LV, to name a few. But you also have the affordable stores like Zara or Aldo in
the mix (yes something I can actually buy). But I’ve had enough shopping so we
were there just to look (and keep our hands off our credit cards).
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| Atrium at Taipei 101 Mall |
We went back and I guess it was more of excitement already
rather than hunger that made me happy that we were finally called. But
eventually hunger kicked in that we ordered 15 pcs of the Pork Xiao Long Bao
and other dumplings.
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| The famous pork xiao long bao |
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| Making more xia long bao at Din Tai Fung Taipei 101 |
After a late lunch, next on the hit list was to have coffee
with a view. To be able to access the 35th floor Starbucks, you’ll
need to have a reservation a day in advance. You may seek assistance from your
hotel receptionist to help you book a reservation especially there’s a language
barrier. Luckily we were able to get a spot at 4:30 PM. Also note that there’s
a NT200 minimum spend and you may enjoy your coffee for 90 minutes while also
taking in the view of Taipei. One thing to note is that you’ll need to be early
since they will give you a customer number and that number will determine if
you can get the best seats in the house. Unfortunately, I read a blog that said
otherwise so instead of lining up early, we waited and hence we were #13 (and didn’t
get a table with a view). But its OK, there are areas in Starbucks where there’s
just a window so you can still have that Instagram shot of your coffee looking
down at the city.
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| Waiting at the lobby to go up |
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| View from the 35th floor |
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| View from the 35th floor |
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| Starbucks 35 floors up |
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| Enjoying our coffee with a view |
Another note, if you don’t like the view at Starbucks, head
to the restrooms at the 35th floor, there, you have an entire area
overlooking a different part of the city.
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| View from the 35th floor |
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| View of Taipei City |
It was already 6PM when we got back down. We were supposed
to hike elephant mountain but decided not to anymore because we it seemed very
cloudy and we wouldn’t see Taipei 101, plus we were already tired and wanted to
go back and fix our stuff. As a side trip instead, we went to a shopping area
near Taipei 101 to take pictures and do last minute shopping/window shopping
before heading home.
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| Taipei 101 |
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| Taipei 101 |
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| Heading back home |
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| Last minute shopping at Forver21 |
It was a tiring day (although we just went out for half a
day) and although we weren’t able to do Elephant mountain, I was still happy. I
don’t know but I always feel sad about leaving because I did enjoy my stay and
enjoyed the new sights and experiences.
Final note, you can actually use your EasyCard (MRT card)
for purchases, but if you still have balance left in the card, you can have the
remaining balance reimbursed. But be warned, if you have the balance reimbursed,
you will forfeit the card meaning you can’t use it anymore (bye bye NT100) and
there’s a NT20 transaction fee.
Overall, Taipei has been a great experience. Maybe next time
I’ll get to return, not sure when but will definitely come back.
Follow me on Instagram at @thisischristianjohn
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| Taipei Skyline |
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