The Ultimate Taiwan ExperienceIn 2016, I posted my first blog about Taiwan - Exploring Taipei: Tips for the first-timers in Taiwan back then they still require the visa. Fast forward to 2019, 3 years and three Taiwan trips after, I'm writing about it again. This time I'll give you the ultimate IT that you can do in 4-5 days. AccommodationFor our accommodation, we book 西門町 Dreamer via Airbnb. It is in the Ximending district, 5 minute walk from the shopping area and 10 minute walk to the Ximen station. There are a lot of convenience stores nearby. The room was spacious and it looks exactly how it was in the photos posted. I love the bed and pillow, it was very soft and comfortable (it was so hard to get up in the morning!! I actually wanted to take home the pillows and duvet). TransportationI've been in Taiwan a couple of times so I already have the Taiwan EasyCard. Upon reaching the airport lobby, head straight to your left to the train ticket counter. The card costs NT$ 100 (around ₱253) this is non-refundable so if you have friends who can lend you their Easy Card, make sure you bring it. The train from Airport Terminal to Taipei Main Station is NT$ 150, take the Express train with only 4 stops while the Commuter have 12 stops (they have the same price). Day 1 - Arrival & City TourWe arrived around lunch time in Taipei, checked in our Airbnb and spent time in the city. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall The changing of the guards is every hour from 9 am to 4 pm. Aside from the Taipei 101, this is one of the most iconic and most photographed sites in Taipei. The CKS was made for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China. I also learned that the 89 steps on both sides of the hall represents his age when he died. In the Liberty Square, you will also find the National Concert Hall and National Theater on the side. Metro Line: Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall (Red Line or Green Line) Food must try: Classic Milk Tea at Chun Shui Tang, the creator and first Milk tea in Taiwan. They have a restaurant in the National Concert Hall. Elephant Mountain Something that you must do in Taipei is climb the Elephant Mountain to see the beautiful city at sunset or at night. I almost want to die that first time I climbed up the mountain :)) I wanted to just slide down and give up but I swear, it was worth it ♡ The second time, I enjoyed it because it was cold and we were just laughing about it. Metro Line: Xiangshan Station Exit 2 (Red line) walk to Xiangshan Hiking Trail around 15 min. Shilin Night Market My favorite night market in Taiwan! Because you can buy everything there from pasalubong, clothes, cosmetics and of course, food. It's big that you can easily get lost in the alleys but you will always find your way in the main road/train station. Metro Line: Jiantan Station (Red Line) Food must try: Sweet Potato Balls, Pork bun and Oyster Omelette Day 2 - Northern Coast TourWe booked our tour in Klook - Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen and Golden Waterfall one-day tour during 11/11 sale and we got it for P760 only. The good thing about is the Ximen pick-up because usually tour pick-ups are in Main Station. Pros of booking via Klook - convenience, great value for money and our tour guide, Cindy, was very informative, approachable, funny and good in speaking English. Yehliu Geopark The famous spot here is the Queen's head. For me, it is not worth to line up to have a photo with it. Instead, go at the opposite side where the line is and take your photo. Better spend your time to explore the other areas of the park. Shifen Old Street/Railway This is where you'll fly the lanterns. It is an old tradition to send wishes to the Gods. The lanterns have different prices depending on the number of color and the each colors have different meaning (4-color lantern costs NT$ 200 - better to share it with friends or family) . Make sure to write your wishes and be specific! Haha :) Once you're done, try the Peanut Ice Cream roll, LiouGe BBQ Stuffed Wings (chicken with rice inside) and yakult shake. The railway is still operational so when the train comes, make sure you get off the railways. Hehe. Shifen Waterfall This is a quick stop and short hike (vs. Elephant mountain). It has a very cute hanging bridge, too! There is a viewing deck on the side of the waterfalls but you have to walk a little more for the best view. People don't usually go there, it's too close and you'll get wet from the waterfall. Make sure to ask your tourguide on the trail of the front/closer view of the waterfalls. Golden Waterfall I've been to Yehliu, Shifen and Jiufen a couple of times already but it was my first time to see the Golden Waterfall. It is called "Golden Waterfall" because the water flowing is somehow in gold color. There used to be a gold mining in the area, the remains of the old mining factory is still there. Jiufen Old Street (my favorite!!) This is my favorite because of the quaint alleys filled with shops and food. Two things I'm willing to go back to are Taro Balls (can be served hot or cold) and Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake (choose Red Bean filling) aka red bean bun. Do not leave Jiufen without trying it!! You are most likely familiar with Jiufen because it is famous for having the tea house which inspired a location in the move Spirited Away. This is where the tour ends, usually around sunset, you would see the beautiful lantern and the lights in the teahouse. Day 3 - Taipei Zoo, Maokong and Traditional Taiwanese TeaTaipei Zoo I've been here before and I'm so happy to see the Panda, Penguin and Alpaca again. This is one of the biggest zoos that I've ever been and they have the most exotic animals from different parts of the world. Entrance fee is NT$ 60, you can use your EasyCard as payment so you won't have to line up, just head straight to the entrance and tap. Metro Line: Taipei Zoo (Brown line) Maokong Gondola We booked our tickets via Klook - Maokong Gondola Combo. Since the line was too long in the Main Taipei Zoo station, we decided to ride a the Taipei South Station instead. My friend, Rose and I are both scared of heights and we almost died going through the ride. We did not know it was that high and long! :( So imagine our friend, Mela, laughing at us throughout the ride :)) Yao Yue Tea house, Wenshan District There are food stalls outside Maokong station but since Wenshan District is known for its traditional tea, we spontaneously decided to go to Yao Yue Tea house (if you google "best tea house in Taiwan" it comes up). After walking for about 10 minutes, there are tea houses that you can choose from but we want the best so we kept walking straight, following the road. After 30 minutes, we finally got there. It was worth it because we learned how to do traditional Taiwanese tea. You will have to buy a jar of tea leaves (they have different kinds of tea leaves) and then they will give you the tea set and instructions on how to do it. You can bring home the jar of tea leaves after if you were not able to finish it. Day 4 - Meteor Garden Tour and Chung-Se Flower GardenWe booked this tour in Klook - Meteor Garden Sightseeing Tour (Chiayi - Chung Cheng University) that includes Chung-Se Flower Garden. When we were planning, we wanted to do a DIY tour but we computed expenses vs. doing a tour, joining the tour is cheaper than booking our own train, cab and looking for the spots ourselves. One of the things that was non-negotiable in our trip was this Meteor Garden tour. My friends and I grew up watching Meteor Garden, we know the lines and scenes by heart so this was a real treat for us. It was a loooong bus ride (plus the traffic). It took us around 4-5 hours to get to Chung-Se Flower Garden. The allotted time won't be enough to go around the Chung-Se Flower Garden especially if you take a lot of photos but make sure to walk around and appreciate the beautiful flowers first. I highly recommend the yellow field on the far right side of the garden, people don't usually go here so there won't be a lot of people unlike the ones in the middle. After lunch at the nearby mall, another 2-hour ride to Chung Cheng University. Our tour guide played Meteor Garden episodes (1-3) while on the way there. Our bus dropped us off the entrance of the university (good thing we went on a weekend so there were no students, it will be hard to fangirl if there were students there haha) from the entrance we went around the university in the spots were MG scenes were filmed. We ended at the other side of the university which was used as the entrance of Ying De University in the series. Day 5 - Shopping & DepartureFor our last day, we ate in two famous spots in Taiwan: Yong He Soy Milk in Ximending Shopping District - the is always long, we tried to wait twice but we ended up leaving so on our last day, we made sure to have it for brunch. It was worth the wait - affordable and delicious. They serve breakfast Chinese crepes that you can eat anytime of the day. Make sure to try everything! Hehe Din Tai Fung - the first and original Michelin store of Din Tai Fung. One thing I love in DTF Taiwan is their red bean XLB which they don't offer here in the Ph :( Metro station: Dongmen Station Exit 5 (Red Line or Orange line) Walk straight and you'll immediately find, it's usually the one with so many people waiting in front of the restaurant For shopping, Uniqlo and H&M offer tax-refund for purchases higher than NT$ 3,000. I think the local stores in Ximending are overpriced so don't buy there. If you want local clothes, it's cheaper in Shilin. For pasalubong, I recommend these three - Chocolate bobba (they have two kinds - box and pack), Raspberry or bobba grains snack and tea leaves. It is cheaper to buy in Shilin or Raohe rather than Ximending. Also, don't miss out on the cut milktea keychain or fridge magnets haha I've been to Taiwan a couple of times already but there is so much more to see. My friends tease me that I could probably have a national ID in Taiwan already :)) Everytime I go back there's always a new place to see or new food to eat. For sure I'll be back, maybe after 5-8 years? :) Let me know if you have other questions so I can help you plan your trip :) xoxo, M
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She wonders and wandersMonica writes about her life, what she eats, what she reads and where she goes. This space is where her thoughts, experiences, memories and feelings turn into words. She's glad that she can share with you. Archives
August 2021
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