Traversing Taiwan : Diary of a First Time Solo Traveler to the Heart of Asia
Tuesday, August 29, 2017 |
| View of Taipei from Elephant Mountain (Photo Source: Dave Wilson Photography) |
Sometime in September 2016
when I recently came home to Manila after my 15-day sojourn to Japan (Tokyo and
Yokohama), I was eager to travel again. The occurrences of getting lost,
talking to people of different nationalities, and experiencing the nuances of
Asian cultures firsthand was something that ignited my interest to travel. I
have no interest with traveling – in all honesty, I would always prefer to be
at home reading books, watching anime and Korean dramas, or playing with my
dogs. I should blame Japan for igniting my passion for travels, which is
necessarily not a bad thing, though. It prompted, however, my travel splurging
that I always watch out for ticket sales across various airlines.
To echo my previous
sentiments, I just recently found my passion for travelling. However, I am not
really passionate about seaside and seashore travels as my recent trip to El
Nido, Palawan, Philippines was actually quite memorable albeit not enough to
keep me rambling for it for days and weeks. The activities that included
traversing the cerulean waters was not just a perfect fit for me, maybe because
I cannot swim at all, and I have a fear of drowning due to the multiple
occurrences of drowning in water from the different phases of my life growing
up. And another plus, I am not a big fan of land travelling. If you only knew
the malady of dizziness I suffered from the zigzag paths of Palawan, it was
enough to keep me nauseous whenever I ride a shuttle van to and from work.
Taiwan was a random destination
for me: travelling here was not part of my ticket-buying plan. It was a hasty
decision to buy it because I was raring to go again to travel outside the
Philippines. In all honesty, it makes me feel bad that I prioritize sojourns
out of the country when the Philippines has so much to offer to me. If there
could be a huge improvement in the transportation sector (especially traffic
management) of the Philippines, why shouldn’t I prioritize my own country’s
beauties? After all, you should love your own.
PRE-DEPARTURE
Background
Just to give a quick background
about myself prior traveling to Taiwan, I was working for a BPO company as a
specialist in the Recruitment department for almost two (2) years. I traveled
to Japan 5 months prior the trip and stayed there for fifteen (15) days.
Whenever I explored Tokyo and Yokohama, it was mostly by myself only and I
relied on Google Maps (via WiFi from train stations and convenience stores) and
thru the kindness of the Japanese people. I didn’t need to apply for a Taiwan
visa since I can apply for a visa exemption using my expired Japan visa. And to
note, I consider Taiwan as the first country I traveled solo since I traveled
to a land where I only knew myself.
Visa Application
I didn’t know Taiwan required
an entry visa when I bought the ticket. But I considered myself lucky though,
because Taiwan’s immigration became more lenient with its visa requirements to
those who have:
- Citizenship in the following countries: India, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, or Laos
- Valid entry visa and permanent resident cards to the following countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Schengen Countries
- Expired entry visa and permanent resident cards provided that its expiry is less than ten (10) years before the date of arrival in Taiwan
- Onward and Return Air or Ferry ticket to and from Taiwan
- No employment history as a blue-collar worker in Taiwan
As a general requirement,
passport should be valid for more than six (6) months with remaining pages that
can accommodate arrival and departure stamps from immigration. In my case, I am
able to meet conditions 1, 3, 4 and 5 (yes, I used my expired Japanese visa to
enter Taiwan). Provided you meet the above conditions, you will be given thirty
(30) days of stay, multiple entries, to Taiwan.
Applying for the Visa Exemption
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| Travel Authorization Certification (Visa-Exempted) |
- Visa applicant should proceed to this page.
- Select 菲律賓 / Pilipino (or whatever your nationality is; however in my context, I’ll be using the Philippines)
- Click “Next”, and “Next” again to proceed to the information page
- Follow all instructions carefully especially when entering the Visa number
- After your entry certificate has been approved, print it and show it both at Philippine immigration and Taiwan immigration together with your passport containing the active / expired visa (or permanent residence card, if applicable)
Applying for Taiwan Visa
Starting October 2016, an electronic visa can now be
applied where you do not have to show yourself anymore at the Taiwan Economic
and Cultural Office (TECO). This is very convenient because it saves you time
and money. Further instructions are provided in the TECO website, which can be
found here.
It was previously announced by TECO that there will be a
visa-free entry for Filipinos going to Taiwan by June 2017, although it was
postponed to September 2017. It is however, unclear, if the visa-free entry to Taiwan will be effectively immediately on September 2017. To quote,
"MOFA is expected to release the full details of the implementation of the said visa-free arrangements including the exact date of the commencement of implementing the visa-free treatment and its requirements either in September 2017 or at an appropriate date in due course." (Source: MOFA Taiwan)
There are gray areas with their announcement, because it does not explicitly state that visa-free entry to Taiwan for citizens of the Philippines will commence on September 2017. It is however clear that they plan to unveil plans for this initiative by September, and if not, to be postponed to another date. It is still better to be prepared to apply for a Taiwan visa any time should the implementation does not materialize by the time you will travel to Taiwan.
If you want to apply for your visa the hard and classic
way, you can refer to this blog post especially if you have a penchant of
collecting visas on your passport. The blog has a very detailed guide in
applying for Taiwan visa including the preparations and actual application
process. Else, you can now apply for the hassle-free e-visa, wherein the link can be found here.
Research
It is always important to research
before you travel because it immerses you with the opinion of other people who
have travelled already to your destination country (to avoid mistakes).
Researching enables you to discover which places are the highlights and the
lowlights of any country, country’s transportation system, best time to visit a
country, and the like. Researching is not always about itineraries and budgets,
although it is of a huge chunk of it, but it becomes your “tips” when visiting
any other land. When I finished purchasing tickets to Taiwan, I read numerous
blogs detailing their adventures in Taipei, reading about the transportation
system, going to TripAdvisor, LonelyPlanet, and of course, Tripzilla itself to
ask and read questions from fellow sojourners.
Part of the research one must
conduct is the currency exchange, which would need a bit of benchmarking. It is
important to survey various banks and currency exchange centers, locally and in
the destination country. I was able to read a number of blogs (many of which
are dated 2015 and below) that the Tao Yuan International Airport (Taiwan’s
main airport) offers good currency exchange, which made me believe it.
Unluckily, it was not good – may be just for the case of the Philippine Peso
(PHP). Our local banks and currency exchange centers are able to give much
better rates compared to Taiwan’s airport. In my case, I exchanged Php7,000.00
wherein I only received NT$ 4067.00, wherein if I had exchanged this at the
Philippines (in this case, at Banco de Oro), I would have received NT$ 4415.85
(almost NT$400.00 difference!). This was the exchange rate back in January
2017, as the exchange rate nowadays seems to be worse.
As of 21 August 2017, as checked, using Banco de Oro (BDO) Philippines and Bank of Taiwan (BOT) as references to establish parameters for the exchange rate:
BDO: 1.00 NTD = 1.6997.00 PHP
BOT: 1.00 PHP = 0.5414 NTD
Sample Conversion of Php10,000.00
BDO: [10,000 PHP] ÷ [1.6997.00 PHP] = 5883.39 NTD
BOT: [10,000 PHP] x [0.5414 NTD] = 5414 NTD
Accommodation
Before I booked my
accommodation via Airbnb, I scouted for hotels first via Traveloka to see
whether I could chance upon a cheap place since I am on a tight budget
travelling. The problem is, I couldn’t stay at a hostel because I snore loudly
which will make other people staying at the room uncomfortable. I didn’t want
to inconvenience anyone though, but part of the downsides in staying at a
hostel is that you’ll experience all kinds of people – good or bad – and you
should live with it as a downside of paying a lesser amount of money. It is understandable,
though, that people wouldn’t want to shell a huge amount of money to pay for a
private room, but the good thing is, Airbnb can offer private rooms at a lower
price, depending on the season and the location. In my case, I was able to book
an Airbnb room for three (3) days for only Php1,700.00 (yes, I know it’s a
steal considering what I paid is even cheaper than the rates of the majority of
the hostels in Taipei, per my research via Traveloka). If it's your first time to use Airbnb and haven't registered an account yet, get your Php1,100.00 pesos discount coupon (for booking amounting to Php2,600.00 and above) using my referral link, which can be found here.
Just to give an update, though, when I traveled to Singapore with a friend, we stayed at a hostel and our room was for mixed dormitory of 6 beds. I have respectfully informed my roommates verbally and thru written means (I posted a paper in my bed that I am a loud snorer) so they know what to expect. I stayed at the hostel for three days and did not encounter any bad experience of receiving backlash because of my snoring. Perhaps, it's because 2 of my other roommates were also snorers, albeit not as loud as mine, and just because they don't really care at all. But this experience may not be applicable to everyone all the time, because you will meet a lot of people and it could happen that you will meet a roommate with an extremely low tolerance for loud snores.
The room that I had wasn’t
that spacious, but was enough to accommodate me as a solo traveler. It had an
inflatable bed (or water bed?) but I preferred the couch because it was so much
softer compared to the bed that squeaked a lot because of my weight. The room
had an air-conditioning, a shared bathroom and kitchen (which were neat and
tidy), and overall, the place is quite nice considering the cheap price. The
only downside of my accommodation is that the key is not shared – you have to
connect with the Airbnb host so he can open the door / gates for you. I didn’t
mind this though, because I leave very early in the morning and I arrive back
at my accommodation late in the evening. My Airbnb host was also nice and is
also able to speak English. And, did I forget to mention that the accommodation
is very near to the bus stop and the train station (around 2-4 minutes of
walk). Upon checking again this August 2017, the price seem to have gone up and since the original host isn't in town, it's his girlfriend who's manning the house so it's currently exclusive for girls as of the present time. I suggest to look for places near the train or better yet, near the Ximending area.
Pocket WiFi
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| Photo Source: Klook |
Internet has been a part of
our everyday lives as it enables us to connect with family and friends via the
social media. In my case, I needed a Pocket Wi-Fi not because I had to share
every second of my travels to my feed (well, maybe a part of it!) but because
this was my best friend when I am in the brink of getting lost (hello, Google
Maps!). When I was travelling in Tokyo and Yokohama, I get lost all the time. I
was so happy that the Japanese people were nice and accommodating in assisting
me whenever I got lost. In order to have internet connection, I had to go to
convenience stores and train stations to have a share of the hi-speed Wi-Fi
internet connection.
I am aware that there are many
telecom stalls at the airport – but, the problem is that I’ll arrive at the
airport 10 minutes past midnight, and most of the telecom stalls there are
already closed. I browsed via Klook and successfully snagged a Pocket Wi-Fi device
with unlimited data connection good for four (4) days for a cheap price of
Php345.00. The best thing as well, is that the stall is located at the Arrival
area and they are open until 1:00 AM (yes, you need to speed up towards the
immigration). Just to note, payment for the device is via Klook and you also
need to give your credit card information details to the lady-in-charge when
picking up the device as part of the “deposit” in case you break the device or
you fail to return it and brought it home with you in the Philippines. It was quite a horrifying experience because she retrieved my card number and my CVV (I was absolutely shookt, but my credit card is still safe and did not encounter any usage in Taiwan). You can book it via Klook thru this link.
Baggage Storage
If you will be staying at a hotel or a hostel, high chances are, you can store your luggage and bags the place and continue travelling. In my case, I chose the cheap way of staying at an Airbnb place where I cannot store my luggage and I am also unable to check in earlier (there was a person staying at the place prior my check-in). This made my travel quite difficult because I cannot imagine the inconvenience of having to drag your luggage around. Thru careful research, I found out that there are also methods of storing your luggage conveniently.
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| Photo Source: Magic Travel Blog |
Taipei Main Station (Exit M3) offers a good luggage storage (but please remember the Exit number and where you have stored your luggage - I got lost and was searching for my luggage for an hour!) The rates are 10NTD per hour for small baggage, and 20NTD per hour for large baggage. If you have a large baggage, it is more convenient to store it as the Carry-On Baggage Centre (台北車站行李託運中心) for 70 NTD per day. The downside, though, is that it opens around 8:00AM but it the closing is until 8:00PM. Easycard will also be handy for you for transportation expenses. You just have to pay 100 NTD for the card itself and you can reload it immediately. A good plus, you can always refund the remaining amount of your Easycard with a fee.
Itinerary Preparation
When I initially prepared my itinerary, I wanted to go outside Taipei; but this was not an easy feat for me considering I only had three days of actual stay in Taiwan (Sunday morning to Tuesday evening). I limited myself by traveling only parts of Taipei City and New Taipei City. My first day consisted of exploring the metro – shopping malls, famous landmarks, and temples. My second day consistent of traversing to the New Taipei City – to Shifen and Jiufen (originally included Pingxi and Keelung). My third and last day consisted of traveling to farther districts of Wenshan and Tamsui (which originally included Neihu).
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| Tao Yuan International Airport |
As mentioned prior, I arrived
at the Tao Yuan International Airport 10 minutes past midnight (thank God for
the absence of flight delays!). It was my first solo sojourn to a country
completely unknown to me, to a country that I had no idea why I traveled there
in the first place. After I have completed everything at the immigration area,
I had my Philippine Peso exchanged at the Bank of Taiwan (in the airport, and
which you should not do as well!) and proceeded to rush to pick up my Pocket
Wi-Fi device, because it was already 1:00 AM and the store is preparing to close
(why was I late? I had to take a lot of pictures of the airport and I was last
in the immigration line). I was lucky that I looked ragged that the lady in the
counter just gave me the Wi-Fi device.
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| Tao Yuan International Airport |
And so, the waiting game
begins – what am I to do at the airport very early in the morning? Sleep. It
was not the most comfortable sleeping area there exists but I was able to sleep
soundly until 4:30AM. I immediately proceeded to the ground floor and purchased
bus tickets to the Taipei Main Station (there is now an available train from the airport to the main station, although it's not available for the "wee hours"). I was so glad I could catch the bus
before it left (we’re only five in the bus, FYI). Upon arriving at the Taipei
Main Station, I felt the January weather chilling through my bones – it was
twelve degrees Celsius and I didn’t bring much winter attire because I was so
confident I can withstand the cold weather, but I was clearly wrong.
I deposited my hand-curry
luggage in the big-sized locker at the Taipei Main Station since there’s no
option for an early check-in at my accommodation and I didn’t want to bring my
luggage with me while I travel around. Just to let you know, I am deeply
enamored by temples and shrines, so I made sure to include them in my
itinerary. I boarded the first train from Taipei Main Station to Longshan
Temple station (towards Dingpu; Blue Line)
to officially start my Taipei Solo Sojourn with the hashtag,
#FindingBaeInTaipei and #FindingTheOneInTaiwan.
ITINERARY
Day 1
- Longshan Temple of Manka
- Confucius Temple
- Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
- Chiang Kai Shek (CKS) Memorial Hall Complex
- ATT 4 FUN / Donguri Republic (Totoro Paradise)
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
- Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
- Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store
- Raohe Night Market
- Ximending
Longshan Temple of Manka
Sunday morning marked a religious morning in Taipei. When I got to the Lungshan Temple of Manka after a few strides, I was able to witness people offering their prayers earnestly. They were also singing praise and worship of a language I couldn’t understand, but I know it was a song of devotion and faithfulness. Once I entered, I directed myself to the left side of the area, wondering why there were only women on that side. Later, I realized that men and women were actually separated where women stayed at the left, and the men at the right. No wonder I got some awkward stares and I was a bit annoyed because I was just there to see the magnificence of the temple (observation counts!)
How To Go: Take the Blue Line (Bannan Line) and alight at Longshan Temple (BL 10) and proceed to Exit 1.
Taipei Confucius Temple and Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
How To Go: Take the Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line) and alight at Yuanshan Station (R14). Take Exit 2. Continue forward on Kulun St., then turn right to Dalong St.
You can also spend some time at the nearby park where you can rest and feel the Taipei air. Since I traveled to Taipei during the winter, the weather was cool so it wasn't uncomfortable staying at the park even though the sun was penetrating my skin.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Complex
The entire CKS Memorial Hall complex is quite huge, as it is composed of the CKS Memorial Park, the beautiful gates, the main hall itself, and the adjacent National Concert Hall and the National Theater. It's fun to walk around the park and to climb the stairs of the hall afterwards. The place houses much of the history of Taipei with regards to politics and ideology. Do not miss the changing of the guards which occurs every hour starting at 9:00am.
How To Go: Take the Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyu Line) or the Green Line (Songshan–Xindian Line) and alight at C.K.S. Memorial Hall Station (G10 or R08)
Taipei 101
One of the most famous landmarks in Taipei is the towering Taipei 101, which was once the world's tallest building until it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa. In the tourism aspect, many consider this place as a tourist trap, because going to the top is quite expensive and you can only see a view that would be, well, the city. In fact, the view from the Elephant Mountain is much better in my opinion. It would be much better if you could proceed to the "secret" Starbucks restaurant, wherein you should use the SongZhi Street entrance, near the corners of the streets of SongZhi and XinYi.
The "secret" Starbucks is reachable following some "rules and regulations" :
- You need to reserve a day in advance. You cannot walk-in nor you cannot call the coffee shop on the day itself to visit.
- You can reserve by calling +886 281010701. You could seek help from your Airbnb host or from your hotel if they could do the reservation for you as the staff are Mandarin-speaking. In my case, however, I was able to speak with an English-speaking staff and had my reservation secured (I called from the Philippines, and yes, it's quite expensive to reserve).
- You need to spend at least NTD 200.00 minimum. I didn't have my breakfast yet when I went here so it was a win-win situation for me - I got to have coffee and waffles.
- No shorts or slippers. They do not seem to say this rule when you make a reservation.
- You can stay here for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Reservation time is every 90 minutes; I am not sure of the time allotment though, but I had my reservation secured at 11:00am.
Once you enter using the designated entrance, you could see people lining up already. It's not good to be first in line, but it's bad to be at the "super last" because you might end up being the 2nd batch going up. I suggest try to be in the middle of the line and when the Starbucks personnel arrive and fetch you, enter the elevator / lift last - so you will be able to arrive at the Starbucks first and secure a window seat, which is basically the primary reason why you want to go to Starbucks in the first place.
ATT 4 FUN / Donguri Republic
Many of us are fans of Studio Ghibli films, especially popular movies like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro. This shop would be a mini-heaven for Studio Ghibli lovers! You could purchase items here or you could just feel the presence of Hayao Miyazaki and take a picture with the life-size figures.
How To Go: It's a short walk from Taipei 101; the address is No. 12, Songshou Road, Xinyi District. You could refer to Google Maps and search for ATT4FUN or Donguri Republic.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Aside from the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, there exists another memorial hall which is also a walking distance from Taipei 101. This memorial hall serves as a tribute to the founder of the Republic of China (ROC) and the hall highlights as well the life and achievements of Dr. Sun Yat Sen. There is also the changing of guards ceremony occurring every hour.
How To Go: This is just walking distance from Taipei 101 / ATT4FUN. Address is No. 505, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Xinyi District. Else, you can take the Blue Line (Bannan Line) to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall station.
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park / Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store
For the love of art (even lack thereof), you would be able to appreciate this park showcasing various shows and art installations (although for a fee). The Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store is also located here wherein you can buy from the famous Eslite Bookstore. The "mall" houses amazing arts and crafts, and it will also serve as an avenue for your shopping for food and art. Many people regard this place as "hipster"-ish although it showcases the modern art of Taiwan. The place itself is the avenue where local and international artists showcase their talent.
After my adventures with Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, I had to rest as I was tired of constant walking and I'm a bit exhausted to function for another place to go to.
How To Go: If you are coming from Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, this is just a walking distance - No. 133, Guangfu South Road, Xinyi District. Else, take the Blue Line (Bannan Line) to Taipei City Hall Station. Take Exit 1 and proceed to Keelung Road, then turn right to Zhongxiao East Road. Continue walking and you'll be able to see a sign that says Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.
Raohe Night Market
Taiwan experience will never be complete without visiting its famous night markets. A lot of people will usually opt for the more famous Shilin Night Market, though it's more crowded and the prices are also much more expensive. Stroll around the night market to have a taste of taro balls, sausages (must try!), stinky tofu (although not for everyone because... it stinks), and when in Raohe Night Market, try their famous Pork Bun which can be found at the entrance (usually with long queues).
Ximending
If you have already been to Shibuya Crossing of Tokyo, or to the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur, you will feel that this place is quite similar to both. What I liked about Ximending is the abundance of street performers including numerous delicious street food and drinks (milk tea!). Although overrate and over-hyped, you shouldn't miss Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle as well as the famous gradient-colored flavored tea drinks for instragrammable posts.
How To Go: Take the Blue Line (Bannan Line) or Green Line (Songshan-Xindian Line) towards Ximen station and use Exit 6.
Day 2
- Shifen Falls
- Shifen Old Street
- Gold Museum
- Jiufen Old Street
- Miramar Entertainment Park
Shifen
I didn't have any picture with Shifen Old Street because I felt bad nobody can take a picture of me sending those lanterns up up and away. It's awkward (well, at least for me) to fly my own lantern and ask co-tourists to take a picture of me. Anyhow, Shifen Falls in itself was amazing - the view is just breathtaking from the entrance until you reach the viewing area for the falls. Afterwards, you can just walk down towards Shifen Old Street and try the delicious street food near the train tracks - do not forget to try their peanut ice cream!
How To Go: Take the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) going to Taipei Zoo and alight at Muzha Station. Afterwards, cross the street and you'll reach the Bus Stop. Ride Bus 795 to Shifen Falls (the Bus Stop, as far as I remember, doesn't have any shed).
How to Leave: You can ride the train from Shifen station (towards Ba Dou Zi) and alight at Ruifang station. If you need to go back to Taipei City, you can ride a train from Ruifang Station to Songshan Station. Make sure to purchase tickets rather than using the EasyCard. Why? Because the train is reserved seating and you don't want to stand near the comfort room since you don't have a seat.
Towards Jiufen and Shifen
If you decided to push through going to Jiufen and/or Jinguashih, you can use Ruifang as a central point. From Ruifang, go in front of the station and turn left. Keep on walking until you see a police station then cross to the bus stop (some meters past the police station). You can use the above photo for reference as to what bus you can ride in order to go to Jiufen or Jinguashih.
Gold Museum
One of the reasons I wanted to proceed to the Gold Museum is because I want to touch a real block of gold, perhaps nothing else! Second reason would be is to try the Miner's Lunchbox Set. I wasn't able to try the miner's lunch, though, because there were so many people and I am quite hungry already, so I have just decided to eat lunch at Jiufen.
How to Leave: You can ride the same bus/es going down at alight at Jiufen or Ruifang station.
Jiufen Old Street
You will surely enjoy the place if you are a fan of Spirited Away, because this was used as a setting for the film. You could also buy souvenirs here, especially good quality chopsticks selling for 300 NTD for 10 pieces already. I have tried braised pork over rice and 1 order of Xiao Long Bao and I can say the taste is very similar with Din Tai Fung - for a much cheaper price!
How to Leave: You can ride the same bus/es going down at alight at Jiufen or Ruifang station. Be wary of taxis - although they are very nice, you may be tempted and attracted to opt for it. Unless you are in a big group and you have money to spend, you can go for taxis.
Miramar Entertainment Park
Miramar boasts its beautiful Ferris Wheel, similar to that of Yokohama's Cosmo World. I stayed here for 20 minutes exploring the mall and admiring the view. Afterwards, I proceeded to Carrefour (a supermarket) to shop for pasalubongs.
How To Go: Proceed to the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) and alight at Jiannan Road station.
Day 3
- Taipei Zoo
- Maokong Gondola
- Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge
- Tamsui Old Street
Taipei Zoo
There is not really much to say about a zoo in particular, but the zoo itself is enticing because there is a panda here! Make sure to visit on a weekday to avoid longer queues. It is equally exciting to see other animals here and I must say I really enjoyed my half-day stay here at Taipei Zoo since I am an "animal lover"
How To Go: Take the Brown Line (Wenhu Line) and drop off at Taipei Zoo station.
Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola is one of the great attractions in Taipei that you shouldn't miss, especially if you haven't rode a cable car before. As it was my first time, I was really overjoyed to see the sights from above. Since this was already my last day in Taipei, I didn't have much time to explore Zhinan Temple and the Maokong itself (which I suggest you should go to!).
Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge
This is the final stop of my trip and also, I must say, the best highlight of my Taipei trip. I was really fascinated by the breeze of the sea in this place, enough to make me just sit down and watch the view of the ocean. The sunset was also breathtaking and I didn't really regret going here. Most blogs I have read didn't even include Tamsui area which is also quite disheartening, because this is the place you will really feel the rest and relaxation part of your trip.
I rode the ferry going back to Tamsui Old Street by paying Easycard (ferry is located near the bridge). There was a light rain back then so it was really cold going back since the ferry was also fast. Upon arriving at Tamsui Old Street, I once again delighted myself with a feast of street food and bought pasalubongs. Tamsui is famous for its Iron Egg, which did not really fascinate me at all. I liked the pineapple tarts here - very delicious for an affordable price.
From Tamsui Old Street, I walked back to the station and purchased 8 cups of milk tea from Coco (because they have the flavors stalls in the Philippines do not have!) as well as bento so I can eat something at the plane. I proceeded back to my Airbnb home and took the bus to Tao Yuan airport.
How To Go: Take the Tamsui-Xinyi line and alight at Tamsui station (terminus). Afterwards, you can proceed to the bus terminal near Coco Milk Tea Shop and ride bus 26. You will alight at the final stop and do some walking to reach the Fisherman's wharf.
Places Not To Miss
As you can see, my itinerary is somewhat not that extensive and jam-packed because it's my first time to visit another country alone. I went to places that really piqued my interests and not the areas that are recommended much by co-tourists. Although, I would love to return to Taipei to venture the south and to go to places I have not visited yet. To list, here are the places you should also not miss in Taipei / New Taipei area:
- Elephant Mountain (similar with Hong Kong's "Victoria Peak") but you have to hike your way to the top
- Zhinan Temple
- Maokong
- Shilin Night Market
- Din Tai Fung (of course, you have to try where DTF originated!)
- Pingxi
- Yehliu Geopark
- Yinyang Sea
- Baishihu Suspension Bridge
- Beitou Hot Springs
- Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Final Notes
My experience with Taipei was unforgettable; I wouldn't think twice in going back once given the opportunity (by this, I mean seat sale, money, and vacation leaves). Whenever someone would ask me about Taipei, I feel delighted to share my story, to share the tips I receive from my Airbnb host and my fellow tourists when I was there. Taiwanese people are very nice; and never did I feel in danger during my travels.
1 comments
Great article.
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