Taipei Destination Survey: A Guide to Taipei

The Flight Experience:

Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Taipei. The flight was fairly empty so I got the whole row to myself. #blessed

First Impressions:

Taiwan has always been a destination I’ve always wanted to visit. But for some reason, on my last five February trips to Asia, I didn’t make it a priority on my itinerary to make sure I’d make it over.

The things I expected from Taiwan were these (based on NO RESEARCH whatsoever): Night markets, street food, bubble tea, and Hello Kitty (hey that rhymes…).

To my surprise, my presumptions (granted, there are only 4 – and not very good ones) were accurate. I mean, the moment I stepped out of the metro from the airport, I saw a night market with a bunch of street food vendors with a flag of Hello Kitty drinking bubble tea (Ok, I may have exaggerated the last part about Hello Kitty– but you get what I’m saying).

Also, I had this idea that Taipei was this little itty bitty city (considering the size of Taiwan) – but NO! The distance from Taipei Taoyuan airport to the city center was an hour bus (shuttle) ride! I think I had this unrealistic idea that I would just waltz right into the middle city the moment I stepped out of the airport…

The first picture taken:

Street food selfie!! I don’t see large intestine street food signs everyday in Chicago, so….

Favorite food:

Too many foods I loved and too many I didn’t get to try because I only have one belly.

Go to Shilin night market. It’s quite touristy but there are honestly (some would say better) other night markets in Taipei– but for a first timer in Taipei, there’s no shame on this. You’ll see a plethora of food choices you probably didn’t know exists…

In one seating, I tried: Oyster omelet (YUM!), fried chicken steak (YUM!), Fried buns (YUM!)), fried crab shell (OK THIS ACTUALLY MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE BECAUSE I LOVE ANYTHING CRAB – AND I DON’T KNOW WHY I’M STILL ON CAPS LOCK – BECAUSE I GET EXCITED ABOUT FRIED CRAB SHELLS…), Bubble tea (I think I like the bubble teas in the U.S. more….), Oyster Vermicelli (just Ok….), and Stinky tofu (ok, that’ s a lie… I didn’t try it but it’s a thing people try…)

I had all of the above in one seating (except the tofu). Be proud.

Fun fact:

Taipei 101 was completed in 2004 and held the distinction as the tallest building in the world until 2010. Today’s world’s tallest building title belongs to Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

One sentence to describe this place:

From my initial observations, the temples are straight of China, bathhouses are straight up Japanese (and just like in Japan, there are hot springs everywhere in Taiwan).

It was a weird vibe of both China and Japan. - it was like the two countries/cultures procreated and produced Taiwan.

One useful phrase I learned:

Xiéxié!! It means thank you in Taiwanese (also in Chinese Mandarin).

Biggest Challenge:

Getting a cab and the driver not understanding where you want to go. Luckily I met another traveler who speaks mandarin. Thanks Martin!

On this trip, I tried:

Some street food I’d rather not know

Last picture taken:

Most memorable experience:

For me, 90% of what I remember fro the places I visit are the people I meet along the way – and Taipei was no different.

I was traveling alone, so I opted for a private room in a hostel in Taipei and met some new friends from all over: A German, a Chilean, a Texan, an Australian, a Chinese, a Filipino-Canadian, an Australian, and a guy from Boston. For the three (or was it two….) days time we spent with each other, I felt like I’ve know these kids for the longest time. We shared a lot of laughs and the couple days we spent together in Taipei felt like a couple hours. I don’t think my experience in Taipei would have been the same had I not met them.

We are still in touch thanks to Facebook, of course. I’ve even reunited with one of them in Chicago! Looking forward to seeing the rest and perhaps and get a group trip together!!

Favorite Activity:

The Maokong Gondola cable car is a must when in Taipei! The ride took approximately 20 minutes with some scenic views along the way. Once you cross over, make sure you try one of the tea houses for the full Taiwanese experience (also tea hard boiled eggs!)

Fitting 7 crazies and having a full on karaoke sessions in a tiny cable car made it even better.

Best sights to see:

I spent a total of 3 days in Taipei and had ample time to hit the major tourist spots:
National Palace Museum
Lunghsan Temple of Manka
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Taipei 101 (try the dimsum restaurant at the entrance of the building!)
Ximending shopping district
Shilin Night Market
Elephant mountain (for those avid hikers, I think you’ll appreciate the climb here. Might look easy - but there are some vertical steps just to get up there!)

Insider tips:

Chewing gums are banned in the Taipei metro!