Glenn and I went on our first Taiwan trip in October 2014. We flew in with Tigerair, paying about $400 per pax for a round trip without any check in baggage. We fell in love with the city, the people, the food and everything else the city had to offer.
Mobile Data
First thing to do when you land in a foreign country nowadays: Get a prepaid data card! We got one from 台湾大哥大 at Taoyuan International Airport for NT$500 which was reasonably priced for 10 days use.
Accomodation
View from apartment
Until their metro links Taipei to Taoyuan International Airport, Bus 1819 is one of the few buses that will get the job done. We took the metro to Da'an station, where our AirBnb host was waiting for us. It was almost 11pm when we reached so it was really nice of him to wait for us and showed us the way to the apartment.
I did not take any pictures of the apartment so I got that picture off the airbnb listing. The location of the apartment was on the 4th level of a building that was facing a quiet back alley, which was important for a light sleeper like me. Most importantly, it was only a 5 minutes walk away from Da'an station, which makes it incredibly convenient! We paid $300 per person, so that works out to be $50 per person per night. Awesome.
Transport
With the Taipei Day Pass, we had UNLIMITED access to the metro and buses that were associated. We took full advantage of that and returned to our apartment to put down our shopping (or just to chill after food coma) each time our hands were too full.
永和豆浆王 - Yong He Soymilk King
Other than a 7-11 store, a cafe, pharmacy and various electronic stores, 永和豆浆王 was also right below the apartment! This makes it the easiest and cheapest breakfast choice for us! Most of the blogs that I read highly recommended 咸豆浆 (salty soy milk) but both of us did not like it at all. Glenn loves their 烧饼 (shao bing) so much that he always buy extra to munch.
台北动物园 - Taipei Zoo
Welcome to Taipei Zoo, a park about the size of the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari combined, but costs only S$2.55. Going to all three parks in Singapore will cost you at least S$83. The main objective of our zoo trip was to visit the alpaca!
We visited the giant pandas before taking a train to the top and walked down from there. Brilliant idea to cover the zoo, thanks to Glenn! We had quite a lot of fun and spent more than 3 hours here. Definitely worth visiting!
士林夜市 - Shilin Night Market
First thing we bought from 士林夜市 was 青蛙下蛋, which is ice jelly with pearls. Refreshing drink to start off our food hunt! We ventured off to the underground of the night market and ordered a few dishes from one of the stalls. We didn't really like the Taiwan 蚵仔煎 (fried oyster omelette) as it was too gooey for our liking. After all those years of eating 台湾香肠 (taiwan sausage) in Singapore's pasar malam, we finally got to try the 正宗台湾香肠! I do not appreciate cheese that well but wow 波比起司马铃薯 (Prince Cheese Potatoes) was really good. My favorite takeaway from this night market would be the 炸鲜奶 (fried milk). It's super delicious!
剥皮寮老街 - Bo Pi Liao Old Street
One of the oldest streets in Taipei, 剥皮寮老街 was quite a disappointment and far from what I expected of a cultural site. The highlight of the trip here was meeting a group of friendly photo enthusiasts who asked us to be their subjects. If you are interested, do check out the wet market across the street which we stumbled upon.
好丘 - Good Cho's
It's a bagel, it's a burger, it's...Bager! Or Burgel!
Good Cho's is all about its bagels. A cafe and lifestyle store, Good Cho's was the perfect place to chill. They did not have hot cocoa that morning so I asked the waitress to recommend a drink: some sweet potato drink that tasted way much better than it sounded! It was also a good thing we got their honey scone to try too, because it was simply heavenly. We went back again on a Sunday, hoping to catch their Simple Market (every Sunday) but we were too early so we gave it a miss.
永康牛肉面 - Yong Kang Beef Noodles
Glenn says this was the best beef noodles he has ever eaten! BEST EVER. He added. I don't take beef so I ordered their 炸酱面 (zha jiang mian - noodles with meat sauce) which was pretty nom-some as well. Yong Kang street is also such charming street actually, with zakka stores and eateries. It kind of reminds me of our Haji Lane. We had nothing else planned that night and I remember us sitting at the playground just watching families having fun before deciding to go to another night market to pig out. When in Taipei, calories don't count. Haha!
Mr J 義法厨房 - Mr J French Italian Restaurant
Located in the premises of Taipei Medical University, Mr J French Italian Restaurant by Jay Chou, was relatively quiet when we visited. The restaurant's theme is based on Jay Chou's 不能说的秘密 (Secret) movie. They even had a grand piano inside the restaurant! We had no complaints about the food (reasonably priced and large portions) and left with happy tummies. A must visit for any Jay Chou fans.
五分埔 - Wu Fen Pu
As the largest wholesale market in Taiwan, you can imagine how much of a paradise it is for shopaholics. Surprisingly, Glenn managed to score some clothes here at 五分埔 while I left empty handed! But I read other blogs and heard from friends that this was where most of the girls shopped like crazy. So it's just me being extremely picky.
饶河夜市 - Rao He Night Market
Personally, I love the 饶河夜市 most. I love it because of 陈董药炖排骨汤 (herbal pork ribs soup) omggg this has got to be my favorite night market food! The 玉子烧 (tamagoyaki) was really good too! It just melts in your mouth! We returned to the night market on another night again just to satisfy my cravings.
九份老街 - Jiu Fen Old Street
It can be a little confusing after you alight at 瑞芳 train station. Some kind souls directed us to the bus stop where buses go to 九份.
九份 is AMAZING. There were interesting shops at every turn and it's like a kinder surprise, you don't know what you'll find at the next corner! We tasted 冰滴咖啡 - cold brewed coffee for the first time, it was pretty inexpensive and it tastes really good! We also grabbed a quick and yummy lunch at 九份传统鱼丸 before desserts at 赖阿婆芋圆 and tea at 吾壳茶粮 SIID Cha Cafe. We requested for a seat on the second level balcony area which overlooked the area. It felt so good to be away from the city!
侯硐猫村 - Hou Tong Cat Village
There isn't a lot of cats at the village but cats being cats, they are still cute! We had so much fun playing with them and also found a cage of kittens. Ah, freaking cute I tell you. The dogs there, however, look quite scary.
平溪天灯 - Ping Xi
No Taiwan trip is complete without lighting up the sky with a lantern full of wishes.
胡须张卤肉饭 - Formosa Zhang
When 胡须张卤肉饭 is below your apartment, you have no excuse not to have it for supper. Easily our comfort food (braised pork on rice), it is also Glenn's favorite Taiwan food. He even got another for takeaway after this meal! 肥死你 ah Glenn.
台北 101 - Taipei 101
This was the only attraction that we forked out about $20+ for. I was crossing my fingers that it will not disappoint, and it didn't! The free audio guide that was provided was really informative and it was really fun exploring different areas of Taiwan from such a height.
宁夏夜市 - Ning Xia Night Market
Ning Xia night market was smaller compared to the rest, but there are still good food here! The 芋丸(fried taro balls) saw a long queue and of course, we had to join! Plus, the owner has the most amazing memory ever. She could remember everyone's order! I also had the best avocado milkshake, so good that it earned a picture with me, haha. Being Glenn, he had to order the interesting 芝麻花生麻糬冰 (sesame peanut mochi shaved ice) to try. We liked how fragrant and how large a portion it was!
I also love how exploring the alleys lead to random interesting finds like this Lego shop at 通化夜市 (Tong Hua Night Market) where I got some really cool Lego weapons for my brother.
阳明山国家公园 - Yangmingshan National Park
The pictures on the official site looked promising but when we were there, we couldn't find all the nice places, so here's a picture of Glenn praying to the cell reception god for some mobile reception.
华山 1914 创意文化园区 - Hua Shan Creative Park
I had to.
Previously a wine factory, 华山 1914 创意文化园区 (Hua Shan Creative Arts Park) now a cultural arts space, was having Hong Kong Festival and Vive La Vie event (French movie picnic date) that day when we visited and the site was filled with so much energy! There were also art installations that were open to public. I strongly recommend a visit to the park if you are into local products and films/events.
美好年代 - Belle Epoque
We were here at Belle Epoque specially for the pearl milk tea pancake which looked and tasted interestingly good. Pearl milk tea that you can eat?! Nothing gets better than this.
佳德糕点 - Chia Te Bakery
Best known for its pineapple pastry, Chia Te Bakery was packed with people and we had to wait in line (lucky it was only awhile) to get in. The pineapple pastry is individually packed and comes in box of 6, 12 and 24, which also makes it a good gift to bring home.
西门町 - Xi Men Ding
At 西门町, we tried 阿宗面线 and some fried muah chee with many different sauces and toppings that Glenn had to get 3. Luckily it turned out to be nice, if not he sure get scolding from me. Here was also where we ventured up into a 2nd hand CD shop (which initially looked seedy) to help a friend look for one of Rui En's albums. We found it, but didn't get it in the end because my friend did not want to pay such a high price for her idol. *ahem* Vanessa *ahem*
We were also on a quest to get an exquisite handmade owl back for my friend, Emily. The owls came in different colors and pendants that signifies different meanings for wealth, health, studies career. We ended up getting a bunch of them to bring home as gifts.
We were also on a quest to get an exquisite handmade owl back for my friend, Emily. The owls came in different colors and pendants that signifies different meanings for wealth, health, studies career. We ended up getting a bunch of them to bring home as gifts.
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One of the places not mentioned in the post is the 师大夜市 (Shida Night Market) where I did most of my shopping, hence, no time for photos! Do remember to check out the clothes on their sale racks, cheap and good quality!
Taipei is a easy place to navigate with trains bringing you to almost all the tourist attractions. People are polite and approachable which makes it a place that we would not mind coming back again.
Till the next time, the heart of Asia.
