Taiwan (2013) Day 4 - 6: Around Taipei City

Date Visited: 29th November to 1st December 2013

To cut the long story short, I decided to consolidate my Taipei travelogues which I went in 2013 into one blogpost, instead of day to day travelogues like I always did. After spending 3 days and 2 nights in Taichung, a day trip to Shifen and an overnight trip in Jiufen, we proceeded to the vibrant and lively of Taipei city, the national capital of Taiwan. 

Here are the list of where we went and what we did in Taipei:

1) Ximending

Also known as "Harajuku of Taipei", Ximending is one of the most happening and bustling shopping district in Wanhua District of Taipei, favourite spot among young adult and young people. Majority of the visitors prefer to stay here cause there are massive variety of interesting and boutique hotels, eclectic restaurants, pubs, cafe and fashion clothing shops surrounding the area. I even decided to stay here when I went back Taiwan for the third time this year. 

#1: Ximending - the pedestrian shopping haven

One thing that attract me to visit Ximending for the second time is mainly for its historic Red House Theater which can be seen right after came out from the MRT Ximen station, Exit 1. Besides being a theater, it also serves as a small museum to showcase the memories of old movies and the history behind Ximending and Red Hous Theater. But the main reason behind I was there is because there are plenty of shops displaying creative and fashionable items and products by the young and talented local artists. This is my favourite place to hunt for vintage items and I went twice eventually throughout my trip. Because we were there on the weekend, we're lucky to visit their weekend bazaar outside the Red House. 

#2: Red House Theater - MRT Ximen Station Exit 1

#3: Creative and fashionable items and products by the young and talented local artists

Ximending is filled with a long list street food and famous dishes - which one of them is Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle. This well-known traditional dish is always crowded with both local and foreign tourists and most of the times, the long queue is unavoidable by every visitors. But it won't take long until our turn to have piping hot bowl of so-called "mee sua" filled with pig intestines and thick gravy. Unfortunately for me, I found it to be so-so only - reason why cause I don't enjoy myself eating intestines at all. Kinda gross, man!

#4: Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle - Taiwanese flour rice noodles filled with pig intestines

Serve in two sizes - Small (NT$50) and large (NT$65)

How To Get To Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle: MRT Ximen Station - Exit 6. From there, walk down to Emei Street which takes about two minutes or less from the station. 

2) Beitou (北投)

Situated in northern district of Taipei city, Beitou is notable for being one of the largest concentrations of hot springs and spas in the world. This is an ideal getaway from the bustle and hustle of big city and soaking yourself in a natural hot spring. One can either make it for a day trip, or even overnight in the countless of hotels and resorts overlooking the Beitou Valley.

#5: Beitou's tourist attractions 

Besides soaking in the natural hot spring, generally there are plenty of things to do and see in Beitou - such as pay a visit at Beitou Hot Springs Museum and Ketagalan Culture Center, catch a glimpse of the beautiful settings of Beitou Public Library, or even hold your breath at Thermal Valley and etc.   

#6: Man Lai Hot Spring Ramen - popular spot for lunch and dinner

Must try: Miso Ramen with braised pork and hot spring eggs 

#7: Thermal Valley, also known as Hell Valley is the famous landmark sign of Beitou 

Brief info of Thermal Valley:

Admission is free and it opens on every Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. Close on every Monday.  

#8: Beitou Public Library is being constructed to be an eco-friendly green building 

How To Get To Beitou: Take MRT heading to Beitou station. Get off and change train to Xin Beitou station. 

3) Tamsui Town 

From Xin Bei Tou, we moved on to Tamsui, a port town situated nearby the riverside. It took almost half an hour by train and by the time we arrived, we managed to witness the beautiful golden sunset. 

#9: Mesmerising golden sunset view in Tamsui town 

Initially our plan is to go the Fisherman's Wharf which requires to ride on the boat to cross over but due to time constraint, we decided to cancel our plan and focus on Tamsui Old Street instead. There are abundant of traditional food stalls and souvenir shops nestled along left and righ of these old streets which we really enjoyed with. Some shops even gave free sampling to the customers and what we got for ourselves here - Taiwanese local snacks and confectioneries such as the popular pineapple cakes, yam cake, sun cake and more. 

#10: Tamsui Old Street 

#11: Abundant of food stalls and souvenir shops in Tamshui area 

How To Get To Tamsui Old Street: MRT Tamsui. Exit the station and turn left, from there walk along the waterfront. The trip takes around 40 minutes from Taipei Main Station. 

4) Taipei 101

No introduction is needed for this popular iconic and landmark supertall skyscraper of Taiwan. Talking about Taiwan and majority one would instantly mention about Taipei 101. Designed to resemble the gigantic bamboo stalk, besides serving as a financial center, the base of the building houses multi-level of vibrant shopping mall, restaurants, food court and international high fashion boutique stores. Well of course, my friends and I were here not to shopping but to go up the observatory for the breathtaking panoramic view of Taipei city.  

#12: LOVE signboard that one is not allowed to be inside but I guess the security guard couldn't see me cause of my attire - super red from top to bottom 

Visitors are only allowed up to 86, 87 and 91 floors of the building. What amazed us is the incredibly fastest elevator whereby it took less than a minute from first floor directly up to 86th floor. 

#13: Breathtaking panoramic view of Taipei city


#14: Tuned mass damper to withstands the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors 


#15: Sending postcards from one of the tallest buildings

Admission Fee: NT$50

Opening Hours: 11.00 am to 9.30 pm daily

How To Get To Taipei 101: MRT Taipei City Hall Station or MRT Taipei 101 Station 

Taiwan (2013) Day 2: Travel from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭)

Date Visited: 27th November 2013

Rise and shine from Taichung. Cause we stayed in cheap minshu with no breakfast provided, thus we went and looked in the immediate vicinity. There were only few food stalls available and majority occupied by the young students seeing that Fengjia University is just somewhere around the corner. We joined them by having quick and light meals such as sandwiches and milk tea before started to kick off the day. 

What To Do in Taichung?

Generally, there are plenty of things to do and see in Taichung. You can engage a local driver for a day tour with a standard charge of NT$3,000 (approx. to RM400) for a maximum of 4 people per vehicle. Most recommended places to visit are:

• Lavender Cottage (Admission Fee: NT$200)
• Rainbow Village 
• Carton King Creativity Park (Admission Fee: NT$200)
• Swiss Garden (Admission Fee: NT$120)
• Cingjing Farm

But then, we decided not to engage any local driver but travel by our own instead for a day trip to Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County. Sun Moon Lake is largest lake in Taiwan and became one of the most popular tourist attractions among both local and foreign visitors. The journey from Taichung Train Station to Sun Moon Lakes takes about two hours by taking Nan Tou Bus. Hence, plan your journey earlier.

#1: Taichung Railway Station from far away 

From Fengjia Business District of where we were staying, we took public bus to Taichung Railway Station. Honestly to say, I couldn't remember which bus I took cause I literally couldn't read any Chinese words. So with the help of Boyfie and his friend asking the local, we took the right bus and thanks to the the friendly bus driver too, for showing us the way to the station. Just when I thought we could purchase the Sun Moon Lake Day pass from the railway itself, they said we have to walk for another 10-15 minutes to the bus company's ticketing office. Only then to find out that the pass can be bought at HSR Taichung Station, not Taichung Railway station. There's a different, you see.  

#2: The bus company's ticketing office located at Section 1 Shungshi Road 

We bought the Sun Moon Lake Pass of NT$990 which include the return shuttle service, boat trip, ropeway round trip and entrance to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. Check out for more about Sun Moon Lake Pass here. 

Sun Moon Lake Shuttle Bus Timetable - here.

#3: After almost two hours of bus ride, we dropped of at Shuishe Visitor Center

#4: Luggage tags, fridge magnets, wooden postcards and fun stamping are available inside the Shuishe Visitor Center. 

#5: Using the Sun Moon Lake Day Pass, we took the boat ride to across to Ita Thao Pier 

#6: Enchanting red colour boat 

#7: Right after we arrived Ita Thao Lakeside, follow the signboard to the Ropeway Station  

#8: Ropeway or commonly known as Cable Car

#9: Right on time for performance at Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is one spot whereby you can observe the Taiwanese traditional tribal lifestyle and aboriginal traditions. It's not only serve as a culture village but it is also an amusement park. As we arrived late, we can only enjoyed ourselves in the culture village. 

#10: Some part of the aboriginal heritage and lifestyles of Taiwan's nine main tribes 

#11: Indian Totem Poles

It's getting late and we agreed to make a move. From Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, we took the ropeway back to Ita Thao Pier. But before we took the boat ride return to Shiushe Visitor Center, I stumbled upon plenty of shops selling fukurou. Fukurou means owl in Japanese and I heart them so much. I even bought few back for home decoration. 

#12: Fukurou in Japan means luck and good fortune 

#13: And more fukuruo

#14: Act silly once in a while 

It took us almost a whole day to travel back and forth between Taichung and Sun Moon Lake. We were indeed tiring and exhausting but our day didn't stop there cause we made another second visit to our favourite market, Fengjia Night Market right after we got back from Sun Moon Lake. Frankly speaking, spending 3D2N in Taichung is completely insufficient.

Or perhaps, you could also plan your trip for a visit to this Wen Wu Temple, the biggest temple on the northern side of the lake. 

Taiwan (2013) Day 1: From Taoyuan International Airport To Taichung

Date Visited: 26th November 2013

Five years ago, my family and I joined travel agent for our very first trip to Taiwan and honestly to say, it was awfully bad experience. It was last minute decision and plus, planning to travel independently may seems to be a little difficult for me cause there were not many travelogues relating to Taiwan back then. Therefore, I always looking forward to plan another trip to Taiwan and travel independently instead of following travel agent. And three years later, my mission has been accomplished with Boyfie and his best friend tagged along for this trip.

So far, there are only two airlines serve direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Taipei, Taiwan; Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia. Of course in terms of cost saving, we chosen AirAsia for this trip. 

#1: Aerial view from my favorite window seat

We booked the earliest flight at 7.10 am and three hours 15 minutes later, finally we reach Taoyuan International Airport. It's the main getaway to Taipei and Northern Taiwan. From Taoyuan, it takes roughly an hour to reach Taipei and accessible by wide variety of public transportation.

#2: 你好 Taiwan! I'm back again to this sweet potato shaped country and also the homeland of Asus & HTC after three years. 

In case your age is between 15-30 years old, go and apply Youth Travel card once came out from the arrival hall. The application is free of charge and all you need to do is show the valid identification, such as passport or even driving license. The benefit of getting this is whereby you enjoy the discounts and special gifts from certain popular tourist spots such as Taipei 101 and Shifen Waterfall, transport fee, accommodation fee, delicacy expense and shopping.

#3: Youth Travel card for those age between 15-30 years old

We decided go Taichung first instead of Taipei which we will be back by end of this trip.

There are two options available to travel from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung:
1) Long distance bus - From as low as NT$240, this is the cheapest option but it takes 2 hours. From the airport, take either KuoKuang Bus 1860 or UBus 1623 and it will stop at Taichung Railway Station.
2) High Speed Railway (HSR) train - Fast as it takes less than 40 minutes but pricey which can cost up to NT$590 per ride.

We opted for the second option cause I love to experience on high speed railway train. Initially I thought it will be difficult for me to reserve HSR train via online but the reality, it wasn't. Through the online booking, you can get an early bird discount up to 35% from the normal ticket fare. Normally this online booking is available up to 28 days from the departure date. Credit card is required for the pre-booking and charge in New Taiwan dollars.

Website: www.thsrc.com.tw/irs.html

#4: Example of booking HSR train via online booking 

From Taoyuan International Airport to HSR Taoyuan Station

Right after getting out from the arrival hall, follow the signboard "Bus to High Speed Rail" and proceed to U-Bus counter to purchase ticket No. 705 which cost NT$30. Hop on the bus and the journey takes around 15-20 minutes to HSR Taoyuan Station. So in case you purchase HSR ticket in advanced via online booking, remember to plan your time properly or else in the case you miss the train time, you have to pay another additional charges.

#5: Bus to High Speed Rail sign

#6: Purchase U-Bus ticket bus No. 705 for NT$30 to HSR Taoyuan Station

In HSR Taoyuan Station, we queued at the HSR ticket counter for the exchange of HSR train ticket. All the passport are required for validation purposes and seats will be assigned.

#7: Our HSR train ticket from Taoyuan to Taichung


#8: HSR train resembles exactly like Japan's bullet train - So fast, quiet and comfort.

Brief info about Taiwan High Speed Railway (HSR) Train:

1. Each train is divided into two distinctive classes; Business & Standard Class.
2. The seats configuration for Standard Class is 3-2.
3. Food is allowed and there are also bento and beverages selling inside the train. So cool!

From Taichung Station to Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)

In Taichung, I personally think it's best to stay either nearby Taichung Station or in the case you love night market like me, then I would recommend to stay nearby Fengjia Night Market. There are few available mode of transportation to reach this biggest night market in Taichung but we chosen to take taxi which charge roughly around NT$250-350 depending on the meter. 

Alternatively, you can take free shuttle bus 160 towards Overseas Chinese University and stop at Feng Jia University if you are travelling with HSR train. Therefore, remember to keep the HSR train tickets for this exclusive privilege.  

#9: Forget about staying in conventional hotel and experience like a local by staying in Taiwan minshu. My Blog on: Minshu I Stayed in Taiwan

I think I should stop here for now and continue with my favourite night market, Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市) on the next post. So stay tune for yummylicious photo!

My 2013 Year End Trip: Taiwan 台湾 (Sneak Peek)

I'd been to Taiwan before back in year 2010 but nothing beat the feelings of travel by our own or so-called DIY travel compare to travel with tour agency. Plus, another reason I choose to back Taiwan was because this is my birthday treat for my very best friend aka my Boyfie since he never been to Taiwan before. Besides both of us, Boyfie's best friend also tagged along for this trip and many unexpected surprised and shocking adventures happened along the way but for sure by the end of this trip, three of us indeed had a great time in Taiwan. "Whatever happened in Taiwan, stay in Taiwan!"

#1: 你好 Taiwan! I'm back again to this sweet potato shaped country and also the homeland of Asus & HTC after three years. 

#2: We started off our trip by taking high speed train to Taichung and the train resembles exactly like the Japan's bullet train - fast, quiet and comfort. Taiwan makes me miss Japan so much!

So far, I know there are three options to go Taichung from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport but we choose the fastest option which was taking the high speed train cause like Hilda Milda said, every minute is valuable.

#3: A visit to Taiwan is incomplete without visiting their night market and one of my favourite markets would be Fengjia Night Market in Taichung. We spend two nights in this market alone where for the first night, we spend more than 6 hours and by the second night, we wandered until midnight. Sounds so crazy, right?


#4: Sun Moon Lake for the second time and this time, took the ropeway to enjoy the whole scenic view.


#5: Went Shifen 十分 for the very first time just for this waterfall. Really worth it eventhough we walked more than 30 minutes just for the sake of this.

#6: Besides the waterfall, done the things I wanna do in Shifen 十分 - like walking on the railway as well as write wishes and release the lantern. Another mission accomplished!


#7: Been Jiufen 九份 but still love to return there just to search for this tea house which used as a model for Ghibli's Spirited Away animated film. No surprised to see so many Japanese tourists there for the same reason.


#8: The Red House Theater in Xi Men Ding - where you can find creative and fashionable ideas and products by the young and talented artists. My favourite place to hunt for vintage items and I went twice throughout my trip there.


#9: One of the recommended places to go in Taipei would be Beitou which is well-known to be one of the largest concentrations of hot springs and spas in the world. Apart for that, Beitou Public Library
is also notable as being constructed to be an eco-friendly green building.


#10: Damnshui, a port town to the northwest of Taipei for its mesmerising golden sunset view. 

#11: And for the final day, the birthday boy said wanna go up to this world famous skyscraper which also to be known as Taipei's well-known landmark, Taipei 101.

So, basically you can see that we skipped most of those historical places like museums, memorial halls, temples and so on cause we can spend roughly more than 5 hours in one particular place. Plus, I went most of them before during my maiden visit and thus, no point for me to do another visit, right?

#12: Last but not least, as for our accommodation, we stayed in guesthouse or hostel, which commonly known as minsu in Taiwan. Minsu is very popular in Taiwan and you must try to stay there at least once. It's cheaper, clean, convenient and even the room space is much more bigger if compare to the hotel - My Blog on: Minsu I Stayed in Taiwan

And with this, Taiwan wrapped up as my 10th and final trip for this year alone, unless out of of expectation, I have another trip to come...

"Travel to the places you really wanna go and see, not to follow other people footsteps. It's your trips anyway, you're travel for yourself, not for other people!"