So, I was back in New Zealand for christmas, chilling and making plans for my trip to India. But I wasnt happy to go directly to India, I wanted to fit in another country first, somewhere Iv never been - which is how I came to choose Taiwan - with the help of a travel agent. I never use travel agents, but prices were going up, I was getting over-loaded with options and wondering, and the agent is a friend! Voila! I was off to Taiwan for a week!
The flight went from Auckland, to Brisbane and then onto Taipei - arriving at 5.30am. It was late December - my sort of weather, over cast and cool days, with some rain here and there. What to do in a week?
Well, as we all know, I dont plan anything, I rock up and go with the flow - Taipei was no different! Airbnb booked, freestyling, here I come. So I stayed near, apparently, the biggest hospital in the world - Chang Gung - and my hosts were a small family, with the husband doing a fellowship at the hospital. From a transport point of view, it was an awesome location - theres both fast trains and slower ones to and from the city, and the airport also.
As an avid fan of coffee, the first thing I noticed about Taiwan was, the Taiwanese love coffee and do it well! Aside from a Starbucks on every corner, theres also a great variety of coffee, and tea actually, houses. Go nuts!
I spent some time wandering around Taipei - the things you do and see regardless are probably going to be the same as me:
Maokong Cable Car. the base station is easy to reach by metro. Its 120NT for a round trip to the top, or you can go to one of 3 stations along the way, for a cheaper price. I went to the top which is full of tea houses and little shops (and the prices are as high as the altitude) and you get amazing views both in the trip up and from the top.
I bought a ticket to use the big red double decker tourist bus, something I never do when im traveling, but for a city the size of Taipei, its not a bad idea. It was grey and wet that day, and I was pretty tired, so I actually bailed out after half of it - but I did go back and see the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, which is pretty impressive! It was built in honor and memory of Generalissimio Chiang Kai-shek, the former president of China, and opened in 1980. Its large, clean, impressive and entry is free.
You cannot be in Taipei without seeing the Taipei 101 building - its 508m tall / 101 floors! (apparently, it houses the tallest Starbucks in the world!) its the 9th tallest building in the world and is impressive to say the least. However, I didnt go to the top - you need a clear day for this, and patience. Instead, I was with a friend, a local, and we went to the world famous Din Tai Fung, on the ground floor of the 101 building. Be warned, theres a wait time to eat here, however, we struck it lucky and didnt have to wait too long (enough time to get a coffee! yay! ) The dumplings are amazing, the restaurant is cool - and you can see the dumpling cooks working hard thanks to a big kitchen area with huge glass windows. Now, I heard this was the first of the Din Tai Fung chain to get a Michelin star, but Iv also read otherwise. So I dont know the story - was it Taipei or Hong Kong? Regardless, Im so pleased i ate there and experienced it, with a good friend!
I also managed to find the 'famous' Toilet Restaurant' of Taipei, and wasnt disappointed! Its completely toilet themed in decor and style, and the menu also takes on a toilet-y angle. Why not! Its something different, it made me smile.. and again, I was lucky, no big queue when I went, but I imagine it gets really busy!
I did a day trip to Jiufen, which is a coastal town in the Ruifang District - about 45 minutes by train, and then 20 minutes on a local bus to get to. Famous for a gold rush in the 1800's, its now a mass of tourist stores packing into tiny, narrow streets.. food, souvenirs, coffee, tea.. I went early in the morning, by lunch time you could barely move down these streets - and this is in late winter! I cant imagine what it would be like in summer! You get amazing views from the town though and its very easy to get to / from via Taipei central station - with both a train or a bus option.
Something I noticed, thanks to using the train from the hospital to go to town, which originates at the airport, was a lot of travellers land in Taipei and have a 12 hour stop over, so they head into town. To be honest, this is a great way to get a quick feel of the city and see some cool things! Do it if you get the chance!
