Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Taipei
DAY 1: 6 DEC 2017
It's finally my turn to fly!
I am coming back to Taiwan this time round with my family, with me as their tour guide.
It was tiring and I was deadbeat when I arrived back in Singapore.
But nevertheless, it was an awesome trip with many new sights for me!
We flew with Cathay Pacific and arrived in Taipei at 8.30pm.
Prior to this trip, my brother and I bought a 10 days unlimited data SIM card with Klook for S$20.
However, unlike what was mentioned online, the SIM card counters at the airport arrival hall
were open and I actually didn't have to buy it online.
At least I got a slighter cheaper deal purchasing online.
Collection was a breeze as the counter was located towards the right of the arrival hall.
The Taoyuan Airport MRT is finally operating.
Instead of taking a bus to Taipei main station, we took the express train and
arrived at Taipei main station within 40 minutes.
Definitely faster than taking a bus.
The ride costs NT120 and we paid using our easycard!
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| Taipei 101 |
I am coming back to Taiwan this time round with my family, with me as their tour guide.
It was tiring and I was deadbeat when I arrived back in Singapore.
But nevertheless, it was an awesome trip with many new sights for me!
We flew with Cathay Pacific and arrived in Taipei at 8.30pm.
Prior to this trip, my brother and I bought a 10 days unlimited data SIM card with Klook for S$20.
However, unlike what was mentioned online, the SIM card counters at the airport arrival hall
were open and I actually didn't have to buy it online.
At least I got a slighter cheaper deal purchasing online.
Collection was a breeze as the counter was located towards the right of the arrival hall.
The Taoyuan Airport MRT is finally operating.
Instead of taking a bus to Taipei main station, we took the express train and
arrived at Taipei main station within 40 minutes.
Definitely faster than taking a bus.
The ride costs NT120 and we paid using our easycard!
We booked rooms at Dairy of Ximen which was a 5 minutes walk from Ximending station exit 6.
If you know me well, I do not like to splurge on accommodation and
all I look for is a clean, neat room with hot showers.
I paid S$85 per room per night, inclusive of breakfast, and we stayed there for 4 nights.
Our stay was good but the walls were pretty thin and you can hear your neighbours quite accurately.
So, if you are a light sleeper, I would suggest that you refrain from booking this hotel.
After checking in, it was around 10.30pm.
Having travelled for almost a day, we decided to end our day with something yummy
instead of our flight meal.
And that was...ICHIRAN RAMEN!
I missed you dearly.
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| Ichiran Ramen |
We took a cab to Ichiran Ramen and our cab ride cost us NT300.
There is only 1 store in Taipei and it is located near the Taipei 101.
Upon arriving, there was a line outside the entrance.
As the line gets shorter outside, you may think that your turn is coming soon.
Unfortunately not, because the line continues indoors and we queued for 30 minutes
before we got our seats.
Ordering is the same as Japan but there isn't any vending machine and payment is made after
your meal, at the counter near the exit.
The ramen tasted exactly the same as the one in Tokyo.
The broth, the noodles.
Awesome.
What a great way to start our trip.
Each bowl of ramen with egg costs NT 326 if I am not wrong.
This is more expensive compared to that in Tokyo.
But if you happen to be in Taipei and you are sick of eating street food, please give this a go!
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DAY 2: 7 DEC 2017
Good morning!
I planned to go around Taipei today instead of doing day trips as the weather was bad.
It rained the entire day, but at least it wasn't a heavy downpour.
We started our day at 9.30am and I brought my family to Yong He Dou Jiang.
This is my favourite breakfast place in Taipei.
It was a street away from our hotel which was perfect!
Good morning!
I planned to go around Taipei today instead of doing day trips as the weather was bad.
It rained the entire day, but at least it wasn't a heavy downpour.
We started our day at 9.30am and I brought my family to Yong He Dou Jiang.
This is my favourite breakfast place in Taipei.
It was a street away from our hotel which was perfect!
 |
| Yong He Soy Milk |
Before heading over to the counter, you will need to write your orders on a piece of
paper which can be found on the table in front of the store.
If you are dining in, payment will be made after you are done with your breakfast.
We ordered warm soy milk (豆浆), fried doughstick (油条) and carrot cake.
The soy milk is right and not too thick.
The fried doughstick is crispy and not too oily.
The two go hand in hand and you should dip the doughstick in your soy milk!
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| The Redhouse |
After breakfast, we headed to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.
Unfortunately, the memorial hall was under renovation.
With the rain, there was no changing of guards ceremony as well.
We just wandered around for a while and headed off to our next destination:
Yongkang Street!
This street has many little intricate shops and food stalls available.
We alighted at Dongmen station and proceeded to explore the street before
having lunch at Din Tai Fung, which happened to be the original store.
Din Tai Fung is also a tourist favourite in Taipei and the area outside the entrance was
bustling with people waiting for their numbers to be called.
We waited for about 30 minutes and got a seat on the 3rd floor.
We ordered our usual favourites!
A must order if you are new to this place is the soup dumplings (小笼包)!
With the rain, there was no changing of guards ceremony as well.
We just wandered around for a while and headed off to our next destination:
Yongkang Street!
This street has many little intricate shops and food stalls available.
We alighted at Dongmen station and proceeded to explore the street before
having lunch at Din Tai Fung, which happened to be the original store.
Din Tai Fung is also a tourist favourite in Taipei and the area outside the entrance was
bustling with people waiting for their numbers to be called.
We waited for about 30 minutes and got a seat on the 3rd floor.
We ordered our usual favourites!
A must order if you are new to this place is the soup dumplings (小笼包)!
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| 小笼包 at Din Tai Fung |
Thereafter, we headed straight to Smoothie House, which was 2 minutes walk away
from Din Tai Fung.
This is by far my favourite snow ice and the best part is that there is no minimum order
unlike Roji Monster Ice.
 |
| Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet |
A bowl costs NT180 and it is huge!
We only ordered one bowl and we could barely finish this!
Our next destination was Taipei 101!
There wasn't much for us to shop as they are mostly high-end brands and
we were only interested in Zara, Gap etc.
So, we decided to proceed to another mall linked via a bridge.
This mall catered more to our likings, with brands like H&M and Forever21.
After shopping, we decided to take a peek at Commune 47, the artbox of Taipei.
The rain made it difficult for many to dine here and enjoy the night lights.
But the stalls looked pretty good and
I wouldn't mind having a drink here if the weather was alright.
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| Commune 47 |
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| Outdoor seatings at Commune 47 |
We grabbed a cab to Chia Te bakery, which was a 10 minute ride from Taipei 101.
I was lucky again!
No queue at all.
I bought some pastries as gifts for my friends and colleagues.
My favourites are definitely the pineapple (NT 30), melon and cranberry (NT35) cakes.
Do note that they may have different expiry dates and some can only last for 15 days.
Boxes are available, free of charge if you managed to fill them up with the quantity stated.
We took a train back to our hotel for a short break before exploring Ximending.
For dinner that night, I booked a hotpot buffet at Mala Top Double Soup Hotpot Ximen branch
(马辣顶级麻辣鸳鸯火锅).
As this place is really popular, it will be good if you can make a reservation upon arrival.
The buffet comes with unlimited meat and haagen-dazs ice cream and
it costs around NT 630 per pax.
It was such a great meal and it was perfect for the weather.
Thereafter, we walked to Carrefour to get my favourite beef instant noodles from 满汉大餐.
The first instant noodles I had with huge chunks of meat inside.
Love it!
it costs around NT 630 per pax.
It was such a great meal and it was perfect for the weather.
Thereafter, we walked to Carrefour to get my favourite beef instant noodles from 满汉大餐.
The first instant noodles I had with huge chunks of meat inside.
Love it!
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Click here for our Day 3 adventures,
or check out my 2015 Taiwan trip here!
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