My first day in Taipei was not what I expected, I arrived very early as my flight from Manila was at 11:40 PM, and arrived in Taipei at 1:00 AM, I passed the immigration smoothly and spent the whole night watching TikTok and reading books in the arrival area of the airport. I tried the lucky draw which is a promotional thing of the Taiwan Tourism Board to attract Tourists but unfortunately, I did not win.
I waited until 6 AM when I went to the Klook Booth at the far end of the arrival area to get my pre-purchased Item which is a Transportation Card with TWD 400 load on it and my 5 Day SIM card.
After getting those Items I went to the Transportation Hub to hop on the Earliest Bus going to Taipei Central Station where my hostel is located. During the Ride, I was so sleepy so I had a few naps during the ride.
Upon Arriving at the Bus Station, I went to look for a locker to store my things as my check-in time was at 3 p.m. I planned to roam around to find something to eat and discover the city while it was just starting to wake.
I never expected anything about this trip and just planned to visit some places and to do some food trip with the Michelin Guide thing.
From the Station, I walk towards the vicinity of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which is a 26 Minute Walk. The Weather is still bearable but I feel the heat of the summer, I tried to visit a Fuhang Soy Milk, but unfortunately, I was discouraged by the long queue that circles the whole block so I went back to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Explore the area and took some photos then waited in a nearby park. I believe I had a quick nap under the sun haha. After a while, I went inside the museum which is located at the base of the Memorial.
After the Museum, I walked toward another district which is about a 5 Minute’s Walk from the Museum, the place is Daan, Hoping to find someplace to eat but unfortunately, it was Sunday and the queue for the famous shops was quite long, and places inside are already taken. So what I did was I tried to walk toward Taipei 101, grab some snacks in the 7/11 Stores, and saw some nice Flower or Plant Markets after some walking I was exhausted and gave walking and went to the nearest subway station and hopped on the train toward the Taipei 101.
I was amazed at how tall the building was and the area around it had a few open spaces. I planned to visit a place to buy some camping gear which is located around the area. I realized that even though the country is rich, the English language is not used.
After buying the item I explored the mall around Taipei 101 and was able to buy some clothing which is shorts from Zara. Then rested for a bit in a nearby chair until 3 pm, I tried to explore some areas but the weather and lack of sleep killed my energy.
By 3 pm, I went back to the Bus Station, got my bag at the locker, and went to the Hostel which is a few minutes walk from the Station.
While walking the Cityscape of Taipei reminds me of Shanghai’s French Quarter with the architecture and the ambiance and nostalgia that it gives.
After checking in, I went into my room and fixed my things and had a shower, then I slept. I woke up at about 6:30 PM. For Dinner Time, I plan to visit the nearest night market which is Ningxia Night Market in Datong District, which is a 17-minute walk from the Hostel.
The Night Market was very crowded as it was Sunday, I was mesmerized by a lot of people walking around the stalls selling different kinds of Food Choices. After some walk, I was able to buy Chicken Rice, a white rice with Chicken on top and it was good. Aside from that this was my only decent meal for the day haha. Then bought some Fresh Juice and decided to walk to another Night Market area which is Ximending.
The walk was very long and tiring, At night in Taipei, is still humid. Which I did not imagine in thinking about this trip. after my 27 Minute Walk, I finally reached Ximending which was very big and reminded me of Myeongdong with a lot of shopping stalls and pedestrian zones.
I walked around, tried some food went back to my hostel had a shower, and rested because I booked a day tour to the North of Taipei with the common places to see. Hoping they wake up very early.
Viajero 