Taiwan has always been a country I want to visit since there were so many raves about the place and since I had resigned, I thought I'll take the opportunity to travel and purchase air tics at a discounted price.
I travelled there by Tiger Airways and Scooted back to Singapore. Tiger Airways has improved so much since those early days when they first launched and I have not experienced any flight delays since last year. Scoot,on the other hand seems to be going through the teething stage and still have lots of room for improvement.
Ok, I shall now blog about my trip!
Day 1
We arrived at Tao Yuan International Airport around 1.45pm and it was at least a good 10-15 minutes walk before we reached the Immigration Counter. It wasn't packed and we were out in less than 10 minutes.
Next up: To find the best and easiest route to our Hotel.
 |
| Look out for this signboard and head towards "High Speed Rail/Bus Station" |
 |
| You will need to take an escalator down and that's where you'll find lots of different bus counters |
 |
| Spoilt for choice? Not really. We were only given 2 options to get to Ximending |
 |
| You can take Kuo Kuang bus 1819 to Taipei Main Station and transfer to Ximen Station OR |
 |
Take Freego 5502 and the bus driver will alight somewhere near your hotel and you walk over.
Cost of Freego: TWD 140 one way and TWD260 return tickets. They do not operate after 6pm though.
We decided on Freego because it was our 1st time in Taiwan and was afraid that we may get lost taking the Metro. Reviews say that Freego took at least an hour and a half to reach your destination but I think B and I were really blessed because
1. Bus frequency is usually about 30 minutes but we only had to wait 5 to 10 minutes
2. The bus driver usually stops quite far from our hotel but this time, they alighted nearer to the building
3. It took us less than an hour to arrive |
 |
| A shot before the bus arrives |
 |
| Seats are pretty spacious and comfortable |
 |
| Still looking slightly refreshed upon boarding the bus |
 |
| Alighted and had to walk 2 lanes down to get to our hotel |
 |
| 1st Lane and this is the building we saw |
 |
| Across the building near our hotel is this bubble tea shop and I just had to capture this because I belong to Orange Tee! |
 |
| Another lane that you'll cross and this is the building that you will see |
 |
| This is the MUST GO bubble tea shop that every Singaporean has talked about because it is the equivalent of KOI and their bubble tea really tastes so much lighter and fresher. Beware of your sugar level choice though. At 50 percent, it is equivalent to the local 30 percent sugar level here |
 |
Finally! We arrived at our destination. Be very careful when you book this hotel because they have many branches located in Ximending.
The hotel we booked:
ECFA Wannian
6F., No.70, Xining S. Rd., Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan 108 |
 |
| It is a no frills hotel room but they provide basic amenities like toothbrush, mini toothpaste, comb, cotton bud, shower cap, soap bar, soap and shampoo dispenser and daily refills of distilled water. The room attendant was very generous and when we requested for water, she gave us like 4 bottles at 1 shot. |
 |
| The huge bathtub designed to look like a hotspring bath instead |
Next up! We were really hungry since it was around 4pm and we didn't have any lunch. So, we decided to explore the main area of Ximending and because I was soooo hungry, B gave in to my tantrum and we stopped at the very 1st edible place to eat.
 |
| We had duck meat noodles soup and this cost us TWD30. Not very filling though and it was quite a small bowl. |
 |
| It was time to get a drink and we decided on the 1st bubble tea shop that we came across. Hot Star is more well known for their XXL Fried Chicken. |
 |
The equivalent to Singapore's version of Taiwan Sausage, this is called "san zhu rou" or Wild Boar meat and the texture of this sausage is nicer than those here. It is a bigger piece as well and costs TWD 35 for 1 stick.
We shopped at Watsons and Cosmed and headed back to rest a little and keep our loots before heading out to Taipei Underground Mall and Shih Lin Market |
 |
| We got a little confused because the signboard does not state Taipei Underground Mall but there were 2 other malls Z and Y. We decided on Z and this was how it looked. |
 |
Having explored the place, we finally figured where Taipei Underground Mall was located and if you decide to pay this place a visit, this is the exit you should take. M5. Once you head up the escalator, you will see rows of shops and viola! you have arrived at your destination. Start shopping!
My friends raved about "made in Taiwan shoes" and it is a must buy when you're in Taiwan. Shoes usually cost TWD200 and the new arrivals are around TWD390 to TWD490. You can try and bargain and some shops may discount to TWD350.
After buying 3 pairs of shoes at the Underground Mall, we took a train to Jian Tan Station to the popular Shih Lin "Ye Shi" (Night Market) |
 |
| There are 2 exits at Jian tan station, remember to take Exit 1 to Shih Lin and when it gets dark, this is how the crowded place should look like. |
 |
| Cross diagonally if you want to start eating or head to the "commercialised" area |
 |
| or just head straight down for some shopping. It is quieter on this side of the road. |
 |
| After abit of walking, we got hungry and let the pigging out begin! First Stop: Ireland Potatoes |
 |
| Someone blogged and mentioned that this is a MUST TRY and we thought better to give it a try. Stalls selling this are everywhere and you can find it in Ximending too |
 |
Finally! ours cost TWD60 and consists of potatoes, cheese, pineapple bits, turkey ham and corn.
The verdict: It was so so only, nothing fantastic and wasn't cheesy enough. |
 |
| I am a sucker for "guo tie" and just had to get this whenever I see it! Guo Tie is known as pan fried dumplings and most contains minced meat wrapped in flour. |
 |
The stall I bought my "guo tie" from.
The verdict: The chilli wasn't spicy at all and the sauce was a tad too salty for my liking. |
 |
Can you read traditional chinese? Well, it is good if you can read but most of the stall holders are very patient and will explain what they sell. Be very careful with what your order tho. The above states "Beef Noodles Soup" on the left side and Beef Noodles in red in the middle.
Guess the difference? Beef Noodles Soup just means that you'll be served a bowl of noodles with just the beef soup. So don't be deceived! |
 |
| The verdict: We ordered beef noodles and it was tasteless with a funny spice added to it. It made me very thirsty and after a couple of mouthfuls, I surrendered. |
 |
A final shot before our shopping began!
Shall post my Taiwan Hauls in a separate post! |
No comments :
Post a Comment