Vibrant Taiwan

Me and my friends made a visit to Taiwan last July 2018 availing of a 4D/3N promo package offered by my colleague and former professor, Ma'am Mary Jane, who is also the owner of DreamCT Travel and Tours. A group of twenty persons flew to Taipei evening of July 28.

At Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Taipei

At Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei

We arrived past midnight in Taipei and checked in to BackPackers Inn. Inexpensive hotels or backpackers inn aren't bad at all. Just make sure you have read reviews of these accommodations before booking your reservation. I recommend Backpackers Inn Taipei to all backpackers out there who are planning to visit Taiwan. 

at the lobby of Backpackers Inn

Our first two days were both DIY travel and it was difficult to manage a group of twenty people with different age groups. We then decided to divide our group into two.

Taipei has three converging trains all linked underground so moving from one place to another is easy using this mode of transportation. We all bought tickets and loaded it with 500 Taiwan Dollars (around 900 pesos). Only 400 TWD can be consumed since 100 TWD is for card payment. Topping up is easy as there are vending machines and counters available in all the stations.

We proceeded to our Day 1 itinerary as planned.

We visited the Taiwan National Museum which is only across the Backpackers Inn. Few meters from the National Museum is the Peace Memorial Park and the Presidential Office Building. Another few meters away is the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

At my back is the Presidential Office Building in Taipei

We then headed to Taipei 101. The train station for this landmark is only two stations away from NTU Hospital station (red line) which is only opposite the Backpackers Inn.

At the 89th floor of Taipei 101

Taipei 101, presently the second tallest structure in the world, is a famous skyscraper landmark in Taipei. It has 101 floors and has one of the fastest elevator in the world bringing visitors from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in 37 seconds. The 89th floor is where the observatory is and where you can have a scenic and full view of the city of Taipei.

It was already late noon when we left the observatory. We then went to the Elephant mountain, which is few blocks away from Taipei101 building. This mountain is the perfect place to watch the entire city of Taipei during sunset and the best spot to view Taipei 101. It took us 30 minutes to climb the 600 steps going up the mountain with three short stops to rest. The plan to have photos on top of the elephant rocks on top of the mountain did not happen because the queue was very long. I got also surprised crossing path with my former student, Ryan, on my way up the Elephant mountain. Small surprise like this proved the world is really a small one after all.

At the Elephant mountain

Early evening when we decided to go down the mountain. From Xiangshan station, the nearest train station to Elephant mountain, we went to Raohe Night Market, one of the oldest night markets in Taipei, which is just a walk from Songshan station. It was a nice experience walking the streets of Raohe strolling for clothes, shoes, street foods and other items. After dinner, we then headed to the Rainbow bridge which is only at a street parallel to Raohe. It was past ten pm when we decided to go back to the hotel.

We started the second day early going to Taipei Zoo which is just few walks away from the last station of the MRT brown line. The zoo, which is one of the largest in Asia, is home to different animals including panda, penguins, and animals of different kinds from Australia, Africa and other countries in Asia.

These cute penguins seem sleeping (at the Taipei Zoo)

After lunch, we went to National Palace Museum, a museum containing an extensive collection of Ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks.

After exploring the complex of National Palace Museum, the group went to the next itinerary, the Modern Toilet Restaurant. Me and my friend Michelle did not join the group as we decided to attend Sunday mass at St. Christopher Church where I would be meeting also my friend Glecy and my relative Ate Nene, who were both working in Taipei and I have not seen for a decade. I also used my travel time to reunite with friends and relatives who are based on the country I'm visiting whenever I have a chance.

From St. Christopher Church, we went to Shillin Night Market where we would be meeting the rest of the group. This is one of the biggest and most popular night markets in Taipei. We tasted a lot of local foods, street foods and of course, the milk teas. The place is also the perfect place to bargain for items like shoes, clothes and other souvenir items.

At Shillin Night Market

Itineraries on the third day were places outside Taipei. We visited Yehliu Geopark in northern Taiwan. This huge park is where you can see a number of unique geological formations like the iconic Queen head, the Leopard, Sea Candles, and Princess head. Other remarkable formations can also be seen in the park. 

Our next stop is Shifen Old Street. The place, which is an old railroad, is famous for sky lantern flying. Flying a lantern will cost 100 to 200 TWD depending on your lanterns' number of colors. 

Then we headed to Jiufen, a place showing Taiwan's look at the past because of the many old buildings that were preserved in this site. This is also a perfect place for taking photos. We went back to Taipei and got ourselves ready for our evening flight back to Manila.

The Leopard Rock formation at Yehliu

It was an awesome Taiwan adventure. Being able to see Taiwan's must-see attractions and being with the people who were with me in this tour made this trip truly memorable.

For inquiries on package tour, you may contact DreamCT Tour and Travel at 0977-127-1663.

Our group arrival in the airport

Tips:

• Taiwan is temporarily offering a visa-free entry for Filipinos until next year, 2019.
• Book in advance using Klook for your reservations and tickets. Tickets for Taipei101 is discounted using Klook. Included in the reservation is the free transfer from airport to hotel accommodation.
• Train/Mrt is the easiest and fastest means of transportation.
• Taiwan is known for their milk teas. Don't forget to try their milk teas.