The multifaceted city of Taipei

I arrived at Taipei at the dead of night, a timing I am used to as there seems to be a correlation between cheap airfares and late-night arrivals. I got some money out of the cash machine, made sure I had the Chinese Characters of the hotel, grabbed a cab, and showed the driver my destination.   Less than an hour later, I am in front of my hotel, on an empty street in the city of New Taipei.

New Taipei at the dead of night

I stayed at the Lion Hotel, which at  5 minutes walk to Fuhzong subway station, makes it practical despite its distance from  Taipei city center.  The subway trains in Taipei are spacious and clean, and to me, its comfort level, even at rush-hour, is still acceptable. You can take 1–day, 2–day, 3–days and 5–days ticket from any station, explaining this to the ticket vendor is half the adventure :). Some English and sign language will do!

Fuzhong subway platform

Later on, I visited Taipei 101, the tallest structure in the World, for around four years. It still boasts of having the fastest elevator in the World (60.7 kph).

TAIPEI 101, photo taken at Zhongshan Park

I would suggest reserving your ticket in the morning on-site to get access to the observatory at sunset.something that I didn’t do judging from the looks of the picture I have taken from the observatory. From Zhongshan park, you can get a beautiful view of Taipei 101 with its reflection on a large pond. Another viewpoint is from Elephant Mountain (I wish I had known this when I there).

Notice the mountains and the greeneries right in the city center!

One of the pleasant surprises of Taipei is the greeneries around the city. Take a look at this website for someday tour and hiking ideas.

Nearby Taipei101,  is Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall, the other major Taipei landmark. The memorial is adjacent to the National Theater and National Concert Hall, which are substantial modern buildings designed with the old Chinese palace architecture in mind.

On the right side is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Maokong, a tea-growing area on the steep side of Taipei, is a good idea for a day trip.  You can combine that trip with a visit to Taipei Zoo, which has an extensive collection of species in a rather vast area. Taipei Zoo is at the end of Line 1, and there is a Gondola that leads you to both Maokong and Zhinan temple. In Summer, avoid the Gondola at Midday as it can be quite hot in there.  Make sure that you also stop at Zinan temple(Also transcribed as Chi Nan) as this Taoist offers a lovely view of the city, and the temple ambiance can make you feel… Zen.

The Panda is the main attraction of Taipei Zoo, and they limit viewing time for it.

Mountain Trail in Maokong

Tea plantation in Maokong

Back to Taipei City Centre, make sure you visit the Longshan temple. It is one of the oldest structures in Taipei. It is quite an experience to simply observe the practices of the devout people who visit this place.

Inside Longshan Temple

Longshan Temple

Near Longshan temple is a night market where you can try street food, which I would recommend. Taipei is reputed to have one of the best street food markets around.

Street Market near Longshan

Get Lu Rou Fan, a Taiwanese staple food.

With Taiwan, sitting on the ring of fire, you can imagine that hot springs are quite popular there.  In Taipei, you don’t have to go far to reach a Hot spring resort.  North of Taipei is Beitou, and you can reach it by subway: Line 2, stop at Beitou, and make a connection to XinBeitou where all the action is. Arriving at XinBeitou, you can already smell the scent of Sulphur. You really shouldn’t miss bathing in the springs if you visit Taipei!

The spring that leads to the Public Bath at Beitou

At the end of Line 2 is Tamsui… It’s a beautiful place to end the day and watch the sunset as well as testing the unique local dishes. You can try Iron egg or A-gei (“fried tofu, stuffed with cooked Cellophane noodles, and sealed with surimi”), for example. Both are specialties of Tamsui.

Tamsui at the setting of the sun

Iron eggs or Tiedan … A friend of mine eats this like chips… 1 piece is quite a hearty meal for a meal 🙂

A-gei preparation

Also out North is the National Palace Museum; some people go to go to Taipei just to see their collection of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts. When Chiang Kai-Shek left mainland China, he made sure he got the better part of the Chinese imperial objects and heritage. To get there, use Line 2 and stop at Shilin Station and then either take a bus(R30) or taxi towards the National Palace Museum.

National Palace Museum of Taiwan, the 7th most visited Museum in the World

To get a feel of the energy of this city, stop by at Ximen station at night. I like the place, and for some reason, it reminds me of the Akihabara district in Tokyo.

Ximen at night

To conclude this, I did like Taipei! I like its bustling city feel and the proximity of mountains and hot steam resorts.  The food is excellent, and the cost of living is not high(More expensive than Manila or Bangkok but much cheaper than most European/American cities).  I’m telling myself that I have to go back to Taiwan and visit the countryside!