TAIWAN TRIP'19: TAKE US TO TAIPEI, TAIWAN

The travel trip to Taiwan last July 2019 was probably the longest I have been abroad (it was a 8D7N trip!!) + also the furthest I have travelled to + first time travelling with friends!! It was a trip that I was looking forward to, as it was also like a trip in conjunction with my ORD and it feels really special that I get to travel with my friends from my unit, making it even more memorable.

Of course, this was a trip which we planned rather last minute iirc, like we only booked our Airbnb accoms and flight tickets only about a month before departure, and we didn't really exactly plan our itinerary though we have a few places we wanted to go and we kind of decided which day we should go, but it was a mostly schedule-free trip where we get to decide impromptu what we want to do and go, which was a charm of the trip itself. Of course, 8 days was actually a long trip for just being in Taipei - we did not get to explore other parts of Taiwan, but we did had our own healing times through the trip which made the 8 days worthwhile.

DAY 1 (11 JULY 2019) - Arrival in Taipei, Checked in Airbnb, Ximending Night Market

The flight to Taipei was about four to five hours and as we did not want to waste our first day and have some time to explore, we booked an early 6am morning flight, reaching Taipei around 11-12 just in time for lunch. We had a quick lunch at one of the local eateries at the metro station and then proceeded towards Jiang Zi Cui, which was where our Airbnb was at, which was pretty good I would say, for our large group of 7 people. 

We chilled, unpacked in our apartment until around dinner time, where we headed to Ximending night market for our dinner, and to also explore the surroundings. Of course, we had a lot of fun playing with claw machines, which is literally everywhere in Ximending. 

DAY 2 (12 JULY 2019) - Maokong, Raohe Night Market

Early morning! Our first breakfast, was carrot cake and soybean milk from a popular local eatery right beside our Airbnb!! Making breakfast really convenient for us. 

The second day was dedicated to visiting Maokong, which is a quaint village located above a scenic mountain and the area specializes in various tea products, giving its name as the "Tea Town of Taipei" It was also exciting as we got to ride the gondola, which is somewhat similar to the cable cars we have in Singapore, up the mountains. Apart from enjoying the scenic views, we also had lunch at one of the restaurants which offers tea-infused dishes, which was really unique.

After Maokong, we headed to Raohe Night Market to settle our dinner and to also explore the stores. Also getting a 1litre tea is literally GOALS.

DAY 3 (13 JULY 2019) - Tamsui, Shilin Night Market

Begin our 3rd day with breakfast at another nearby eatery selling sandwiches and toasts. It was okay but they have a variety of sandwiches there which is quite interesting!

We then proceeded to Tamsui, a river side street with shops and also various activities and scenic scenery up the hill. Another photo-taking day as the river is really pretty and clean, but it was also really hot in that area. Also went to a cute little cafe with really cute food though the service was slow. 

After our afternoon at Tamsui, we headed to another popular night market, the Shilin Night Market!

It was bustling with people and had a lot to offer, from games to food and various retail shops.

DAY 4 (14 JULY 2019) - Taipei 101, Miramar Ferris Wheel

Our 4th day is a rather chill and relaxed day, the midpoint of our 8-days trip. After the past few days of walking around and exploring various scenic places, we decided to have a more chill day, where we split into groups and did our own things in the area. So Don, JJ, Wojun and I decided to go to Taipei 101 area to shop and explore, while also impromptu deciding to visit Miramar as CLC was having their fanmeeting there that day too.

DAY 5 (15 JULY 2019) - Leofoo Village Theme Park

The fifth day - probably the most exciting day because we specifically planned and booked tickets for this theme park prior to the trip - so we visited this theme park which also has a mini zoo safari, which makes it really interesting and unique, like an all in one park. However, this place is rather far from the main city, so we had to share a taxi-van, which charged us a rather reasonable price, to ferry us to the theme park. 

I am not so much of a roller-coaster kind of person (as you can see from the vlog) but I'm impressed by myself as I manage to ride alot of rides which I wont/usually get to do. For lunch, as we booked our ticket via Klook, they had a special package deal, which we were then able to claim a burger set!

Also ending the tiring and exhilarating day with BUFFET HOTPOT!!! This too, was also in our neighbourhood and within walking distance from our Airbnb - and is also cheap!! (<SGD$20) and the service was really good too!

DAY 6 (16 JULY 2019) - Shifen, Jiufen, Houtong Cat Village

This was probably the MOST tiring day of all. We had a lot of places packed into one day as the 3 places - Shifen, Jiufen and Houtong were all near to each other, yet far out of the city area. We thus again, booked a taxi for the day which brought up to all the places - somewhat like our private personal driver, which I really thank for because of all the climbing up and down in Shifen and Jiufen. 

Beginning with Shifen, it is another one of the "must-go" places in Taipei - popular tourist attraction of the railway station as well as the Shifen waterfall!! But warning - there is a lot of walking to be involved.

After Shifen, we headed to Jiufen, another old street tourist attraction located on top of a mountain - which meant more climbing up and down - but this one had more shops around

Houtong Cat Village was probably my personal favourite part of the trip - we got to visit a village with CATS!!! There literally many cats all around in this small town and also cat cafes as well! We visited one of the cat cafes and wow, we were all in love! Really a must visit for all cat lovers!!

DAY 7 (17 JULY 2019) - Chill and Shopping Day 2

After all the climbing and walking the day before.... we decided for another chill and shopping day. This is the charm of having a free itinerary, we literally decide what we want to do the night before. Also this day was another opportunity for us to do last minute shopping for souvenirs and fully enjoy the final days in Taipei

DAY 8 (18 JULY 2019) - Last day in Taipei: Pet Cafe, Ximending Final Shopping

It is the final day of our week long trip in Taipei. After the memorable experience with the cats at the cat cafe, we decided to visit another pet cafe, this time, one that is near our airbnb, which we really enjoyed and took many photos as well here!

Our afternoon was then left to do last minute shopping and just walking around and chilling at malls before our flight at night.

This trip was a much needed one, a trip to mark the end of my national service, and also a trip to remember. For sure, Taiwan has became one of my favourite countries, and I will be sure to visit it again.