Taipei Weekend!

I enjoy traveling. Granted, just a casual traveler, but a traveler just the same. A quick, weekend to enjoy a food trip in Taipei was right up my alley, especially since the weather would still be cool.

It was an affordable trip - we booked our tickets last July for P4,253.14 each. Hotel for 3,708 for two nights (twin sharing). Transportation costs were minimal, since trains were quite cheap, but most importantly, the food was very, very affordable, and very, very delicious.

We stayed at Delight Hotel, it's located near the Nanjing Fuxing station with access to both brown and green lines, making it an ideal base to explore Taipei. We were able to get around very easily. There was a 711 just around the corner, and several meal options around the area (KFC, Mcdonald's, Starbucks among them). There was also a nice sports bar called the Brass Monkey nearby, which serves really good cocktails. Rooms were of a good size, modern bathroom, and very clean. My only concern was the heat was centralized and we couldn't adjust the temperature, which was too hot in my opinion. We opened a window to help, but it still felt warm at times. Staff was very accommodating to our questions, and gave us tips on how to get around. We also arranged transfers with them and everything was prompt and hassle free. Will definitely book this hotel again on a return trip to Taipei.

We weren't able to explore all the sights of Taipei, just the main ones like the Chinag Kai Shek memorial, Taipei 101, Maokong Gondola, Shilin Night Market and Raohe night market. We tried to go to Shifen for the sky lanterns, but only got as far as Ruifang because of the limited time we had left in Taipei.

For the Maokong Gondola, I suggest getting the crystal cabins for a different experience. These are glass bottomed cable cars which give you a very clear view of what lay below. This attraction (and also mode of transportation) is worth checking out when in Taipei, Just 100 Taiwan dollars for a round trip ride across 3(or was it 4) cable car stations. There's a short food street at the end, so you can spend a few minutes checking it out while you wait for the car getting back.

And now for the food, we loved eating at the night markets. You should definitely come hungry! There's so much to try!  Favorites include the pork bun at the Raohe nighr market, grilled scallops, the blowtorched beef and the egg wrapped shrimps as well as the fried mushrooms from Shilin night market. Also enjoyed the pink guavas, very sweet and refreshing. I even tried the stinky tofu, it wasn't as bad as I thought, but still wouldn't be asking for seconds any time soon. Of course, you also need to eat at Din Tai Fung for the xiao long bao and drink all the milk tea you can which you can buy almost anywhere in Taipei.

For pasalubong, you can't go wrong with nougat from Sugar and Spice (at Taipei 101) or Milk House (at Taipei Railyway station). They're also known for pineapple cakes from Chia Te, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to try those.

Anyway, I can't wait to come back to Taipei, but it has to be during the cooler months, because I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did if the weather was warmer. And since I'm too lazy to upload and layout pics, enjoy the flipagram I made below. :)

Taipei Weekend!