After an exhausting day in Singapore, we slept right through the flight on scoot to Taipei (packed flight). We arrived ahead of schedule at 5.35am. It was still dark outside but the cues started at Taipei airport. It took us over an hour from the moment we got off the plane, cleared immigration and picked up our baggage.
The airport was big and parts of it was under renovation.
Since the high speed train connection from the airport hasn't been completed yet, we took an airport bus (FreeGo) straight to XMD. Unfortunately, my relatives who took the bus at a different time, were less lucky. FreeGo dropped them in bizare places.
XMD was completely deserted except for stray dogs.
so with no luck finding food in XMD, we headed towards CKS memorial hall on the MRT.
The EasyCard was really easy to purchase, just line up at the counter, point to the EasyGo card, they asked for N$200, and we got a card with N$100 loaded, and N$100 deposit.
When we arrived at CKS memorial hall, the place was filled with elderly people doing their morning exercise. It was nicely landscaped and wheel chair accessible.
At 9am, the doors promptly opened to the hall itself. And there were a few tourist groups already awaiting the first changing of the guards ceremony.
It was an interesting ceremony, with a lot of toe tapping, and stomping. Well worth the experience if you have time.
But yes, no food to be found at CKS memorial hall.
We headed to Taipei City Hall Bus station, were we found the street lined with a few breakfast places.
I enjoyed my first egg pancake made by an aunty. It was oily and served on dirty plates, so not for the faint hearted.
We took a minibus to Taipei 101, only cost N$7, so we didn't have to wait for the free shuttle- which was slow and packed on the way back. Just hail down minibus like in Hong Kong.
We arrived at 11am, so we popped over to Ding Tai Fung. Completely empty and we were seated promptly. It was the best serviced meal we had in Taiwan. It was fast. And polite.
The verdict on the xiaolong bao? Extremely cheap by overseas standards. The quality wasn't as good as DTF in Sydney or Shanghai though. We found the dumpling wrapper not fully cooked through, doughy feeling, and hard filling. But the soup inside the dumplings was good.
What surprised us was the rice dumpling. It was fantastic!
Then we headed up to the observation deck at 101. It was pricy by Taiwan standards, but not compared to the observation decks overseas. It was about N$500, with the youth travel card, you can get a N$50 discount, so be sure to show it. (You can pick up a Youth Travel Card if you are under 30, with a valid passport at the tourist information centres- there is one located at the Taipei City Hall bus station).
I though the visit was worth it. Only because we could see outside the window. I wouldn't see the point of visiting on a rainy day. They had audio guides at the top. This was a comprehensive guide to the landscape you can see from the 89th floor.
This was actually quite helpful in the subsequent days, as a way of orienting ourselves to the city and finding out a bit about the history.
As part of the admission price, you can view the damper that helps to protect Taipei 101. Looks ordinary, pretty even, but it's mind blowing how people thought about using such a device to stabilize a building. And how they can let the general public view it, without it causing an issue.
When we went, the outdoor observation deck was open. There really wasn't much to see. On the way down, they force you to walk through a coral art exhibit/shop, but then it was the amazing 35seconds to the bottom lift experience. No it's not the tallest building in the world anymore, but it's still the fastest lift, and it gives the feeling of being in a plane.
There are a few outdoor art displays for you to see too, if the bamboo shaped tower doesn't capture your imagination.
We opted for another trip up the tower for Starbucks. It's located on level 35, and very busy. You have to register for a guest pass at one of the machines, they will ask you for your name, number of people, and remind you that you must order a drink per person.
It's the cheap person's view of the city, but I don't think it replaces the view up the top.
We were finally able to check into our hotel at Diary of Taipei II (reviewed in a separate post) after 3pm.
And off we went to Shilin Night Market. Take the MRT to Jintan station, follow the signs to the public market.
Food hall was a little disappointing. Relocating the night market food into the food court loses the "feeling" the atmosphere. It's still packed, there is still variety. And the food here, is comparatively priced to small restaurants elsewhere. But somehow, the food lacks inspiration.
Avoid the crab- cold, prefried and not much meat. Oyster egg omlette was NOTHING compared to the taste and quality I had in Taichung last time. The only good thing was the fruit smoothies here were tasty. I had my staple- rockmelon milk smootie, while my companions opted for more creative pear and kiwi, bittermelon combinations.
There was bargain shopping to be had too at the markets. But the prices appeared set, and comparable to other places around the city.
Then feeling quite exhausted, we collapsed after Day 1.
Stay tunned for the rest of my adventures!
