First-time in Taiwan: Exploring Taipei and New Taipei

Taiwan was like our next-door neighbor, often bypassed as a travel destination. If not for a friend who visited the country and convinced us to check it out, our mini-expedition would not have happened.

In hindsight, I recall earlier days when friends contemplated going to Taiwan, especially during the height of Meteor Garden and F4 fame, a Taiwanese television soap and a boy group, respectively. Taiwan kept popping up in random conversations, and finally, wishful thinking turned into reality.

Located north of Batanes, the northernmost province in the Philippines, Taiwan was just a two-hour flight from Manila. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, is a mere 36,000-square-kilometer island with a population of only about 23 million people. It is even smaller than the Philippines’ major islands, like Luzon and Mindanao.

We touched down at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City at eight o’clock in the evening. The night lights illuminated the sprawling metropolis, creating a beautiful effect from the plane window.

As we sought help on how to get to our hotel, inquiring at booths, stalls, and ticket windows of buses, one guy signaled at us. He offered to take us to the city for NT$1,000. It was pretty fair given that if we took the MRT and bus, though it might have been cheaper, the hassle of making sure we took the right stops and got-off points wouldn’t have compensated at all. Since there were five of us, we paid NT$200 each.

The driver, Mr. Hong, was able to bring us to Go Sleep Hotel in Wanhua District in 20 minutes, considering that the airport was really way too far from where we were staying. And like a good host, he pointed us to a local noodle restaurant, which he said was “the best” in Taipei. It was about two blocks away from our hotel, so as soon as we checked in and dropped our bags in our respective rooms, we immediately headed there.

Another alternative is to have a pre-ordered cab or if your flight arrived within the operating hours of the MRT, it was faster, cheaper, and easier to take going to Taipei.

Taipei was a bustling metropolis with an efficient transport system. There were six lines in the MRT, which I commend for being well-maintained, by the way. It wasn’t too crowded on the trains, too, unlike in other cities I’ve been to. Security was not a problem as people there were trustworthy, plus, CCTVs were everywhere! Even in the outskirts and in the mountains, there were cameras tuned at you.

Taipei somehow reminded me of Seoul, although the former was a bit homier. The major landmark was Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010.

Night markets are aplenty in Taipei. But then again, we had one right in our area as we were staying at Ximending, so why venture to the other night markets? We wanted to see the others, but with the whole day spent walking and sightseeing, it was more convenient to explore the night market closest to our hotel.

What I really liked about Taipei is that it was clean, efficient, and secure. Check my succeeding posts for the sights we visited while in Taiwan.

Taipei Street Eats

Taipei 101 And Din Tai Fung

First-Time In Taipei Zoo

The Sky Lanterns In Shifen

Jiufen’s Colorful Old Street

Yehliu And Its Rock Images

The Qingtiangang Grassland

The Smoky Pits Of Xiaoyoukeng, Taiwan

The EcoArk At The Taipei Expo Park

First-Time In Taipei’s The Red House

First-Time In Taiwan’s Martyr’s Shrine

Taiwan’s National Palace Museum

First-Time In Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Shopping At Ximending Taipei

Go Sleep At Hankou, Taipei

First-time in Zhongshe Flower Market

See Taiwan in vibrant colors on my FB page http://facebook.com/firsttimetravel.