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We took the high speed train from Kaohsiung's Zuoying Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) station to Taipei Main Station on September 18, near lunch time or after lunch. This is after after 3 nights and 1 and a half day (September 15-18) in Kaohsiung.
You can find more information on how to get the high speed train tickets on the last part of the previous post. It's easily accessible via the Klook and/or KKDay app and site. If you're travelling around Asia and even around Australia, Klook and/or KKDay can be very helpful to you so make sure you have either of these two on installed to your phone. You can also use these to book local attractions and such if you wish to...that is if you're Asia-based like I am. South East Asia in particular.
I therefore conclude that I like trains. A lot. I ride it when in Taiwan and in Metro Manila but we don't have any of this here in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao in general and in Iloilo City (but there is the PNR or Philippine National Railway but yeah, I still have to check this one out more and see what this is about one day).
I can see why there are such fans of trains, different kinds of it like one of the child actors, now a former child actor from Japan some girl friends in Metro Manila and I like a lot way back and 'til now. I'm not going to name names here however. Hehe.
Sometimes, convenience store food is the way when you're really hungry and need something to eat STAT before going on your way, continuing on your day. Also, convenience store food is convenient and you need not reserve spots to get them as in when you go to restaurants in and around Taiwan so... I'll leave it at that.
This was my lunch after getting off the high speed train and making it closer to the hotel we're staying at while in Taipei. We still did take the subway train to get to the area the hotel is in so the high speed train wasn't the end of the first day, more like the first afternoon and evening in Taipei for us. This is a ravioli dish. It seems to be one of those chef specials 7-11 everywhere in Asia has going on lately. It's Italian and I think it's like, seafood ravioli.
Curious me who wants to see and try what ravioli is about got this and found out the hard way it's not something you'd eat in this amount. I don't know if it's the taste or the texture or something else but when I got halfway through this dish, I just felt like I couldn't eat any more of it. There's a term for that here in Cagayan de Oro City, bidli. Gi bidli ko halfway through this convenience store dish. I'm normally good with convenience store food especially the ones at Lawson in Katipunan, Quezon City but not this one. I didn't finish the whole thing and just gave up trying to after like, maybe 10 to almost 20 minutes of sitting at this 7-11 off of Songshan Station.
I don't think ravioli is for me or this isn't good ravioli at all and I have yet to really eat a good one next time...hmn... (For the record, I like Italian food. My go-to restaurant here in the middle of the city in Divisoria is an Italian restaurant, Eduardo's.)
Our hotel in Taipei is sooo much better than the one in Kaohsiung. Our place for the two nights there in Taipei is the:
Above is the Klook site/app link but you can book via Booking dot com which is easier, much more convenient and you can even communicate with the personnel, concierge of the hotel through that app or, well, your Taiwanese sim card via the phone, whichever is the most convenient to you.
Step Inn is conveniently above Raohe Street Night Market so you don't have to go far for food, entertainment, and more every night you're there. There's plenty to see and buy in that night market already. I could tell my aunt enjoyed out few nights there because she was able to get a few things off of some stalls and stores in that market while I tried my luck at the claw machines and you'll see later at the end of this one what I won from there. Haha.
Raohe Street Night Market definitely has more things to see and do there than in Liuhe Street and even in Rueifong Night Markets in Kaohsiung. It's there that I had better luck at the claw machines over all. LOL.
The Taipei 101 from the city bus tour we took. It's not a hop on, hop off tour bus. If you want to hop off somewhere, you have to let the driver and his assistant guide or so know so they know to let you off there when the bus makes it there.
I booked two tickets to this tour from here:
It's not that expensive and it's a good way to see the city and its interesting spots on your own. Or, in the case of me, if you only have one other person with you on this trip or tour.
Taipei Main Station is as Taipei Main Station as it can be as always. This was the only place I shopped in when I was here back in 2018 and I just had to go back there this trip because I knew this was the place to get pasalubong (souvenirs to take home to family that's mostly food) from that's convenient when it Taipei.
For the anime, animanga fans...you can also find a lot of those here if you hardly go to Japan for those or something.
I also went here to eat a vegan (or just vegetarian) lunch back in 2018 before I headed home. There are restaurants on the second floor here and you can easily find anything you want to eat there for lunch or dinner when around the area.
Taipei Main Station isn't really a mall, it's more of a hub for people come in and come out from because the central train station of Taiwan is there (THSR station is there for one) and its in the capital city of the country hence why the stores there target travelers, both the international and domestic ones. It just has a mall feel but it's not really a mall. If you want to go to a mall in Taiwan, then go to the Japanese ones like Mitsukoshi which is...I don't think that one should be far from here.
I'm not a huge fan of malls so you won't see me go into malls in any of my blogs here much except some and even in my travel blogs. Haha. Especially in my travel blogs. I prefer the outdoors whether it's in the mountains or the beach which is my favorite place to be as a tropical island girlie.
It's easy to not be a mall person in Taiwan: just go to Ximending and the night markets instead. There's so much to see and peruse, eat and drink, and buy in these places in and around Taiwan already.
This milk tea and regular tea stand is in Ximending. Just a bit outside of it. We opted to get food in this area of Ximending after walking around there and checking out what we can see there and all as it is the shopping district of all shopping districts in Taipei, Taiwan. We didn't really get anything from there but I did get a fruit tea with passion fruit in this milk tea and regular teas stand that I ended up drinking while walking and also struggling not to swallow the passion fruit seeds that were also in it. Those were a bother as someone who enjoyed such a refreshing mix of fruits in a fruit tea of theirs.
Sights and sounds and lots of stuff at the Raohe Street Night Market below Step Inn. And yep, I won that milk tea/boba keychain with the bear in it at a claw machine there. I have it hanging on a zipper on my Kipling Defea rn and this marked the start of my attachment to keychains and bag accessories. Lol. I have been amassing a lot of them lately mostly via Shopee PH.
*****
There's so much to see and do in Taipei since it's a big city. The biggest in Taiwan. You don't even have to go out of it to experience a lot of what the tiny (or not so tiny based on the infrastructures and stuff there) island of Taiwan has to offer.
Here are some tours in and around Taipei you can book if you're ever around the area and want to experience a lot of it without going out of this huge Taiwanese city:
The pick up point for this one is the Taipei Main Station.
If you want a quick tour around the city, then take this one. The bus ticket doesn't cost much and you get to see the Chiang Kai Shek memorial and the Taipei 101 and more already. This one is in the red line or route the tour bus takes. You can choose to take this or the blue line or route which is another one that this bus also takes visitors around to or in. I'd recommend the red one for those who are new to Taipei.
I don't know why there needs to be a separate bus tour for this but well, Taipei. I think this is geared more towards who are LGBTQIA+ for them to see and experience the freedom of expressing their best sexual selves (I don't mean this to mean literally like a sex orgy or something, this tour, I'm sure, is far from that one. Hehe) and if ever they are even interested in like, getting tied up in Taipei or something already.
Taipei is LGBTQIA+-friendly. They have pride parades/walks and gay marriage is good there. If I'm not mistaken, our other neighbor, Thailand is the same. So if you and your partner want to experience this part of Taipei then this is the tour to book at Klook!
If a double decker sightseeing bus tour isn't enough for you as a first timer in Taipei and you really want to experience how it is there, then this may be for you. At least with this one, you can check out sights and stuff there while on a guided tour of the city.
If you want to meet other people and you have 0 anxieties at all doing so exploring Taipei City then this tour is for you. I prefer to walk and get lost around Taipei or wherever I am and meet random people at random times while there so I didn't really take this or book this tour. Hehe. This went for the two times I was in Taipei, 2018 for the Pentagon Prism Tour Concert stop there and this September trip, this year, 2024.
A lot of Taiwan is either Taoist or some other. If you want to see more of their history, culture, and even their lifestyle there then this your should give you an idea of that.
I got to see a Taoist temple in the tour I booked via the Klook site and app which I will be talking/writing about more in the next instalment of this series and I think, the temple that's a few minutes walk away from my own home here in Cagayan de Oro City is also Taoist so that, I'll say I'm a bit familiar with. I'll just set this straight, I'm Roman Catholic like the rest of my family are but I've gone full apatheist (also an agnostic) so yep, I don't mind exploring other beliefs and religions but I have 0 plans to convert to another one. I'm happy being an apatheist, agnostic, rarely practicing Roman Catholic, thank you.
And if I were to convert to another religion...? I think it'd be Taoism because it seems to be the most common here in my neck of woods.
Philippines is a mix of people including Chinese like, like how USA is a melting pot of people, races, nationalities etc so yep, we have a variety of places of worship here outside of the Roman Catholic churches peppering this island nation. Apart from traditional catholic Filipinos, we share this island with Chinoys (Chinese Pinoys/Filipinos) so you know where I'm going with this oh and...somewhere along my family tree on my recently deceased granddad's side is also Chinese or Chinese-Filipino so yep...I don't mind exploring other things/belief systems, religions like Taoism at all.
For the history buffs. I'm not really much of one.
If walking isn't your thing then you can always do a bike tour. I'm bummed about how we weren't able to go to a good cycling spot at the day tour out of Taipei (and it's not in Kaohsiung either) I booked from Klook. I heard it's beautiful, like breathtaking kind of beautiful. I'm no cyclist but I can ride the bike and I don't mind cycling around places with beautiful scenery for sure.
This would also be a good way to exercise and all while travelling around Taipei or just Taiwan in general. I'm not a fan of gym workouts much but I like brisk walking, jogging, running, and I don't mind cycling so I'll gladly do something like this, please and thank you.
It said that this is how you cycle around the city like a local. I'd definitely sign up for this tour next time.
If you have a whole day to spend sightseeing in Taipei City and want a private tour of it then this is for you. It's pretty awesome that Klook has this because well, it'll give the first timer in Taipei City a good bird's eye view of what it is about with this customized 8-hour day tour of it.
I however doubt I'd take this tour. This is my second time in that gigantic Taiwanese city and the two times I was there, I've never really needed or wanted such a tour outside of the double decker sightseeing bus one. You can always explore the city on your own if you're like me who just likes to wander around in a new place. Haha.
I think this tour goes for half a day so that's enough to see most of what there is to see in Taipei and then just wander around there the rest on your own around lunch time and after lunch.
Personally, I think I'd be the type to take this tour:
I'd take this tour for 2 reasons: 1, I love the beach therefore I love the coast, too; and 2, I sure as heck wouldn't say no to going to 'gram-friendly or instagrammable places. Yes, YES, please~ Plus I think this would be as chill and relaxing as the one I actually booked from Klook for me and my aunt for this 4-5 days in Taiwan.
Drink, Eat in Taipei
Another tour from Klook I'm quite interested in and know I'd book though I don't do a lot of night life anymore and I don't drink alcohol anymore (I've been sober since the middle of the pandemic for health and sanity reasons...mostly for health):
Yeah...I honestly don't know much about this one either but it seems fun and as long as I have access to non-alcoholic (NA) beverages where we go or I can bring my own, I'm good with this one. I'd try this next time.
This is for those who like/love to drink and socialize with different kinds of people. I don't really like drinking alcohol anymore but if I can get or bring my own NA drinks to these pubs, bars, I don't mind joining this one next time.
For the one who likes to eat or in Filipino English, go on a food trip when traveling, this is for you. And if you're not a picky eater like I and some of my friends are, then this is for you. I think I'd skip this one since I go to night markets when in and around Taipei anyway. But this could be a good way for you to meet new people so by all means, book this tour on Klook!
If you're into weird but it also looks like it'd be fun food and drinks in Taipei then this might be it for you:
Weird Dining and Drinking Spot in Taipei
I don't think I can do this one. I'm fine with toilets but like, I prefer the more normal side of Taipei dining and drinking and sightseeing so I'd skip this one. But if this is your thing then by all means, book it. This should make for a fun and weird experience that's different from the usual in and around Taipei.
The weirdest and the most different I can go with regards to food and drinks in Taiwan is the white ampalaya shake/smoothie I had in Liuhe Street Night Market in Kaohsiung. Other than that, I'm not a very adventurous eater and I'm very picky. Also, even here in my own Philippines, I can't eat and I will always avoid eating balut (duck egg with the baby duck embryo). I have a weak stomach and weak tongue so I always go for penoy over that one when here at home.
In relation to food tours and eating and drinking away in Taipei, these are for my fellow picky eaters/vegetarian and vegan girlies:
Yep, I don't mind feasting on a vegetarian/vegan buffet when I can in and around Taipei. I really don't.
Drink Non-Alcoholic (NA) Drinks around Taipei
Taiwan is heaven for the milk tea/boba lovers and I am no different although my milk tea tastes skew towards Hongkong milk tea as this was the first I ever tried when I was around 6th grade on a first family trip outside of the Philippines.
Anyway, here are some drinking/beverages tour around Taipei from Klook that piqued my interest so far I'm thinking of trying them out the next time I make it to Taiwan again:
It says foam bear but it's apparently not beer, it's tea. ....with the capybara on the logo on their cups/glasses/drink packaging. I keep seeing capybara plushies lately around both Kaohsiung and Taipei so this definitely makes me curious. I'll try this out next time and I hope it's good.
Themed Tours
Are you a fan of this old but still a good Taiwanese drama? I know a lot of Filipinas who went gaga for this one when it aired here in Tagalog/Filipino dub. Heeee. This drama is the Taiwanese version of the Japanese animanga and also Jdrama, Hana Yori Dango (English translation: Boys Over Flowers). If you're a fan of this, then you'll likely like and love this tour a lot.
I know enough of this TWDrama already including its theme song/OST, Qing Fei De Yi our tour guide and driver of the tour I booked for me and my aunt for this trip also played in the van on the way back to Taipei, so yeah, I personally wouldn't book this one. This is more for the super fans of the TWDramas and I'm not one of those.
I'm a fan of old places so I know I'll enjoy this one should I book this the next time I find myself in Taiwan again. Old shops in the area and a visit to another market, Yongle Market and sunset viewing at a wharf? COUNT ME IN!
For those who like to get professionally taken photos around Taipei.
There are a ton of other things you can do while in Taipei like, maybe go to Shifen and Jiufen and check what is up there since these two are where most people go when in Taiwan, especially Taipei but these two aren't really my cup of tea when there.
There are reasons why I'm not into Shifen and Jiufen when in Taipei and let's address that elephant in the room here once and for all:
One, I'm not very good with crowded places and we know Jiufen is always this. And two, I have an issue with the lanterns being flown from Shifen, specifically from the Shifen railway. An environmental one. I don't think the lantern flying activity there is eco-friendly. I watch this travel vlog series by Trifate Lifestyle on youtube and they touched on this how when they hiked a mountain around that area, there were some lanterns that landed there, making the place look trashy...that's an environmental issue/problem right there. I'd personally skip Shifen and Jiufen for the coastal tour in the north east of Taipei or New Taipei City instead. Oh and the cycling tours.
I think a better alternative to these two would be the hot springs in Beitou District. A line of the train system in Taipei goes to that area but I've never personally explored that part of the city. There are many Beitou hot springs tours, resorts vouchers you can find on Klook and also on KKDay for this so book those if you're not into Jiufen and Shifen like I am. I love hot springs especially the very few ones we have here in the Philippines where I am so I'm sure I know I'll like these ones in Beitou too.
Okay, so we're almost halfway into this series so see you in the third one!
