photos by yours truly
The reason I was in Taipei from October 5-7 last year, 2019, was this: Pentagon's Prism World Tour in Taipei. They had three set schedules for it in South East Asia and none of it is the Philippines so it was this, Taiwan, Hongkong or Singapore for me. I thought Taipei, Taiwan would be the cheapest and easiest so in about a couple months' time before the trip...maybe three, I'd already booked my plane tickets via Philippine Airlines, booked my accommodations a month or two weeks before the trip, and bought the concert ticket a couple days or so before I left Cagayan de Oro City for Taipei. Admittedly, it wasn't very easy and I felt my budget for Taipei was pretty short (I only used a 100 USD of 200 USD I'd brought with me, as pocket money) but everything worked well. Somehow.
This was my first kpop concert and it was just a bit outside the Philippines so yes, it was very memorable and precious to me.
I'd worried about going to the concert on my own for a time because most of those in fandoms I know were going to Johnny and Associates' Hey! Say! Jump!'s 2-day concert at the Taipei Arena also near the area I was in. Yes, I was once a hardcore Jpop fan but not enough to go on and fangirl HSJ. Hah. But yeah, I knew some people that went there. HSJ's 2nd day concert was around the same night and time as Pentagon's only date there, at the TICC. Luckily, I didn't have to feel so alone there because some Filipino Universes had found out I'd gotten a Pentagon concert ticket and was headed to Taipei the day before the concert. I got to meet them after the concert. Though we were around each other for a while, hunting for a restaurant we could eat dinner in and just have fun chatting, bonding or so...we weren't able to find a restaurant to sit and eat and chat in. We decided to go our separate ways instead because some of us were headed home the next day. Others were going to other places like Jiufen to continue their Taiwan tour with. I was in the former group. My flight back home was at around 7 or 8 in the evening of the 7th. I SO wish I could've stayed longer because there's SO MUCH to see and do in Taipei and the vast country of Taiwan in general. Hmn...I'm hatching another plan of this kind in my head with some really good friends for next time. I'm getting the hang of budgeting and planning trips everywhere as of late. Maybe it's a sign that I keep on going even if I'm running myself broke (but let's hope not? It's tough being broke). Well, I can somehow get used to this sort of or partly nomadic lifestyle.
Anyway, I won't go in depth with the concert. Doing a part by part recount of what'd happened at the concert, what I'd seen and insanely dance to can be quite...tiring. Yes. So yes, let's not. I'll just go through the highlights of the concert along with pictures.
I'd worried about going to the concert on my own for a time because most of those in fandoms I know were going to Johnny and Associates' Hey! Say! Jump!'s 2-day concert at the Taipei Arena also near the area I was in. Yes, I was once a hardcore Jpop fan but not enough to go on and fangirl HSJ. Hah. But yeah, I knew some people that went there. HSJ's 2nd day concert was around the same night and time as Pentagon's only date there, at the TICC. Luckily, I didn't have to feel so alone there because some Filipino Universes had found out I'd gotten a Pentagon concert ticket and was headed to Taipei the day before the concert. I got to meet them after the concert. Though we were around each other for a while, hunting for a restaurant we could eat dinner in and just have fun chatting, bonding or so...we weren't able to find a restaurant to sit and eat and chat in. We decided to go our separate ways instead because some of us were headed home the next day. Others were going to other places like Jiufen to continue their Taiwan tour with. I was in the former group. My flight back home was at around 7 or 8 in the evening of the 7th. I SO wish I could've stayed longer because there's SO MUCH to see and do in Taipei and the vast country of Taiwan in general. Hmn...I'm hatching another plan of this kind in my head with some really good friends for next time. I'm getting the hang of budgeting and planning trips everywhere as of late. Maybe it's a sign that I keep on going even if I'm running myself broke (but let's hope not? It's tough being broke). Well, I can somehow get used to this sort of or partly nomadic lifestyle.
Anyway, I won't go in depth with the concert. Doing a part by part recount of what'd happened at the concert, what I'd seen and insanely dance to can be quite...tiring. Yes. So yes, let's not. I'll just go through the highlights of the concert along with pictures.
Above is my concert ticket. It's 4280 NTD, yes. This is Less than 150 USD which was, I thought, a good price already for such a good concert, by one of my favorite boy groups. This is actually why I'd decided to go. The concert ticket was quite...affordable. I'd already bought the ticket days before I left for Taipei so I just went to the 7-11 at the first floor of my accommodation there and got the help of the store attendant/cashier in printing this one out. Yep, it was quick! I hung around family mart next door, thereafter, to eat a lunch of an assortment of sliced fruit. Ugh. I so wish our 7-11 had these kinds of fresh eats. I'd gobble those up in a heartbeat...on a daily basis.
The management held contests for ticket holders to win in. I was told by the new friends that I'd won a signed poster. It now sits inside my closet of some everyday bottoms and dresses, still unrolled. I would love to have a lot of the posters I got from buying pre-ordered stuff framed. Yes. But moolah for it isn't enough, yet. Lucky are the others that won photos with Pentagon. One of my friends did. I may get lucky in another time...I hope.
Going back much, much earlier before the day of the concert, I'd arrived around 8 in the morning at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. I had to rush to the accommodation to see if I could check in sooo much earlier than the scheduled check in at 3 p.m. but I wasn't allowed by the person-in-charge so. Apparently a lot of things like hotel/accommodations check-ins are often set at a certain mid-afternoon time. Even a lot of the businesses like malls and more in Taipei start out late. I found it difficult the next day to find a good place to have breakfast in...hmn... Basically, only McDonalds was open and accepting breakfast-searching customers (like me) at around 7 or so in the morning. I had to wait for my check-in time before I prepared for the concert wearing the dress that I wore from the previous blog post...and my VERY handy, super over sized that it makes me sooo happy and warm and cozy and fuzzy, every time I have it, denim jacket. It's a men's jacket, by the way. Anyway, back on topic...so because I had to wait until 3 p.m. to get into my room and check in so I could begin preparing for the concert about to happen that night, I just wandered around the neighborhood and chanced upon a tea and coffee house that allows people to make their own beverages all over their super cute pantry or kitchen. They also allowed food bought from outside. And...best of all? They allowed you to stay AS LONG as you'd liked in their cafe. You can basically do so much there like homework, work projects and more, undisturbed. It was such a cozy place. And because I was waiting for the time I can get into the room I'd booked, I missed the fans event that went on the time I was at the said tea and coffee shop. I could've gotten some freebie banners and more. Hardly matters now, I met wonderful people at the tea and coffee shop I was in and I enjoyed much of my time there. One of the highlights of my Taipei trip so far. I'll recount this again on my Taipei food post later.
Even if I'd missed the said fan gathering prior to the concert proper, a new friend was kind enough to send me off with a Yuto banner! Yay! He is my Pentagon bias and the reason why I got into Pentagon in the first place. But yeah, as with Da-iCE, I'd ended up liking all of 'em in the end. The fan organizers also had a balloon and unibong/mobile phone light event in some songs and some where we had to hold out the white banner and later, the blue and black one so all in all, IT WAS SOOO MUCH FUN! I'd so like to do it again. Yes! Needless to say, when I got home, I contemplated a second Pentagon Prism Tour date in Singapore but I'd already depleted my travel and concert money saved up so nope. Next time.
Highlights of the concert for me: Jo Jinho in Havana. So smexy for someone so small...he's their shortest and funnily, their eldest member. I mostly like Jinho because he's cute but he's giving me Yang Yoseob-vibes lately. I think he's trying to grow out his gyeopta phase now. All of Summ(:er)'s tracks performed was HEAVEN! And lastly...THE ENCORE. The encore had all my favorite songs: Thumbs Up! and Spectacular (스펙터클 해), to name a few. Of course, Fantasystic (판타지스틱) is my favorite from Summ(:er) and it was realllyyy rad to see and hear live.
It was a fun night of singing and dancing to what I could at the concert, all in all. 11/10, I'd do it all over again. Hopefully one day soon. (Or I may go to a Da-iCE concert soon, should all go well with something I'm doing at the moment, applying for another job tat pays better than my current job...somehow).
Up next in this Taipei trip series? Food. I'll be highlight vegan/vegetarian food there so wait for it! I already have the photos ready. Unfortunately didn't take much photos of the restaurants and stalls I went to. I'm an idiot, apparently. I plan to go back to Taipei again one day to do a proper food trip and some sight seeing or activities-filled one so yeah...one day soon.
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