28 Jun 2013, Friday
Last 2 days in Taipei! Having mixed feeling as I'm happy that I can finally get back to Singapore but at the same time, I know I will miss Taiwan very much. I bought a lot of souvenirs from the Panda Souvenir shop at Taipei Zoo, and I decided to wear some of them out today. I doubt I can wear like this in Singapore without getting weird stares from the public. Ahhh Singaporeans, can you guys be more open?!
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| Breakfast: Tuna Sandwich with Hot Red Tea |
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| Panda Accessories |
Today's plan was to go National Taiwan University (NTU) at Gongguan Station but I was too lazy to make my way out of the hotel before noon. So I skipped the campus and headed to Taipei Main Station for underground mall shopping. Snapped some pictures of Ximending while walking to Ximen Station from my hotel.
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| Ximending in the hot hot afternoon |
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| Ximending |
Saw this Italian restaurant, 79 style, at the underground mall (Eslite) and it's almost full-house so I decided to give it a try.
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| Nice milk tea but so-so soup of the day. |
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| Okay tasting pasta |
The meal only costs NT142 (SGD6.20) but the only nice thing is the milk tea, which can be found everywhere in Taiwan. Lol.
I wanna try to take bus straight to the airport from Taipei so I walked to Taipei Bus Station to check out the rate and timings. However, when I inquired about it, the staff told me to walk out of the station to some bus stop for the bus to Taoyuan Airport. The weather was super hot (38 degrees) so I decided to just take High Speed Rail from Taipei (Taipei Main Station) to Taoyuan and change to Airport Shuttle instead.
During my previous trip to Taipei, I bought quite a lot of clothes and shoes from R zone - Zhong Shan Metromall, but I didn't get anything today. Anyway, Taipei Main Station is connected to Zhongshan Station.
I was quite bored while shopping at the Metromall, then I went to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, and walked a few rounds. -___- Suddenly, I felt like getting myself a Hater Snapback. So I searched the address of the main shop on the map and took train to Zhongxiao Dunhua Station. You can either take Exit 1 or 7 to reach the place.
(Updated as of 03 Jun 2014 - Thanks to an anonymous reader who commented below, I went to their official website and realized that they have relocated this shop to Taichung (台中香港IDC x KBW 台中一中直營點：台中市北區尊賢街9號1樓 Address in English: 1F., No.9, Zunxian St., North Dist., Taichung, TEL: 04-2223-3317, Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KBWTC?fref=ts. I will be going to Taiwan again this coming July 2014, will certainly keep the blog updated on where/how to get Hater Snapbacks in Taipei.)
Update (15 Jul 2014) - Hong Kong IDC has a store in Taipei Ximending, please refer to my latest post on Taiwan via this link
http://lynnechua.blogspot.com/2014/07/taiwan-2014-day-1-hsinchu-taipei.html
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| Street name of the main shop |
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| Tada! They offer the most variety of Hater Snapback in Taiwan |
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| Swag |
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| Yippie! ^^ |
Hungry again, time for braised pork rice! It's like pearl milk tea in Taiwan, everywhere also have.
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| NT 30 |
Rao He Night Market was in today's itinerary but it is located at Houshanpi Station (10-15min walk from the station) and I haven't got the chance to walk through Ximending so I headed back to my hotel, put down the stuffs I bought today and went out again to Ximending.
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| Street performance at Ximending |
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| Hippopotamus |
I love HMS T-shirts!! The designs are cute/cool and the cloth is very comfy. It's not expensive at all! NT300 per piece and NT400 for newer designs! I've been to Taiwan for 3 times and I will always purchase shirts from this shop for myself, my bf and my brothers. The shop attendant recognized me and offered me their membership card for my continuous support!! The min. spending to get the card is NT 3000, but I only spent NT 700 today!! Thank you so much!!! I was so touched by his good will. =D I will certainly come back again when I visit Taipei the next time!
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| SWIIO Hotel!!! |
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| Prince Cheese Potato |
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| Yummy yummy cheese potato |
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| Cold Stone Creamery |
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| Flavor: Cookie Doughn't You Want Some, 停不了口的饼干 |
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| Enjoying my cup of ice cream while looking at passerbys |
29 Jun 2013, Saturday
Time flies!!! Last day in Taipei!! There's nothing much to do today as my flight is at 2.30pm and I need to get out of the hotel by 11.15am (latest). As usual, I had the same breakfast (again...) at The Milk King restaurant. I set off after I finished packing. Checking out was fast - less than 1min.
I took train from Ximen Station to Taipei Main Station, where Taipei High Speed Rail (HSR) is located. I got myself a ticket from Taipei to Taoyuan at NT155 (SGD6.80). I took the train at 11.36am as the next train 12.00pm will be too late. The train timings are all scheduled so you can just check the schedule online before proceeding to the HSR Station.
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| HSR Ticket |
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| OOTD - Hater Snapback, HMS Top, Rainbow Skirt and Asics Sneakers |
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| Taoyuan HSR Station |
There'll be directions to lead you to the bus station where there's only one bus - Ubus 705 to Taoyuan International Airport, NT30 (SGD1.30). The journey from Taoyuan HSR Station to Taoyuan International Airport T1 takes about 25-30min. (Bus route: Taoyuan HSR - Novotel - Airport T2 - Airport T1).
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| Ubus 705 |
I reached the airport at about 12.30pm and went to Jimmy's Kitchen (T1) for lunch. Their noodles was great!! It's not very expensive either, the set lunch costs NT180 (SGD7.90).
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| Interior of Jimmy's Kitchen |
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| Menu |
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| 红烧牛肉面 |
I weighed my luggage and was glad that it's only 12.5kg!!! So I transferred some of my hand-carry to my check-in luggage to lessen my load. I only bought 15kg luggage as I didn't expect myself to buy a lot of things back to Singapore. Guess what's the final weight? 14.6kg. Hahaha.
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| Got my air ticket! Gonna check in now! |
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| Gate B1 |
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| Emergency Exit Seat - 13A |
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| Bye Taiwan! |
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| Lovely sky |
My boyfriend came to fetch me at Changi Airport T2 and he brought me to Sushi Tei at Tampines 1 for dinner. Thank you baby. =) Later on, I met Jasmine at Tampines and she passed me souvenirs she got from Tokyo!! Thanks!! Finally got a chance to try the famous Tokyo Banana!
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| Gifts from Jasmine |
29 Jun marks the end of my solo trip to Taiwan. I'm glad that I had the courage to travel myself for so many days. I learnt to be even more independent and thanks everyone for their care and concern. One bad thing I brought back from Taiwan was 42 (FORTY-TWO OKAY!!) sand fly/bed bug bites on my legs and hand. (T.T) Urghh, super itchy and ugly!!! Gotta see a doctor now as I don't wanna have any more scars!! I'll be flying off again on 2 Jul! Bye bye!! =)
More on Solo Trip to Taiwan:
Day 1: Taipei to Taichung
Day 2: Taichung
Day 3: Taichung to Taipei
Day 4: Taipei
HI there. Am going to taipei soon in Oct. Came across your blog while looking for hater snapback shop. May i know the name of the shop that sells the snapbacks? Many thanks. :) & you're brave to travel alone! *thumbs up*
ReplyDeleteHello :) I got my hater SnapBack from 台北東區香港IDC台北東區直營點：大安區敦化南路1段187巷15號A3. It's the shop that sells the largest variety of hater caps I guess. You can take train to Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station, exit 5 or 8 according to their facebook but exit 1 or 7 also can, then you will reach the shop in about 5 min walk. If you aren't sure of directions, you can actually purchase data SIM card and then put in the address in google map (that's what I did before I set off). There are several other retail shops too, http://hatersnapback.com/retailers/ hope this helps :D
DeleteTraveling alone can be really exciting but bored at some times. Thanks and have fun in Taipei! It's a great city!
Hi hi...
DeleteI saw from their website which u posted (http://hatersnapback.com/retailers/) they did not state the addr that u mentioned ( 台北東區香港IDC台北東區直營點：大安區敦化南路1段187巷15號A3. )?
Hello! Thanks for notifying me!! I guessed they have shifted the IDC shop to Taichung, according to the website! =(
Delete台中香港IDC x KBW 台中一中直營點：台中市北區尊賢街9號1樓
TEL：04-2223-3317
https://www.facebook.com/KBWTC?fref=ts
Nevertheless, you can still find retailers in Taipei, just type any of the addresses below into google map!
台北士林TREND SETTING：台北市大南路4號 TEL：02-2882-0661
台北士林dot聚點：台北市士林區文林路313號2樓（靠近士林捷運站）TEL：02-2882-3690
台北東區JP SHOW：台北市忠孝東路四段216巷11弄20號 TEL：02-2731-2187
台北西門Bridge Select Shop BLUE：台北市西寧南路72-1號2樓10室 新宿2f-10
台北淡水MOS：新北市淡水區英專路106號 TEL：02-2622-0200
台北板橋BRAND T：新北市板橋區重慶路16-1號2F TEL：02-2959-3699
Thanks for replying!
Deletehow much you bought the cap in NTD ? =)
ReplyDeleteI got mine at NT 1000. Their caps ranges from 1000-1400 except for special ones like 'SWAG' which will be more expensive. :)
Deleteis the outlet hard to find ? =)
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to navigate in Taiwan generally, not hard to find at all. =)
DeleteHi lynne, i'll be travelling in taiwan this weekend. Alone also, like you. I'm excited and scared also. But I was happy to read your blog since I know that you were able to conquer travelling alone for 6 days!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
-Paula, Philippines
Hi Paula, I'm feeling excited for you! Taiwanese are generally very helpful and kind, you will have no problem traveling around alone. Just avoid dark alleys at night. Hope that you will enjoy your trip! All the best :)
DeleteHi, like to ask what's the budget for staying at the hotel for your six days trip? And, was it in the ximending area? Thanks. Currently trying to find hotel stay for next year trip.
ReplyDeleteHello, I stayed in 3 stars hotel - basic amenities like towels and bathing materials are provided. I stayed at 3 hotels in Ximending area before, namely Kingshi Hotel (June 2011), SWIIO Hotel (Feb 2013) and Happiness Inn (Jun 2013). I'd recommend SWIIO hotel, it's about SGD 110 a night for a deluxe double bedroom with free wifi, so it's around SGD 55 per pax. There are many good and affordable hotels in Ximending area and you can easily find reliable reviews on agoda.com or tripadvisor. City Inn chain of hotels are great too - good service and comfortable rooms; they can be located in many parts of Taiwan. Hope this helps. =)
DeleteHello, I came across your blog while searching for solo travels. Your solo trip to Taiwan seems really fun! Would you consider doing it again to explore the rest of Taiwan? Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHi! Yup, it was great! I would definitely explore other parts of Taiwan (only visited Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Kenting and Hualien so far). But I hope to visit again with company! The more the merrier! Especially when it comes to food - more ppl more variety! Taiwan is generally a safe place for solo travelers. If I got the urge to go and nobody can join me, I might go alone again. :)
DeleteHi Lynne, so glad to have read your blog! It's good that you were able to travel alone and have "Me Time" :) Glad you're able to do it! Not all would have the courage to travel by themselves. <3 Pia, Philippines
ReplyDeleteThanks Pia! Thank you for reading my blog too. :)
DeleteJust curious, seems like you were able to navigate a lot of places rather easily. Was there a lot of signs in english?
ReplyDeleteHi, I can read both English and Chinese (Simplified/Traditional). The signs do have some English in it. It would be rather easy to get around in Taiwan if you can understand Chinese. :)
DeleteWell done! I read all your entries regarding your solo trip to Taiwan. TW is a nice place that can go back many times either solo or with friends. No problems finding your way around.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Yea, I will definitely go back to Taiwan again soon!
ReplyDeleteHello there! I stumbled upon your blog and enjoyed reading your solo trip to Taiwan. I myself will be doing my first solo travel and will be heading to Taiwan as well. Thanks for all the details shared. Looking forward to read more from you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I'm glad that the details I shared are able to help you and the others who are interested to visit Taiwan. I'm still drafting Day 3-8 of my recent Korea trip, you can keep a look out if you are interested to go to Korea! :)
DeleteI was forced to call off an trip to Taiwan by my parents
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure they have their reasons. You'll have many chances to visit Taiwan in the future, so don't be despair! :)
DeleteHi, I'm planning to go for 5 days alone as well. So far I'm not really sure where to go yet but i know i would want to visit damshui (Tamsui) old street, Shilin night market, ximending night market, wufenpu / Raohe night market, hello kitty cafe and tarok gorge national park! Is it too little for 5 days? and is it too many night markets cause i scared they all sell the same stuffs then its probably useless to visit? Lol. Im excited to travel alone but i very much fear i can't understand the chinese words on their signboards!
ReplyDeleteHi, 5 days might be a bit rush if you wanna visit Taroko Gorge as it's in Hualien. From Taipei to Hualien, by driving/taxi will take roughly 3.5h. It would take slightly longer if you take public transport (i.e. train). I've been to Hualien before in 2011, stayed there for 3 nights. Honestly, there's nothing much to do in Hualien besides Taroko Gorge so you can probably stay for 1-2 nights. Otherwise a day trip with a tour guide would suffice. Regarding your other places of interest, you can combine some of them into one day. Tamsui and Shilin (opens till midnight) can definitely be done in one day. Don't worry to much about the signboard as some of them have English words on them. Taiwanese are friendly, I'm sure they will assist you when you need help. All the best!
DeleteThank you for your prompt reply!! :D
DeleteHi, how long did you take from Ximen Station to the airport? I'm flying there soon and am super happy I read your blogposts.
ReplyDeleteAwesome adventure you had there :)
Hi Sylvia, I took about an hour to travel from Ximen Station to Taoyuan Airport. My route was Ximen Station - Taipei Main Station - High Speed Rail from Taipei to Taoyuan - UBus 705 - Airport. Otherwise, you can look for direct buses to reach the airport which I don't really favour as traffic condition varies. Thanks for reading, I bet you will have fun for your upcoming Taiwan trip! :)
DeleteHi, thx for your blog, its quite interesting. Do you know some mountains or other interesting places where i can go alone?
ReplyDeleteHello Denny, besides Mao Kong, I think you can visit Elephant Mountain but it's more tedious as there's no cable car and you have to climb up on your own. Other than the places I stated in my solo trip blog posts, perhaps you can try their themed cafes and just walk into some random street, get lost in the city and find your way out? I think travelling alone is the best option to mingle around with the people of the country. Go to places like Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien where there will be lesser tourists and more Taiwanese around. =)
Deletethx again. i was looking at a best place to go alone, and Im interested to go to Hualien. How many days did u go there? Do you have some recommendation? I cant find your blog about Hualien
DeleteI went to Hualien in 2011, back then I didn't have a blog. I'd recommend Qi Xing Tan, Taroko Gorge, and Nan Bin Night Market. I forgot which hostel I stayed in as my friends and I booked JV Hostel initially but there was an earthquake 2 days before we arrived Hua Lien so we got switched to another hostel. The owner of the hostel arranged a one day tour for us to Taroko Gorge and Qi Xing Tan. I think most hostels/hotels will have tour contacts so you just need to ask them if you need a driver/tour guide.
Deletehi can i check where to go in taichung other than fengjia night market?
ReplyDeleteis one day itinerary enough from taipei - taichung -taipei? what are the accessible bus or train routes to get from taipei to taichung? thank you
Hello, as mentioned in my blog, you can visit Yi Zhong Street for shopping and night market. There are 2 places planned in my itinerary but I did not manage to go. Taichung Metropolitan Park (No.30-3, Si-Pin South Lane, Situn District) and Taichung Station. You may want to google about them as I haven't been there to make any comment about them. :) It is possible to make a 1 day trip to Taichung by engaging a driver, the hotel in Taipei will have contacts. Bus I'm not sure as I took it from the airport straight to Taichung. Train would be High Speed Rail followed by their railway train in Taichung which I talked about in my Taipei Day 3 (http://lynnechua.blogspot.com/2013/06/solo-trip-to-taiwan-taichung-taipei-day.html) blogpost, just reverse the order. =)
DeleteHello! Nice write-up of your solo trip! :) May I know how much money did you bring for e trip? I will be going for 5 days and I'm unsure of the amount to bring. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks :) I brought about SGD 600 and didn't use finish for my 6d5n trip. Depending on what you wanna do over there, if you want to shop, maybe you should bring around the same amount as me or even more. Enjoy Taiwan!
DeleteHi Lynne!
ReplyDeleteGlad to find your blog! I intend to go to the Taipei in end July for about 8 to 10 days. I wanted to stay in swiio hotel, but I just realise that a nightclub is located in the same building, just wondering is it safe for a female solo traveler?
Hello! No worries, it's very safe in that area according to my experience in Feb 2013 last year with my mum. If you want to avoid "unnecessary trouble" (which is rare), you can just return to the hotel earlier. It was safe even at 12am. :)
DeleteHi Lynne,
DeleteThanks for your prompt reply. I'm feeling really excited, yet nervous for my upcoming solo trip. Googled quite a bit on swiio hotel as it is within my budget. However, I read a few comments on agoda mentioning that is is haunted?! I also saw photos of bible in the hotel room posted by some bloggers. Do you feel funny during your stay? I'm travelling over the hungry ghost festival period, so I'm feeling kinda apprehensive sleeping alone. :(
Hello, I totally understand how you feel as that was exactly my feelings before going and there were moments of fear where I felt that I should just forfeit the money I'd paid for the air tickets + hotels and stay in Singapore. However, I thought that I'm still young and it's now or never. So I just try to throw off all the negativity and went for it. During my stay it was totally fine, I didn't feel anything strange. Ohhh, actually during my 6d5n solo trip, I hated the sleeping part the most, even though the hotels I stayed were perfectly normal. Be brave!! I believe you can have an enjoyable solo journey that you'll remember for a life time! =)
DeleteStumbled upon your blog while googling for solo taipei trip. A bit nervous to go on my first solo trip but also very excited. Hope I can do as well as you did when travelling alone. Have the same problem with you when I told my family and friends about my solo trip. Especially my parents who turned black faced when I already 先斩后奏 - booked the air tickets. Wish me luck for my first independent travel!
ReplyDeleteHello! Do take care of yourselves and keep in contact with your parents and close friends when you are there k! It's always fun and memorable to travel alone. Good luck!! I'm sure you will enjoy yourself! :)
DeleteHi, chance upon your blog and was envied by your courage to travel alone in your twenties. I am an aunty who only started to travel alone a few years back. Was also fearful when going for my first solo trip but has getting use to it and am enjoying travelling alone now. Had been to Taiwan 2 times alone and really love the place. You may like to visit Yilan next time which has lots of interesting 'min su' there.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy travel alone and do it when you are still young!
Enjoy travelling alone!
Hello! Yup, I'll probably visit Yilan and some other less touristy parts when I'm going to Taiwan in the future. Thank you for your comment and encouragements! Yes, travelling enjoying sure have it's perks! ;)
DeleteHi! Just found your blog and thought your posts were interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'm travelling alone to Taiwan from Australia tonight, so it's a flight! But only for a weekend. I'm feeling very,very nervous. What dd you do to calm yourself down? I also haven't told half my family...though my sister and some friends know. Should I tell more people? I feel terrible because I really needed to get away, now i feel guilty but already paid for tickets and hostel :s
Hello! Thank you! I'm glad that you find it interesting! :)
DeleteNice! Yes, I can understand how you are feeling now. That was me one year ago when I set out to Taiwan alone and even thought of cancelling the trip although I've paid for the air ticket and hotels. I just told myself that life's short and if I don't do it now, I will never do it. That motivated me to be brave and continued with my journey to Taiwan. I think you should tell your family and let them know the places that you'll be staying just in case. I'd strongly recommend you to get a SIM card to stay connected via your mobile phone. Don't worry so much! Everything will be fine and hopefully you'll have a blast in Taiwan! All the best and good luck!! =D
your blog awesome!
ReplyDeleteim wondering that i have change 20K taiwan dollar for 8 days
will be enuf to use?
Thanks for your compliment!
DeleteTWD 20,000 should be enough if you are not planning to shop-till-you-drop. If you are taking the high speed rail, it would be quite costly for a longer journey, i.e. Taoyuan to Zuoying is about TWD 1400 one-way. Nevertheless, if you are not a shopaholic and plan to just eat all the street food plus some restaurants, you will be fine! Otherwise you can just withdraw cash from their ATM machine (SGD 5 charge per withdrawal) or bring extra cash to exchange there once you run out of TWD. Enjoy!
Cheers,
Lynne
20 Oct i will go trip with company
Deletesome sponsor by company
i plan buy alot things at taiwan such shoes, tee, facial...etc
20K reali enough?
T^T
Ooo then it should be enough unless you intend to buy branded items. Just bring along extra cash to exchange into TWD in case you finished your 20k.
DeleteHi! You are giving useful information about journey. Thanks for sharing this great and useful information.
ReplyDeleteHi. I ate the beef noodles at Jimmy's (T1) before reading your blog and was quite disappointed.
ReplyDeleteWould like to recommend lin dong fang niu rou mian instead :) My favourite bubble tea's near there too, with mini yam pearls heh. quite a far walk from the MRT though, maybe 10-15 minutes.
Or you can try Yong Kang niuroumian, which I didn't get to try because I went in between lunch and dinner (break time).
Hello Derrick, I think their standard might have dropped as one of my colleague feedback to me that it didn't taste that good after a few months when I was back from my travel.
DeleteThanks for your recommendation. What is the nearest MRT to Lin Dong Fang's? 10-15min isn't really that far. =) And yea, I heard of Yong Kang's.
Hi.. do u travel alone to Taiwan? Is it safe?
ReplyDeleteHello, yes I traveled alone to Taiwan. It is absolutely safe. Don't worry! =)
DeleteTaipei is full of awesome pubs and clubs, there are many thing to do in taipei,that can be found all over the city. One of the most famous night clubs is [Luxy].
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for the information. I've been to Luxy years ago, in 2011. It was fun and the clubbers were pretty crazy. =)
DeleteHello! I just returned from Taiwan with a crazy number of sandfly bites I believe I got from Pingxi. I'm getting real worried because they seem to only be getting bigger and itchier even though I'm already on antibiotics. I just want to ask if you encountered the same problem while you were recovering from it? Would really appreciate a reply, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ariel! Yes, I got the same problem as you. They will take their time to recover. The itch was really annoying though. TRY not to scratch them! Otherwise they will recover slower and might leave some ugly scars. Give it 2 months for all the bites to disappear. I only applied cream, no antibiotic. Just see a doctor if you are still worried. I think you'll be fine. =)
DeleteHi Lynne,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. I came across it as I'm researching things to do in Taipei. I'm traveling alone in Taipei (already went to Korea and Japan before Taipei) and have been here for 6 days. So I have done a lot of what people recommended already and things I've stumbled across. I'm here for another week and looking for suggestions outside of Taipei.
Would you recommend Taichung? It seems like the food is very similar to Taipei and I'm looking for something a little different, though I love it here. Do you have recommendations for other Taiwan cities? Or even within Taipei?
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and am glad I found it. It was funny and you seem like a nice person. I also feel validated that the emotions and getting lonely is normal at times. It's temporary as I really enjoy this experience. It's my first time travelling alone, and I'm 3 weeks into my 6 week experience. You inspire me to start a blog. I look forward to hearing from you.
Hello there! Yes, I'd definitely recommend Taichung! The food is somewhat similar but the environment is different from Taipei. In Taipei, you'll probably see foreigners EVERYWHERE but in Taichung, the majority is still Taiwanese and it's a more laid-back city as compared to Taipei. You could visit Cingjing farm from Taichung, in about 1.5h-2h drive. I have not visited the farm but from my friends' reviews, it's pretty cool.
DeleteBesides Taichung and Taipei, I've also been to Hsinchu (for half a day), Hualien, Kaohsiung and Kenting. Kenting is all the way south and it'd be nice to stay there for 1-2 nights. Kaohsiung is pretty much similar to Taipei but the pace is much slower - more relaxing. In Hualien, I didn't have much impression except for Taroko Gorge and Qixing Tan, which were beautiful.
I'm happy that you like my blog, my intention for setting this blog was not only to record down my experience for my future reference but also to help people who wants to travel to the same places that I've been to! I've to say that you're very brave to travel alone for 6 weeks!! One week was too long for me, honestly. I couldn't wait to get home on my 5th day as I missed Singapore and the people around me so much. Jiayou for the rest of your journey!! =)
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I will definitely take your suggestions into considerations. Having trouble signing into google, but my name is Vivian. Thanks again!
DeleteYou are welcome Vivian! =)
DeleteHi! stumbled on your blog. i'm going on a solo trip to taiwan as well, and i've been having a hard time picking hotels to book near Ximending station, your post has been really helpful!
ReplyDeleteHello! Great to hear that. Enjoy your solo travel to Taiwan! =)
DeleteHi Lynne,
ReplyDeleteGreat and well-written blog you have there! I'll be doing my first solo trip to Taiwan soon for about 6 days as well.
Can I know why did you travel to Taichung first before moving around in Taipei? And did you finish using all the credit in the EZ Link Card?
I'm still not sure which part of Taipei I should book my hotel in. Is Ximending the most convenient area to stay in for me to move around?
And do you recommend Jiu Fen for solo travelers? I've heard some positive and negative comments there though.
Thank you so much once again for your contributing so much and your decent effort.
Hello, thank you! Taichung has the biggest night market in Taiwan - Feng Jia Night Market. And I also felt that Taichung has more heritage as compared to Taipei where it's more urban. One last perk is that, Taichung has less tourist. No, I did not finish using all the credit but I still keep it as I'm very certain that I'll return to Taiwan in the future (which I did).
DeleteYes, Ximending is pretty convenient and it's a hipster/youngster place where you can find shopping/food/entertainment. =D
I have never been to Jiu Fen. Only went to Shi Fen with my boyfriend and I liked it. I have heard good reviews on the food at Jiu Fen. I think you should give it a try! =)
Thanks for the reply!
DeleteThere are really too many night markets in Taiwan, is it worth visiting two or more of them? Shilin seems to be quite popular, but I’ve seen some comments saying Raohe seems to be less touristy and food there may be better. What are your thoughts?
Hello, you are welcome. Yes, it's definitely great to visit all the different night markets if time permits. I only passed by Raohe night market when I was on my way back to my hotel from shopping at Wu Fen Pu back in 2011. Did not actually have the chance to explore Raohe back then. My favorite night market in Taipei is still Shilin as there're a good selection of food as well as shopping. You should try both! =)
DeleteLove your articles!! <3 If you ever visit Taiwan, Taitung, I can give you a good deal of vacation room rental. I own a vacation home rental in Taitung, its on the east of Taiwan. The coastline of Taitung is long and full of surprises. You can find us on FB as "Capri House 卡布里小屋" (https://www.facebook.com/caprihouse1) also on airbnb (https://www.airbnb.com.tw/rooms/7405352), we have 3 different type of rooms. Enjoy your trip!! xoxo
ReplyDelete