Taiwan 2013 : Taipei 3D2N

Itinerary summary:

Day 1

Taoyuan International Airport - Shilin Stop - Yangmingshan - National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine - Shilin Night Market

Day 2

Danshui Old Street - Fisherman's Wharf - Taipei Flora Expo Park - Taipei101 Mall - Five Cent Restaurant

Day 3 

Yehliu Geopark - Jiufen - Wufenpu - Raohe Night Market

Day 4

Free and easy

It's been 2 years since my last visit to Taipei. Feels good to be back especially since this a new experience for me, to go with a big tour group.

This time around, I travelled to Taipei by Transasia Air, a full-fledged airline with entertainment and food included. I've always been a budget traveller with budget airlines, so this is a different experience for me altogether. 

Upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport, we were greeted by the tour guide and separated into 3 different buses. Our first stop was to get our local breakfast at Shilin stop. We got our soya milk and youtiao from Yong He before we make our way to Yangmingshan.

This time around, it wasn't that hard to get to Yangmingshan since we've chartered buses.

We visited the usual touristy spot like Xiaoyukang and the temperature was just nice. Since we have some time to waste, we also tried the local ice cream there which was tasty.

The tour guide also brought us to Calla Lily Lake to have a  look at these lilies. These are generally farms so you'll only get to walk on the outside of it to appreciate the beauty of the flowers. If you want to purchase any, you could do so with a small amount of money and hand-picked your own flowers.

Since we're surrounded by greenery, it is only normal to see that beautiful butterflies around. I spotted quite a few which is a rare sight for a city girl like me.

After Yangmingshan, we visited the National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in ZhongShan district to witness the changing of guard ceremony. The shrine itself was under renovation so we didn't really get to visit. It was baking hot by the time we got there so we just laze around while waiting for the procession to begin. 

Following that, we checked into the hotel at New Taipei and gets dropped off at Shilin night market to find our own dinner. 

The next day, we visited Danshui old street. This is the place to buy the tie tan ("iron" eggs) and yu su (fish flake). There were not many around because we arrive rather early. Following that, it was a short walk from the old street to catch a ferry to the Fisherman's Wharf. It looks very much the same as 2 years ago, except I'm here with a different company for this trip.

The initial itinerary was to visit a hot spring but because the weather was too hot, the tour guide changed the destination to visit the Taipei Flora Expo instead. There was an organic market going on at the outside of the expo where people can buy the organic fruit and products. The expo itself was quite big and there are also food stalls for people to purchase some food.

Since we have some time to waste before the company dinner, we went to Taipei101 mall to laze around for an hour or two. The weather was too hot for everyone so it was a good break to be in an air-conditioned building for a while. Some of the ladies went shopping while the guys went to grab a cuppa.

Our dinner was at Five Cent Driftwood House restaurant. It has a very elaborate exterior and interior which awes the visitor though I must say, food-wise, it is not that great. During the dinner, we were also entertained with some folk dances.

Moving on, we also visited Yehliu Geopark. This is my first time to the geopark. The scenery on the way there, I must say, was awesome. The geopark tour started with a video clip to educate visitors on the necessity to preserve the beauty of the place.

And that's me, all roasted by the Taiwan sunshine!

Next stop, we went to Jiufen. This place was packed with visitors! There were locals and foreigners and everyone was busy trying the orh yi (yam cubes) which the place is famous for. Of course, if you want to buy souvenirs, there are also many stalls selling pastries and souvenirs.

At night, the rest of the troops went to the Wufenpu and Raohe while I went to meet a friend who was residing in Taipei. 

The final day, we get a half day of free and easy so a few of us explored Shida area to hunt for cafe and brunch. We stopped by this place called Cafe Trouve, which serves pretty good brunch. The interior of the place is quite interesting and the cafe was manned by youths. 

On our way out, we spotted another cafe which also has very interesting decorations. Some students were there doing a survey on how we know about the cafe culture in Taipei. This cafe is slightly interesting because there were a lot of books around! Even the clock was in the shape of a book. If you're interested to find out more, please visit Sonnentor Cafe!