After learning a bit of History, we went to the landmark skyscraper of Taiwan - Taipei 101.
Taipei 101 has an indoor and outdoor observatory, but because of poor weather, the outdoor one was closed. The view was however surprisingly good!
At night, we went to the famous Shilin Night Market for some after dinner snacks and desserts. The girls were particularly excited about it as they could shop till they drop! We had lots of good food and since we are all voracious eaters, I did not take many photos.
Fried Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce (photo is unintentionally out of focus because I'm a terrible photographer)
Afterwards we went back to our hostel which is very cosy; it has a living room for socialising!
Day 2 (Raining + Good Food)
Day 2 began with a nice breakfast and we went to the zoo. The weather was good in the morning but at noon, rain started to pour down and we were all wet. We decided to leave and go back to the city.
We went to a very famous local restaurant for deep fried ribs. The ribs are crispy on the outside and tender inside; the price was very reasonable as well (I think it was around 160-200 Taiwan Dollars, which is around 6 USD!)
As suggested by the girls, we went shopping again in the afternoon (raining is a very good reason, isn't it?). At night, we met up with our Taiwanese friends and we had all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. There was a variety of food ranging from meat to seafood; desserts (which include Häagen-Dazs ice cream) and drinks are also unlimited. It was a really pleasant meal!
Day 3 (Jiufen, Shifen and Houtong Cat Village)
On Day 3 we left Taipei City and our first stop was Jiufen. Jiufen is a small town famous for its breathtaking view, street market and taro balls!
Beautiful view of the ocean!
Street Market
Taro balls served with syrup. I love this and the taro balls are really soft and chewy :)
Souvenir for my friend with a lovely quote "Choco is better than sex"
After spending a few hours we went to Shifen, which is famous for railway tracks, waterfall, Shifen Old Street and sky lantern. Weather was bad and we didn't get to see the waterfall :(
The famous railway track featuring a train. The railway is bordered by houses!
People would write their wishes on the sky lantern and launch it
We spent time writing postcards there and after standing for 30 minutes in an unprecedentedly crowded train (to avoid such unpleasant experience, don't go during the weekend), we arrived Houtong Cat Village. It is a small village with lots of lovely cats, and you can pet them without being attacked!
Day 4 (Maokong Tea House and Tamsui)
Maokong is picturesque and famous for its tea hourse, and people usually take the Maokong Gondola to go there.
View from our cable car
Drinking tea with style
Taeh-Kuan-Yin tea ice cream, surprisingly good!
After spending some time in this tranquil teahouse, we left and went to Tamsui. Tamsui has a really busy street market and the well-known Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf is nearby. It is also a great place for cycling!
Doughnut from Mister Donut (my favourite but doesn't have a store in Hong Kong ): )
Grilled beef tenderloin
Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf and the famous Lover Bridge
And of course, sunset!
Day 5 (Kenting)
We woke up early this day and took the High Speed Rail to Zuoying Station (Kaohsiung), and then a bus to Kenting. Kenting is known for beaches and beautiful scenery, and once again, its night market (Taiwan is all about food!).
South Bay Beach, where we played watersports although I don't know how to swim
Kenting Main Street, yet another night market
Day 6 (Kenting)
We visited Kenting National Park this day and usually people would rent a car, as most of the places are quite difficult to get to by public transport.
Sail Rock, people say it looks like the head of President Nixon (I suppose I ain't very imaginative)
Eluanbi Park
The Kissing Rock
Eluanbi Lighthouse, usually featured in postcards
Southernmost point of Taiwan
Longpan Park, perfect for (display) photo
Fongchuisha (Windblown Sand). In Winter, the wind would blow the sand inward and cover the road. Our cab driver told us once the wind was so strong that his car door was destroyed :O
Day 7 (Kaohsiung)
To my surprised, Kaohsiung is a lot less vibrant than Taipei. We only spent a day and a half there and I did not take many pictures, as my phone went out of battery.
A very cute but quiet cat in our hostel
Metro at 10 p.m.
Street view at 10 p.m.
Railway Museum
And yeah it's a long post that covers pretty much what I did in Taiwan (you are awesome if you are reading this!). I would really recommend you guys to visit Taipei City if you love food and shopping, and Kenting if you love outdoor activities. Kaohsiung disappoints me a bit and I would say it's just a less crowded version of Taipei. Overall it's a really nice trip and I think Taiwan is suitable for most travellers, as food and accommodation can be quite cheap (I spent less than HKD 800 on hostel for 6 nights). There is a lot more to do in Taiwan such as exploring the mountainous area in the middle part. So I guess there's something that will suit you for sure.
Also, Taiwanese are usually very nice! They always offer to help us and they are really polite. Well, maybe with the exception of a cab driver who accused me of breaking his car (which I did not). He yelled at us and even stopped the car in the middle of the road just to examine his car, we were quite scared then. Luckily we arrived at our destination safe without being scammed!
If you have any question about Taiwan or any comments in general, I would love to hear them. Thanks for reading!
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