Taipei First Day Encounter

My Taiwan trip has both "lucky and unlucky" stories to tell..

Recently, Taiwan has granted a visa free status for Filipino nationalities and I am very lucky to be one of the first travelers to visit Taiwan who didn't need to process and pay for the visa. I booked my ticket under Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare (Php2896.33/ 206QR MNL-TPE-MNL) a few months before my trip, then the rumors started that they are going to lift the visa policy for Filipinos by September onwards; so, I decided to keep everything on hold and luckily they announced the visa-free policy to Taiwan before my travel date. As everything was set and we were ready to go, suddenly my boyfriend's vacation got cancelled by his boss a few days before our flight so I needed to travel alone.. I was shocked and unprepared with the idea of a solo travel. I took the chance and courage to travel on my own since I knew it would not happen any time soon, and that at least I could tick it off from my bucket list.
 

I reached Taipei at 2 in the morning and unfortunately, the metro timing is from 6AM-11PM only. Taking a cab from the airport to main Taipei is very costly so I stayed in the airport till the metro opened. I also had to wait for the stores to open so I could buy the travelers sim card with unlimited data, which could only be purchased in the airport (NTD300, 5days unlimited data), because I knew I would not be able to survive this trip without the help of google maps.

As soon as I reached Main Taipei, I patiently tried to look for my hostel without booking a cab. I wanted to work independently as much as I could but after an hour of walking and turning, I ended up giving in and took a cab to Pillow Hostel (NTD900 for 4 nights from booking.com). I then arrived at the hostel, and little did I know that it was just a few minutes away from Taipei Main Station (where the train drops you off from the airport). It is a perfect location to stay for fellow travelers as it is only a 15-minute walk to the main station and is surrounded by plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and convenient stores. You'll never go hungry even after a long day trip. Staffs everywhere are very friendly and helpful. They will guide you with directions and anything regarding the metro and bus stations.

 

CITY TOUR

 

I never booked a tour package with my previous trips as I am more of a DIY traveler. But this time I thought I should book a city tour package since I would be travelling on my own and I didn't want to take the risk of getting lost. I also needed to be familiarized with some of the places before exploring more of the city alone. I booked the 4-hour Taipei Doble Decker Bus Tour with Klook for only NTD270 which included unlimited ride for 4 hours, English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean headset guide and free wifi plus charging port! They also provided 1 day unlimited ride with the same inclusions. The bus will start at the Main Tapei Station (M4 bus stop) and it will tour you around Main Taipei and drop you off at different famous landmarks. It was a good buy for me because I saved a lot of time and energy in finding all these popular places within the city. All I had to do was hop inside the bus and hop off on my preferred destination.

 

 

 



NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM

 

Romper: Thrift Shop

Cardigan Jacket: Calvin Klein

Shoes: Converse



 

 

Taipei Expo Park (Hawker Center "Maji Maji")

 



 

 

 

XIMEN DING

 

 

SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

 

Stinky Tofu (NTD50)

 

 



TAIPEI 101 OBSERVATORY

Taipei 101 observatory starts in the 5th floor of Taipei 101 mall. It will take you to the 88th and 91st floor and depending on the weather, you will be able to see clearly the best view of Taiwan's urban and suburban stretch and down farther the mountainous spine of the island. I went there in the evening and I didn't appreciate the view that much.  In my opinion, it is not recommended to visit the place in the evening as all you will see are the city lights. It is best to spend time in this place before the sun sets. But you also have to consider the weather when you visit Taiwan or else the view will not be clearly visible at all. I was in Taiwan in the month of November and it was drizzling during my whole stay.

Expect a long queue specially on weekends because it is one of the famous go-to destinations in Taipei. You can purchase a ticket on the ticket machines located in the 5th floor, or you can save your time and buy it on Klook with a discounted price of only NTD510.
 

Romper: H&M
Longsleeves: Topshop

It is quite easy to travel from one place to another in Taipei, I love how their public transport system goes. The train is very accessible to all the destinations a tourist should go and it is a very safe and clean country. It is really recommended for a first time solo traveler like me.