Taipei 4-Day Itinerary: Day Four

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

It is already my last full day of this trip. I had a reunion with local friends for lunch at a pizza place which sold boba milk tea dessert pizza. It was interesting to say the least but I still prefer drinking instead of eating my boba/bubble tea.

Boba milk tea pizza

After lunch, they accompanied me to get souvenirs and I got some boxes of Taiwanese food goodies from the supermarket. Then we went to Ximending (???) so I could get my favourite mochi from Tai He Traditional Bakery (??). The packaging was now much nicer than when I last had it but unfortunately it was no longer as soft and amazing as it used to be since it is premade and put in the fridge instead of freshly sold in a wooden crate.

We took the MRT to City Hall Station, locked our bags in the coin locker and rented U-Bikes. They are easy to use if you have an EasyCard (Taipei�s transit card) and the first 30 minutes is free. We rode it to Elephant Mountain Station (??) and locked the bikes in. Then we walked to the Elephant Mountain trail.

View from Elephant Mountain

The hike up didn�t take long, about 20-30 minutes, but there were a lot of stairs. The sun was setting as we went up and despite the foggy, cloudy sky the view was beautiful. We could see Taipei 101 clearly since it was close by and I saw Miramar�s Ferris Wheel from afar. There were quite a few photographers there with their tripods capturing the scenery.

In the evening I had another experience that was possible thanks to my Taiwanese friend. She asked her friends to bring us around for the evening on their motorbikes since some places weren�t accessible by public transport. First we went to Hao Ji (??) for dinner and then we rode up Yangminshan to a place called Cao Shan (??). The restaurant was called Sleepless (?????) and there was an inside and outside area with small tables and patio umbrellas overlooking the city. The undersides of the outdoor tables were heated like a kotatsu. The view was spectacular.

Dinner at Hao Ji

View from Yangminshan

It is a restaurant so you can order food but since we already had dinner we ordered drinks and stayed until 12am. I was told that there is usually a live singer and you can choose songs but there wasn�t one tonight probably due to the rainy, windy weather.

We stayed until 12am because they wanted to go to a place in Shilin (??) that only opens after midnight when the Shilin Night Market (????) and shops are closed. It was a food cart that made re chao (??) with tables and chairs placed on the sides of the street. It was one of those places that only locals knew about and each dish was only NTD 100!

Getting food was a competition. They say only first timers will order food but frequenters will not. When a dish was ready, one employee would hold multiples of the same dish in his hands and go around asking who ordered it since it is a free flowing system. So all you have to do is shout, �We did! Over here please!� when you see a dish you like even if you did not order it. I was amused by this business model as the four men worked at extreme speeds. The food was pretty good and it was just a fun experience to eat street food in one of the most famous night markets, Shilin, while it was closed. It was as if the locals waited for the tourists of Shilin to leave at night before they brought out the good stuff.

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

Taipei 4-Day Itinerary: Day Three

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

Today I went to visit my host family from when I stayed in Taipei in the summer of 2013. It was nostalgic to be back in Wanhua (??) and I was pleased that I still remembered exactly how to walk to their place from the MRT station. Not much has changed except there is now a Pizza Hut in the neighbourhood. It was great to catch up and I am forever grateful for their hospitality.

Streets of Wanhua

After the visit I went to Yehliu (??) by bus. I went to the Taipei Main Station bus terminal, got a roundtrip ticket to Yehliu (NTD 178) and sat for 1.5 hours. The journey might seem long but it went by quickly with a nap.

Yehliu Fishing Port

After alighting from the bus I walked about 600 metres to the Geopark (??????). The walk downhill was pleasant and I passed by the Yehliu Port. The Geopark itself was crowded with tourists and many of them in tour groups. Entrance cost NTD 80 for adults and NTD 40 if you have a student card. I know the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) definitely works but I am unsure about individual schools� cards.

Yehliu Geopark

It was gorgeous to see the geological landscape despite the overcast skies. I loved watching the waves crash loudly against the shore. Of course, the interesting rock formations are why this place is famous and they�re a sight as well! It was a bit sad to see some tourists ignoring the signs and walking on parts that were clearly labelled as �Do Not Cross� which could ruin the natural beauty. Happenings like these give me urgency to travel to see things before they are ruined by humans due to popularity.

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

Taipei 4-Day Itinerary: Day Two

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

We had dan bing (??) in the morning which was a breakfast item that I missed from Taiwan. (Who am I kidding, I missed almost all foods that I have tried in Taiwan.) Anyways after breakfast I took the MRT to Wufenpu (???) market by 11am. When I was last here in 2013 it was most convenient to take the MRT to Houshanpi Station (???) and follow the signs to Wufenpu. Since then, Songshan Station (??) has been built and it is another option to get to the market. I read online that they open at 11am but almost all the shops were closed when I arrived.

Dan bing breakfast

So I went to a nearby 7-Eleven to eat a snack and use their WiFi until 12pm. Did you know that Taiwan has the highest density of 7-Elevens worldwide? Japan is known for their convenience stores and I was once asked what the difference between Japan and Taiwan 7-Elevens were. When I walked in, I realized one of the biggest differences was that Taiwanese ones always smell of tea egg when I walk in which I like.

At noon a few shops started opening but I definitely recommend going later in the day for a better selection. As well, Monday is mainly for wholesale buyers so I heard shopkeepers don�t want to bother selling to individual shoppers. Fortunately I found one store I liked and left happy with my new purchases.

Cheng Yuan

By 1:30pm I met a friend at Dongmen Station and we went to Cheng Yuan (??) for lunch. I saw this restaurant on a TVB food show and the xiao long bao looked delicious. They are especially known for their sponge gourd xiao long bao (??????). Personally I have never heard of sponge gourd before but that is what the Chinese translated as when I Googled it. Anyways it was delicious, affordable and I�d go back again!

I wanted to look for Timberland boots and my friend took me to the Leeco Outlet shops by Gongguan Station (??). Tourists can do some shopping here in the early evening then head over to Gongguan Night Market for that style of shopping in the evening.

Instead of Gongguan Night Market, we went to Shida Night Market (????) and then to the Xinyi area ??? (where Taipei 101 and financial buildings are) for dessert at Ice Monster. It was supposed to be a famous shaved ice chain but honestly it wasn�t very good. Our strawberry shaved ice was way too sweet. The Xinyi area was pretty with light displays and towering Christmas trees since it was the holidays period when I went. Taipei 101 was lit up in purple at one point and that is my favourite colour.

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

Taipei 4-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

After two years I finally went back to Taiwan! This time I flew from Japan instead of Canada. My trip started the night before my departure flight from Kansai International Airport. Since it takes me more than 3 hours to get to KIX and the earliest train isn�t early enough for me to make it, I stayed at the airport the night before.

I found a budget but comfortable option to spend the night hours before my 7:50am flight. This requires a bit of preparation beforehand but it is very easy! First, I registered for the free KIX card online before my trip and printed out the confirmation slip. Second, when I got to the airport I handed the slip to the KIX card counter next to the information counter lady and she gave me my card.

Using this card, I went straight to the KIX Lounge where I was able to use the facility for 50% off simply by using the KIX card. I was there about 11:00pm and the private booth seats were all full at that time but I was lucky because about 10 minutes later a booth opened up! The open area is cheaper but much less comfortable for an overnight stay.

Booth at KIX Lounge

The booth included a plush armchair, a computer with headphones, internet access (of course) and TV function, a small safe and a hanger for your coat. You can also get blankets and slippers packaged in individual plastic bags after cleaning from a shelf. The price included a complimentary drinks bar with coffee, tea and corn soup. Less than 3 minute walk from the lounge is a convenient store where you can buy food to eat along with the free drinks. The meals you can buy at the lounge are not expensive either if you would rather not leave. But there is an entire food court with great choices, again less than 3 minutes walk away, if you�re there during its opening hours.

Anywho the washroom was clean, there was a powder room, and a section with many reading materials from magazines, newspapers to manga. When I first checked in to the lounge, I booked my shower time slot for 5am in the morning. Arriving at 11pm, the next time slot available was 1am so I did not want to wait. Using the shower facilities requires registering at the front desk so be sure to do that if you are planning on using it!

I put on some ear plugs and was able to get decent rest. My 7.5 hour stay at the lounge including the shower (not included in 50% discount and costs 500 yen) only came to 2500 yen. I think this is a great price for staying the night at KIX with good facilities, friendly staff and superb convenience to the terminal. Hotels in the area easily cost $150+ per night and accommodations outside of KIX require a train ride into the airport early in the morning. For my 7:50am flight, I was able to sleep until 5am and still have time to shower, get ready and eat breakfast, then check-in and go through security. I probably would have to wake up at 3 or 4am if I didn�t stay at KIX.

 

My 3 hour flight to Taiwan was smooth. At the arrival hall I exchanged money and looking back it was a good decision. This Bank of Taiwan exchange counter was before the immigration line and while everyone was rushing over there, I decided to exchange my money and it was done in 5 minutes. I didn�t have to wait long in the immigration line either because they opened more counters for the mass of people from the arrival flight. I saw that there was a long line for the money exchanger at the arrival hall.

I took the escalator down (follow signs for the bus) and bought a Kuo-Kuang (??) bus ticket for Taipei Main Station (NTD 125). The vehicle was the tour bus kind and took an hour from Taoyuan Airport to reach Taipei Main Station.

I met my friend, locked my bags in the coin lockers and we went to buy tickets to go to Ping Xi (??). To get to Ping Xi we had to transfer at Rui Fang (??). So we got a ticket from Taipei Main Station to Rui Fang (NTD 50) and another ticket for unlimited day pass of the local train in the Ping Xi area (NTD 80). These are amazing train prices given what I am used to in Japan! However, take note that the trains for the limited day pass are quite infrequent. They only come once an hour and is a slow local train.

When we reached Rui Fang there was about an hour before the Ping Xi train so we browsed Rui Fang for a bit. It was quite a small town and is known for its Old Street.

Shifen train tracks

On our second train, the Ping Xi train, we got off at Shifen Old Street (????) and it had a great atmosphere. It was crowded and people were walking on the train tracks since it came so infrequently. There were food stalls and souvenir shops on the sides plus many paper lantern shops because that is what the area is known for. People were busy scribbling their wishes onto the large paper lanterns and setting them free. When we went it wasn�t quite night time yet so it wasn�t dark enough to have the same glowing effect you see in lantern festival photos of Taiwan but it was still nice.

Shifen

We waited awhile for the next train to Jing Tong (??) which my friend said is similar to Ping Xi anyways but less crowded. Jing Tong seemed similar to Shifen for me so after 10 minutes we hopped back on the train because it would be an hour before the next one. The train was parked there because it was the last stop.

Raohe Night Market

In the evening we took the MRT (subway) to Song Shan station to go to Raohe Night Market (???????). It was super crowded on this Saturday night. We tried the famous Black Pepper Pork Pastry (???????) and I have never seen a line for a food stall at a night market this long. I have also never seen 14 people working at one food stall before. It was definitely famous and definitely delicious. It came piping hot and only cost NTD 50.

Popular food stall

We also had pork rib herbal soup at an upstairs place that I wouldn�t have known of if a local didn�t bring me. Later I found out that they had a food stall in the night market but it was much more comfortable to eat in the air conditioned section upstairs.

It was a bit tiring since I woke up so early this morning but I had a wonderful first day. It�s always a good time in Taiwan.

Read Day 1 here - Ping Xi, Shifen Old Street, Raohe Night Market

Read Day 2 here - Wufenpu, Xinyi area

Read Day 3 here - Wanhua, Yehliu Geopark

Read Day 4 here - Elephant Mountain, Yangminshan

Kyoto and Nara 2-Day Itinerary: Day Two

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

In the morning we left Kyoto (??) and took the train to Uji (??) which is famous for matcha. The ride takes 20-30 minutes depending on which train you take (rapid or not.) Our first stop was to Byodo-in (???) which was about a 10 minute walk from the JR station.

Byodo-In

I have been to Byodo-in before (post here) and it was just as beautiful the second time around even in the rainy weather. This time we went into the Phoenix Hall which only finished renovations recently. I suggest going into the museum to watch the video of how they revived the hall and the artifacts they took from the hall to display before going on the hall tour itself. Especially since I don't speak Japanese and the tour itself is all in Japanese, the visuals and English plaques from the museum really helped me to understand its history.

Matcha soba, rice, matcha jelly with red bean and mochi

After the tour we went to Nakamura Tokichi Honten (????) to queue for about 40 minutes. It is a very popular spot to eat matcha goodies and last time I was here I didn't have time to wait 1+ hour so I left. But this time I factored in waiting time into our itinerary because I really wanted to try it and it definitely did not disappoint.

Matcha dessert

We got matcha soba, matcha the drink and matcha jelly with red bean, mochi and matcha ice cream. It might sound like a lot of matcha but the flavours were so fresh and light that it left this matcha-lover very happy. I especially liked the matcha jelly and ice cream dessert.

Following this great lunch, we took the train to Nara (??) and then a city bus to Nara Park (????) to see the famous deer. There really were a lot and I thought I saw a lot of free roaming deer while in Miyajima (??) but Nara definitely outnumbered them. We also saw Todaiji Temple (???) in the area but did not go in.

Nara Park

Todaiji Temple

On our way back to Nara Station we opted to walk instead of taking the city bus to see more of the city. We walked past Kofukiji Temple (???) which were filled with tourists and high school groups like Kiyamizudera.

Kofukiji Temple

Departing from Nara, we took the train to Osaka Station (??) and then a train from Osaka Station to Rinku Town Station (???????) to the premium outlets which took about an hour. The style is very similar to outlets I have been to in North America and feature a lot of those stores as well. From the outlets there is a direct bus to Kansai International Airport.

Rinku Town Outlets

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

Kyoto and Nara 2-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

We started off the day heading to Kyoto Station (??). It was a Sunday and there were many tourists by 10am at the station. The first time I went to Kyoto I didn't see these booths but this time there were people dressed in the tourism board's vests giving information and selling the bus day pass. The day pass is 500 yen and allows unlimited bus rides in the city that pretty much go to all the popular landmarks except for Fushimi Inari Shrine (??????).

Kiyomizudera

After getting our day pass, we took the bus to Kiyomizudera (???). It is a very popular temple and there were crowds of tourists and high school student groups. Unfortunately one of the halls were under construction so we didn't get to see that.

School group at Kiyamizudera

Most people crowd at the platform to see the temple but if you continue walking a bit further (in a downhill direction) there is a much quieter and great spot to see the temple in full view. If you continue walking down the stairs, you will reach the spot where you hiked up the stairs to buy the entrance tickets in the first place.

Alternative view of Kiyamizudera

We took the bus to Gion (??) to eat okonomiyaki lunch at Issen Yoshoku (????). There is only one item on the food menu, their okonomiyaki. Life size female mannequins in yukata sit at your table and "dine" with you which could be funny or creepy depending on your humour.

Next we walked to the Nishiki Market (???) which is boasted online as being a great place to buy souvenirs. We didn't buy souvenirs but we tried some snacks such as a baby octopus stuffed with a quail egg inside to hold up its round, plump shape.

Snacks at Nishiki Market

We took the bus to Ginkakuji (???) which I expected to be silver in colour due to the kanji name since Kinkakuji (???) is actually gold in colour. The temple turned out to be just wood but there was a pleasant garden surrounding it. I enjoyed walking around this garden more than the Kinkakuji one due to the smaller crowd but the latter's temple is definitely much more impressive looking.

Ramen dinner

After a simple dinner at a ramen shop we went shopping at Teramachi Shopping Arcade (???) and called it a day. Continue reading Day 2 when we go to Nara and Rinkutown Outlet in Osaka!

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

Kobe 1-Day Itinerary

Kobe is very well known for its Kobe beef. Advertisements for restaurants serving the meat is everywhere in the city. We began our day checking that off on our bucket list.

We went to Steakland, which is a restaurant near to Sannomiya Station and started lining up at 10:30am. Lunch hour doesn't begin until 11:00am but there is always a long queue so we joined the 10 or so people who were already waiting.

At 11:00am an employee led us to the elevator to go up to the second-floor restaurant. To my surprise, most of the seats were already filled and there was another queue at the entrance. We wrote down our names and waited for another 10 minutes before we were seated.

Kobe beef teppanyaki style

We sat in seats surrounding a teppanyaki grill and the chef brought out the raw meat and grilled it in front of us. I have had high quality Kobe beef before that melted like butter in the mouth. This wasn't quite to that level but the taste was good and the meat was tender. It was good value for the lunch hour price.

Steakland lunch set. Not pictured: salad and coffee

Upon leaving the restaurant we were met with crowds of people waiting from the elevator to the front door. It was quite chaotic and we were glad that we queued even before it opened to avoid waiting like this in the cramped space.

After a satisfying lunch, we made our way towards Mount Rokko. We took a Hankyu train to Rokko Station, then the city bus 16 towards the Rokko Cable Car Station. The cable car ride was about 10 minutes long and brought us to Sanjo station where the observation deck was.

Rokko Cable Car

View from observation deck

It was a rather cloudy day so we couldn't see the cityscape very clearly. Next we rode the Rokko mountaintop bus to Kobe Shiritsu Rokkosan Farm. There were many farm animals from pigs to cows to horses. As well, the sheep grazed freely on the grassy hills. It was a good relaxing spot away from the city and some people brought blankets with them to lie down on the grass.

Rokkosan farm

Sheep grazing

We took the  bus back to Rokko Station and took the train to Motomachi Station where Kobe's Chinatown is. It is not that big but it is one of the bigger ones in Japan. There were food stalls in addition to many restaurants. We tried some food from the stalls and honestly it wasn't very good Chinese food.

Kobe Chinatown

The last stop of the day was to Harbourland. We took the train to Kobe Station then walked to the port to see the night view. I found it prettier at night all lit up than in the daytime.

Kobe Port Tower and Maritime Museum

This is quite a lot to pack into a day because transportation to and from Mount Rokko can be slow if you miss one of the infrequent buses. Otherwise, the spots in the city are easy to get to via train or subway.
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Update: I recently went back to Mount Rokko to see the famous million dollar view of Japan. We went to the Garden Terrace and it was very cold and windy in the early January weather but the view was worth it.

Night view from Mount Rokko

We went to a cafe at Garden Terrace and it featured tables all facing windows looking out on the view. It's a great place to keep warm and see the view if you're going in wintertime.

Cafe at Garden Terrace

We got a dessert and almond cream drink at the cafe and it was pretty good! Please note that the last bus from Garden Terrace to the cable car is at 8:45pm and the last cable car down is at 9:10pm. I was surprised that a place famous for its night view had public transport that finished so early.

Dessert at the cafe