Stay: Neijiang Hotel at Xi Men Ding
It is a no-brainer that Taipei is my first solo travel destination. It is generally safe, Mandarin Chinese speaking, convenient public transports, availability to shop, food that I quite like and not too expensive.
Upon arrival at Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 before the immigration, there will be a couple of phone shops selling SIM cards. I cannot remember the name of the telco because I just grab the cheapest and most importantly, no queue.
Once out of the immigration, simply follow the sign for Airport MRT and you can purchase EasyCard from the machines right in front of the gantry. It costs NT$160 per trip and takes about 40 mins to reach Taipei Main Station.
You can top up the EasyCard at any train station (minimum amount tried is NT$50) and there is admin fee to refund the monies in the card. As a guide, NT$800 including the rides to/fro airport and Maokong Mountain is just about right for my trip.
Once you reached Taipei Main Station, again, follow the sign to the metro line (which I will just call MRT in the rest of the post). Save a copy of the MRT map for easy travel.
Day 1
NeiJiang > Xi Men Ding > Sky Blue Bags > Wistaria Tea House > Shi Da Night Market
After achieving the number of steps to finish the National Steps Challenge, I finally dump my luggage at Neijiang! This hotel isn't the best and definitely not the cheapest option for a solo trip. But it is clean, sufficient and at the fringe of XMD. Easy to explore both the busy XMD and local shops.
First stop is Ah-Chung mee sua at XMD. It is filled with tourists standing around to eat because there isn't any seat available. Instead of oysters, this has big intestines. Look around and you will find condiments, tissues, place for you to dump your bowl and rubbish.
Next, I took the MRT to Zhongxiao Dunhua Stn, ~5 mins walk specifically to Sky Blue Bags aka 天蓝小铺. Sadly, the bags were not within my budget or weight. The area looks quite hip-ish to explore but since it was raining, I gave it a miss.
After all the walk, it is time to rest at Wistaria Tea House!
See >> https://wanderlust-tales.blogspot.sg/2018/02/wistaria-tea-house.html
Another 5 minutes walk through the alleys and you will reach Shi Di Night Market! I quite enjoy the food here and I tried stuff like 蚝煎，药材鸭汤，卤味，生煎包。Just go for those with people and you will be good. There are a few variety of shops.
Day 2
Chow's Porridge > Long Shan Temple > Addiction Aquatic Development > Eslite at Taipei City Hall > Smith&Hsu > Elephant Mountain > Tong Hua Night Market > Xi Men Ding
15 mins walk from Neijiang brings me to Chow's Porridge! It is just less than 5 mins walk from Long Shan Temple MRT. There is an order slip (in Chinese, not sure if English version is available) for you to write your orders and pass it to the people standing around. Find a table first before ordering. The must order is the 红烧肉 (also known as deep fried pork). They will just give each person a bowl of porridge and you can just order more (of course need to pay ah). The porridge is almost like soup and salty. Very shiok!
It is 5 mins walk from Long Shan Temple, one of the most famous temples in Taipei but it is getting more touristy than ever.
Next up, Addiction Aquatic Development!
See >> http://wanderlust-tales.blogspot.sg/2018/02/addiction-aquatic-development.html
Headed to Taipei City Hall which is pretty much like City Hall in Singapore with all the shopping malls and Eslite, the departmental store. Had tea at Smith&Hsu which is known for its scones. I can't appreciate scones though.
One of the most epic thing I did for this trip is to actually used YouBike! I registered my EasyCard at the machine with the Taiwan number of the SIMCard I bought and cycled to the park near Elephant Mountain. Download the YouBike app beforehand so that you can check the stations and availability.
See >> http://wanderlust-tales.blogspot.sg/2018/02/elephant-mountain-from-taipei-city-hall.html
For this trip, I decided to give Tong Hua Night Market a try. It was underwhelming with just a short street. Do give the 咸水鸡 right at the entrance / exit of the street (depending on which side you enter) a try. It wasn't quite my thing because it gets sweeter after every mouth but is something worth trying. Yeah I know, what a recommendation.
Given how small Tong Hua is, you can end your night at XMD. The night is enjoyable there with lots to eat, look and buy.
Day 3
Maokong Mountain > Fujin Street > Fujin Tree 353 Cafe > Wu Fen Pu Shopping District > Rao He Night Market
From XMD, it took ~one hour to reach Maokong Mountain.
See >> http://wanderlust-tales.blogspot.sg/2018/02/maokong-mountain.html
Going back the same way, I took a train to SongShan Airport and walked ~15 mins to Fujin Street which is supposed to be a street filled with hipster cafes. I only got coffee from Fujin Tree 353 Cafe and it was decent but not mind-blowing.
I love the quietness in the cafe and the street but there isn't anything much else. It is a short street with some random cafes / shops on either sides. As I will not be going back the same way, I had to keep crossing the streets when I spied that there are shops open.
So, continue walking away from where you arrive from SongShan, you will reach a Youbike station with a turn. ~10 mins ride to Nanjing Sanming Stn, one train station to SongShan Stn (note, without "airport") and another ~10 mins walk will bring you to Wu Fen Pu.
This place is a maze for shopping. It was so easy to get lost as there were many alleys and alleys within alleys. While walking, you will also get your lungs darken as the motorcycles and lorries are sharing the same road that you are walking. The choices are wide and prices are acceptable.
Walking past the train station and just a little further down, you will reach Rao He Night Market! This night market has a rather narrow walking space and crowded so it was very difficult to walk and eat at the same time. Some shops have seating area, so that was my cue. I tried the mutton soup, deep fried squid (my soft spot) and tauhuey. The most famous is the black pepper bun which you definitely won't miss the queue. It was really good though.
Day 4
Ok, I know it said 3 days itinerary on the title but i actually went there for 4 with my last day just having breakfast at random local shop, shopping at Carrerfour and back to Singapore. There is a Carrerfour near Neijiang, less than 10 minutes walk.
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