SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2016
Okay, so looking at my blog stats, I noticed that my posts about Taiwan were getting a lot more views than my other posts. Not sure why, but I thought I’d do another Taiwan post. I’ve since then fallen way behind, so there’s lots still to share of this beautiful island.
TAIPEI
My college friend, Nghi, and her boyfriend were visiting Taipei and asked if I wanted to hang out. Being the lonely person that I am, I third wheeled it the whole day. Nah, just kidding. They were awesome and I had fun showing them around. I even went to some places for the first time myself. Note: This is just a recount of what we did. I will hopefully do a more comprehensive post of top things to do and where to eat someday soon.
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| Photo by: Nghi Truong |
BRAISED PORK RICE
If you come to Taiwan, you have to try the braised pork rice. It’s the number 1 thing to eat in Taiwan on CNN Travel’s Top 40 Taiwanese food list. Almost anyone who visits me, I will bring them here to eat braised pork rice. In my opinion, it’s delicious. I have had friends who liked it and some who have not. The restaurant has other things on their menu as well. I recommend trying some of their other popular dishes. The last time I was there, they had also had an English menu so don’t be shy! What’s also great is that it’s super cheap. You can find this all over Taiwan, but if you’re looking for good food in the area, definitely give this a try.
The restaurant is a 10-15 minute walk from Zhongshan MRT Station Exit 6.
CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL HALL
After we got some food in our belly, we continued down the red line to the famous Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. This is actually my first time here. It’s super pretty. In front of the memorial are two halls. One is a music concert hall and the other one is a theater hall. If I were to compare it, this is like the Lincoln Memorial of Taiwan. The following are just some of the things you can do while you’re there.
1. Walk around the gardens – The memorial has beautiful gardens with a koi pond. There’s a food dispenser and for 20NT you can feed the fish in the pond. It’s crazy how tranquil it feels there when the hustle and bustle of the city are only a short 50 feet away. Beware of mosquitoes.
2. Changing of the guards – Stay and watch the changing of the guards. Doesn’t matter how many times they do it in a day, crowds of people gather to watch this special ceremony.
3. Museums – Underneath the large statue of Chiang Kai Shek are several exhibits and museums. I’m not sure if it changes from time to time, but at the time when we went, there was an art gallery. You can also learn about some of Taiwan’s history.
DIN TAI FUNG
We continued down the red line to Taipei 101. For dinner we ate at Din Tai Fung, another must in Taiwan. Din Tai Fung is famous for soup dumplings. I’ve never tried soup dumplings elsewhere, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have tasted as good as the ones I’ve found in Taiwan. If I were to compare, Din Tai Fung is like the Cheesecake Factory of Taiwan. Their menu is extensive. Tons of dumplings, soups, green vegetables, wontons, etc. It’s a bit pricey by Taiwan standards, but worth it. If you ask around, people might say that the better location is near Dongmen Station. That’s the original store. Personally, I think the one’s at Taipei 101 taste just as good. It’s also more convenient. You can get a view of 101 and soup dumplings. Beware of long wait times during peak hours. Geez, I’ve seen the wait time reach 1.5 hours. At that point, I’m not sure if it’d be worth the wait. We had no trouble, fortunately.
ICE MONSTER
Okay, so I’m aware that we just ate dumplings, but I really wanted them to try the shaved ice too. I basically took them on a food tour. Whoops. So, Ice Monster is a really really great place to get shaved ice. Again, it’s a little pricey, but the shaved ice is good. You won’t regret it. My favorites are the mango snowflake shaved ice and the bubble tea shaved ice. They also have real “Taiwanese shaved ice.” The real Taiwanese shaved ice is crushed ice with red bean. But there are better places to get authentic Taiwanese shaved ice. If you go to Ice Monster, order what they are known for: the snowflake shaved ice.
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| Photo By: Nghi Truong |
DAY 2
XIMENDING
On the second day, we met up in Ximending. This is an area right outside of Ximen Station. You’ll often find a lot of young people hanging out here. By young, I mean high school to college students. There’s a lot happening in this area. Oh my god, what do they not have?! Here are some things to do:
1. Shopping – Lots of shopping. You can find a lot of cheap clothing here. Beware, Ximending has a body type. Your chances of finding something that fits larger than a 6 is very unlikely. Cash only and no refunds or exchanges. Recently, they just opened an H&M, so I guess the options are improving.
2. Taiwanese snacks – indulge on all your Taiwanese snacks here. So many food stands and bubble tea stands on every street.
3. See a movie – What’s really interesting is everything in Taipei is grouped. There’s an alley in Ximending where it’s all movie theaters. They are all in the same alley next to each other.
We walked around the area and we ended up grabbing lunch at a ramen place. It was good! Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the place.
I can’t remember where we went after and I have no pictures to remind me, so that’s all for now. So happy I got to share Taiwan with Nghi and her boyfriend. Until next time!
Much love, Tina. x.
