Taipei (day 01) - cont.

Our destination for our first day is Beitou (Thermal Valley) , Danshui ( seaside district of New Taipei City) , Shilin Night Market.

Beitou is in the northern part of Taipei which is famous for Hot Springs.

How to get there?
Take the Red MRT line to Beitou and transfer to Xinbeitou line.The Xinbeitou line is a themed mrt with colorful cabs. Upon exiting , just go straight out and there are directional signages going to Thermal Valley.

Xinbeitou line mrt colorful cabs

Inside the mrt

Because it was summer  it's quite hot walking towards the Thermal Valley. You will pass by a number of hot spring resorts and hotels and some public bath. We did not try the public hot spring bath because we were pressed for time, maybe next time.

Beitou public library

Beitou Thermal Valley aka Hell Valley

From afar you would know that you have reached the thermal valley with the smell of sulphur.
There's not much to see in Beitou except taking a dip in their public hot spring bath. Just be sure to bring bottled water to keep you hydrated specially during summer.

After Beitou, you're probably hungry with the walking done. We headed to Danshui for our first night market experience.

Hot to get to Danshui from Beitou?
From Xinbeitou ride the mrt to Beitou. Transfer to Danshui line. When you exit look out for the Mister Donut store on your left and follow the path going to Danshui old street.

Danshui or Tamsui or Danshuei is at the northern end of the red mrt line . It is very popular with tourists for its sunset and fisherman's wharf. One may explore the old danshui streets by foot and you can never go hungry with the numerous food stands.

Stinky Tofu. Not really workin for me. To each his own taste. NTD40/stick

This one is really nice. Octopus tentacles covered in special batter. Delicious!!! NTD100/cup (big)

Bittergourd Juice. Who would have thought? But it's not bitter at all. Refreshing drink at NTD60/cup (big)

Chicken Nuggets. Spicy or regular. NTD55/small bag

We were so full after trying a few . It's a good thing you only have to walk it off then resume eating. Watch the sunset for a romantic evening. Or go to Lover's Bridge.

When we've had our fill and our bellies are bursting , we rode again the MRT going to Shilin Night Market. Go down Jiantan Station (not the Shilin Station) and upon exit at the mrt you will see immediately plenty road side shops selling food and other knick knacks. Food again????? And just as we thought we couldn't take in anymore food , we still had to try food that we did not find in Danshui. The trick is, walk and walk and walk then when you go hungry again go and indulge.

Shilin Night Market entrance

Shilin Night Market houses a plethora of clothes, shoes, bags, cellphone housings and all other things you want to buy!!

By this time we were so tired from walking and eating so we decided to go back to our hotel to rest. :)

Taiwan (Day 1) - Beitou/Danshui/Shilin

Our travel to Taiwan was during the height of an ongoing issue between Philippines and Taiwan. We were resolved to postpone this trip because friends advises us it might not be good timing and safety is in question. But at the last minute when there were peace talks going on with the 2 countries , we decided to go on and apply for a visa because we wouldn't want to waste our tickets (fyi, budget airline tickets can be rebooked but with so many penalties it's better to buy a new one :)).

Visa application was swift and two days before we leave we were granted one. With a sigh of relief, i finalized the hotel and our itinerary for a 3 day trip.

Day 0 - etd MNL 1040pm
Day 1 - eta TPE  1240am
0100 am  Ride a Kuo Kuang Bus to Taipei Main Station
0200 am  Arrive Taipei Main Station and taxi to Ximen Area
0230 am Checkin Hotel (Ximen) / Rest
0900 am Breakfast
1000 am Head to Beitou
1200 pm Head to Danshui Night Market (Lunch)
0400 pm Head to Shilin Night Market
0700 pm Back to hotel
0800 pm Dinner in Ximending street

It was a red eye flight of Cebu Pacific from Manila to Taipei. We arrived on time but after going thru immigration and changing currencies we were out by 0130am. There is only one bus going to the city in this ungodly hour and that is Kuo Kuang bus company. Although there are many buses during the day until around 1100pm. You may choose from Citi Air, Freego Bus , Evergreen Bus etc. depending on where you're heading to. But for us we do not have any choice we took the 1819 Kuo Kuang Bus to Taipei Main Station.

You may also take a taxi from the airport but it would cost you NTD1,300/car (approx P2,000) . If there are 4 of you then taking a taxi would be reasonable. But me being a cheapo i opted to ride the bus which would cost me NTD125 (less than P200) only. The Bus station can be found one floor below the arrival hall in the airport. Upon exiting the baggage carousel just look to your left and you will see a sign directing you to the bus station. You will also find a convenience store there where you must change your money to an exact NTD125 to pay the driver.

This is the bus stand where you wait for bus going to Taipei City

Take note that the Taoyuan International Airport is located in Taoyuan City and is 50mins by land travel to Taipei City.

1819 Kuo Kuang Bus drops you off at the Taipei Main Station where you can get a taxi (or ride the MRT if it's still open) to your hotel. As in our case, our hotel is located in Ximending which is just one MRT stop from the main station. It is best to situate yourself near the main station if you're planning to do some travelling in and around the city. It's convenient and practical. MRT is the best way of transportation. Taxi ride can be very expensive.

I am so happy with my hotel choice. One2Stay is a sister company of Good9Stay. I learned about this when i tried booking for Good9Stay and they informed me that they were fully booked but instead offered me One2Stay. Their building is right beside Ximen MRT Station Exit 1. When exiting you just turn left and a few steps would lead you to their door. The hotel occupies the third floor with  few rooms  only so there are few guests only which makes it quiet and peaceful to stay. Their wifi is strong but the room itself is not so big but they make it a point to clean it everyday so i've nothing to complain. I'm out most of the time anyway.

Red House Theatre right across One2stay hotel. Very very accessible  and convenient!

Contact Good9stay/One2stay at good9stay@gmail.com.

There is no breakfast that comes with your hotel but who needs hotel breakfast ? You're in Taipei! Go out and try the local breakfast joint which are numerous. Our first stop for breakfast is Yong He Chinese Breakfast resto. I wanted to try the famous you tiao , Dou jiang , xiao long bao, egg roll. Everything is yummy. Though we were just limited to ordering what was in their picture menu because we cannot understand chinese :(  Our bill would come up to NTD150 (P225) for 2persons with 2 soy milk , 2 breads with ham and egg, xiao long bao (dimsum), 1 egg roll . So cheap and yet we're full to the brim.

Xiao long Bao

Be there early. Lines can get very long during breakfast hours.

Yong He address : Hankou st. in Ximen Area. Look out for the long lines and you know you're there.

After our breakfast fill we then headed to Ximen MRT Station to buy a ticket (token) to Beitou. After Beitou we plan to go to Danshui then to Shilin for Night Market. Let's look at the Taipei MRT Map:

Yellow marked star are our destination for the day. Pink marked star is where we are staying

It's best to plan your itinerary according to its location. Group together places that are nearest to each other to save time/energy and money. If you look at the map our destination for the day is along the red line (Tamsui Line). There are many places to explore along the red line but since we only had 3 days we chose to see major/popular attractions.

First stop is Beitou. Ride mrt (red line) to Beitou station and transfer train going to Xinbeitou line.Upon exit in Beitou station to transfer to Xinbeitou you will be greeted with this cute creatures.

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