Taiwan (Pleasantly) Surprised Me!: 2 Nights in Taipei
You ever take a side trip with no expectations and you end up absolutely loving the place? I’ve experienced that a couple times. Once when I stopped in Oman before Dubai. Another time was when my mom and I stopped in Taiwan after 10 days in Japan. We could’ve easily just flown home from Tokyo, but I felt like checking out somewhere new, & Taipei was the most convenient option.
I had heard plenty of great things about Taipei- especially the food and how laid back it is compared to other East Asian cities (Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, etc.). I figured I’d like Taiwan. But my actual experience completely surprised me.
Getting to Taipei
We flew to Taipei from the Kansai airport since we were just leaving Osaka. Unfortunately, my mom was senselessly shoved by a man while at the airport, so her spirits were low.
As soon as we land in Taipei and clear immigration, we take the metro to the World Trade Center/Taipei 101 area where our hotel is at. While we are exiting the station, we are preparing to bring our luggage down some stairs. As my mom is about to grab her luggage, a girl walking past us runs up to my mom’s suitcase, grabs it and brings it down to the ground level for her then walks off. After the rude man in Japan, my mom was in absolute amazement over this act of kindness. “Wow..” my mom kept saying. “I love it here already.”
First Taste of Taipei
If you’ve heard anything about Taipei, there’s a good chance it involves the night markets. Checking out Raohe night market seemed like the perfect way to spend night 1.
We grabbed a Michelin guide black pepper pork bun, some extra long fries, a sausage roll and a Chinese burger. It was all absolutely incredible! We ate the best food for less than $15USD.
A Humid Hike at Elephant Mountain
Hiking a mountain at 8am doesn’t seem like such a bad idea… until you realize that Taipei is already 85 degrees F and about 200% humidity.
The hike itself isn’t that long and it’s mostly stairs. There’s a longer version of it, but my mom & I just wanted clear views of the city. If it weren’t so hot, I don’t think it would have been that difficult, but once my mom and I reached the viewpoint, we were sweating buckets.
As you can see, the view is well worth it.
On Floor 91 of Taipei 101
While neither of us love heights, it only seemed right to get a Taipei 101 entry ticket. From 2004-2010, it was the tallest building in the world till Burj Khalifa took over.
The views of Taipei are gorgeous- there is so much greenery surrounding the city- kinda reminded me of Seoul in that way!
There are also a lot of pretty sets for photos.
If you’re wondering if going inside Taipei 101 is worth it, I’d say yes. But only if you can tolerate heights and if you want to learn more about the history of the building- it’s very interesting. I would love to visit Taipei during NYE someday to see the fireworks!
Oh, and if you like malls, the mall connected to Taipei 101 is stunning!
Din Tai Fung: A Taipei Necessity
DIn Tai Fung is a popular dim sum restaurant in parts of America- it certainly is in Seattle! I consider Din Tai Fung as a nice treat for celebrating a special occasion with friends/family. Especially since it can be on the slightly pricier end.
DIn Tai Fung is from Taiwan! So naturally, it is all over Taipei. We arrived at the location inside the same mall Taipei 101 is located right when it opened so we could get a table (usually there’s a long wait time).
The menu in Taiwan is pretty similar to the US menu, but I will say it is MUCH cheaper in Taiwan. We ordered about $100 worth of food considering US prices, but our bill was ~$56. If it were that affordable in America with how much food we ordered, I would go WAY more often at home… I live near 3 locations and yet I maybe go 1-2x/year.
Ximending + BOBA
XImending is a popular shopping district in Taipei, and my mom and I spent some time wandering around all the different shops. The highlight: Xing Fu Tang.
Did you know that boba is Taiwanese? Well it is. And let me tell you this: boba in Taiwan is superior to all other boba.
I don’t quite know what it is… the texture is just perfection! The 2 boba drinks I had in Taipei (one at Xing Fu Tang and one at the airport) are easily the best boba I’ve ever had!
Xing Fu Tang is a popular chain that you can even find in America, but of course, the Taipei locations do it best! It’s so fun watching their process of making the brown sugar boba! They torch the drink with a T-Rex head!!!!!
My mom doesn’t like the texture of boba, but even she could admit this drink was GOOD!
Shilin Night Market
Don’t bother making dinner reservations in Taipei. Just head to a night market & go wherever your stomach leads you. At Shilin, we ended up grabbing a strawberry milk-esque drink, a korean rice dog, a BBQ pork bun, and the very famous Hot Star chicken- it’s DELICIOUS but it’s enormous and was very hard for us to finish.
Overall Thoughts on Taipei
Wow. What a beautiful city filled with such nice people! I had so many pleasant encounters with locals! Coming from Japan, it was a VERY different vibe. Now, don’t get me wrong on ANY of this because Japan is easily one of my favorite countries and I really enjoy the people. However, their norm is minding their business. Everyone, especially in Tokyo, just seems busy and at capacity. In Taipei, everyone seemed a lot more relaxed and welcoming.
There were motorbikes everywhere.
There’s a lot of modern architecture, but yet still had such a traditional feel.
It’s safe & affordable!
It’s underrated- seriously WHY aren’t more people visiting Taiwan?
If I had more time, I would have taken a couple day trips from Taipei, but unfortunately, we planned too short of a stay. I left Taiwan wanting SO much more, and I can guarantee that I will return one day to spend more time in Taipei, and to see more of this beautiful country.
