Election night 2016 was a BAD night for me. Matt and I were in a hotel room in DC, where we met up, to continue on to Taiwan for a friend's wedding. Let's just say, I was happy to be visiting TPE, but even more excited to get the heck out of America. We flew standby on United from Washington Dulles to Tokyo and then bought tickets on ANA from TYO to TPE. It was a really long trip and I was mentally exhausted from the election. We didn't check into our temporary hotel until after 2am, about 24 hours after we left the states. After exploring the city all day, Matt and I were supposed to check out of our hotel at 4pm the next day, to head to another hotel for the rehearsal dinner. The front desk called at 4:30pm to see why we hadn't checked out yet and they WOKE US UP!! We were frantic to quickly gather our things and check out, but were also laughing hysterically that we slept for so long. Whoops. We were bummed to miss an entire day of sight seeing in Taipei but luckily, this was only the 2nd or 3rd time in all my travels that I've slept the entire next day. Jet lag can be a b*tch!
Most of our next few days were spent with the wedding party and our friends, celebrating a traditional Taiwanese engagement ceremony, wedding, and reception. There were probably 1000 people at the wedding and we had a 15 course meal. Wow, what an experience.
Fortunately, we did have some free time at the end of the trip to get a quick tour of this iconic city.
Daan Park is the largest green space in Taipei and is a beautiful break from the skyscrapers. There is so much to eat, see, and do in the area. We watched a game of basketball, had a picnic lunch, and relaxed in the shade of the trees. One of my favorite parts of Asia, is the convenience store snacks. The random (to Americans) flavors are so much fun! No trip to TPE would be complete without bubble tea, which is the perfect accompaniment for a walk around town.
One of the most impressive sights we visited, was Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. We explored during the evening magic hour, and it was incredibly beautiful. The hall was built to honor the first president of the country. My favorite travel website, Culture Trip, gives you a good recap of the history so I recommend you check it out.
Matt's favorite thing to do in a new city, is to look up the best cheap eats and head directly to that restaurant. He was so excited to try Yongkang Beef Noodles. We enjoyed the specialty, Braised Beef with Noodles in Spicy Broth, and basically licked the bowl clean. The best beef noodles we've had and Michelin agrees. They have given Yongkang Beef Noodles the Bib Gourmand Inspectors' Favorites for Good Value rating!
The absolute coolest thing we did on the entire trip (besides the wedding activities, of course), was to hike up Xiang Shan (Elephant Mountain) at sunset. The hike is easy in the fact that I did it in sandals and street clothes, but it was HOT. I had to stop numerous times to catch my breath (and take in the views) but we were with a large group of people so had to keep trucking along as to not get separated from the group. As sweaty as we were when we reached the top, the views of Taipei City were beyond incredible. I've never really done a night hike, so the skyline in vivid color was quite an experience. There are other great hikes in TPE as well, but Elephant Mountain was perfect.
We were starving after the hike, so the next best thing to do at night, is visit to Linjiang St. Market. Our large group ate our way through every stall and we left feeling overly stuffed and extremely satisfied. Unfortunately, I didn't record all the stalls we visited, but everything was good and you can't go wrong exploring a variety of local food. Even if you don't eat (but please do!) it's such an amazing experience, just to explore. To me, this was Taipei!
Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world in the early 2000s and remains one of the world's highest skyscrapers. By chance, a local branch of Matt's company had it's offices located in Taipei 101, so Matt and I were able to visit the office, check out the views, and grab a few snacks. Not a bad way to skip the lines and see the city landscape for free :)
I've had Din Tai Fung in the US, Hong Kong, and Australia, but it was a bucket list item for Matt and me to eat our at our beloved restaurant in Taipei. The pork dumplings, sweet & sour soup, and hand pulled noodles are our absolute favorite foods in the world. We were over the moon happy to eat our favorite meal in it's original home.
There was so much more to see and so much more we could have done, but that just leaves the door open to visit this fascinating city again. Matt and I have quite a few friends from Taiwan and are so intrigued by the history & the future of the country. What sites should we visit next time? What are your favorite restaurants in Taipei? We'll start a list and share the findings. xo-Erin
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