Getting to Taipei

The Philippines to Taipei

Arrived 2:15 AM at NAIA Terminal 3 from Baguio. Joybus was fast since the ETA was supposedly 5 AM.

The long line waiting for us outside the terminal went by quick. Mama’s gift survived the security check but the nipper and scissors had to go.

Skyview Lounge is open 24 hours, which made for a convenient wait. We checked into Pacific lounge, which opened at 4 AM but it was freezing so we spent the rest of the time back at Skyview until we boarded at 6:30 AM. It was a good idea to have breakfast – which was sufficient – since AirAsia did not come with a free meal. Air Asia has self-check-in terminals now – which was convenient — and I found out online boarding pass was not enough; we still had to check-in with physical boarding passes.

Arriving at Taoyuan Airport

The plane arrived promptly at Taoyuan International Airport by 9AM. However, we had to wait at least 15-20 minutes before deplaning.

Immigration was quick, despite the long lines. So far, I’m impressed with the service of the Taiwanese. People here are polite, courteous and not aggressive.

First Things First: Money, SIM and Mobility

Before exiting through immigration, we made a couple of good decisions. First Following my sister’s tip, I bought a SIM card, with a good deal of $250 NT for 5 day +1 (bonus) unlimited data, calls and messages. Internet was fast. Second, we exchanged some USD for NT (local currency). As it turned out, it was busier outside and the rates are no better.

Outside immigration, we immediately bought Easy Card to make our way around trains and buses. A train goes straight to downtown Taipei.

Accommodation at Mayer Inn

Taipei main station is huge! Mega-huge!

Taipei Main Station, view from the doorstep of Mayer Inn.

It took a while for us to figure out where our exit was. When we did, we took another few minutes to realize, that our accommodation was in the building right next to the exit – after we already went around the building!

Located right within Asia Tower, Mayer Inn was so convenient. For only $40, we had a decent double bedroom with pretty good facilities. At the ground floor, there were a few cafes.

Not many people speak English so asking for directions wasn’t easy. However, people are helpful and do they their best.

Famished, we satisfied ourselves at Miss Croissant. Their croissant sandwiches and coffee put a capital C on comfort food.

Public Transport and Booking Trains

It’s important to note that trains in and out of Taipei are of three types: high-speed rail, express train, and local train.

Thinking it was easy to book trains to Yunlin where we’re headed towards the end of the week, I did not book in advance. So when I booked online, I had an anxiety-inducing surprise to find out everything’s sold out.

First, I tried the High-speed rail as it only takes 90 mins to get to Yunlin, there were no more available seats for the times we needed. Second, I tried the slower express trains that take around 2-3 hrs, and found they’re fully booked as well. Third, we decided to just drop by the TRA ticketing at Taipei Main Station – and it was a pain for us and the counter lady making a booking with her limited English. Finally we ended up with a 4-hour train ticket and non-reserved seating. She did say, seats are guaranteed.

(However, we still couldn’t find any return tickets for our departure at the airport. Finally, my sister organized a taxi for $3600 NT – or $120. It will be a 3sh hours drive, door to door.)

By the time we’re done, we already killed so much time. We’re left with only a couple or so hours of daylight to visit a couple of places.

National Palace Museum

We took the Red line train from Taipei Main Station, alighted at Shillin then took a bus to the museum. It was already around 4PM by the time we got there.

We didn’t have enough time to explore the exhibition halls and just explored the grounds.

Before it got too dark, we had to make our way to our next stop, which was my priority in Taipei.

Beitou Hot Springs

Our visit to Taipei won’t be complete without dipping into a hot spring. So we made our way back to Shilin, then took the MRT all the way to Beitou stop. Then, from there, it was a short train transfer to Xinbeitou MRT into the hot springs town itself.

Beitou MRT stop to Xinbeitou station

It was already dark, but it’s not lost on me how magical the vibe of the place was. We walked alongside the park, where hot spring water runs through a stream and you could feel the warmth emanating from it as you walk along street paths.

We almost missed the public hot-spring, which was right in the middle of the park, only sectioned by walls. When we reached the place, they were just closing at 7 PM but reopened at 7:30 PM. So we grabbed some snacks at a convenience store to stave off our hunger. We haven’t had anything since breakfast.

The entrance was only NT$40 each. However, The Cowboy had to spend another $250 to buy swimming trunks as his swimmers were not allowed. They were quite pedantic about it.

There were four levels of baths each with different temperatures, with the hottest at the top. It was too hot I couldn’t stand it! Next to it was a more tolerable hot bath of 42 degrees Celcius. The water cascaded down to cooler levels. Separate was cold water baths. I dipped in alternating hot and cold baths. After a long day of travel, I felt revitalized.

My battery was recharged to continue on with our next and last item for the day.

Bitou Hot Springs public bath

Rahoe Night Markets

It was already 10 PM by the time we reached the night markets, yet the place was teeming with life. The streets were full of nightcrawlers, mainly foodies.

We were on a mission to have hot noodle soup. Finally, I found a vegetarian one on one of the street stalls. I loved that they have fresh mushrooms.

The Cowboy went on to find a proper eatery with home-made noodles, unlike the one that I had. He had himself a wonton noodle. Mine was more savoury.

Satiated, we continued exploring the stalls in the night market and checked out the rainbow bridge as well. I was getting tired, so we made our way to the train station. Apparently they run only till midnight, and we just caught what would probably have been the last train for the night on the way back to Taipei Main Station.