Travelling while waiting for an examination result can be…
A Reward or A Solace
*This is a trip while waiting for my examination result.*
I always wanted to try travelling solo outside my home country and I plan to do it in Korea since I’m already familiar in the place because I’ve been there but with friends. Never thought that my first solo out of the country trip will be Taiwan, the place I’ve never been to.
It’s a DIY itinerary as I always do in all of my travels. My itinerary includes not only what train station I need to get off but also the travel time and cost per ride. You can see the point-to-point train station estimated cost in metro taipei site.
Since it’s a solo trip budgeting is not a concern, I spent P25k for 3 days with souvenirs but if you are on a tight budget P10k-15k should be enough. I stayed in an accommodation which is literally few steps (less than 30 steps) from Zhongshan train station. This is also close to Ningxia night market and different establishments like Taipei City Mall. I booked a room in Chian Huei Business Hotel for P4,800.oo. The room has queen bed, bathtub, hot shower, and very kind personnel. They use translator tool and even if sometimes it’s hard for them to understand the guest, they still try their best to assist you.
3-Day Itinerary
I have a planned itinerary but due to some personal reasons and external factors, I was not able to stick to that plan.
Day 1: Temples Visit
Like any other temples there is a dress code. Although not strictly observe, it is always best to dress appropriately for sacred places.
In any travel places, if your planned #OOTD is not appropriate for temples or churches, you can allot 1-day for those places so you are free to wear what you want for the rest of your trip.
Confucius Temple – This place has few people during my visit and a lot of information about the life of Confucius.
Xingtian Temple (Hsing Tian Kong) – A lot of people are praying in this template. I stayed for an hour to observe Buddhism’s way of worship and praying. They also have fortune-telling booth and anyone can pick a fortune and ask them to interpret its meaning. Since I’m waiting for my exam result, I tried it to see what could be my luck?
Longshan Temple – Last temple I visited for the day. I also ask for fortune reading here. 🙂
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall – A Must-Visit place for every first-timer in Taiwan. It has a schedule in the morning for change of guards (same as with South Korea), but I went there to see the sunset and it is superb. A lot of photographers line up to capture the beauty of the gate covering by warm sunset and lights.
Ximending Night Market – Night markets are famous in Taiwan and this is one of the popular night markets in Taipei. Ximending is like Myeongdong in South Korea. It is only a station away from Longshan Temple, close destination after that temple. You can find lots of souvenirs and foods which is a perfect last point for your day tour.
Must Try milk tea is the Xin Fu Tang Brown Sugar Milk tea (you can easily see it because of a blockbuster long line).
Day2: Random Tour
My result was released last night, but I don’t have the courage to look at it yet. Thus, with the listed places I chose one which I think I can still enjoy or distract myself from thinking the result. It is Taipei Zoo.
It is raining, only few people are in the train to Taipei Zoo, you are seated on the corner looking at the window…Hmmm…perfect settings to check the exam result 😀
Taipei Zoo – Solo tour in the zoo while raining? Not an issue. 🙂 Ticket in the zoo is NT$60 and you can buy it in the vending machine beside the zoo entrance. You can spend a whole day to tour the zoo. The landscape is a little uphill but it has a Maokong Gondola. You can ride the gondola from the zoo entrance station for NT$70 one-way fare. I suggest to ride the gondola for one-way only going back to the entrance, than riding it going up.
After Taipei Zoo, I still have energy and time to visit one more place for the day. Because, why not? I’m happy with the result. So, let’s enjoy the Reward!! 😀
Guandu Temple – One of the oldest temples in Taiwan. If you will ride a train it is a red line station and less than 20 mins from the city, but you will need to walk for few more minutes. Alternatively, you can ride a bus and drops you near the temple, but you may need to transfer from one bus to another and takes longer travelling time. What’s inside this temple is far different from all other temples I’ve visited so far. It has lots of gods and goddess’ figures. I’m especially amazed in the intricate design of its ceiling.
It is not advisable to visit Guandu temple after Taipei zoo because they are at the opposite side (North – South area) of Taipei. But if you are travelling solo, you can do what you want.
Shilin Night Market – Another popular night market. If you want cheaper souvenirs this is the place! You can also get discounts! 😉
Day3: Last Day
For last day, I woke up early in the morning by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake. Good thing the building seems to have a sound structure.
This is a YOLO trip; trying to explore new things and places, and being carefree in any activities. While everyone is worrying with the possible aftershock, #batanggala is busy booking in Klook for the Taipei 101 ticket. Why? I just want to check how safe Taipei 101 is after an earthquake hahah :p
Taipei 101 – This building is in the top 10 skyscraper in the world and was in the Guinness Book for 2015 to record the fastest elevator. It is so cool when you experience it. General Observatory ticket price is NT$600 for adult but there is also a priority pass ticket which you can buy online. I bought mine in KLOOK for P1,700.
Aside from the observatory, for coffee lover there is Starbucks store in this sktscraper and it is consider as one of the highest Starbucks. You need to call for reservation in the store at least few days prior visit. I called a day before, using the phone in my accommodation, but they are already fully booked. 😦
Of course it has an exclusive souvenirs of Taipei 101 building design and its character (the yellow circle character in my photo). You can still find cheap but cute souvenirs.
Note: If you find a coin-machine like with lots of different color balls, those balls have display souvenirs inside. 🙂
Journey And Memories (JAM) 