WanderList #3: Weekend in Taipei

Hi, dear Steemians!

It's the weekend! Yay! If you are thinking of a quick getaway, I highly suggest.. drumroll please 🥁..

Taipei City!

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and is just a little over two hours away from Manila via direct flight. Several airlines fly directly to Taipei, even budget airlines. If you're lucky, you'll get a good deal even if you book just a couple of days before your trip. I only booked 5 days before our intended date of departure and I was still able to get a relatively cheap airfare at around PhP3,000 or 60 USD each.

So what can you do in Taipei if you're just staying for 2-3 days? I'll share with you what we did when we were there! Enjoy!

1. Watch a movie in Cinema Street

Watching a movie when traveling overseas may not be on many people's itinerary. Some may even find it weird because the common thing to do is to explore the city, not lock yourself in a movie theater for two hours. But personally, I like doing this when I'm abroad (maybe I'm weird that way😊). First, because I love watching movies, regardless of where I am. Second, I find it interesting to get a glimpse of the culture of moviegoers of that country. Third, their cinemas have different amenities. There was one, I think it was in the US, where you can order mexican food and cocktails and have them delivered to your seat. Bring on the tacos 🌮 and mojitos 🍸!

We stayed in Ximending which is close to Cinema Street. As the name suggests, this is where you can find the movie houses! But wait, there's more! Some of them are open for 24 hours! Insomniacs unite!

We had to do the point-this-no-not-that-yes-that-one-please to purchase our tickets but it was a fun experience! They were very helpful and friendly despite the language barrier.

They have blankets you can use for free and the ticket comes with popcorn and drinks. What I liked in their cinema was that most seats have a good view of the screen.

2. See the city's famous landmarks

It is not difficult to go around Taipei as they have an efficient transport system. Their train system is easy to navigate and an inexpensive way to move around the city. You can go to the famous landmark like Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial shown in the photo below:

There's a museum beside it but it was closed when we went there. I heard they have really interesting pieces in that museum. I'll make sure to see them on my next visit.

Another famous landmark is the Taipei 101. It used to be the tallest structure in the world. There's an observatory on the 89th floor which gives you a 360-degree view of the metropolis.

If you have more time, you can hike up the Elephant Mountain to get a nice view of the city and this towering structure.

3. Visit the temples

The beautiful Buddhist temples in Taipei are cultural attractions for tourists. The most renowned is the Longshan Temple. It was built for the goddess of Mercy which may explain why a lot of people come here to pray and make offerings.

Another temple in Taipei is the Confucius Temple. Unlike Longshan, the Confucius Temple does not have intricately-designed interiors but it has elaborate exteriors and stunning stone carvings.

They also have Taoist temples. The one we visited was on the slopes of the Monkey Mountain and can be reached by riding the Maokong Gondola.

According to the local folklore, unmarried couples who visit this temple will break up as the temple's main deity, Lu Dongbin, is jealous of lovers and is known to seduce single women.

4. Go to the night markets

Taipei is known for having night markets where people go mainly to eat. The famous ones are Shilin and Raohe. I tried a lot of different food there but did not have the courage to taste the notorious stinky tofu. 😂

They have grilled food on skewers, just take your pick!

They also have pastries...

..and yummy beef noodles 🍴

But this one's my favorite:

It's red bean ice cream with shaved peanut brittle in a crepe-like wrapper. It tastes strangely good too with cilantro.

5. Immerse yourself in music and arts

I love how the arts and music scenes are so much alive in this city. We went to Huasan 1914 Creative Park which is a cool place where they have live concerts, art exhibits, film showings, and a sort of bazaar where creative people can sell their products.

Just one weekend is not enough to see and experience what this incredible little city has to offer. We had such a great time in the short period that we spent there that my friend seriously considered working in Taipei. If I only know how to speak Chinese/Taiwanese, I might have actually considered it too! 😊

Anyway, I hope you had fun reading issue #3 of my WanderList series. Please drop by again for my next one, okay?! Bye for now!

xoxo 😘,
@wander-full