“Hana, Dul, Set”, visitors from Korea took a selca at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. My Travel Buddies and I heard them as we looked for a nice place to have pictures. The famous tourist spot in Taipei was full of people but I managed to find a good angle to take a photo of my new friends.. I said “Yi, Er, San” and my camera emitted its flash. Ciara, Francis and Bryan who were my companions for this trip smiled in front of my camera. These Filipino interns will stay only for two months in Taiwan and they want to see as many places in Taipei as they can. A “Fast Track Travel Program” just fits right for them. And who else can tour them in the city? Haha!
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| From left to right: me, Bryan, Ciara and Francis |
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| along the street in Xinyi District |
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| The Discovery Center of Taipei in Taipei City Hall |
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| An interactive display in the Discovery Center of Taipei. |
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| Francis wanted to know his luck on this fortune-telling machine. |
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| There was a railway exhibit at the time of our visit in the Discovery Center of Taipei. |
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| The different "motor units" of the various trains of the Taiwan Railway Administration |
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| Some stuff used in Taiwan's railway systems during the olden times. |
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| A look and feel inside an old train of Taiwan. |
Taipei City Hall houses the Discovery Center of Taipei. The entrance was free and it was an introduction for the many places to see in the capital. There were interactive displays that will make your visit more enjoyable. Memories of my first visit in this museum in Taiwan Day 84 (Discoveries) played again in my mind. I had lots of fun during my visit and I was still 27 years old at that time.
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| a honor guard at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall |
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| The honor guards do not move once they stand at this platform. |
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| The statue of Sun Yat-sen was so big! |
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| The changing of honor guard ceremony was soon going to happen soon and visitors were asked not to go beyond the red rope. |
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| We watched the changing of honor guard ceremony from the upper floors of the building. |
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| Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall |
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| The nearby Taipei Dome was still being constructed. |
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| Before heading to CKS, I brought my friends to the Visitor Information Center in Taipei Main Station where they applied for their Youth Card membership. |
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| My friends were still in their 20s so they were eligible to apply and through this Youth Card they can avail of discounts around Taiwan. |
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| We got hungry so each of us bought this TRA lunch box from one of the stores in Taipei Main Station. |
Two of the famous places in Taipei are the Sun Yat-sen (SYS) Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall. The two influential men of Taiwan are still remembered up to now I have featured these places before in Taiwan Day 330 (A Tale of Two Fathers). Aside from learning lot of facts about Formosa in SYS and CKS, the hourly changing of honor guard ceremony always attracts a large crowd in these sites.
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| praying Buddhist followers |
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| We entered the museum inside the CKS Memorial Hall. Visitors can learn about the life of Chiang Kai-shek here. |
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| A card used before by Chiang Kai-shek. |
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| CKS in his office. Visitors were not allowed to pass through the glass barrier. If they do then a sensor would alarm. |
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| Honor guards in their white uniforms marching at the grounds of CKS Memorial Hall. |
Followers of a Buddhist religious group gathered at the grounds of the CKS Memorial Hall. It was an unusual sight as the worshippers sang and sent powerful prayers to the heavens. They lifted a lotus flower while praying like raising a golden gift. The majestic buildings of the National Opera House and the National Theater stood there without any complaint.
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| It was already dinner time so we bought these fried chicken steak from Hot-Star. |
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| My friends while eating their dinner. |
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| We also had our dessert in Ximending in one of the stores there. |
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| This building looks familiar! |
A leisurely stroll at Ximending exposed my friends with the outdoor shopping mall feel. We went inside Uniqlo to have window shopping and we saw a lot of “Sale” items inside. To save a lot of money here in Uniqlo Ximending, one just have to look for the red tag. I saw polo shirts that was valued at NTD 390 while a pair of pants were priced at NTD 790. I was even able to find clothes with cheaper prices and I was thinking to add more clothes to my “Spring Collections”.
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| Station map of MRT Xiangshan Station. Go to Exit 2 to find the entrance of the Elephant Mountain trail. |
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| As we go higher, the view becomes more beautiful. |
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| Sitting on top of a large boulder |
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| It was actually scary to stand on this large rock. |
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| Now you see why! |
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| The struggle was real. Haha! |
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| And we found this secret spot in Elephant Mountain. |
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| at another viewing deck in Elephant Mountain |
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| The were elephants in Elephant Mountain! |
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| Ciara |
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| Bryan |
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| Francis |
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| Luo-mu Jie |
Our last stop and the main event of our travel adventure was our hiking activity at Elephant Mountain. It was my third time to climb this mountain but the magic was still there. I was able to stand again in one of the large boulders at the top of Elephant Mountain through the help of my friends. I had this fear of heights but I was able to endure it. Standing on those large rocks was like being on the top of the world! After enjoying the scenery of Xinyi District, my friends and I had a dangerous night hike down to the foot of the mountain. Before reaching the modern corner of the city, we were rewarded with a surprise. Elephants!
Taiwan Day 617 was my last travel adventure as a 28 year old Filipino. Exciting new stories will happen as I take my journey towards my 30s. I will grow older each year but my heart and soul will always remain young in Taiwan. I knew that because I live in a timeless Taipei.
THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI
Sakura Series - Taiwan
2025 Forecast
Taipei 101 first flowers
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Taipei Flower Test Center
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Broadwood Park
Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura
Wuling Farm (武陵農場)
SYS kawazu sakura
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
CKS Memorial Hall
Shibafen Yoshino Sakura
Hope River
Dongfang Temple
Tianyuan Palace
Neicou Stream Trail
Orange Garden Cafe
Yangming Park Visitor Information Center
Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop
Huashan Road
Qianshan Park
Zhongshan Hall Entrance
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura
Neihu Creek Trail
Shulin Land Office
Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest
Lung Yen Sakura Forest
Yangming Park cherry stream
Yangming Park fountain
CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura
Wugu District Tianyi Road
CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura
Loving Farm
Yong Long Farm
Zhongbaling Sakura Road
Sun Link Sea
Tai'an Police Station
Cherry Hill Slope
Hsinchu Park
Taipei 101
Kāng Gào Kēng Creek
New Garden City
Broadwood Park
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Alishan Ranger Station
Alishan House
Alishan Police Station
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Station
Alishan Entrance
Alishan Gou Hotel
Alishan Magnolia Garden
Wulai tour
Wun Chang Elementary School
Bishanyan
Sanzhi Sansei Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan
Nei Cuo Stream
Orange Garden Cafe
Sansei Trail
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Yangming Park Cherry Stream
Yangming Park Fountain
Flower Test Center
Broadwood Park
New Garden City
Yinghua Park
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Yangmingshan Visitor Center
Taipei 101
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Sakura Series - Japan
Kamonyama Park
Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Shinko Park
Minato-mirai 21 area
Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus
Onda River
Tenryuji
Byodoin
Kiyomizudera
Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple
Hōryū-ji Temple
Nara Park attractions
Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus
Sumida River
Tsuruma Park
Gion
Maple Series
Taipei Aowanda
Shimen Dam
Alishan
Aowanda
Shanlinxi
Taoyuan Valley Garden
Fushoushan Farm
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| Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis |
The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)
Always in my heart
MRT birdman
Valentine's Day
Tulips Festival
2018 Taipei Lantern Festival
City of Azaleas
Linji Huguo Temple
Nanjichang Night Market
Gudetama Chef restaurant
Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
Shilin hollyhocks
Ningxia Night Market
Ximending graffiti
Discovery Center of Taipei
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Double-Decker Bus
Shilin Cold Balls
Jingimoo
GomanMango
mud volcanic ice
Fire and Ice Dumpling
Opium Fen-Yuan
Ichiran Ramen
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
hydrangea flowers
National Palace Museum
Other attractions in Taipei
Taipei on a budget
Japanese buildings
Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles
Presidential Office Building
Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain
CKS and SYS Hall
City tour
Beitou ramen
MRT Monopoly Game
Winter city tour
Zhicheng Park
Shilin Plum Blossom
Art museums
Shopping in Taipei
Summer desserts
Qingtiangang
Qixingshan hiking
2015 Calla lily
2016 Calla lily
Beitou tour
Beitou-Zhuzihu tour
NTU
Confucius Temple
2015 Dadaocheng Festival
Puppet Museum
Fantasy Ice World
2016 Bread Show
Strawberry picking
2015 Rose Garden
Modern Toilet
Shilin Night Market
NASA Exhibit
Raohe Night Market
Longshan Temple
2013 Taipei Zoo
Maokong Gondola
Lupin flowers
Taipei 101 day visit
Taipei 101 night visit
Tiger Mountain
Din Tai Fung
Taipei Story House
2014 Flower Show
Chrysanthemum Show
Miramar Ferris wheel
Miniatures Museum
Archery
1600 Pandas
Wulaoguo hot pot
Upside Down House
2016 101 Fireworks
New Taipei
Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel
Shifen Waterfall
2017 Sand Sculpture
Dragon Caves
New Taipei tour
2016 Kite Festival
Pingxi Crags
Bitou Cape
2016 Sand Sculpture
2015 Christmasland
Juming - Jinshan
Houtong - Pingxi
Sandiaoling Waterfall
Jiufen foodtrip
Guanyinshan hike
Yehliu Ocean World
2014 Kite Festival
Pingxi Rail tour
Jinguashi tour
Vigor Kobo Pineapple
British Consulate
Yehliu Geopark
2014 Sand Sculpture
Paragliding
2014 Christmasland
2014 Pingxi Lantern
firefly watching
Yingge Ceramics Street
Jiufen tour
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