Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) - Shilin Official Residence (士林官邸站) - Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) - Banqiao (板橋) - 2016 Christmasland in New Taipei City (新北市歡樂耶誕城) [Travel in Taiwan 161202: Houseguests #1 and #2 Part I]

On the first night of December 2016, two women on board a Cebu Pacific plane flew from Manila to visit Taipei. They were so excited to see Taiwan and experience the wonderful things on this island. But unlike other tourists who doesn’t have a place called home to sleep, these Filipinos stayed in my house for three days and two nights. They had become my Travel Buddies as I toured them around the city. With their visit my house was transformed into a homestay. I became their host and they were my houseguests.

Their plane landed at the Taoyuan International Airport at around 1:00 am. Having been to Korea, my friends benefited from the online visa application given to Filipinos. The old policy states that only valid travel documents from first world countries like Japan and USA can be used to visit Taiwan without a visa. With the expanded rules for Filipinos, they were able to enter Taiwan using their expired South Korean visa. Yehey!

To reach my home, they boarded Bus 1819 at airport and the two alighted at the East Gate of the Taipei Main Station. Since it was already past midnight and there were no MRT nor any TRA trains to take them to Nangang District, I told them to ride a taxi and wait for me at Exit 5 of the MRT Nangang Exhibition Hall Center. It was 2:00 am when they arrived at the meeting place. After waiting for five minutes, they saw a man holding an umbrella and the rest was history.

groupie with the Chiang-kai Shek Memorial Hall paifang

Travel Buddy Gueen and the National Concert Hall

Travel Buddy Avi and the National Theater

Avi and Gueen didn’t have much time to see all the attractions that Taipei and New Taipei has to offer so I took them first to Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall for a crash course in Taiwanese Tourism. Since my house was just walking distance of the MRT station, it became convenient for my friends to explore Taiwan. We boarded the MRT to CKS Memorial Hall Station and the gigantic buildings of the National Theater and National Concert Hall welcomed my Travel Buddies.

Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall.  It looked so small!

But it became larger as we got nearer to it! It was a huge building.

We climbed the stairs and we got a impressive view of the whole park.

An honor guard with the statue of Chiang-kai Shek

The two ladies were in awe of the giant “paifang” which serves as a gate to the whole park. The weather was cloudy and the blow of the cold wind reminded us that it was already winter. Inside the CKS Memorial Hall, two mighty honor guards stood on the sides of the giant statue of Chiang-kai Shek. They were standing there for an hour without moving like there was no tomorrow.

 After getting out of the MRT Shilin Station. Haha!

Human figures depicting various sports grace the entrance of the Shilin Official Residence. In 2017, Taipei will host the 29th Summer Universiade and it is great honor and pride for the city to host such event.

A Christmas tree decorated with tiny sunflowers

Travel Buddy Avi with the classic yellow sunflowers and the unusual dark yellow to black petals of the same flower.

Madame Chiang's rose garden was turned into a sunflower garden!

"Walking alone" in Shilin Official Residence

Flowers were still blooming in Taiwan during winter so I took them to Shilin where chrysanthemum and other blossoms bring life to the mansion complex of the CKS and his wife Madame Chiang. It was fun to watch my houseguests as they took pictures of themselves. They made cute faces as they pose with the flowers. Unfortunately, it was getting dark so our sightseeing in the Shilin Official Residence was cut short. 

The Shilin Official Residence was 300 meters away from the MRT Shilin Station.  We walked back to the MRT station and from there we walked again to reach the Shilin Night Market.  It was leisurely tour with the bright lights of the city adding sparkle to the cold winter night.

checking the okonomiyaki

the menu

Seafood noodles, oyster oyster omelet and pork rice 

A close up view of the oyster omelet

seafood noodles

the pork rice

We also ordered dumplings!

We searched for magnet souvenirs after eating our dinner.

A cute dog in one of the stores in Shilin Night Market.  It actually looked like a real stuff toy.

Travel Buddy Avi wanted to take it home.

After passing through that very long street lined with stores, we finally saw the MRT Jiantan Station.

We got hungry and thanks to the various food stalls and restaurants at the Shilin Night Market I was able to solve our problem at Taipei’s food capital. At the underground night market, we sat on one table of a restaurant and ordered two plates of oyster omelet, one order of dumplings, a big bowl of seafood noodles, a cup of pork rice and one coke in can for a total price of NTD 380. Avi and I were the ones who ate the oyster omelet while the other dishes were shared together with Gueen. Our orders seemed to be a light dinner but eating first the oyster omelet made my stomach full. Haha!

at Exit 3A of the MRT Banqiao City Hall Station

at the Station Front Plaza of New Taipei City Hall

We were waiting for the 3D lights show which happened every 30 minutes.

Let the show begin.

The 3D show was projected on the tall building of the New Taipei City Hall

Gueen had been dreaming to see the New Taipei City Christmasland in Banqiao and she was surprised to see the dazzling lights that adorned the Station Front Plaza of the New Taipei City Hall. There was even a model who was having her pictorial. Stepping outside of the Exit 3A of the MRT Banqiao Station was Taiwan’s giant Christmas tree at a height of 36 meters. It was so colorful and just like last year there was a 3D projection on it. But wait there’s more! The 30-storey city hall building of New Taipei City became part of the Christmas City as a five-minute 3D show was projected on its walls. It was a lovely sight and had the Christmas feel minus the “belen” , “puto-bumbong” and “simbang gabi”.

We were back home before midnight. After taking a rest, the two went to my bedroom to sleep. They locked the door and I felt that I was ousted on my own house. lol (To be continued…)


Travel in Taiwan 161202: Houseguests #1 and #2 Part I
Travel in Taiwan 161204: Houseguests #1 and #2 Part II

THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI

Sakura Series - Taiwan

2026 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 Sansheng Trail

Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansheng 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

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

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

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