Taiwan Day 92: It's December and it's Christmas! - Dec. 1, 2013

It was a Sunday evening so it’s time for another weekend travel adventure. I went to Banqiao District in New Taipei City to see their famous LED Christmas tree. I posted a youtube video last Nov. 30 about the lighting of their Christmas tree which was televised in Taiwan . New Taipei and Taipei are different places just like Manila and New Manila. New Taipei City surrounds Taipei and it also considered as a province. It has a lot of administrative districts and one of them is Banqiao District. Banqiao holds the seat of power of New Taipei City because the New Taipei City Hall is located here.

A Bannan MRT station is located in Banqiao District so it was easy for me to reached this place and to go back home. Aside from the MRT Station, there is also a High Speed Rail Station (bullet train) in Banqiao and also a nearby Bus Station. This makes this Banqiao area equivalent to Taipei Main Station that serves as a major multi-modal transport hub. I went out via Exit 2 of the Banqiao Station and I was a greeted by the large crowd of people walking in the streets as I get out of the subway escalators. It was a bit hard to take photos but I just did what I need to do. I don’t mind if I don’t know the people whom the pictures I am taking with. I just want to get pictures of the Christmas decorations in the plaza. There is a carousel and a classic rotating teacup ride. I want to try them like a child but the queue was very long so I just content myself of looking and taking photos of these rides. There were a lot of families with very young children that were here aside from couples who are their having dates.

I feel envy to the Taiwanese around me because up to know I still don’t have a thick jacket to keep me warm during this winter season. It is not that I don’t have money. Today I just received my stipend but I would use that to pay the money that I borrowed from fellow Filipinos during my first week here of my stay in Taiwan. The temperature on the plaza was 17 degrees so to keep myself warm and comfortable during my sightseeing I put on three layers of thick shirt plus my maroon and white UP Jacket before I left the dorm. I can monitor the temperature here in Taipei by just looking at my iPod Touch. As of this writing, the temperature in Taipei City is 15 degrees. The lowest temperature that I have experienced in Metro Manila in my whole life was 17 degrees and it was a rare event. You can just imagine how cold the weather here in Taiwan but I am trying to adapt and this is part of my acclimatization.

It took me some time to find the location of the Christmas maze but I was able to find it because I have printed a map from the New Taipei City website. The map shows a cartoon representation of the ‘Christmas City’. One thing that I have observed here is that there was no nativity scene in any of the decorations. It was Santa Claus that was celebrated here. Anyway, their Christmas celebration was for commercial purposes and not for religious ones so I understand. Filipinos have a different way of celebrating Christmas and considered as the longest one.

It was only here in Banqiao that I learned that Christmas is somewhat celebrated in Taiwan. I called my parents before I went to Banqiao. I just want to know if they are ok in Montalban, Rizal. My mother asked me if I will go back to the Philippines for a vacation. I answered her that I will not go back for a vacation. I told her that thinking of going back for a vacation would just make me lonely and thinking of not going back makes me happy. This just proves that having fun is the best way to fight loneliness.

December 9 will be a very special day as this day will mark my 100th day in Taiwan. I will visit the most recommended spot in Taiwan according to a travel website. I am hopeful that it will be a sunny day so my plans would become a reality. I will celebrate that day with a bang. BOOM!

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