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.
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| groupie with the Chiang-kai Shek Memorial Hall paifang |
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| Travel Buddy Gueen and the National Concert Hall |
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| 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.
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| Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall. It looked so small! |
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| But it became larger as we got nearer to it! It was a huge building. |
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| We climbed the stairs and we got a impressive view of the whole park. |
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| 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.
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| After getting out of the MRT Shilin Station. Haha! |
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| 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. |
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| A Christmas tree decorated with tiny sunflowers |
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| Travel Buddy Avi with the classic yellow sunflowers and the unusual dark yellow to black petals of the same flower. |
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| Madame Chiang's rose garden was turned into a sunflower garden! |
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| "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.
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| 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. |
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| checking the okonomiyaki |
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| the menu |
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| Seafood noodles, oyster oyster omelet and pork rice |
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| A close up view of the oyster omelet |
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| seafood noodles |
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| the pork rice |
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| We also ordered dumplings! |
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| We searched for magnet souvenirs after eating our dinner. |
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| A cute dog in one of the stores in Shilin Night Market. It actually looked like a real stuff toy. |
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| Travel Buddy Avi wanted to take it home. |
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| 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!
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| at Exit 3A of the MRT Banqiao City Hall Station |
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| at the Station Front Plaza of New Taipei City Hall |
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| We were waiting for the 3D lights show which happened every 30 minutes. |
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| Let the show begin. |
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| 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
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
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 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
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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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