Day 8- Taipei
Early in the morning, we departed from Hualien to Taipei. After settling down, we went to Mengjia Longshan Temple. (龙山寺). After visiting the temple, we went to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂) and the national theater and concert hall (国家戏剧院). The weather was windy and sunny. It was good for photo shooting.
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| 中正纪念堂 |
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| Taking photo with Chiang Kai Shek |
We left the place after watching the performance of the honor guards of the republic of China Armed Force. It was a hot day, sweat was drilling down from cheeks of the honor guards. The performance was not as grand as what I remembered. This is because the main gate of the hall was under construction.
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| In front of Red House Theater |
Our last stop of that day is Ximending. We visited the red house theater at the area. We walked around Ximending but we took the wrong direction. We were suppose to head to Ximending shopping area. Luckily, we got back on the right track after an hour of walk. ><
Day 9 - Jiufen
We went to Jiufen that day. We took a 7.35 a.m. train to there. My friend became our tour guide as she was the one who insisted in going to Jiufen. So, we did nothing but follow her food and places of interest hunt. In Jiufen, you are able to buy souvenirs such as wine, key chain, postcards and etc. Remember to compare the price, sometimes, the price are different from stores to stores.
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| Cold Ah Po Yu Yuan （阿婆芋圆） |
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| Ah Gan yi yu yuan (阿柑姨芋圆) |
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| I found an interesting magnet, I think only Malaysians know the meaning behind the word. |
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| Beautiful Scenery |
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| I love this beef noodle. I tasted a few years ago when I went to Taiwan with parents. I still love the taste. It is located at the entry of the street. |
We headed off to Taipei in the afternoon as the day was dark. It looked like it was going to rain. We decided to stay at hostel and rest.
Day 10- Taipei
We decided to buy a set of rain coat after seeing the weather forecast. We found out that there is a free hot spring in Beitou. I know it is weird to go for hot spring in summer but there is only a handful number of hot spring in Malaysia. It was raining heavily. Still, we made it to the hot spring. However, the hot spring was closed. There are not updates saying that the hot spring would be closed. Sadly, we left the place and headed to our next destination. I tried to call the office number that was sticked on the notice board. Yet, no one answered it.
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| Poor Little Kids |
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| Staring at the empty pool. Sadness overwhelmed. |
Next, we headed to Taiwan Gu Gong. After we arrived to the train station, we waited for the bus. An incident happened. Since it was raining day, I volunteered myself and asked the bus driver for direction. After knowing that I was in the right bus, the bus driver closed the door and drove, my friends were left outside. I was panicked. Still, I sat on the bus and reached our scheduled destination. I rushed to the office, knowing that I could get some help from the officer. That day was not my lucky day, the office was closed. In fact, the whole Gu Gong was closed. I saw two kids sitting in front of the office. I politely asked for their data access. Luckily, my friend were smart enough. They sent me their contact number through messenger. I informed them about my location. After a few minutes, they came. I greeted with the biggest smile I had ever had. After thanking the boys, we continued our journey. We did not know Gu Gong was shut down until we asked the security guard. There were no updates on the official webpage. I was a bit frustrated. Since we had reached the destination, we took some photos of Gu Gong. We went to Chen Ping Bookstore before heading back.
After a long day of walking in the rain, we decided to go back home. We watched the news. We just realized that all the facilities in both area were closed down due to typhoon. In fact, it was a dangerous attempt to go to the places. I think it would better if the information is updated on their official webpage. We cancelled our plan to Shilin Night Market. It was a miserable day.
Day 11- Taipei
It was our shopping day. We headed to 五分铺 for some clothes. The clothes are so cheap. No wonder I often heard people went to Taiwan for clothes. After a few hours of shopping, we went to visit the tallest building in Taipei. You are correct. It is Taipei 101. We did not go up as we were on a tight budget.
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| With Mr. Tall Taipei 101 |
After admiring the height of the building, we decided to head to Shilin Night Market. We bought food for dinner. My friend bought a new pair of sports shoes with great deal. It was a really fun place for shopping. However, the price is still high compared to 五分铺. I think Taipei trip would become a regretful one if we did not go and visit Shilin Night Market.
Day 12 - Heading back Home
We took a taxi to Taoyuan International Airport early in the morning. There is a luggage keeping service at the very corner of the airport. It costs around 100 TWD per luggage. After that, we took a bus to Taimao Shopping Mall. (台茂购物中心）Around 6.00 pm, we went back to the airport by bus. We took our luggage and did the final packing. I was not satisfied with the service provided. My luggage did not have any rigid shape. So, one of the staff told me that the price shall be 250 TWD and another told me that it was 150 TWD. Due to their different pricing, the staff had briefly and unwillingly measured my luggage. It ends up to be 200 TWD. I was a bit pissed off by their attitude. That was not my day. We boarded on the plane without any delay. That ends my Taiwan's graduation trip.
Taipei's accommodation: 草莓派
(I recommended the stay as the host was being very friendly and helpful. She even helped us with our luggage)
Budget and conclusion...
Now, this is the most exciting part for the trip. How much did we spend?
Air ticket (return) - RM 683
Luggage - RM 118.50
Accommodation - below RM 500
Transport and entry ticket - RM 500- RM800
Food and personal spending - around RM 1000
The trip costs around RM4000. Detailed journey description can be obtained from the link below:
There are some modification in the file. For correct reference, kindly read my blog.
Thank you for reading. I love backpacking as I am able to modify and become the planner. Even though it is a bit time consuming, you are able to see the true culture of the locals. I apologized if the content of my blog offended any one of you. I was just voicing out my true opinions.
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