At first, I was having second thoughts about my trip since mandarin is their mother tongue. I don't speak and read mandarin as I was brought up from an English background. The most I can do is converse in cantonese. Unfortunately, Taiwanese don't speak cantonese but solely mandarin. The entire trip was made easier thanks to my friend who speaks and understands the language a little. Taiwanese people are so helpful, polite and friendly. I was inspired by their great hospitality and customer service. They are willing to help in any possible way they can regardless of language.
The past few days before the trip was crazy busy, chasing deadlines and preparing for stock take. I'm glad that the trip turned out to be a fun and enjoyable one. Taipei, you've captured my heart! :) This trip was full of adventures, not only visiting and seeing places, but also getting in touch with mother nature, understanding the history and culture of Taipei and hiking! It was pretty exciting to go for impromptu hiking, considering the temperature and incorrect attire. We still made it in the end. :)
What a pretty sight to be greeted by beautiful flowers :)
Waiting patiently at the hotel lobby :)
My crib for the next 5 days. :) Loving the comfy room.
The modern interior of the bathroom.
L'occitane toiletries :)
After a quick shower and some rest, I'm ready to explore the area.
Roaming the streets of Ximending :)
Loving the metropolitan feel!
The busy and happening Ximending!
Look what I found? Watson's is everywhere! :)
Look what I found? A shop selling Hello Kitty and friends merchandise! :)
Hello Kitty, my favourite kitty cat all these years! :)
Soft toys from Line characters are up for grabs! :)
Such a cute fox toy! ^_^
Kerokerokeroppi!!! My favourite frog! :)
My first meal at Taipei, street food! :)
Looks interesting :)
Desserts anyone? :)
Such a lovely and cute doggy. Golden retrievers happen to be the trademark for the restaurant.
The busy Shilin Night Market packed with people.
Found this pretty interesting and so had to take a picture for remembrance! :)
Taiwanese people can be creative and open.
What a cute and girlie accessory shop :)
At Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe. Feeling happy and excited! :D
At Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe!
The entrance to the cafe.
Loving the wallpapers! :)
I'm the luckiest girl! :)
Getting started with the menu.
Hello Kitty & friends! :)
How cute can they get? :)
Too pretty and cute!
The Hello Kitty menu ;)
What a cute wall? ;)
Getting ready to order!
Enjoying our afternoon tea with Hello Kitty & friends! :)
Hello everybody from Ketagalan Culture Center! :)
At the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. Don't you just love nature?
Loving the vintage feel of the building.
At Beitou Hot Springs Museum.
A touch of art & architecture.
At the beautiful Plum Garden.
Who's up for a game of hop scotch? ;)
At the beautiful Plum Garden.
Loving the scenic view and greens. :)
At Thermal Valley. Notice the different shades of green?
Wasn't expecting this... but mother nature is full of wonders! :)
What a beautiful sight however the smell wasn't a pleasant one. It's sulphur!
Beautiful yet mysterious.
The wonders of nature!
Can't stop taking pictures at this beautiful sight.
At a different angle.
Loving the cherry blossom feel at Beitou town :)
Home cooked Taiwanese lunch! Simply delicious! :)
Thanks to the helpful chef for explaining the details of the dishes.
My attire for the sudden impromptu hiking! What a challenge to hike in short skirt and kitty flats! :)
Finally arrived at Tao Yuan International Airport :)
The study desk and flat screen television.
All prim, proper and ready to go.
I was very satisfied with the hotel. Not only situated in the heart of Ximending, Inhouse Boutique Hotel is just 5 minutes walk from the train station. The hotel is equipped with wifi and there is variety from the breakfast menu. Everything is within reach, from shopping to dining. Thumbs up for both the hotel and surrounding area. Hotel staffs are very helpful and friendly. Moving around is made easier and more convenient. Ximending is a happening and colourful place filled with shops and bustling with people, both locals and tourists.
Beaming with excitement and ready to go! :)
I'm wearing a Miss Selfridge yellow cardigan top, green midi skirt, pink saffiano leather Prada bag and Manolo Blahnik inspired flats.
Walking around Ximending :)
Bustling with people despite on a week day.
Vending machine games are a hit at Taipei. :)
Ximending is a very trendy and hip area. The streets are filled with rows of shops; selling clothes, gadgets, beauty products, food and vending machine games. The place is always busy with people especially later in the night. Managed to try some street food and continued roaming around the streets. Hello Kitty is popular among the Taiwanese and there are plenty of shops selling their merchandise. That's great news as I'm a big fan of hello kitty! ^_^
The cute but mischievous Stitch! :)
Taipei is easily accessible thanks to their efficient transport systems via train and bus. There are different lines connecting different parts of Taipei and their bus service operates 24 hours. Can you imagine travelling within the wee hours to different parts of Taipei? How cool is that!
The map of the train system.
The night markets in Taipei are a great attraction and helps generate revenue for the tourism industry. The top 10 night markets include Shilin, Tainan flowers, Raohe Street, Feng Chia, Luodong, Liouhe, Keelung Miaokou, Tonghua, Huaxi Street & Rueifong. Of all the night markets that I've visited, Shilin is the best and biggest. Shilin night market is the largest and most popular night market in the district. Just located near the MRT Jiantan station, makes it even easier to access. Shilin night market is famous for its authentic Taiwanese eateries and street food, latest fashion trends, electronic gadgets, souvenirs and plants. The best part is, the market opens till 2am in the morning. Another excuse to do some shopping.
A variety of shoes up for grabs at a reasonable price.
A variety of designs and colours!
These are the coolest souvenirs around. Found these flowers at a night market. It has a unique mechanism. The flowers are light sensitive and will bloom under direct heat. However when moisture is detected, the petals will close.
What I like about Taipei apart from the interesting city life, is the culture and heritage. With an efficient and convenient transport system, getting around Taipei is not a problem. A holiday wouldn't be complete without sight seeing! The next stop in the agenda was the Hello Kitty Cafe! A place that I've always wanted to visit.
Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe is located at No.90 Da An Road, Sec 1 near the intersection of Da An road and Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4. Getting to the cafe is not much of a problem as it is accessible via the Zhongxiao Fuxing Metro Station. This cafe is under licensed by Sanrio and has branches all over the world including Japan & Korea. The Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe not only serves cakes & desserts but main course meals as well. The lovely cafe is pink in colour and decorated with Hello Kitty characters from the chairs to the tables to the cakes and even the washroom. Even the waitresses are doned in pink uniforms with white aprons. Oh-so-cute!! The cakes and pastries were just average but the experience of dining in the cafe is priceless. The minimum afternoon tea set is priced at NTD 350. Overall it was a great experience.
Can't believe this is actually real!
The cute waitresses!
Hello Kitty themed cakes! Oh so cute! ;)
Too cute for consumption! :)
Hello Kitty & friends!
After much deliberation, I've finally chosen my cakes! Phew!
My afternoon tea set for the day! :)
Hello Kitty themed pudding, cake and chocolate milk shake!
Aww...isn't she gorgeous? ;)
Hello Kitty coffee! :)
Even the washroom mirror is printed with hello kitty designs!
Hello Kitty is a sweet little girl! :)
With my extended family! :) It was a great experience having dining in my all time favourite cat's cafe.
After exploring the city for a fair bit, we decided to head north for some sight seeing and greenery. It's good to reconnect with mother earth and discover the wonders of nature. Beitou is a cultural district rich in history and nature. Famous for its heritage sites including the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Plum Garden, Thermal Valley, Ketagalan Culture Center, Marshal Zen Garden, Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch and Beitou Park. Getting there is not a problem as public transport is very convenient. Train services are available and the stop to look out for is the Beitou MRT station. We have our lucky stars to thank as the weather was pretty good throughout the day. However it gets dark by 4.30 pm in the evening.
Getting ready for a day of adventure! :)
Starting the day early at Beitou Park! :)
Let's do an #ootd moment! I'm wearing a ribbon sweater by H&M kids, fuschia frilly skirt from Taipei, Charlotte Olympia kitty flats and pink saffiano leather Prada bag. :)
At the Ketagalan Culture Center! This is a museum depicting the different tribes in Taiwan and it's pre-historical moments.
Loving the scenic view!
Different views at the Beitou Hot Springs Museum.
The Thermal Valley was once considered to be one of Taiwan's 8 great natural wonders. The green sulphur waters are distinctive and peculiar. The fumes of smoke and mist rising up out of the catch basin and curling up the mountains and the translucent green waters have given rise to the names of Jade Springs Valley and Hell Valley, a place of wonders and fantasy in the older days.
The next destination in the list was Yangmingshan. We headed back to Beitou village to catch a bus to Yangmingshan. Managed to take a walk around the town and tried some home cooked Taiwanese food. The chef was very helpful and patient, explaining to us the entire menu in the restaurant. :)
Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City. It is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulphur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes, hiking trails and including Taiwan's tallest dormant volcano, Seven Star Mountain. Due to the affects of the post volcanic activity and precipitation, soil in the region is highly acidic.
The beautiful and breathtaking Yangmingshan!
Finally at the Yangmingshan National Park! :)
At Yangmingshan National Park!
Getting around Yangmingshan :)
The map of Yangmingshan.
Breathtaking view!
One of the wonders of nature!
On our way to Jiufen! :)
Beautiful view overlooking the Pacific Ocean!
Breathtaking...
Wave after wave...simply magnificent!
Speechless...
Striking a pose with mother nature!
The Bay of 2 colours!
At the tea house in Jiufen.
Beautiful skyline view.
The beautiful old village of Jiufen.
At Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.
At Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall :)
Loving graffiti! :)
Jiufen or alternately spelled as Jioufen is a small town in North Taipei. The town was once a prosperous gold mining area in the 1950's. When mining was discontinued, the town went into recession. The quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming another ghost mining town. Jiufen is a popular tourist destination today. It has provided the setting for several movies including Spirited Away. The town of Jiufen is built into the side of the hills slightly inland from the Pacific Ocean coastline. Jishan Street and Shuchi Street are the two main areas of interest to tourists with a historical background.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is another place worth visiting. It is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of the President of The Republic of China. It is located at the Zhongzheng district. The monument is surrounded by a beautiful park.
Walking around Taipei can be interesting. We came across interesting buildings, monuments and parks. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is one of the attractions. The hall was build in loving memory of Dr Sun Yat Sen which is a multi purpose social, educational and cultural center for the public.
At Longshan temple
Rainbow bridge!
Overall it was a fantastic holiday. Taiwan is a beautiful country and worth paying a visit. People are very helpful, polite and gentle. Will definitely consider Taipei for a second visit. :)
My ever friendly and handsome waiter from the hotel. Eye candy throughout the trip ;)
It was fate that brought us together. At the departure lounge and found this Hello Kitty boutique.
Managed to get myself a last minute souvenir!
Feeling satisfied with my holidays!
It was a worth while holiday. I'll be back my beautiful Taipei! x
