Top 10 Recommendations for a Trip to Taipei

My recommendations for planning a trip to Taipei...

1. Stop studying Mandarin
...In other words, you don't need to speak Mandarin to get around in Taipei. Almost everything you need is written in English: MRT stops, maps, etc. And if you get stuck, ask. Most younger people know some English, and using hand motions will usually help get your point across. Out of politeness, I would recommend learning how to say 'hello' and 'thank you' in Mandarin. 'Hello' is Nǐ hǎo (pronounced knee-how), and 'thank you' is Xièxiè (prounced shay-shay). Get ready for some laughs from locals hearing you attempt their language.

2. Bring your rain coat and umbrella
It rains a lot, especially in December. But it's not the "ruin your day kind of rain"... more like on-and-off drizzling. Another tip - do not bring a wet umbrella inside. Either A) use an umbrella bag (provided at most hotels and museums) or B) leave it on an umbrella rack outside. No one will steal it. My cute one was safe all week!

3. Pack some TP
So you know those little "Charmin-to-go" toilet paper rolls in the travel toiletry aisle at Target? The ones you look at and think "Who would buy this stuff?" Well, YOU will buy this stuff...on your next trip to Taipei. Oddly enough, a lot of public restrooms don't have toilet paper. And it's not like they were just out of it...sometimes there wouldn't even be a place for a roll to go. I started bringing some from the hotel, but that Charmin-to-go sure would've been nice.

4. Pack light
You are going to want to buy things. Especially clothes and shoes. Don't make the same mistake I did and over pack. Thankfully, I had Tyler, who brought some things home for me. The clothes you intend on bringing probably aren't in style over in Taiwan anyway (unless you wear a lot of Hello Kitty), so don't worry about looking super cute. And while clothes and shoes are plentiful and cheap, don't get your hopes up for inexpensive designer purses. You're not in China (completely).

On a slightly related note, to condense my electronics, I left my computer at home and blogged from my iPad. To transfer pictures from my camera, I picked up a Wi-Fi SD card from Amazon (here). It creates a Wi-Fi hotspot (so you don't need internet) from your camera to your computer or tablet, and immediately transfers pictures when you're in close range. It is a faster and cord-free substitute to the traditional method, and would also be cool for photographers wanting to show off their pictures right away. (They're not paying me for advertising, I promise.)

5. Get a phone
Another way of fighting the language barrier in Taiwan is having access to a phone with data. This can get a little complicated. Hopefully, you are lucky and your phone takes a SIM card and can operate globally. If you're not lucky like me (thank you Verizon iPhone...), find a cheap phone that does. Tyler bought one for me off a girl in Taiwan for $30. You could also try borrowing an old phone from a friend. Anyway, once you have your phone, grab your passport and U.S. driver's license (you will need both) and find a mobile phone store along the street (they are plentiful and easy to identify). You'll be able to communicate in broken English to explain that you would like a SIM card and data for your phone. A SIM card costs about $10 (and you can reuse it for your next trip!) and 10-days of data and some phone minutes costs another $10. So, $20 and you're all set. Now, you'll have 3G data wherever you go.

6. Exchange money at the airport
Unlike Mexico, the airport in Taipei has one of the best exchange rates, about 30NT per $1. You'll need your passport to exchange money. Although I spent all of my money and didn't need to exchange any back, the return rate to USD isn't bad either.

7. Always carry your hotel's business card
...and make sure it's in Mandarin. Why? How else do you tell your cab driver where to drop you off? How do you get directions from someone who doesn't speak much English if you get lost? It's always safe to carry multiple business cards with you. The alternative is learning Mandarin.

8. Get yourself an Easy Card and the MRT app
Hopefully you've read my previous post about how much I love the MRT and Taipei public transportation. To make getting around even easier, buy yourself an Easy Card, which is a pre-paid card that you wave across a reader device when you travel. This will save you the hassle of waiting in line for tickets and rummaging through your purse for change. You can use it at the MRT and Maokong Gondola, and also for train and bus fares, parking, boat rides, bicycle rentals, and even at 7-11.

It gets better. The Easy Card gives users a 20% discount on MRT fares. Also, if you use your Easy Card on the MRT and then again on a bus within two hours (or vice versa), the bus ride is 50% off. You can purchase an Easy Card from machines at MRT stations for a preset amount. I think mine had $25 on it (750 NT) which was more than enough for the week. The reader will tell you how much value you have left after each scan, and you can always add money to it, too.

Finally, download the MRT map. It's free and will help you determine where the closest station is located, as well as what lines to transfer to and from to get to your destination.

9. Skip the theme restaurants
BuzzFeed and Huffington Post are going to tell you about all of the amazing themed restaurants in Taipei. My advice: they are worth a picture and nothing more. From talking with locals to looking up reviews, all of these restaurants are overpriced and have awful food. Pop in for a picture of the Hello Kitty Sweet Cafe, the Barbie Restaurant, and maybe even Modern Toilet (your food comes in mini toilets), but save your time and money and eat elsewhere.

10. Taipei is safe
I spent a lot of time by myself during the trip, and never once did I feel in danger or uncomfortable. Not to say that the city is crime-free, but don't be afraid to venture off alone and soak up the culture. It's exhilarating, stress-free, and will really teach you a lot about yourself.

Enjoy!

Zàijiàn Taiwan!

...That means goodbye :(

My trip home was uneventful. Actually, too uneventful. On the 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis, I happened to be sitting in the only seat (on a full flight!) with a broken video screen and reading light. Sorry - no movie reviews this time! It was a rather boring flight with no movies and no light...at least Delta gave me 10k miles for the inconvenience.

I'll leave you with some of my final cultural observations:

-Everyone drives scooters. And scooters stop for no one. Be careful of them when you cross the street...

-Taiwanese people remember everything! The hotel staff remembered every guest's face, full name, and room number...and this was at a large high-rise hotel. And they are so hospitable. If you leave your room for even 30 minutes, your pillow will be fluffed, slippers and robe laid by your bed, etc. One time they knocked on my door asking if I'd like any chocolate. Freaky...they almost knew me too well! 

-Step aside U.S. "duck face." In Taiwan, it's all about the "sparrow face." For the perfect sparrow, open your eyes wide and purse your lips slightly (think like a bird waiting for food). For added effect, add a peace sign.

Sparrow face via kokatu.com

Sparrow face via Kat and Tyler (dressed as a banana)

Be on the lookout for my recommendations post soon!

Last Full Day: Gondola Take 2 & (Finally) Taipei 101

I almost shed a tear as I had my last meal at the hotel restaurant. As with my Mexico trip, it will be difficult coming home and eating...less.  Fun fact: George Lucas dined at this restaurant. To prove it, there was a signed picture of him with some waitresses that said "the force is with you."

Not wanting a repeat of Thursday, I made sure to get an early start and head straight to the gondola station. No Crystal Cabin for me this time, the line was insane! But no worries, I enjoyed a beautiful and rain-free ride along with a lady and her two, cute kids. That was until the gondola broke. And by broke I mean completely stopped. So there I hung (not literally, Mom!), freaking out. An announcement in Mandarin came over a speaker in the cable car, and judging by the worried look on the lady's face, things didn't seem good. For the next 15-20 minutes, we didn't move, and I sat there envisioning myself falling/jumping/dying. Finally, after another announcement, the lady and her kids gave me a thumbs up (the universal language for "we're cool") and we started moving again. Whew!

Hello Kitty Themed Cable Cars

I rode the gondola all the way to the last stop, Maokong Station. Maokong is a mountainous area on the edge of Taipei that became famous for its tea plantations. While most of the tea is now grown in other parts of the country, Maokong is still home to small plantations and many tea houses for tastings. I'm a daily green tea drinker, so I was excited to taste and explore.

Coffee with a view!

I ventured off on foot and walked for about 45 minutes, taking in the sights of the beautiful mountains and the Taipei 101 in the distance. I've heard of this area being compared to Jurassic Park, and I could certainly see why. The land was lush, green, and mostly uninhabited. I continued walking past the  Tainen Temple and finally arrived at the Taipei Tea Promotion Center. There I got to learn a bit about the history of tea making, like how to brew teas to bring out their optimal flavors. More importantly, I was able to sample some delicious tea! On the way back to the gondola station, I stopped at one of the many tea houses overlooking the mountains. I enjoyed more tea, a Jasmin Oolong mix, while soaking in the beautiful scenery. I also learned how to brew tea leaves, and took a package home with me.

 

I hopped back on the gondola and rode it down to the Zhinan Station, home to the magnificent Chi Nan temple, one of the oldest temples in Taipei. The pictures explain themselves. This place was massive, with four main halls, five secondary halls, and many walkways. Chi Nan is sometimes called "the temple of a thousand steps" - there are literally 1,200 stone steps that lead up to it. Apparently you live an extra 20 seconds for each step you climb. Some people were doing rituals and kissing each step as they went. Me? I was sweating my butt off, stopping for a breather every so often. :)

Next up on the agenda was to meet up with Tyler and finally go see the Taipei 101, one of the most famous landmarks in Taiwan. The 101 is one of the tallest buildings in the world and considered to be the country's engineering masterpiece. As you've seen from my pictures this past week, the 101 is visible from most of Taipei, helping all directionally challenged people (me) navigate through the city. Unlike the Empire State Building, it's worth the ~$15 to go to the top.



You start by riding the world's fastest passenger elevator. Warning - your ears will pop! Once at the top, there is a free audio tour that takes you around different viewpoints and shares facts about the building. We passed on the tour, but had a great time wondering around. Tyler has been 3 or 4 times, so he knew the ropes and I just followed along. Highlights for me were the outside observatory deck (it was so windy up there!) as well as the huge damper that stabilizes the building. There was a video of the damper swaying during a typhoon...ugh, I couldn't imagine. Before taking the elevator back down, we passed through a display of various red coral statues for sale, some costing upwards of $6 million USD. I couldn't help but think, who actually buys this stuff?!

On the Observatory Deck

Yours for $6M

Now starving, we stopped by the ATT 4 Fun building (a large building with indoor and outdoor shops and restaurants) for dinner. You could spend days shopping in Taiwan. It was hard to resist. Anyway, Tyler wanted to eat at the Diner, a restaurant he'd dined at during his 2012 visit. The Diner is an Westernized restaurant specializing in burgers and brunch. It had a modern and rustic vibe. Tyler ate banana bread french toast and Eggs Benedict (did I mention we were hungry?). I got a huge chili jalapeno burger, and I am too ashamed to post a picture of it (lol). Everything was delicious!



After dinner, we took a quick stop by Shilin Night Market so that I could pick up a few souvenirs. Then it was back to the hotel to pack up for my journey back West.

Saturday

It's about time I finish blogging about Taiwan, right? I apologize for the almost month-long delay - the holidays and work got in the way. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay turned as I finish up sharing my last couple days in Taipei, starting with Saturday, 12/21.
I woke up around 9am to blog a bit and grab something to eat. I skipped the hotel buffet and opted for another breakfast sandwich from Tyler's favorite street stand in Noodle Alley, complete with a 7/11 iced coffee. I guess now I'm hooked too.

Noodle Alley

My first plan for the day was to ride the MRT to YuanShan Station, and walk to the Confucius and Dalongdong temples. Right outside the station, there seemed to be a lot of activity going on. I followed the noise and music to Taipei Expo Park, where I found a farmer's market and a stage with people playing none other than...Christmas music! I browsed through the market, and received a lot of strange looks and stares. I'm really noticing that white people are not common in Taipei, and especially not white females. After grabbing a fresh sample of jasmine tea from one of the vendors, I was on my way out. Right outside of the market, I saw a group of 5 women taking pictures of each other. I walked over to them, and using hand motions and a lot of pointing, offered to take a picture of all of them together. This turned into a 10-minute ordeal. I stood there snapping continuous photos as they changed poses at least five different times. And after that, they all wanted pictures with me, and then of me individually.  Too funny.
I eventually broke away from the paparazzi and reached my first destination, the Taipei Confucius Temple, which is modeled after the original Confucius temple in mainland China. As I'm sure many of you know, Confucius is one if the most influential Chinese philosophers in history. He advocated for education, strong family values, and simplicity, and the design of the temple reflected his teachings. Unlike the intricacy of the Longshan temple, the Confucius temple was modest and did not include any statues of gods or deities. I learned as lot as I read about Confucius's life, peaked in a room full of schoolchildren reciting his poetry, and listened to a small concert band practicing ritual hymns. There was also a handful of people scattered around the temple with sketchbooks, working on beautiful drawings of the temple. A girl who spoke a little English told me that they were a group of university students taking an elective in art. I could use a lesson or two in drawing...



Adjacent to the Confucius temple was the Dalongdong Bao-an temple. Yes, Dalongdong (I found this pretty funny). The temple was established in 1742, and is usually visited by people praying for good health or recovery from illness. Both the Confucius and Dalongdong temples were very peaceful and quiet, and seemed to be seldom visited by tourists. They were a nice break from the other more populous attractions in Taipei.

Next up was the National Palace Museum, one of the most famous museums in the world. Long story short, most of the museum's artifacts were taken from Beijing right after WWII. During a civil war between the Chinese communists and Chinese nationalists, the nationalist government, who was about to lose, retreated to Taiwan. With them they brought many precious artifacts, so that they wouldn't fall into the hands of the Communists.

This museum was a pain to get to because it required a MRT and bus ride, not to mention is was extremely crowded! There were bus loads of visitors, many from mainland China. I spent the next few hours exploring the museum's exhibitions, which stretched from 6,000 BC to the post-war period. The museum contains 655,000 pieces (only about 1,700 on display at a time), making it the world's largest collection of Chinese art and artifacts. There were three floors packed with jade, pottery, bronze, paintings, rare books, and more. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed. The most famous artifact, which I waited in a long line to see, was the Jadeite Cabbage, a piece of jade carved to look like a vegetable. It symbolized purity and fertility in one of the emperor's wives. I recommend this museum to anyone who is interested in history and technology. There were many exhibits with impressive multimedia, interactive technology. After finishing up, I stopped by the neighboring Zhishan Garden, which was free with my National Palace Museum admission ticket, and then headed back to the hotel to freshen up.

Tyler and I got all dressed up and headed to the National Concert Hall (remember my visit earlier in the week), where we had tickets to "A Cozy Christmas Eve" - a Finnish fiddling concert. It was a sold-out show, and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to JPP (Jarvelan Pikkupelimannit), comprised of four fiddlers, a harmonium player, and a double bassist. The well-known group travels regularly across the world and has produced 10 albums. The music was wonderful, and it was fun hearing holiday music from Santa's hometown in Finland. :)

We were starving after the show, which ended at about 9:30. We hailed a cab back to our hotel's district, and walked to a restaurant/lounge that was recommended to Tyler by one of his coworkers. I walked into PATINA lounge and almost turned around and walked right out. It was not what I was expecting - dim lights, smoky air, and leopard print couches. Honestly it kind of grossed me out. But what the heck...we sat at the bar and ordered the bartender's (who spoke English!) recommendation. A sliced steak with fried garlic and a gigantic seasoned prawn, both beautifully prepared, were cooked on a small grill behind the bar. Wow! I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.