Took a grand total of 700+ photographs during my Taipei trip. =P So I reckon the easiest way to share the highlights of my trip is by chronological order. All in all, it was a fantastic trip, except for the fact that my whole family missed our flight home unfortunately and had to spend another day and night in Taipei. That ought to be something happy, except that we had to fork out a big sum of money for a new set of air tickets and another night’s stay in Taipei. Still, I am very blessed because the whole trip was sponsored by my very generous brother, who paid for every single thing from air tickets to hotel stay, and even for our shopping & meals! He wanted to bring my parents for a holiday, and said I should tag along as well. All I can say is I have a really awesome brother. =) Here goes Part 1.. More photos, less words! =D
I got really bored on our flight to Taipei. Took afternoon flight and the 4.5 hours felt like eternity. Thankfully, Baby Jayne slept for the 1st 2 hours, and then we spent the rest of the time watching cartoon DVDs.
We decided to take the airport shuttle bus to 西门町(Ximending）, where our hotel was. The fare was only about $2/person, much cheaper than a $50 cab fare.
It was fun having Baby Jayne with us on the trip. She brought so much laughter to us. =)
The shuttle buses were tour coaches with compartments for luggages. Comfortable and took us to our destination in about an hour. I was very impressed with Taipei Airport staff’s efficiency. They moved fast and were very polite.
We stayed at Relite Hotel, located about 5 mins’ walk away from Ximending. It was a budget hotel, but we were very happy with our spacious family room that came with 2 queen-sized beds and big fellowship area. We spent so much time there chatting, watching TV and having supper every night. =) It only cost us $120/night! Plus, I love it that it was located a short walk away from the very rowdy Ximending. I preferred the peacefulness in this area, but still near to the shopping area.
It was already 11pm when we checked into our hotel, and we haven’t had dinner! So, we quickly took a taxi out to the nearest 夜市（night market）recommended by the hotel for authentic local fare - 宁夏夜市 (Ningxia night market). Travelling by taxi in Taipei is very affordable. Most journeys cost us less than $5.
The night market was still bustling with energy and it is really the market to visit if you want to try all the local food fare in Taiwan.
We sat down by one of the stalls & had our dinner. My 1st taste of Taiwanese food was 卤肉饭 (Rice with braised meat)! It was awesome & cheap! =D
My dad also ordered some soup which I didn’t know contained what (!!!) but tasted pretty nice.
咸酥排骨 (Salted fried pork ribs)
This night market sells mainly food items, but further down the street was a section of carnival game stalls. We found lots of this kind of game stalls everywhere we went in Taipei. It was so colourful and definitely a draw for Baby Jayne. =)
We paid NT25 (Approx $1) for Baby Jayne to play the ball throwing game. It was simple enough for her to enjoy!
It was already past midnight when we decided to go back to the hotel. But before we left, we bought fried gyoza to eat back at the hotel.. They looked too good to be missed!
Next to our hotel was a 7-11, and we patronised it everyday. It was way too awesome, like 1000 times better than those found in Singapore. They have a wide selection of cold drinks and instant foods. They even had seating area for those who would like to consume their food within the store.
Then it was back to our hotel to crash for the night…Our 1st few hours in Taipei were already awesome! =D
