THE POSTCARD FROM TAIPEI

There was a postcard from Taipei that arrived today. Unluckily it was not from any of the Taiwanese girls from the island. When I visited Katagalan Culture Centre in Beitou, I was asked to write a postcard which was then put on a board for people to read. According to the lady who was on duty, the museum staff would then post the card to me. True to her words, the postcard reached after almost 4 months and that was one sweet thing the did, I guess as a token of appreciation for the visit. The gesture might look very small but upon receiving the postcard, I was already thinking of going back to Taiwan again one of these days.

Read about Katagalan Culture Centre HERE.

TAOYUAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

I had more time to explore Taoyuan International Airport as my flight was delayed for two hours. There was a thunderstorm in the morning which had resulted Terminal 2 of the airport was flooded and had affected the operation. Luckily Terminal one stayed dry or else I would be stranded longer on the island.

some sort of poetry on the wall, if I am not mistaken

There was a halal restaurant at the airport. I was expecting halal Chinese/Taiwanese but they were selling food like kebab instead so I did not try any.

the museum shop at the airport

There were a few small scales exhibitions around the place. One of them was this children's art exhibition with the focus on a cartoon character of a blue bear.

One interesting this was that the waiting lounges at the different gates were distinguished by different themes.

There was a praying room available so you should worry no more.

Another small exhibition that I found was on the Taiwanese tops. There were different types of tops put on display - both traditional and modern ones.

I do hope that I could come back to Taiwan some other day and next time, I plan to venture out of Taipei and explore the other parts of the island. So, goodbye Taipei for now and hope to see you again soon.

ECFA HOTEL IN XIMEN, TAIPEI

The hotel I was staying Taipei is strategically located to Ximen area. It is near to the Ximen MRT Station and right on the ground floor, there is a 7-Eleven Store where I could get my that triangular rice (that I could not remember its Japanese name).

Other than that, I went to Ximen commercial area almost every evening - just to walk around or to get the delicious mango shaved ice-cream.

My room was on the 10th floor. The place was definitely too big for me - either I had booked the wrong bedroom or they had given me something much bigger than what I needed. It could easily accommodate 4 people and I had the whole place to myself.

the view from my window

One thing I liked best about the hotel is that there was a coffee-making machine just outside my room. The free-flow of coffee was definitely good as I could have cups (and I really mean CUPS) of coffee in the morning and evening, without fail. I was not sure whether there was any limitation but there was no one telling me that I could only consume a cup of coffee a day.

The staff spoke very little English but I could always get help from the tourists information counters at the MRT stations. My only concern was what should I do if there was an earthquake when I was in my room.

Thanks a lot to Puan Christina Chan for recommending me this place. It is not easy trying to choose the best hotel online by reading all the reviews posted. It is always helpful to get people who have the real experience staying at a specific hotel to give you suggestion for the best place.

[MY TAIPEI TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE NIGHT MARKET IN SHILIN

Shilin Night Market is always highlighted by travel blogs and websites. I stopped on the way back from Beitou to see it myself. To me, it was just another night market especially when I had nothing to buy.

I was there quite early so there were not many people yet. Therefore I could move around easily. If you are hunting for local delicacies, I guess this should be the place.

You could also try your luck at the game stalls. 

In the end, I just bought some preserved fruits to bring back to Malaysia - mango, guava and the other one I could not remember.

[MY TAIPEI TRIP MAIN PAGE]