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Notes on Taipei

October 25, 2014 By James Clark 23 Comments

Notes on Taipei

My visit to Taipei was also my first time in Taiwan. Rather than rush around and try and visit the whole island I dedicated two weeks to exploring Taipei and decided to visit the rest of the island another time.

Two weeks turned out to be a good amount of time to linger and explore the different neighbourhoods, night markets, and spacing out my meals for all the great food that is on offer.

I enjoyed my time in Taipei, and given the chance or right circumstances in my life I would be happy to base myself here for longer.

The following are my notes and observations on the city.

Taipei: Like China, without the hassle

I heard it described a few times that Taiwan is what China used to be like in terms of culture and pace of life. Altogether I have spent about three months travelling in China, and Taipei felt like a chilled out version of China, without the pollution and spitting. Even though Taipei is a big city it feels easy there. The air is clean(er), queues are abided by, and people talk softly.

Like a cross between China and Japan

A terrible analogy I know, given their less than friendly relations, but Taipei seems to have blended traditional Chinese culture with the pop cultural vibrancy of Japan. There are Chinese temples…

Temple in Taipei

…mixed in with Manga-style cartoon advertising.

Cartoon Bus

I’m not going to say it’s like where east meets west…

…because a) it isn’t, and b) it’s a terrible travel writing cliche. BUT, how else do you describe this?

Philly Cheesesteak

Pedestrians rule

Pedestrians really do have the right of way. After being in Southeast Asia for so long it was a novelty to use a zebra crossing that worked.

Pedestrians have right of way

Hello Kitty is everywhere

Maybe the Japan comparison was due to the omnipresence of Hello Kitty. Even though this non-cat is Japanese, she seems to have been adopted as one of their own.

At the airport I saw the EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet and there are Hello Kitty shops all over the place. I found this Hello Kitty Cafe during my cafe research…

Hello Kitty Cafe

…and a Hello Kitty restaurant.

Hello Kitty Kitchen

What the?

I spotted these advertising billboards on the side of a building – Chinese sponsored I presume. Hey it’s a free country; try putting a pro-Tibet independence billboard up in China.

To avoid religious sexual abuse, please stay away from the lamas of Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is definitely not Buddhism; the lamas are not Buddhist monks or nuns

The Internet

Speaking of being a free country, the first thing I did when I arrived in Taiwan and logged in was to Google “Tiananmen Square”. In China any reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre is blocked. This is not “China” (well, kind of not China) so I was curious to see what a visitor from actual China would see.

Tiananmen Square Suggestions
[Tiananmen Square suggestions.]

The results in English.

Tiananmen Square - English

And the Chinese version also produced uncensored results.

Tiananmen Square - Chinese

I also checked this because if I wanted to live here I like to have uncensored internet. The internet is censored in Thailand and Vietnam, but that is easy enough to get around. China is heavily censored (the Great Firewall of China) and I found using a VPN to be cumbersome.

There is also free internet available in the city if you have a local sim card. I didn’t get a sim card on this trip but I like knowing that this option is available.

The Metro

Metro Station

The Taipei Metro, also known as the MRT, was being expanded at the time of my visit and was due to increase by 30% by the end of 2014, including an extension to TPE airport.

The metro is the embodiment of Taiwanese cleanliness and efficiency. Everyone abides by the queue system, and people are quick to give up seats for the elderly.

I know other metro systems around the world have a “stand to the right” policy, but here it works all the time, and no one is difficult about it if they forget (this might be where I got my Japan comparisons from).

Taipei Metro - Stand to the right
[So courteous!]

And because everyone is so courteous, they get toilets! The metro has toilets that are clean and don’t feel creepy. Not only inside the ticketed area but outside as well. It was nice to walk around the city and never have to worry about where the nearest toilet might be, as you could just find the nearest metro station.

Metro Toilet - Taipei

Can you imagine having toilets in London, New York, or in the case of my home city, Melbourne. No. We can’t have nice things like toilets, because junkies and vandals. Ok, there are toilets in London, but they are mostly pay toilets and are usually broken, dirty, and a bit scary.

And ladies, just in case you were worried about secret cameras, the MRT have got your back with anti-spy camera detection units.

Anti-spy camera detection in restrooms
[Anti-spy camera detection in restrooms – they’ve got everything covered.]

At one station I found this customer satisfaction point – a computer sitting untethered on a desk. Sure, it’s a notebook from 2008 but people here aren’t dicks, so no one is going to take it. Thus Taipei People can have nice things likes toilets in the metro.

Notebook feedback in Metro

Stations have these mobile recharging units and wifi is available in the trains.

Taipei Metro recharging stations

Of course everyone is so courteous that they wouldn’t think to have loud conversations onboard.

Cell Phone Etiquette

Even if you are here for a day I would get the metro card, which you can get with a 100TWD ($3.30 USD) refundable deposit. Put credit on the card and you won’t need to buy tickets, plus there is a discount compared to the single tickets.

Hike Elephant Mountain to get the best view of Taipei

Whenever a news agency/travel guide uses a stock photo of Taipei it’s usually of the view from Elephant Mountain. It’s arguably a better view than going to the observation deck of Taipei 101, because you get the view of Taipei 101.

The view point is close to the city at Xiangshan Station at the end of the Xinyi Line. Go to Exit 2 and walk along the park, then turn left and walk uphill until you see the pathway for the Xiangshan Hiking Trail. The walk from the station to the top is around 30 minutes with steep stairs.

Stairs on the Xiangshan Hiking Trail

If you are going to be in Taipei for a number of days check the weather and pick what day will be the most probable clear afternoon.

There are a few viewing platforms along the way but keep going to the top for the best view.

Viewing Taipei 101
[A good view here, but keep going.]

At the top you will be surrounded by photographers looking to get their quintessential Taipei stock photo.

Photographing Taipei 101

Time your hike so you arrive at Xiangshan Station an hour before sunset to get the postcard view of Taipei 101 sunset while watching the lights flickering on across the city.

Taipei 101 at sunset

Night Markets

There are few cities that do night markets as well as Taipei. Night markets are all over the city so I was glad to have two weeks worth of nights to visit as many as I could. I visited some of the famous markets as well as some smaller ones that happened to be near where I was staying.

The biggest and most famous market is Shilin Market. Being the biggest you may read some blogs trying to offer “off the beaten path” advice by saying not to go because it’s too touristy. Sure, it’s crowded but it is worth it.

Shilin Market
[Shilin Market – I got there early, before the crowds.]

One market that’s not prominently featured in guides is the Sanhe night market in New Taipei City. There are two streets that make up the market so you can walk down one and then up the other.

Sanhe night market
[Sanhe night market.]

Huaxi market is also known as Snake Alley. This is the Taipei night market of legend where you can get snake blood and meat, along with the usual night market fare.

Huaxi Night Market

Raohe St is another big market street and is worth a visit.

Raohe St. Night Market
[Raohe St]

Qingguang is a smaller market and I only happened upon because it was near where I was staying.

Qingguang Market
[Qingguang Market]

Food

Taipei is is famous for its food scene but it can be intimidating if you don’t know where to look. With pots of bubbling offal and strange smells it is not like somewhere like say, Thailand, where the street food is visually appealing.

Market food - what is it?

There is also a language barrier as english isn’t as widely spoken here.

Menu board in Chinese
[This restaurant menu board had me wishing for a picture menu.]

I was lucky enough to have some local help with a blogger who lives here as well as arranging a meetup with a local via Couchsurfing, who took me out to markets and ordered food I had not tried. Before meeting up with my foodies-on-the-ground I was working my way through this list of Taiwanese foods.

Here is a sample of some food I tried:

Braised pork rice

This is a classic Taiwanese meal and a tasty introduction to local food.

Braised pork rice

Beef Noodle Soup

Beef noodle soup is one of the most popular dishes here and can be found everywhere.

Beef Noodle Soup
[Beef Noodle Soup]

Stinky Tofu

Stinky Tofu - Taipei
[Stinky Tofu is indeed stinky and tofu-ey]

The ATL (Anti Tofu League) must be thrilled that tofu has the prefix of “stinky”, but here it literally is stinky. In fact it is so stinky, when you are at a market you can smell it from a few carts away. I tried it and found that it tastes better than it smells, and I wouldn’t have a problem ordering it again as a side dish.

The stink is stinky but I found it to be a comforting smell by the time I left. For me it’s like the smell of durian on the streets of Bangkok, Saigon, or any other big Southeast Asian city. I don’t particularly like the smell of durian (though I can eat it) but the smell is forever associated with being somewhere in tropical Asia, so that is a good thing. And so it is with the smell of stinky tofu, which is now forever associated with wandering the wonderful night markets of Taipei on a humid night.

Bitter Gourd Juice

Not content with having a smelly food with an off-putting name, you can wash down your stinky tofu with a cup of bitter gourd juice. I forgot to opt out of sugar in this case so I didn’t get to experience the full bitter fury of this gourdy looking fruit. People drink it for its health qualities. It’s not my cup of melon.

Bitter Gourd Juice
[Bitter Gourd (or bitter melon) Juice.]

Taiwanese Breakfast

For a simple breakfast you can’t beat Dan Bing (Taiwanese Pancake with Egg) and soy milk. The soy milk is served warm – usually in a bowl – and you can opt out of added sugar. This was 30TWD ($1USD).

Taipei Breakfast
[Taipei Breakfast]

Lunch Box

The lunch box is a popular workers meal and an economical meal option. You can choose from a variety of meats and vegetables and includes rice and soup. This meal cost me 55TWD ($1.80USD).

Lunch Box Meal
[Lunch Box Meal]

And for vegetarians and vegans, don’t despair. I had lunch a number of times at vegan buffet places where you pay by weight. I put together this plate purely by colour coordination. This meal cost me 88TWD ($2.90) and includes rice, plus you can help yourself to a soup and tea.

Colourful vegan food
[Vegan food.]

Oyster vermicelli

Pork is popular in Taiwan, and as with everywhere else in Asia most of the animal is used. I had the Oyster vermicelli which comes garnished with chopped intestines. It tastes better than it sounds.

Oyster vermicelli
[Oyster vermicelli with pork intestines.]

Pasta – the noodles of the west

For some reason pasta is everywhere here, or as they like to call it – Italy Noodles.

Italy Noodles

Pepper Cakes

Pepper cakes are baked buns filled with pork and pepper and make for a great mid-afternoon snack. There is a famous pepper cake stand at the entrance of the Raohe St. Night Market, and I can attest to the nomminess of the cakes there.

Pepper cakes
[Pepper cakes]

Bubble Tea

Bubble tea was invented in the city of Taichung in the 1980’s and has now become synonymous with Taiwan. Bubble tea shops are everywhere and I lost count of the amount of local chain stores. The classic milk tea with bubbles starts at 15 TWD (50c USD).

Bubble Tea

Shaved Ice

While I was expecting bubble tea I wasn’t expecting shaved ice to be a thing here. I’ve had shaved ice in Hawaii which was topped with flavoured syrup. Here the signature shaved ice dish is topped with mango and sweetened condensed milk. On a hot summer night when the humidity is one million percent this is the best thing ever.

Mango and shaved ice
[Mango and shaved ice]

Cafes

Fong Da Coffee
[Fong Da Coffee.]

There are cafes everywhere in Taipei which vary in quality. Some of them are just cake shops that look like they were designed by little girls (see Hello Kitty above). Others would compete with any hipster-den in Brooklyn or Melbourne. I made a list of cafes to work from but some of my favourites didn’t make the list as they were nothing more than hole-in-the-wall type places. Wilbeck is one of those small cafes I enjoyed. I also liked Fong Da Coffee, which has been open since 1956 (and some of the equipment in the cafe looks as old.)

Museum hell at the National Palace Museum

National Palace Museum
[National Palace Museum: best viewed from the outside.]

I’ve dropped off the whole going to museums thing when visiting new cities. There are only so many old vases you can look at before it all starts looking the same. In Taipei though I figured I should at least visit the National Palace Museum, which houses one of the most important collections of Chinese art and artifacts in the world. The museum collection was evacuated from China during the Chinese Civil War in 1948 and it rivals any collection held in Beijing.

I mentioned to a Taiwanese friend that I was going and they said that I will see lots of loud mainlanders there (mainlanders being from the PRC). I was told attendants are on patrol with signs saying “quiet please”, which they wave in front of noisy people. I presumed this might have been local Chinese prejudice and thought nothing else of it.

I went to the museum and sure enough, it was the noisiest place I went to in Taipei. The foyer was filled with tour groups and it was the most unruly museum I have ever been to. Camera’s aren’t allowed inside so I present to you this grainy image from my phone. The staircase was a solid sea of people.

Crowd at National Palace Museum

Some of the exhibition rooms were so full I didn’t even bother trying. I found some rooms that weren’t too busy and I caught myself enjoying the “old vases” more than I thought. In the end though I got frustrated with fighting my way through the crowds and left earlier than I planned.

One good thing about having so many Chinese tourists congregated in one place is that it makes for an ideal location for Falong Gong protests and information on the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Falong Gong and Tiananmen Square massacre information
[Falong Gong and Tiananmen Square massacre information for the benefit of mainland guests.]

Temples

Confucius Temple
[Confucius Temple]

The good news is that you don’t need to go to museums to get a cultural fix. There are temples all over the city, and like markets I can never resist having a look inside.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

One of the grandest buildings in Taipei is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Inside you can see the statue of Chiang Kai-shek that is reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Also on the CKS Memorial grounds are the National Theater and National Concert Hall.

Hall Taipei

Cultural tidbit – don’t point at the moon

My brain is filled with cultural oddities and superstitions that have been acquired from places in my travels, and here is another one I picked up.

I met a local one evening to go to a night market. I saw the new moon in the sky and pointed to it, to which I was told “don’t point at the moon”. Apparently it is something young kids are told by superstitious parents. I had to look it up afterwards and sure enough don’t point at the moon is listed as a cultural myth.

The Moon - Taipei
[The moon that I pointed at.]

Cost samples

Cost is a relative thing. I have heard Taipei being described as both expensive and cheap. If you are coming from Australia or the US you will think that Taipei is a bargain. If you are arriving after travelling around Southeast Asia you will be paying more than what you have become accustomed to, but it is still a good deal.

Some sample prices

Coach from airport (45 minutes on freeway): 140 TWD ($4.60 USD).
Metro ticket (5 stop ride): 16 TWD (53c USD).
Hostel dorm room $16USD per night.
Short term apartments from $400 USD per month.
Food (see sample prices in the food section).

If you are looking to stay here long term check out the budget breakdowns by Jeremy of gocurrycracker.com, an American living in Taipei who keeps track of monthly expenses.

Where to stay

There is no guesthouse accommodation like in Southeast Asia, so the minimum to expect for a cheap hotel room is about $50usd per night. There are plenty of hostels which are good value, starting at $15-20USD per night. Alternatively you can check Airbnb which has private rooms in apartments.

[If you haven’t used Airbnb you can get $25 Airbnb credit on your first booking.]

I ended up staying in two hostels in different areas. I stayed in Ximen and near the Xingtian Temple Metro Station. While the Ximen area has lots to do, the metro is so convenient and I was going to different neighbourhoods every night, so where I stayed didn’t matter. I don’t think there is an area of advantage, just as long as you are staying a short walk from a metro station.

More Taipei Resources

I have a Taipei resources page which links to Taipei sites and useful blog posts.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: notes on, taipei, taiwan

Comments

  1. Jimmy Dau says

    October 26, 2014 at 2:50 am

    Great post James. I always thought it would have been much more expensive. Love the sunset photo- it looks like my kind of spot.

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:54 am

      Yes it is not too bad, especially if comparing it to Tokyo. You could blow it out here easily on the food, but eating at markets saves the day.

      Reply
  2. Kozue says

    October 26, 2014 at 5:12 am

    Actually, I hope to travel in Taiwan. Partly because of this crazy story, and some other interests. Thanks for a helpful post!

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:53 am

      4 hours for one single Cabbage! Ok that beats my musuem story.

      Reply
  3. Deano says

    October 26, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Please tell me that you worked from the Hello Kitty Cafe! that would be so surreal.

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:55 am

      I didn’t, and I now feel less of a man for not having done so.

      Reply
  4. Dale says

    October 26, 2014 at 10:41 am

    I had some similar thoughts on the influence of Japanese culture, but it was very quickly cleared up once I had a quick history lesson from one of our Couchsurfing hosts that Taiwan was under Japanese occupation during some of the first half of the 20th Century. After they left they’ve obviously kept some ties, especially towards the nicer culture side of things.

    Miss so much of the food there, especially the bubble teas, but also the stinky tofu smell 😀

    Reply
  5. Tenzin Thinley says

    October 26, 2014 at 11:00 am

    Nice information, thanks. I will use it when I go someday.

    Reply
  6. rebecca says

    November 1, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    great post. very helpful. I can’t believe how sensored the internet is… thats the part that stuck in my mind the most!

    Reply
  7. Brian Hill says

    November 3, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    you could be the most observant person in the world! and i am thinking your picture of taipei 101 is the best ever! I do like polite organized people, so taipei would be a place I would like to visit, thanks to you. Brian.

    Reply
  8. scott says

    November 4, 2014 at 1:54 am

    I love Taipei. used to live there for a year. This post brought back some found memories. Can’t wait to go back. So true about the China meets Japan.

    Compared to china, I don’t recall their being much of a start up community. One of the reasons why I left was because their was A LOT of people teaching English. No one seemed as motivated to get something going or even get a “normal” job.

    Good work

    Reply
  9. Rich - Richyfeet says

    November 5, 2014 at 1:53 am

    TAKE ME THERE NOW! Great article that has really got me in the mood for my upcoming trip, thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Indah Jelita says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:03 am

    Nice info and gallery!
    I think you should come and explore more Indonesia. It’s beautiful island as well.

    Keep writing and goodluck. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Luke F says

    November 22, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    Thanks for the information James. I have had Taiwan on my mind recently and then stumbled over this blog of yours… checking flights now! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Kieu says

    November 23, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    Lol I love your description of Taipei– not China, like China and Japan, but with mango cartoon.. not east meets west but kinda sorta — hilarious. Taipei sounds like a place id enjoy! Always wanted to visit but figured it would just be like China. Nice post!

    Reply
  13. Jan says

    February 4, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    Hmm the food looks delicious.

    Reply
  14. Shawna says

    January 19, 2017 at 2:18 am

    I can’t wait to visit!

    Reply
  15. Jeffrey Nadrich says

    February 3, 2017 at 9:06 am

    Looks like a fun city to visit. I had never considered it before so I will have to see it now!

    Reply
  16. Paul Ponna says

    May 23, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Pretty great post!

    Reply
  17. Don says

    June 6, 2017 at 9:54 am

    Thank you for another great article.

    Reply
  18. Izy Berry says

    August 6, 2017 at 10:06 am

    Great observations about Taipei! The people ARE great and their MRT, the best. Now googling why I can’t point to the moon…

    Reply
  19. Dale Lyne says

    August 1, 2019 at 5:25 am

    Love Taipei kaoshang and chiayi so much to do especially in winter as the winter is like Canadian summer about 23 deg and yes shop locally for cheap food. An apt in Taipei will set you back about 500/mth cheaper than Canada.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. October Monthly Roundup | Teaching Wanderlust says:
    October 31, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    […] have not truly considered Taiwan before, but this article has won me over. I was particularly attracted to the apparent safety and conveniences found in […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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