Postcards from Taiwan

“Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

Some places you see yourself enjoying for a short and sweet stay, enough to check off a list of to-dos, be able to leave happy,  and move on to your next travel destination; and then there are those that makes you linger, it begins to feel like a home away from home. How is it that a new place can feel so exciting yet so familiar at the same time?

I still remember exchanging smiles with strangers, or times when locals would walk up to us asking if we needed help with directions, or how we would be able to walk late at night without feeling unsafe, or how I'd get excited over everything at all the convenient stores, and wake up every morning thinking about egg rolls with soy milk for breakfast...

My first visit to Taiwan was 8 years ago. And after all these years of constantly yearning to return, I made a trip back this recent summer with Esther (and having to recall our entire trip, I couldn't have asked for a better travel companion ♥ ). Despite this being my second visit, there were so many firsts. It was a different way of exploring Taiwan, yet it was the way I loved best - walking everywhere, and letting myself immerse into the culture through the local, authentic delicacies it has to offer. 

The public transport system here made the entire trip so convenient and accessible, regardless of where we were headed to. We were so impressed with how organized everything was, especially the subway system in Taipei (hello, where am I from again? A village.) I recommend getting an EasyCard (悠遊卡), it's a smart card where you can use for public transports and make payments for various transactions throughout Taiwan. And you'll be all set to explore away! 

Jiu Fen ; Shi Fen Old Street (九份；十分老街)

An hour away from Taipei, Jiufen and Shifen (九份 ; 十分) were one of the more touristy places we visited. They are both neighbouring villages located in the mountains. Shifen is well-known for its old railway track, filled with vendors selling sky lanterns along it and Jiufen is famous for cobblestone staircases and narrow alleyways.

We spent a night here, in search of the "spirited away" feeling by night (being the inspiration behind the award winning Japanese anime film by Miyazaki, it's a must watch if you haven't already). It is way less crowded as most tourists would've left, and this is when traditional lanterns would light up the alleyways. We made our way up to see the view (or more accurately I limped my way up). Many like us, lingered around for the night scene.

To explain why I was limping, it would be worth bringing up the misfortune of my trip - spraining my ankle on the morning before we headed up to the mountains (you can see how I have bandage on my right knee on the picture above). It got so swollen by late afternoon, many shopkeepers we came across showed concern towards my injury and a taxi driver insisted on taking me to the local hospital for a checkup. Hence even though I felt quite upset to have sprained my ankle, I couldn't help feeling grateful for encountering so many kind souls that offered help to me (e.g., carrying luggage, preparing icepacks...) throughout the trip. It just shows how kind the locals are.

Pocket notes:

• Sky Lanterns in Shifen Old Street: I didn't get to release a sky latern here because of my swollen ankle, definitely one thing I kinda regretted. It would've been really nice to do it during sunset, as you get to see several lanterns light up the evening sky.

• 正牌赖阿婆芋圆 in Jiufen: You have to get (triple) bowls of freshly handmade glutinous rice balls with flavours including sweet potatoes, green tea, black sesame etc. served in red/green bean soup. I couldn't find the english name of the shop, but you'd have to walk quite farther up the stairs to find the original store (not too sure if this is helpful but it's the one with the longest line!)

• 阿妹茶楼 Amei Tea Shop: Try to stay till night time in Jiufen so you can see traditional lanterns light up the alleyways, and experience being "spirited away".

Taichung 台中

Our next stop was Taichung (台中). Taking the high speed rail when traveling across cities saved us a lot of time, and the rides were more than comfortable. We didn't really make any sightseeing plans, but we did have a food list which we basically planned our ways around places we wanted to hit up. 

Our airbnb was definitely the cutest and coziest one I've ever stayed in. I would no doubt stay there again, and recommend it to anyone visiting Taichung. The owner was a warm and friendly guy, who decorated the entire house with his girlfriend, into the airbnb of their dreams - I initially chose the place after seeing good reviews and photos, but the actual space was even more welcoming and beautiful. We could tell how meticulous of a person he was, from the way the interior was decorated. He was also kind enough to prepare ice packs after knowing that I injured my ankle. 

The only tourist spot we visited was Miyahara (宮原眼科). Don't take my word for this, but I think back in the days it was an eye clinic now taken over by a local company selling Taiwanese pastries/snacks/souvenirs and their famous housemade icecream with a ton of flavours to choose from. So obviously we made a trip there for the icecream but here's the thing - it was very mediocre that we were so relieved to have shared one (and we never share icecream!) - the toppings weren't anything special, neither were we fond of the icecream texture. It was quite disappointing, to be honest. Perhaps we're too spoilt in North America, because everyone else seemed to love it. It might have just been us. 

The only tourist spot we visited was Miyahara (宮原眼科). Don't take my word for this, but I think back in the days it was an eye clinic now taken over by a local company selling Taiwanese pastries/snacks/souvenirs and their famous housemade icecream with a ton of flavours to choose from. So obviously we made a trip there for the icecream but here's the thing - it was very mediocre that we were so relieved to have shared one (and we never share icecream!) - the toppings weren't anything special, neither were we fond of the icecream texture. It was quite disappointing, to be honest. Perhaps we're too spoilt in North America, because everyone else seemed to love it. It might have just been us. 

On a happier note, everything else we had during our stay in Taichung was amazing. Um, that zebra latte art?! And the brunch platter with cute miniature food - honestly it amazes me how well the Taiwanese are able to combine a little from several ingredients onto a plate, and mke everything taste (and look) so good! Also I had the fluffiest pancakes in my life. It was topped with red bean and mochi, and a side of matcha icecream (#pancakegoals)

Pocket notes:

• The cutest AirBnB that I highly recommend - great location too!

• Zebra crossing cafe (斑馬散步咖啡)for their signature zebra latte and a cute breakfast spread

• Mitsuboshien 三星園抹茶‧日本茶專賣店 for all the matcha addicts. Get the soft served topped with matcha, mochi and cereal, it was basically eating a bowl of matcha cereal milk, so delicious.

• Kyoto Coffee 明森和食鬆餅屋 for pancakes, and your taste buds will learn what a pillow-y texture really mean. Their pancakes were voted as one of the best (best is a very strong word when it comes to food - but both my brain and heart agreed to it).

• Yizhong Street 一中街 where Taichung University is located, and you'll see this is where most university and high school students, as a night market strategically locates itself in the middle of the area welcoming vendors of all kinds.

• Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 - this is where milky tea/ bubble tea / boba  was first invented (!!), and it now has branches all across Taiwan, even Japan! You should order an XL large "glass" of bubble tea, it's the value size (I'm not sure if glass is even the right word because it was huge), they also have a food menu available.

Kending 墾丁

Kending has been one of those places I've been meaning to visit after seeing it in a million photos and several movies (like Cape No. 7 / 海角七號). After the trip, my impression of the colour blue has completely changed, I was seeing blue at a whole new level.

Blue has never looked prettier, with the ocean sparkling under the sky, all so magically. The sky blending so seamlessly with the waters, standing by the cliff, I remembered feeling  so in tune with nature, with the color blue, absolutely blown away by everything laid in front of me. 

Eluanbi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔), the southernmost point in Taiwan.

Despite not being a fan of tours, we couldn't operate an electric bike (it is the local form of transport here) either, hence our only option to explore the town was to follow a local day tour where the driver took a small group of us to 8 different local attractions. It was nice because we managed to see all the scenic spots. There were a few where one can skip, but given that it was a tour, we agreed it was worth the money (but a one-time thing).

Beautiful coastal view taken on Maobitou (猫鼻头). I think this makes one of the best places for sunset viewing, though the tour guide took us to Mountain Guan (关山) as it is worldwide famous for amazing sunsets.When we went, it was overcrowded with tourists and we could barely find a spot to wait even though we got there fairly early. I was kinda disappointed because the sunset was pretty average and I've definitely seen more beautiful sunsets elsewhere, or maybe the weather wasn't at its best that day. I thought it may have been prettier if we stayed at Maobitou instead. 

As part of the tour we got to visit a neighbourhood village - Old Hengchun Village (恆春鎮). There we visited local vendors selling local knick knacks and souvenirs, also our driver recommended that we try this dessert bowl called Mung Bean shaved ice (綠豆蒜 / 綠豆饌). In Mandarin the word "garlic" is used because the beans resembled minced garlic, but because it caused so much misunderstanding towards what the ingredient really was, they changed the chinese character of it.

Pocket Notes:

• Eluanbi Lighthouse Park 鵝鑾鼻公園 - other than checking out the lighthouse, take a short hike on a trail in the park that'll lead you to the sea point observation platform

• Maobitou 貓鼻頭 - I'd say it's one of the best spots in Kending for ocean views, and to watch the sun go down

• 恒春镇 Hengchun Village - where the award winning Taiwanese movie was filmed and the main character's house is now a tourist attraction; also try the Mungbean shaved ice, I don't know anything that tastes better for only a dollar!

• Kending Street 垦丁大街- there is only one main street in the heart of Kending, where it turns into a crowded night market by night 

• Longpan Park 龙磐公园- this was one of the attractions during the tour. We didn't enter the park because we weren't keen on paying the entrance fee. Luckily we didn't go in, because we spotted a coral reef cliff overlooking the ocean on the other side of the road, and who knew it turned out to be the most photogenic view of the ocean (and my favourite moment in Kending), EVER. The coral reefs under the cliff, with grassland in between resembled layers of a pleated skirt leading to the ocean. 

Taipei, 台北

We spent our first and last two days in Taipei. Is Taipei the first thing one thinks of when asked about Taiwan? There isn't a reason why it shouldn't be though. It really might just be me, but Taipei city just gives me all the feels. Even the mere thought of it makes me beam. It's one of those cities where I'd really love to live there and experience the most out of everything. (fyi, the other one's New York).

So, can I address just how much I love Eslite Bookstores in Taiwan??!! I visited two of their locations in Taipei. This one pictured above at Dunnan (誠品敦南點) branch is open 24/7, and we were there at midnight thinking it would be less crowded, but boy were we wrong. For some reason, finding myself browsing through bookshelves and piles of books at 2am gives me a sense of comfort, like if there were nights where one didn't feel like going home, this would be the place to be.

The other branch I visited (and spent 5 hours there yet still couldn't get enough of) was the Eslite spectrum Songyan store (誠品生活松菸店). It's more like a shopping mall, where you can find brands of other stores and a food court. Never would I've expected that exploring bookstores, this branch in particular, turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. You have no idea how much I love this place.

Night markets are huge in Taiwan, it's a must, if you don't already know. We decided to skip the biggest and most famous Shilin night market (士林夜市）and visited Raohe night market (饒河夜市) recommended by our AirBnB host. He said it was more popular among the locals and less crowded.

We visited three night markets during our trip - one in Taipei, one in Kending and one in Taichung (and we decided we were done with night markets). I think it's just personal preference that we both found night market eats too greasy and overwhelming if it was dinner everyday, having it once or twice was enough. But one who likes cheap, traditional Taiwanese snacks, and enjoys a lively and colourful social night scene, Taiwan would be one of the best countries to offer all of these.

Aah... and this! This is an actual hidden gem in the city called 時常在這裡, tucked away in an alley one could easily walk by without noticing, and miss out this little cafe filled with so much charm, undisturbed by the outside world. I discovered this place through trusty Instagram and I've followed their account for the longest time, it's on the very top on my list (if you check out their Instagram you'll understand why). It may be secluded, but it is highly raved despite the limited opening hours. And yes, I, (once again), left my name on the waiting list, and waited three hours for a table, and even managed to sneak two meals in between.

The interior was rustic yet refined, the dim lighting created a relaxing effect and immediately I noticed how even though the tables were filled, it wasn't noisy nor were there loud chatters, as if everyone sank cozily into the mellow ambience. I got to chat with the owner, a shy and humble fella. I asked him if he liked polar bears as we both noticed how there were many polar bear figures decorated among the shelves. He said polar bears are his favourite, and he got someone to combine polar bears with his desserts into a wall print. There were only a few copies available for sale, naturally I had to purchase one after he explained to me the concept behind the card design. It was a wonderful way to remember this trip. If you're curious how it looks like, click here.

Pocket Notes:

• Raohe nightmarket 饒河夜市- try their famous lamb/pork herbal soup 藥燉排骨，you'll see a few stalls claiming theirs to be the best, but I don't think one could go wrong with any

• Wufenpu 五分埔- a wholesale shopping district located steps away from Raohe night market where female clothing is sold at very affordable prices, as most vendors purchase garments here to resell after.

• 御品元冰火湯圓 at Tonghua Night Market - my favorite sweet rice balls with sesame paste filling ever! I ate an entire bowl all by myself and honestly I could've eaten more.

• Fuhang Soya milk 阜杭豆漿- A highly raved local favourite located in a food court that's on the 2nd floor, you'll start seeing a line that runs from the staircase to a corner block. Do not be put off by the line as it moves fairly quick (though it may still take 30 -40 mins). A good tip to keep in mind is you first order your drinks before proceeding with food orders. This place is definitely not overhyped and I would line up for it over and over again. The locals can't do you wrong on this.

• Eslite bookstores- while you can find several branches across Taiwan, the flagship store is in Taipei Xinyi district, and my favourite one as mentioned above is the Eslite spectrum Songyan store.

• Hizen Ya 肥前屋- so this was where I had the best unagi don in my life (maybe I'll change my mind when I try it in Japan) but oh.my.goodness it was one of the best meals I've had. Never have I tasted such fresh unagi before, also unagi wrapped in tamago was cry-worthy. The line was impossibly long, I was almost going to give up when the server saw that I was alone, and I was moved to the express line where they'd just fill you into wherever free seats were available, hence I got a table in 20 mins (#winner)!! Definitely perks of traveling/dining alone. It was my first meal in Taipei and boy was I stoked! 

• Din Tai Fung @ Taipei 101 鼎泰丰- local or tourist, nobody should miss dining at the flagship store of the worldwide famous steamed dumplings.KIOSK coffee shop - good coffee + pastries, and an interior that will not fail to impress 

• BW General Store 時常在這裡  - I've already wrote an "essay" about it, and I'd say pay a visit if you'd enjoy an elevated version of homey desserts and have extra time to spare. Check out their instagramthough, it was how I fell in love! Also, hours are very limited and it varies weekly, so check their page out before heading over.

• Zhongxiao Dunhua Station 忠孝敦化站- where you'll be able shop at a variety of international clothing brands

• Taipei Railway Station 台北车站- Most people will come here as it's the main transfer station in the city. It's also a great place to shop for local Taiwanese snacks, or even from Japan. There is also a whole lot of dining options, some popular ones I know are Dazzling cafe, Uncle Tetsu, Pablo cheese tart etc.

I've fallen even deeper with everything here - from all the wonderful people I've crossed paths with, to the breathtaking views by the ocean and the quaint little alleys hidden and scattered  around the city, followed by a never-ending hunt for food. It's a country with so much character, and I think I'd be able to discover something new with each time I return Also, Taipei city has my heart captivated.

Till next time, Taiwan. I can't wait to be back already.

|| iPhone 6s | shot and edited by me ||