Taiwan, is definitely one of my favourite countries in Asia which holds a special space in my heart. It is also the top picked holiday destination among my fellow East Asian/South East Asian peers. So, what makes Taiwan stood out from other Asian destinations? I must say it is their hospitality, their kindness and their friendliness. You basically don’t have to worry if you get lost in the city or being panicky of not speaking Mandarin or Taiwanese, I can rest assured you, the Taiwanese would go above and beyond to help you. Not even bluffing here, but you’ll make at least one Taiwanese friend by the end of your trip (only if you have an open heart to make new friends). AND YES, with that being said, I made new friends even though I have only 24 hours to explore.

I must say I wasn’t very adventurous since my last visit in Taiwan. I spent a lot of time hunting down street food and well known food vendors in the city, and thus I never actually ventured out of Taipei city.

How to get around?

EasyCard is your best friend during your trip in Taiwan. You could use it for MRT (20% off), trains, bus, and even some of the convenience stores. If you are driving, you can also use EasyCard to pay for your street parking meters. You can obtain EasyCard in most of the MRT stations and convenience stores (like 7-11 and FamilyMart).

In my humble opinion, I would considered the public transits in Taiwan fairly cheap. For instance, I travelled from BanQiao station (板橋站) to ZhongXiaoDunHua station (忠孝敦化站) via Bannan line, it only costs TWD$35 (which approximately USD$1.15). Thus, I have been using the same metro card in the past 3 and the half years in Taiwan without having it topped up.

By the way, there is something I found rather confusing in Taiwan, and I thought I would like to share it with you. For the past 3 and the half years and 5 visits in Taipei City, I found the bus service is pretty confusing, especially when it comes to tapping your EasyCard at the right time. For some stations, you might have to tap while hopping on, or tap when you reached the destination, or tap twice for hopping on and off.

The easiest way is to mimic the person in front of you. Second, I would strongly recommend you to try recognising a sign in the bus, it is usually located around the middle door area and above the passenger seats. There is a few of Chinese character written there, 上 (hop on) and 下 (hop off). (you can recognise the character by looking at the long stroke, if the stroke is pointing up, 上 is hop on and vice versa. ) If the 上 sign illuminates, then you have to tap while getting on to the bus; if the 下 sign illuminated, then you have to tap while you have arrived to your destination. If both illuminated, then which means you have to tap twice.

However, there are some good news for us, travellers. The local government has just implemented a new rule that everyone has to tap twice while using the bus service, starting from 1 July 2019. It is, of course to save some hassles. Well, since it’s a new rule, just be on the safe side, I would still suggest learning the Hop on (上) and Hop Off (下) characters.

Where did I go/ What do I eat?

I would love to separate the destination and food into two headings. But since we’re in Taiwan, nah, I can’t do both separately.

Yuan Chuang Hua Diao Ji (原創花雕雞)

This is the first thing that comes into my mind after I landed into Taoyuan International Airport. If you know me personally, I’m a big fan of all nabemono (鍋物), all food that serves with a claypot or hot pot. I will never want to miss any opportunity to have a hot pot dish. So, Imma go for this chicken with huadiao wine. The restaurant I went does not have an English name, it literally translated as ‘The Original Chicken Hot Pot with Hua Diao Wine’. You could have your chicken hot pot enjoyed in three ways, please do not hesitate to ask for the recommendations from the waiters/waitresses. **Do order the handmade rice noodles, and braised them in your chicken pot, that makes your dining experience even better.

原创花雕鸡 (Yuan Chuan Hua Diao Ji)

Address: No. 181, Section 4, Civic Blvd,

Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105

Phone: +886 2 2577 2745

JiouFen (九份)

I took the train service that runs from Banqiao station to RuiFang station via TRA (Train Railway Administration), it takes approximately 51 minutes with 5 stops, then I took a bus from Ruifang Train Station (District Square) to Jioufen Old Street, which is another 22 minutes with 10 stops. The bus brought you up in the hill, you can enjoy the coastal view throughout your bus ride.

Jioufen Old Street, it is a bustling narrow alleyway which is known for its street food and its breathtaking views of the mountains and sea. If your aim is to venture for street food, it’s better to come after 10am. Also, I would still strongly recommended everyone to visit Jioufen just before the sun sets, and when the lanterns brighten the whole alleyway. It looks pretty out of the world, so magical that you can’t even take your eyes off it. Unfortunately due to time restraint, I came to Jioufen in its quietest time of the day.

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A-Mei Teahouse (阿妹茶樓)

It was believed that the creation of Japanese animated film, Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) was inspired by A-Mei teahouse. Even though, the author Mr. Hayao Miyasaki did not confirm that, Jioufen is still filled with Japanese tourists who come here for revisiting the ‘inspiration’ of that visually stunning film.

Well, since it is a teahouse, how can I leave without having a cup of tea? I can’t say the tea taste extraordinary, but I must said I am so impressed by the language abilities of the waiters and waitresses here. Everyone can speak Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and English fluently.

I’m glad to have the opportunity having a little chat with them since I am the only customer at this early hour.

A-Mei Teahouse

Address: 224, Taiwan, New Taipei City,

Ruifang District, 市下巷20號

Phone: +886 2 2496 0833

GUO MAMA Milk Hot Pot (鍋媽媽牛奶火鍋)

As an Asian solo traveller who loves hot pot, Guo Ma Ma is definitely something you don’t want to miss. Just saying, having hot pot by yourself is still not a common view you’d find in Asian countries. You have to muster a lot of courage going to a hot pot restaurant by yourself without caring those weird stares.

What I love about Guo Ma Ma, besides their signature milk based hot pot, each customer has their own designated area with their own pot. This design comes pretty handy for solo travellers. I don’t enjoy wasting a whole pot of soup when I can’t finish my meal.

Speaking of wasting, strange enough, Guo Ma Ma do offer takeaway service as well. You can take away a bag of soup and the hot pot ingredients if the portion is too big for you.

锅妈妈牛奶火锅

Address: No. 6, Tianxiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491

Phone: +886 2 2531 4598

Please share your itinerary and experience in New Taipei City with me, or let me know if you plan to visit New Taipei City in near future. I hope you enjoyed my recommendations as much as I did. And, that’s all for today. Cheers xx