They say that to travel is to experience many things. Whether it’s diving into a different culture, trying interesting dishes, seeing unique sights, and having a lot of "first-time" moments, it's definitely something you can't stop replaying in your mind. 

My older cousin, Shane, and I went to Taiwan on the first week of March. And boy, do I have a lot of stories (and photos) to share. (Hence the title.)

This was my first "big girl" trip - and also my first time flying solo (at least on the way back to MNL). 

I was excited but at the same time, quite scared that I might get on the wrong plane, get lost looking for the boarding gate, or worst, get left behind and not be able to fly back home. (Yup, I worry a lot. lol.) 

Our flight to Taipei was around 6 A.M.. We arrived at around 8:30 A.M. and rode the airport train. When we got to one of the stations (I believe it was Beimen), I couldn't help but awe at how safe and pretty the stations looked. 

We got into our hotel by 10 A.M and since we couldn't check-in early, we left our luggage before heading out to have lunch in a themed restaurant called "Modern Toilet". I guess you'd have an idea of what the place looks like by now.

I had Spicy Korean Chicken and yes, it was served in a urinal looking bowl. Ate Shane had Ham and Cheese then we ordered a chocolate ice cream for sharing. 

After lunch, we strolled a bit around Ximending, which is about a five-minute walk from the Green World Hotel we stayed at, before heading back by 2:30 P.M.

If ever someone's interested to check it out: click here! :)

I really liked the hotel we stayed at. It's about a five-minute walk to Ximending and there is also an elevator on the left side of the hotel going to Ximen Metro Mall, which is an underground shopping center connected to the MRT/Taipei Main Station. 

It was drizzling on our first day, so we've decided to not follow the itinerary. We were supposed to go to Maokong and then the Taipei Zoo... but we weren't sure if the Gondola would be operating so we went to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall first.

We ate at Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao after, which was quite near the Memorial Hall. We had Xiao Long Bao (of course!) and dumplings. Then we dropped by Taipei 101, which is one of the famous buildings in TW. 

After taking a few minutes to take photos and admire the building, we went to Raohe Night Market for dinner time. :p 

***

On our second day in TW, we had a scheduled tour to Shifen, Jiufen and Yehliu. We availed this from Klook! We met up with our tourguide, Eva at around 7 A.M. The tour started around 7:30, we grabbed onigiris for breakfast since it’s going to be a big day.

📍 Shifen Old Street + Shifen Waterfall 

This was on March 3rd, just in time for the lantern festival in Pingxi! But as early as 9 a.m, there were people already lining up (or "camping") so they could get better view at night.

If you're thinking to go to the festival next time, please do plan ahead, especially with the transpo going back. I think booking a cab would be much pricier since it could get slightly congested.

It was raining so most of the time we took photos, we were already wet. 😆 Glad I brought this jacket on this trip! (Always check the weather!!!) 

For the lantern experience, I believe this was around 200NTD. Ate Shane let me choose for the colors and we both wrote on each side. (If this is your first time, I suggest you think of the things you'd want to write beforehand. lol)

What I bought in Shifen:

Lanterns! These are sooooo cute and you've got a lot of "wishes" to choose from. Perfect for pasalubong for your family and best friends! :) 

I got one that also lights up when shaken! 

Aiyu Lemon Juice - 60NTD

This is... lemon juice with glass jelly! 

Peanut Ice Cream!!!! (I’m thinking about it right now… 🤤)

Also, we dropped by the Shifen Waterfall! I mean, LOOK AT THAAAAAT.

📍 Jiufen Old Street

We arrived Jiufen around lunch time and we had an hour to ourselves to grab food, take photos and explore the place. Jiufen is widely known for the famous A-mei teahouse, which inspired the bathhouse in the Ghibli Film, Spirited Away. But this was such an experience, especially if you're looking for the snacks to get. (Though for pasalubongs, they recommend going to the ones in Yehliu.)

Ate Shane and I had our lunch at Jin Shi (Xuan) Tomorrow. (If I’m saying it wrong… pls don’t come at me.) We ordered braised pork and fried tofu, which I really really really liked!!! (I hope there's a restaurant here in the PH that offers the similar fried tofu!!!) 

What I got in Jiufen:

Boba mochis! They're literally everywhere though. :p

Nougat crackers! They're good but I recommend going for the pricier ones... We found nougat crackers in coffee, chocolate, strawberry and matcha flavors!! I'm trying to recall which store though.

Souvenir tokens! (These are mostly 100NTD each. Cute to collect!)

📍 Yehliu

Last stop of the Klook Tour... Yehliu Geopark.

It was quite gloomy when we got here, and all of us were wearing raincoats. (And I quote, "Wow. You're so colorful.") 

The park is divided into three sections. If you're wondering, the Queen’s Head, Dragon’s Head Rock, and Gorilla Rock are located in Zone 2 (the middle section). There's always a line if you want a close encounter and a chance to take photos with the Queen's Head, so... plan ahead. (Lol.)

The tour ended and we were back at Taipei Main Station around 5:30 P.M. We went back to the hotel to rest for a few minutes before heading out for dinner.

Since we saw it on TikTok, we decided to go to Mo Zhu Ting (墨竹亭) and try the crab roe noodles!

It was really good, but I personally would have preferred if it were spicier. Nevertheless, we had a nice meal! 

--

Aaaaand that sums up the first 48 hours of our Taiwan trip. See you on the Part two!