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! 

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

Time flies. It has been a year since The Eras Tour in Singapore. (and 2 years since the tour started 🥹)

I still can't believe we were there. 

I remember talking to my older cousin, Shane, that we should go watch Taylor Swift's concert when dates are announced.

But when the details were out, Singapore was the only country in Asia that was listed.

I'm pretty sure you've seen a lot of posts about that. Most of our entries were waitlisted except for my mom's... we were lucky, I'd say. :)

I've been a quiet fan of Taylor since I saw Love Story and You Belong With Me on MYX. But I was not that active in the fandom. 

Ah, I used to make fan arts/edits and post it on Friendster. (lol! Those were the days...)

After the concert tickets were secured, we started watching SG vlogs. hahaha I started making friendship bracelets not too long after. 🤭 I tried to keep it as a secret but nope, I'm too excited. 

I spent months planning what to wear and which era should I go as. Originally, I was planning to go in my Lover era, of course. And it's also one of my favorite TS albums! but I wasn't sure what to wear. 

And from what I've read online, it can be quite hot in the stadium. And for concerts, it's best to wear something you're comfortable with. 

We arrived in Singapore on the evening of March 7th. (Will probably talk about the tour on a separate post). 

We started getting ready after lunch so we could get to the stadium on time.

The gates open at 4pm and concert starts at 6. 

Before, I'm not quite sure what era I was in with the dress I wore. (But after a few months, I could say that I was in my TTPD era. 🤪 iykyk.) 

When we got to the stadium, we went to the merch stand but unfortunately, the items we were eyeing were no longer available. :(

We took photos outside first, traded a couple of bracelets, bought snacks then went to find our seats.

Sabrina Carpenter opened the show at 6pm, starting off with Read Your Mind then some songs from her album, emails I can't send.

And up til today, May 2025, I still regret not taking a video of her singing Hopelessly Devoted :((((( 

And as for Taylor Swift, she started at 7pm. 

Let me drop a few photos and clips from the concert. :) If only I could post all of it. 

look at all the lights during Marjorie!! 🥺

Of course, you'd expect loooots of people coming out of the stadium, some opted for taxis but most preferred the train.

But I can't stop talking about how amazed I was with how SG was so organized and all.

While we were in line (going to the station), there were speakers who were engaging with the crowd, playing TS songs and basically hyping everyone. 

Here’s a similar clip I took when we arrived at the stadium: 

Heading home (well, to the hotel/place we're staying) was quick too. :) 

End of story time.

So that was my first (out of the country) concert! 

but... If I had the chance to rewatch and experience the Eras tour again, I'll definitely grab the opportunity. 

it's just sooooo magical. 

If you're planning to go watch a concert in Singapore, go!!! It was definitely a great and smooth experience!!! 

Good food, clean and amazing city, feels safe to actually walk at night, hassle-free transpo. 

Ah. I'm really wishing the same for our country. (Ilang beses kaya ako nag-"sana all" nun... jk...)

But do keep in mind:

- It's quite hot and humid in SG, just like here in the PH. Plan your OOTDs well. (and you can also bring ur portable fan btw.)

- You can wear heels, boots or whatever you want but do consider that you might spend hours standing. Wear something comfortable but never go out of style. ;)

- If you want to stay near the stadium, that's fine! But I think it would be better to stay somewhere near the places you'd want to visit. Transpo isn't a problem in countries like SG. 🫶🏻  

- Eat something before the concert starts. 

- There are no bad seats!!! Unless you want to see the artist/s reaaaaally up close, I suggest going for VIP tickets. But being in CAT 3 is also a good choice! Plus you'd get to enjoy the production and every detail of the concert. :) 

- I prefer taking videos/pictures of the event so I have something to look back to. 

(but please do think of the people behind you if you're going to do the 0.5 video... taking quick snaps/vids are alright!! but please don't do it for the entire evening.... and be mindful of ur surroundings.)

- Not a concert tip but I definitely recommend eating at Al Mubin. 😋

And just like what Sabrina Carpenter said, “I’ll see you (again) soon, Singapore!” ❤️

We waited too long for the caretaker. We found the apartment by ourselves. We even bought a simcard so that we could contact the caretaker. We were hungry and tired, and were still carrying our heavy backpacks. We couldn't get inside the apartment without her. I think it almost took us an hour to get in. (Thanks, man.)
When we got to our room, we all had the same reaction: "Wow."

I didn't get to take pictures of the room but it was soooo small. We had a bunk bed. I was supposed to sleep on the deck but.. I got cold and my parents said that it didn't seem safe to. Knowing myself, I'd probably end up on the floor. 

We went to McDonalds (which is about a few blocks away from our apartment) before going to Ngong Ping/Lantau Island to see Buddha.

My sister also insisted to buy something edible. I was hungry too - I haven't eaten since we flew out of the Philippines. So we bought one pack of Grilled Squid for HK$43. I wanted another but it was too expensive. haha.

***

POLAR ADVENTURE

Polar Adventure is like a mini-tour to the North and South Poles. It is where walruses, spotted seals, arctic foxes, penguins and other animals are located.

hello there, take me with you.

***
SHARK MYSTIQUE


Sharks and Rays are seen at Shark Mystique.
It was too dark and the place itself smells really... weird. No offense to sharks out there. lol.
But it's really cool because you get to see the scary sharks close... not unless you're searching all over Sydney for your son, Nemo - then you get to see them anytime you want. hahaha!

***

We didn't get to tour around the whole park; we didn't even get on the exciting rides. lol.
It was almost 7 PM; we were tired.
I wanted to see the Sea Jellies but we didn't know where it was.
If you're planning an adventure to Ocean Park HK, you might as well buy a Day Two ticket.

I guess that ends our blogpost.
See you on my next one! :)