Return to China...
For Stu, first time for Dani. Though it's a somewhat political statement to say that, as Taiwan view themselves differently to the mainland. It's a weird situation, based on political differences (communist vs. democratic states) - both peoples recognise themselves as Chinese, and both claim total sovereignty over each other. We think. Mad bastards.
Anyway, we arrived late at night into Taipei - a night at an airport hotel was had, so we rested our weary heads and prepared ourselves for a week of exploration, spending some time in Taipei, then down the east coast of the island to explore Taroko Gorge, before getting back to Taipei in time to get our flight outbound.
However it didn't quite work out that way upon waking up. After being on the go every few days for the past six weeks, with countless hectic buses, and unfortunate substandard hostels, Dani wasn't feeling grounded - the constant "on-the-go" travelling since the yoga school took a bit of a toll, and having previously suffered with anxiety, all the symptoms made a triumphant return. Panic attacks all round.
After talking through the best course of action, we decided it'd be better to just chill out in the one place and take a breather. Some swift cancellations were made, and a new, calmer plan put in its place: having a week in Taipei itself, which, y'know, isn't too bad really anyway.
Some retail therapy was our first form of treatment (note: we do not advocate shopping as an actual treatment for anxiety), as we stumbled across the Gloria Outlets, a large US-style outlet mall on our way to the train to Taipei city itself.
We made it one piece to our hostel in Taiwan, Meander Hostel, which we'll mention in further detail later in the post - but it was one of the best hostels either of us have stayed in ever. If you're ever in Taiwan, go. Lunch was our first port of call, and so we asked for some recommendations - Din Tai Fung immediately caught the eye of Stu, as it's a michelin-starred Dim-sum restaurant, which was recommended in Hong Kong, but alas the craft beer in HK managed to get in the way of him visiting it.
On we went, to get the famous soup-filled steamed dumplings Xiaolongbao, and spicy noodles - both extremely good and well worth a visit.
Those lads spend all day perfecting the little dumplings by hand. Mad bastards. On our way back we got to take in a bit of what Taipei is like:
Busy. And hot/humid. Though it definitely has a charm, there was something we both quite liked about it. Definitely more of a Hong Kong buzz, than a mainland China buzz, which Stu in general preferred. What wasn't great about it, was this fucking claw machine:
After our glorious success in South Korea, this one was rigged to the extreme, and made for two unhappy customers. Leaving the arcade in a rage, we decided we'd chill out in the hostel for a while. Making our way back with a couple of beers, we decided to give something a go we'd seen in other Asian countries but had put off trying: darts. And let us tell you, darts is the absolute best. A new love was formed.
Getting peckish further into the evening, we decided to explore what Taipei is most famous for: night markets. Staying local, we decided against going to one of the famous ones (we eventually explored them all), instead opting for Ximending night market, and first up was some fried chicken:
We went for the garlic flavoured. Unreal in some ways, but also making us both feel a little nauseous as it was chicken absolutely doused in salt, with huge chunks of raw garlic and green onion thrown on top for good measure. Not really a wholesome meal. A little more palatable was the flaky scallion pancake (think chopped up omelette with vegetables). Dinner for less than €3 each for the night. Not too bad.
That wrapped up the night for us. After breakfast the next morning, we started the day with what would become our customary five games of darts each day:
And took it very easy, Stu heading out for a walking tour to break up the day, but in general our days were spent chilling out, taking stock of how our trip had made it to this point, and recharging the batteries for what lies ahead. Our nights however, were a little more interesting, as our trip to Raohe Night Market shows:
First up was some more dumplings, Din Tai Fung, made a lasting impression on us:
The markets aren't all about dinner options, as there's plenty of other things to keep the senses occupied for the evening, such as:
Carnival games. After watching the couple above, Dani felt she had to give it a go. The kid next to her in the picture was delighted when we gave him the toy we won at the end.
Lights, music, smells - constantly barraging the senses, in general quite positively, except of course for STINKY TOFU - avoid at all costs, the smell is indescribable. It is the absolute worst.
Dogs, especially dogs with eyebrows like this. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Hahaha.
Desserts! The famous one we were recommended was the ice cream spring roll, pictured above. Peanut brittle, Taiwanese ice cream (kind of half sorbet/half ice-cream), and coriander (yes, coriander) all wrapped up together. Mad bastards. Dani went without coriander, but Stu gives it a thumbs up.
Moving away from night markets, Taipei still has plenty to offer if you're looking for something else:
Shopping, the Taipei 101 area having everything you'd need. It even had one massively, massively important thing...
ICHIRAN. The ramen chain mentioned about eight times already on this blog (after having it in Hong Kong and all over Japan) - we made sure to grab a bowl for most likely our last time on this trip. Farewell, friend.
Taipei 101 itself - the 11th tallest building in the world, don't you know (thanks Wikipedia). Pretty spectacular looking at night.
More dogs. Eyebrows optional.
Bubble tea! Now available all over the world, it originated in Taiwan in the 1980's (thanks Wikipedia), and it'd be rude not to get it in its birthplace. Tea shops are eeeeeverywhere too. A must-do.
We reached the end of our week feeling like we'd achieved what we set out to do: relax. We both felt a lot better when checking out of our hostel, mentally and physically more prepared for the next part of our trip. Taipei was a really nice place to chill out - it helped that we stayed in two of the best hostels we've ever stayed at. Meander first, and then Star Hostel Main Station afterwards, which was like staying in a fancy modern art gallery. Both just very spacious, comfortable, clean, and generally well designed.
As you can see on our faces, we were looking forward to our next stop, and a new country for the two of us. We'll reach a pretty big milestone soon too, which we've had planned since before we left back in January. Onwards to the Philippines.
Big love,
Dani & Stu.
For Stu, first time for Dani. Though it's a somewhat political statement to say that, as Taiwan view themselves differently to the mainland. It's a weird situation, based on political differences (communist vs. democratic states) - both peoples recognise themselves as Chinese, and both claim total sovereignty over each other. We think. Mad bastards.
Anyway, we arrived late at night into Taipei - a night at an airport hotel was had, so we rested our weary heads and prepared ourselves for a week of exploration, spending some time in Taipei, then down the east coast of the island to explore Taroko Gorge, before getting back to Taipei in time to get our flight outbound.
However it didn't quite work out that way upon waking up. After being on the go every few days for the past six weeks, with countless hectic buses, and unfortunate substandard hostels, Dani wasn't feeling grounded - the constant "on-the-go" travelling since the yoga school took a bit of a toll, and having previously suffered with anxiety, all the symptoms made a triumphant return. Panic attacks all round.
After talking through the best course of action, we decided it'd be better to just chill out in the one place and take a breather. Some swift cancellations were made, and a new, calmer plan put in its place: having a week in Taipei itself, which, y'know, isn't too bad really anyway.
Some retail therapy was our first form of treatment (note: we do not advocate shopping as an actual treatment for anxiety), as we stumbled across the Gloria Outlets, a large US-style outlet mall on our way to the train to Taipei city itself.
Car Kiss and Ride. Whatever you're into, Taiwan
We made it one piece to our hostel in Taiwan, Meander Hostel, which we'll mention in further detail later in the post - but it was one of the best hostels either of us have stayed in ever. If you're ever in Taiwan, go. Lunch was our first port of call, and so we asked for some recommendations - Din Tai Fung immediately caught the eye of Stu, as it's a michelin-starred Dim-sum restaurant, which was recommended in Hong Kong, but alas the craft beer in HK managed to get in the way of him visiting it.
On we went, to get the famous soup-filled steamed dumplings Xiaolongbao, and spicy noodles - both extremely good and well worth a visit.
Those lads spend all day perfecting the little dumplings by hand. Mad bastards. On our way back we got to take in a bit of what Taipei is like:
Busy. And hot/humid. Though it definitely has a charm, there was something we both quite liked about it. Definitely more of a Hong Kong buzz, than a mainland China buzz, which Stu in general preferred. What wasn't great about it, was this fucking claw machine:
After our glorious success in South Korea, this one was rigged to the extreme, and made for two unhappy customers. Leaving the arcade in a rage, we decided we'd chill out in the hostel for a while. Making our way back with a couple of beers, we decided to give something a go we'd seen in other Asian countries but had put off trying: darts. And let us tell you, darts is the absolute best. A new love was formed.
Getting peckish further into the evening, we decided to explore what Taipei is most famous for: night markets. Staying local, we decided against going to one of the famous ones (we eventually explored them all), instead opting for Ximending night market, and first up was some fried chicken:
We went for the garlic flavoured. Unreal in some ways, but also making us both feel a little nauseous as it was chicken absolutely doused in salt, with huge chunks of raw garlic and green onion thrown on top for good measure. Not really a wholesome meal. A little more palatable was the flaky scallion pancake (think chopped up omelette with vegetables). Dinner for less than €3 each for the night. Not too bad.
Tastes better than it looks. Honest.
That wrapped up the night for us. After breakfast the next morning, we started the day with what would become our customary five games of darts each day:
And took it very easy, Stu heading out for a walking tour to break up the day, but in general our days were spent chilling out, taking stock of how our trip had made it to this point, and recharging the batteries for what lies ahead. Our nights however, were a little more interesting, as our trip to Raohe Night Market shows:
First up was some more dumplings, Din Tai Fung, made a lasting impression on us:
Unfortunately not as good, but still a decent way to start the evening. Night markets are an absolute must in Taipei, getting to try various dishes for <€2 each surrounded by people, lights, hustle and bustle makes for an experience you won't get anywhere else in the world. Watch The Layover episode on Taiwan - Anthony Bourdain will do it more justice than we can.
The markets aren't all about dinner options, as there's plenty of other things to keep the senses occupied for the evening, such as:
Carnival games. After watching the couple above, Dani felt she had to give it a go. The kid next to her in the picture was delighted when we gave him the toy we won at the end.
Lights, music, smells - constantly barraging the senses, in general quite positively, except of course for STINKY TOFU - avoid at all costs, the smell is indescribable. It is the absolute worst.
Dogs, especially dogs with eyebrows like this. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Hahaha.
Desserts! The famous one we were recommended was the ice cream spring roll, pictured above. Peanut brittle, Taiwanese ice cream (kind of half sorbet/half ice-cream), and coriander (yes, coriander) all wrapped up together. Mad bastards. Dani went without coriander, but Stu gives it a thumbs up.
Moving away from night markets, Taipei still has plenty to offer if you're looking for something else:
Shopping, the Taipei 101 area having everything you'd need. It even had one massively, massively important thing...
ICHIRAN. The ramen chain mentioned about eight times already on this blog (after having it in Hong Kong and all over Japan) - we made sure to grab a bowl for most likely our last time on this trip. Farewell, friend.
Taipei 101 itself - the 11th tallest building in the world, don't you know (thanks Wikipedia). Pretty spectacular looking at night.
More dogs. Eyebrows optional.
Bubble tea! Now available all over the world, it originated in Taiwan in the 1980's (thanks Wikipedia), and it'd be rude not to get it in its birthplace. Tea shops are eeeeeverywhere too. A must-do.
We reached the end of our week feeling like we'd achieved what we set out to do: relax. We both felt a lot better when checking out of our hostel, mentally and physically more prepared for the next part of our trip. Taipei was a really nice place to chill out - it helped that we stayed in two of the best hostels we've ever stayed at. Meander first, and then Star Hostel Main Station afterwards, which was like staying in a fancy modern art gallery. Both just very spacious, comfortable, clean, and generally well designed.
As you can see on our faces, we were looking forward to our next stop, and a new country for the two of us. We'll reach a pretty big milestone soon too, which we've had planned since before we left back in January. Onwards to the Philippines.
Dani & Stu.
Currently listening to:
No comments:
Post a Comment