Travel Adventures...Taiwan

Taiwan Travel Journal June 2013

Accomodation

Serviced apartments:

OPOHILLS http://www.opohills.com/taipei-rentals.php

We stayed at Apollo A – two bedroom (4double bds :Sleeps 8pax)/2 bathroom apt with Kitchen/dining and living area.

Apollo B is in the same building so if you need more space for another family...

Clean and very conveniently located.

MRT station at ZhongXiao Dunhua, about 3min walk from the Building Entrance.
Lots of shops and food in the neighbourhood.

 

Activities:

Taipiei Zoo and Maokong (Cable car/gondola)

Zoo is situated in the valley…it’s very green and lush surroundings.  It’s a little bit run down but it is very charming and peaceful.  They have Koalas and pandas, in addition to the giraffes, zebras, monkeys etc.

There is also a children’s petting zoo

Entrance fees are really cheap and tram rides are 25cents per ride/per stop. (short trip around) 

You can take the MRT all the way to the Taipei Zoo station.

From the MRT station, you can go straight to the zoo or you can take a cable car (maokong) ride up the mountain.

There are lots of benches and tables to sit if you decide to bring a picnic.  There are some food shops avail though we didn’t try the food.

There is a little bakery there that sells little egg custards (in the egg shell) and those were really yummy.

 

Maokong: 

We took the Gondola up to the halfway point and a shuttle bus brought us back down to the tram stop for the zoo.  It would have been nice to go all the way to the top but we were short on time so couldn’t do it.

 

DaAnPark-  this is a pretty big park with a huge playground for children with a good variety of play structures for children 2-12yrs.  There is also a rollerblading rink with people who rent/sell the blades and protective gear.. They have an annual membership program for locals to skate with the instructors there.  You can also pay them a lesson fee 200yuan to rent the gear and get a lesson for 3hours. 

They were super friendly and very enthusiastic teachers…the kids age3,5,7yrs had a great time doing this. They started out learning the moves on the grass and slowly progressed to crossing the width of the sidewalks. The older kids managed to get a spin around the rink, but it’s rare that they allow you to do this as a beginner because it’s hard to control the skates when the ground is smooth.  A great place to try out roller blading and instructions all in Mandarin so you get double benefits!  DaAn Mrt Station.

Pack a picnic for the park because you can spend quite a few hours there.  There is a food shop right in front of the MRT station exit where you can take away some tasty food.  There’s a picture of a duck and it’s right next to GIORDANO. 

 

Suho paper museum

You can take an MRT train to but there is a bit of walking from there...not super far though, and there is also a little playground nearby in case the children need to burn some energy.

The museum is small and looks like a shop from the front.  They have guided tours/paper making workshops with specified start times so you might want to call ahead to check. 

We didn’t do the scheduled workshop or guided tour, but the shop lady there was very nice and she gave us a private demo and paper making session and we wandered the small museum on our own.

The kids enjoyed it very much and it was interesting for them to see where paper comes from/ how it’s made, especially because we keep telling them “don’t waste paper, paper comes from trees”

They also liked the “history of toilet paper” display ..imagine cleaning your bum with bamboo or tree bark.  Ouch!

It’s a good mellow morning activity.

 

Baby Boss – the Taiwan version of Kidszania…mini city for children to try out different occupations....doctor, dentist,baker, architect, constructionworker, firefighter, fashion designer, mechanic, airline crew/pilot...... 

They get paid in Baby Boss dollars for the work and they can use this baby boss dollars to buy or redeem things as well. Instructions are given mainly in Chinese but the staff are really good about translating and helping out the English speakers.  The children had a wonderful time here and you can plan to be here for the whole day.

 A parent needs to be present because you have to plan the time wisely. You are given a map and schedule of the place and each activity takes about 30-45mins to complete. The activities have different start times so Parent needs to figure out what the child will be interested in and what’s the next activity so that you can minimize the waiting times. 

 

Baseball Game – tickets are available online or at Family Mart or 7-Eleven.  Very reasonably priced..our family of 5 went for $50sgd. and we were seated right behind the home plate.  I initially dreaded the idea of going to a baseball game because my last experience was a bore. However, Taiwan baseball is super fun and entertaining. The fans are really enthusiastic, Home team and guest team fans are seated in their specific sections. Each section has it’s cheer /chant’ leaders.  Through the entire game, there are people singing/chanting/playing music/ cheerleaders cheering.  It was as fun watching the audience as it was watching the game.  There’s a variety of food available at the game…bento boxes, pizza, American style hotdogs, Taiwan sausages, Shaved Ice, meatballs and soup…..Definitely a fun experience for the whole family.

 

Yang Ming Shan – you have to drive out of the city to get here.  Peaceful and serene.  Unfortunately it was raining when we got thereso we didn’t really get to enjoy it much.

 

Taipei 101 – tallest buiding in Taipei.  I'm not one to be super impressed by shopping malls so it's just another mall for me. There's a Big foodcourt and supermarket in the basement.  You can take a tour up to the top but we didn’t do that.  We went in to eat.  Has all it’s high end shops.  It’s a mall and office building.  There is a large open area with fountains on the side of the building where the children had a blast racing around the fountain avoiding getting wet.  That was a good half hour of entertainment and energy burning. Taipei City Hall MRT station

 

Shilin Night Market – apparently more touristy than some of the others but we had a great time there.  It was exciting for the children to be out at night. We went from about 630pm to 830pm.  We took the MRT to the JianTan MRTstop.  (it’s closer to walk  from this station than from the Shilin station.)  Basically it’s a few narrow streets packed with food stalls….Taiwan is known for it’s street food.  There were some shops selling souvenir type things but I wasn’t paying any attention to those. The meat and rice sausages are a novelty and the kids really loved those as well as the BBQ chicken wings. Candied fruits on sticks, fried mini crabs, shrimp, noodles, shaved ice, “tadpole eggs” – not sure what that is, big meat paos. milk buns, milk candy, fried pork and potato croquettes… you can eat snake there too…  Definitely sensory overload.  But good food and fun atmosphere.

 

Taipei Water Park - -big water play area which we intended to go to but didn’t have the time to..located on the Green MRT line. GongGuan Station.

 

Xiao Ren Guo – we didn’t go to this because we didn’t have enough time..it’s miniature icons of the world. Lots of people recommended it.

 

Sun Yat Sen Memorial – changing of the guards…takes place every hour on the hour. Lots of stamping of feet and guns.  Ceremonial.. The kids enjoyed watching it. There is also a little museum room with lots of info and pictures about the life and times of SunYat Sen. SunYat Sen MRTStation

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial – didn’t go to this but I think it might be quite similar to the sun yat sen memorial....our kids were alittle fidgety and too young for too many Memorial visits

 

 

Jing Gua Shan /Jiu Fen / Shi Fen / PingXi Sky Lanterns

Day Trip. Get a driver to take you to all these places on the same day.

 

Jing Gua Shan is a golden waterfall – sightseeing only. It's mesmerizing to watch the waterfall....and there was a little bit of water fall that goes into the raod..the children took off their shoes to go get their feet wet :)

 

 

Jiu Fen – small alley of shops and snack foods.  Really quaint and we found lots of things to buy at reasonable prices.  Goes quite far in…you can spend at least an hour in there looking, tasting and buying.

Toy store – right at the entrance of Jiu Fen that sells old school toys and souvenirs.

Taiwan sausage kiosk which sells the Taiwan sausage with meat and also the rice sausage. 

The rice sausage is basically a sausage made from glutinous rice.  A great invention for people who are wheat intolerant.

 

 

Shoe/wooden clog shop “Foots Love Wooden Shoe House” sells wooden shoes/clogs made to order. You can choose the base then choose the fabric pattern of the band. They fit it to the size and width of your foot. The children really had fun doing this. And the price is very reasonable.

Bag shop  diagonally across from the sausage stand that engraves the name onto the bags/purse /wallet/pencil case of your choice.

 

 

 

Milk pastry – very tasty. Looks like a churro/ you tiao. Just right for tea time.

 

 Mochi Shop – very yummy mochi balls…..not made from wheat !...we brought these home. Keep in fridge or freezer.

Lots of little tea houses and noodle shops which we didn’t try but were packed with people.

 

 

Shi Fen – waterfall….very nice…you have to walk in a little bit but it’s not strenuous.  Ok for the children and older folks.  The waterfall is quite stunning and mesmerizing… There is an entrance fee but it’s not much. There's a rialway track there too, and other visitors were walking down it..I'm not sure where they were going or if there's a train station that is running form there....

 

Sky Lanterns - @ PingXi Old Street. last stop of the day…..you buy a giant paper lantern, paint it with your wishes and the lovely old man sets a little fire alight and it flies up into the air taking your wishes to the heavens.  It was raining lightly and it was in the daytime but we managed to do this.  It was a really nice experience.  I can imagine it being so much more stunning at night with many lanterns going up at once.

 

 Wu Fen Pu Garment market

“Wufenpu is the largest commercial zone focusing on clothing in Taiwan. There are around 1,000 shops selling different types of clothes, as well as shoes, bags and jewelry in part of them, in a tiny area close to half of CKS memorial hall in size.”

It’s a big clothes market. There is a row that sells children’s clothing/shoes/bags/ accessories and the rest sells adults garments.  A number of shops sell items for pets too.

I wasn’t that impressed by the prices nor the goods.  But I also had three children in tow and that’s probably not the best way to shop.  HouShanPi MRT station

 

Shopping ; I think most interesting buys will be found from the little boutiques that you’ll find all over the place.  There were several streets of little shops close to where we stayed at ZhongXiao Dunhua.  Since I wasn’t really out for shopping I’m not sure where else the boutique shops might be located.

 

 Taxi Driver

Solomon Chen – mobile number 0933 688417

he’s a really sweet & pleasant guy. He can be contacted on Viber/mobile fone.  Can read English but cannot speak in English well.  Drives a station wagon so he can take 7 pax in his car with just a little bit of space for luggage.  Otherwise the back seats go down and there’s lots of space for luggage and 4 adults. 

You can hire him for airport transfer 800-1000Y (1hour journey) or for the whole day Y2500.

 

 FOOD:

Aquatic Addiction Development: superbly fresh, delicious and cheap Japanese seafood. YYUUUMMM!!

Uni, Sushi, Crab, Sashimi, Shabu Shabu ingredients,Live seafood, Fresh Fruit, Desserts, drinks,sake.....i'm salivating thinking about what we ate there..

You can buy fresh to cook yourself or they have prepared foods & desserts that you can buy to takeway.

There is also a standing sushi bar, standing crab bar (alaskan king crabs) and a Japanese BBQ and Shabu restaurants that you can sit down at.

 

Really fresh and so cheap compared to what we get in Singapore.  Definitely worth a visit or two or three. 

If you are buying for takeaway, you might want to bring your own bags.  They charge for plastic bags.

 

They Open EARLY early morning....best to go early because it gets really crowded by 11.30am for the lunch crowd. And if you go in the afternoon alot of stuff is already sold out. Not particularly kid friendly because it's crowded and no space for strollers/high chairs etc.

 

AQUATIC ADDICTION DEVELOPMENT 上引水產

No. 18, Alley 2, Ln 410, Minzu E Rd

台北市民族東路410巷2弄18號

(02) 2508-1268

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High School Station or XingTian Temple Station

website: addiction.com.tw

Hours:  6AM - midnight

 

Orange Shabu Shabu : Yummy and reasonably priced. I think there is more than one location. Good service too. Child friendly!

 

Orange Shabu Shabu

No. 135, Da An Road, Sec 1, B1, Taipei, Taiwan

(02) 2776-1658

 

Shin Yeh – Taiwan cusine.  Yummy and no MSG from what we can tell. 

http://www.shinyeh.com.tw/about_en.php\

Din Tai Fung : A taiwanese original...very tasty but we also go the MSG after-effects so we were a little reluctant to eat here again after the first time.

There are several locations. The queues at the ORIGINAL din tai fung were long...we didn't go there but we saw the lines.

 
Chia Te Bakery: famous Pineapple cakeshop. Long lines on the weekends to buy this stuff. The Wife cakes and pineapple cakes are yummy.  There are other fruit stuffed cakes too. We brought these back as gifts.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g293913-d2367323-Reviews-Chia_Te_Bakery-Taipei.html

 

 Other Bits of Info:

At every MRT station/tourist destination, there is a little table with rubber Stamp and stamp pad where you can make a chop of the place you visited. So have a little notebook ready.  The children loved to collect all the stamps and each one is unique to the place.

The Taiwanese are very environmentally conscious. They recycle and many places don’t provide free plastic bags when you go shopping.  So you might want to Bring your own foldable bags.

MRT Stations: 

Maps are readily available at the MRT stations.

You can get a stored Value Card for easy travel on the MRT.  Works just like a cashcard.  You top it up and money is deducted at the end of the journey.  Usually about 20y per trip for the places we visited.  Easiest to get it from the station ticket counter rather than the ticket machines which are mostly in Chinese.

 
We took the MRT to almost all our destinations…they are clean and the people are really very civilized/courteous/considerate.  People always offered their seats to the children. No one pushes to get onto the train…they line up and stand clear of the doors until everyone has gotten off before they get on. On the escalators, everyone stands on the right so people can pass on the left. 

The kids loved the MRT rides and asked for them everyday.  It’s such a novelty and experience for them seeing as we are always in the car at home.  It’s also good to teach them how to read the maps and pay attention to station stops.

TOILETS

There’s a clean toilet in every MRT station which is handy for people travelling with kids. Many stations also have a Family toilet with kids toilet bowl/ sink and adult toilet bowl /sink and baby changing table.  Toilets in almost all the places we visited were pretty decent so it’s not cringey and stinky like the ones in China and some other countries.

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Countryside

Taiwan is really quite big and we didn’t get to explore any of the countryside…We’ll have to make another trip out to do it.  Our friends stayed at the Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli…we’ll be checking this place out next time around. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g616038-d3672859-Reviews-Flying_Cow_Ranch_Hotel_Miaoli-Miaoli.html

 

There are also lots of hot springs, B&B’s and hiking places to visit. 
We’ll defintely have to make another trip there.