This was our last full day in Taipei, Taiwan. We had a blast traveling around the city and making a few day trips to the outskirts. If you missed the first few posts, you can read about them here.
Our Last Full Day in Taiwan
Nicole and I got up and headed to the Starbucks down the street from our hostel. We each had a coffee and some snacks to tide us over for the day. Since the two of us had been running around having so many adventures over the past few days, we decided to take it easy today and just do random fun things around town.
Wu Fen Pu Garment Wholesale Area
Our first stop, after Starbucks was to a wholesale clothing market. Nicole and I took the subway out there and walked through dark and narrow stalls filled with discount clothing, shoes and accessories. For a weekday, it was surprisingly empty. There were a few other shoppers walking around the streets stopping into shops here and there, but it was far from crowded. Many of the stalls weren’t even open yet. Mind you it was around 11am when we walked through. It was surprising to see. I imagine the market must get going later in the day.
Miramar Entertainment Park
After the clothing market, we took the subway to Miramar Entertainment Park. We walked around the mall for a bit and watched “As Above, So Below”. It’s a great horror movie if you’re into that genre. After the movie we rode on Taiwan’s second tallest ferris wheel. It had breathtaking views of the city and like the gondola, it had a glass floor to look down and see the ground far below.
Beer and Pretzels
After the ferris wheel ride it started to rain, and thunder, and lightning really hard. We took the subway back into central Taipei and happened to spot a Paulaner Brauhaus. We’d visited one in Munich this past summer and really enjoyed it so we had to stop in and visit while we were in Taiwan. We had authentic German beer and inauthentic Taiwanese pretzels. Nicole also ordered some steamed dumplings, so it was a vaguely cultural experience. Overall, it was quite the combo.
Night Market
After our lunch of beer and pretzels and dumplings, we took the train out to the Shilin Night Market. Of all the night markets we visited while we were in Taipei, Shilin was the biggest. Streets lined with stalls and carts spread out in all directions. The night market had everything from clothing to food to even a carnival right inside the market. There was a temple at the center of the market playing a Taiwanese movie on a projector screen free for everyone in the community. Nicole and I got some chicken skewers and fresh fruit and walked through the market.
After our stroll through the night market, it was getting quite late. We headed back to our hostel and packed our things.
Leaving Taipei
The next morning we left the hostel and took a cab to the downtown airport. From there we transferred to Taipei’s international airport outside of town, the same one we used when we arrived. I had a great time in Taipei. There were tons of sights to check our and the people were incredibly kind and friendly. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about visiting Taipei to do so. However, I think you only need a few days in Taipei. I would couple a trip to Taipei with a few day trips outside of the city or even to different cities in Taiwan.
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