Revisiting Taiwan | A Hot Summer Weekend 2024

I had no plans of returning to Taipei this year –or any time soon, actually— until my mom shared her plans to go on a short trip with her college friends. By shared, I mean she highly encouraged me to come join them as their resident Google Maps interpreter. She even offered to shoulder my hotel room and food as far back as February. With my heart set on travel and taking frequent work breaks as it is, she didn’t have to ask me twice!

Read here: Hello 2019! New Year in Taiwan.

Taiwan in my mind now exists in two extremes: the stormy and wet winds of our trip last 2018, and the sweltering heat of our most recent jaunt this weekend. The forecasts and Internet told me that we could expect cool spring and temperatures ranging from 22° to 28° celsius; we arrived to dry heat at par with Manila. THANKS AGAIN GLOBAL WARMING.

I know the forecasts say it’s spring, but my body says it’s already hot girl summer.

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Jiufen and the North Coast

You can’t say you’ve been a tourist in Taiwan if you haven’t visited Jiufen, Shifen, and the other must-see spots along the North Coast.

We were toured around by Kuya Kevin Wu, a local Taiwanese who happens to speak fluent Filipino and English. Tita Icel booked as a joiners tour through Facebook. The coordination, direct pick-up from the hotel, and roomy van were painless. 10/10, would actually recommend, especially since its price is comparable to the Klook tour we joined in 2018.

One of my greatest frustrations in 2018 was that we weren’t able to walk all the way to A-Mei Teahouse, the Japanese-style old building that perches on the steep mountainside, because of the thick crowds and the rain. The teahouse is said to resemble the landscape of Ghibli’s Spirited Away (but to be clear: it did NOT inspire the film).

Shifen Old Street is famous for its sky lanterns. This old mining town offers the chance to write wishes on four-sided lanterns for NTD $250. Each side represents a particular type of wish based on color (e.g. red for good health, pink for happiness, and blue for career, which I chose this year).

Looking back, the price has increased by $50 compared to 2018! I think I would recommend this activity earlier in the day to avoid a more crowded railway.

Fun fact we learned from Kuya Kevin: people are encouraged to pickup and return sky lanterns with a rebate of maybe NTD $20-40 (I forgot). Groups of friends would even hike the mountains during the weekends just to look for stray lanterns. There must be hundreds to thousands!

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There were some stops in our North Coast Tour that were new to me and my mother. I think our tour skipped these in 2018 because of the poor weather or lack of time. These include the Golden Waterfalls, Yin Yang Sea, and Remains of the 13 Levels.

Finally, we ended our tour at Yehliu Geopark. Despite the heat, I would still say this is a must-see.

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National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum is considered the first and most important among Taiwan’s many well-reviewed museums. It boasts one of the largest collections of Chinese Imperial artifacts in the world, including jade sculptures, calligraphy masterpieces, and porcelain.

We were able to visit National Taiwan Museum back in 2018, which is a perfectly okay alternative if you’re pressed for time and energy. If I were to come back to Taiwan, I think I’d have to visit Taipei Fine Arts Museum or the Museum of Contemporary Art –what do you think?

The entrance fee was NTD $350. I enjoy pacing myself and not stressing myself out when I visit museums, so I opted to go on a self-guided theme tour instead of getting an audio guide. The NPM’s theme tour route page kept me on track; I firmly believe all large museums should have a page like this!!!

I immediately went to the first relic of importance, the Jadeite Cabbage. The crowds around this famous attraction were still quite tame around 9AM. (The waves of foreign tour groups started crashing in everywhere by 10AM).

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Raohe Night Market and Taipei City

After dropping our bags at our hotel lobby (the check-in was at a criminal 5PM), we took our time taking a stroll through some must-see historical monuments in Taipei. I was actually planning to come back on the third day for a free walking tour advertised on Klook, but rain and circumstances got in the way.

Chiang Kai-shek is the former leader of mainland China. After defeat in the Civil War against the CCP, he fled to Taiwan to regroup, where he then because the first president of the Republic of China.

CSK was apparently a lieutenant of Sun Yat-sen, commonly referred to as the father of modern China for his role in the 1911 Revolution against the Qing dynast. He is known for his political philosophy of nationalism, democracy, and livelihood/welfarism.

I explored some parts of Taipei on my own while my mom and her friends were on a day tour to Taichung. I tried to climb Elephant Mountain (but only until the halfway mark, because I was not prepared in any way). I then walked through Ximending.

Going up the trail is fairly easy, but you should be prepared to sweat (even in the early morning). The steps can become fairly steep. I followed Taiwan Obsessed’s clear and easy-to-follow guide on how to hike Xiangshan.

Eslite bookstore specializes in novels, popular magazines, and other literature. It’s like Taiwan’s version of Kinokuniya. Unfortunately, the famous 24-hour branch in Xinyi closed last December 2023.

Here in Eslite bookstore Ximen, there were maybe two dozen titles in English and lots of cute stationery. There’s also a connecting cafe. I also took photos of their bestselling titles for future reference.

Come sundown, we visited one of Taiwan’s famous night markets.

Shilin Night Market is known as the largest and most iconic night market in Taiwan, but I was honestly less than impressed back in 2018. I found the place too crowded and overwhelming in the variety of merchandise it offers, though it might have been the better option because of the rain.

In contrast, Raohe Night Market provided a more contained and enjoyable experience, probably because the lanes are narrow and foot traffic generally only goes one way. Most people stick to the right side lane at all times.

It’s also right beside Songshan Ciyou Temple and the MRT exit 5. After the iconic gate, you are immediately greeted by Fuzhou Black Pepper Buns roasting in a traditional oven –and the packed line of people queuing up for them. We ended up eating other snacks, including taiwan spicy sausage, fried chicken, cuttlefish (?), and tang yuan for dessert before coming back to these famous buns and some iced tea.

I ended up walking 15000 to 25000 steps per day, so yes, those calories are well-deserved!

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If I ever do return to Taiwan, it will really have to be with a foodie so that I can get the most out of the culinary scene. Until next time! ❤️

MY THREE-DAY ITINERARY
① Arrival and Classic Taipei Tour
➡ Drop-off hotel near Taipei Main Station
➡ Visit Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall with changing of the guards every hour from 9AM to 5PM
➡ Bus to National Sun Yat-sen Memorial
➡ Walk or bus to Taipei 101 — Go up to 89th Floor or have a cup of much-needed post-flight coffee at Dreamers Coffee Roasters
② North Coast Tour and Night Market
➡ Van tour including Shifen Old Street, Shifen Waterfall, Jiufen, Golden Waterfall, Yin Yang Sea, Remains of the 13 Levels, and Yehliu Geopark
➡ Raohe Night Market from 7PM to 10PM
③ Self-guided Walking Tour
➡ Hike Elephant Mountain
➡ Visit National Palace Museum
➡ Walk Ximending to Zhongzheng District (shopping area with Eslite Bookstore, rest at Louisa Coffee, walk to 228 Peace Memorial Park and National Taiwan Museum, and Taipei Main Station) for an afternoon

MUST-HAVES
➡ Easycard or iPass for use in Airport Express train (NTD $150), subway/MRT, local trains inside Taipei (TRA), buses, 7-Eleven, vending machines and other selected stores. The card costs non-consumable NTD $100.
➡ Minimal cash for street food or night market – most stores accept international credit cards
➡ eSIM cards have changed my life! Getting around is a breeze when you have unlimited cellular data that won’t cost an arm and a leg
➡ Water & cap/umbrella for the shade
➡ Google Maps — it’s so easy to get around using the public transportation system, but having Google Maps makes it even easier to time your day.