Taipei – The Wknd Travel

P’s List: 12 Taiwanese Treats Worth Lining Up For

Time flies so fast. I can’t believe it’s already a year since our family trip to Taiwan. We spent the Father’s Day weekend going to Taichung’s picturesque places, walking around the beautiful city of Taipei & exploring the northern countryside towns of Yehliu, Jiufen & Shifen. I’ve been to Taiwan twice before that trip – first time in 2015 with my 2 high school buddies & second time in 207 with my colleagues.

I’ve been to Taiwan thrice & I will always go back there for their efficient transportation system, lovely & accommodation people, great city vibe, wonderful countryside & food. Yes, food! I am in for a short weekend trip to Taiwan just to eat. The country has a long list of treats & street food to try in markets, food halls & local restaurants.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to stay in our own countries & homes for months. Leisure travel is still not allowed & there’s no definite time frame when things will go back to normal. We can’t do anything but to stay home, keep safe & look back at memories gained in previous trips. Join me in today’s P’s List as I share with you 12 Taiwanese treats I tried in my previous trips which are worth lining up for.

SPOILER: NAKAKAGUTOM!

In case you missed it, I wrote about our Taipei to Manila flight on EVA Air on flight BR 277. Check out my EVA Air flight report here. I also shared my experience in our hostel for this weekend trip. Check out my hostel of the day feature for Uinn Travel Hostel here.

Pork Sausage

Taiwanese pork sausage is one of the most common street foods in the country. This pinkish-red grilled sausage is served in a stick. It’s made of relatively bigger chunks of meat, garlic & spices.

Chicken Chops

Taiwan is also famous for big (bigger than your face) chicken chops by Hot Star Chicken. These spiced & breaded chicken chops are cooked in smoking hot oil. We bought our chicken chops in their Ximending branch & we enjoyed it.

Stuffed Chicken Wings

The country also became popular for their fried rice stuffed chicken wings. Brilliant idea, right? Imagine having a chicken wings with already rice in it – so good!

Hujiao Bing (Pork Pepper Bun)

Hujiao bing, or pork pepper bun in English, is a freshly cooked sesame bun filled with tasty layers of peppered pork & green onions. The snack originated in Fuzhou, China & has been adopted in Taiwan as a popular street food. The most popular pork pepper bun stall is in Raohe Night Market’s entrance near Songshan MRT Station.

Chou Doufu (Stinky Tofu)

Stinky tofu is another famous street food in Taiwan; it’s made of tofu fermented in a mix of milk, vegetable, fish & meat brine. It is fried in oil & served with soy sauce & chili. Yes, it stinks but it tastes alright. I tried it once but I won’t try it again. I added the dish in this list as it is a must-try especially for first-timers.

Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Rice Bowl)

Braised pork rice bowl is a popular meal to locals. The pork meat is sliced into small pieces & braised with spices until it creates a savory & aromatic sauce. It is usually served with a boiled egg. This dish is hard to spot in night market stalls but is something that worth-trying. I met with a friend who was also in town & we had this braised pork rice bowl in Jin Feng, a small open-air restaurant outside exit 2 of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station.

Niu Rou Mian (Beef Noodle Soup)

Beef noodle soup is one of Taiwan’s staple food. This dish is composed of tender stewed beef portions, fresh noodles in a rich & mild spicy broth with bok choy & other greens. This beef noodle dish is found everywhere but the famous ones are Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles in Zhongshan District & Yong Kang Beef Noodles in Da’an District.

Deep Fried Milk

Deep fried milk is one of my favorite snacks in Taiwan. This is made from chilled thickened milk dipped in batter & fried in oil. I loved the deep-fried milk from the stall in the other end of Raohe Night Market.

Peanut Ice Cream Roll

Did it ever come to your mind that you can put an ice cream in a roll? Never, right? Apparently, it can! Taiwan has a dessert called peanut ice cream roll. It is made of 2-3 scoops of ice cream, shaved peanut brittle & coriander or cilantro (optional) wrapped in a handmade roll wrap or crepe. I tried this in one of the random stalls in Shifen & I thought I enjoyed it.

Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodles

Ay-Chung flour-rice noodles is one thing you must not miss when in Taiwan. This flour-rice noodles cooked with pig intestines in a thick brown tasty broth & served with cilantro is a perfect snack when you are in Ximending. This popular stall is along Emei Street & is usually full of people.

Xiao Long Bao (Taiwanese Soup Dumplings)

The xiao long bao I had in one of the restaurants in Jiufen in 2017. The next best to Din Tai Fung!

A visit in Taiwan is not complete without having the world-famous xiao long bao. I know Din Tai Fung has branches in many cities around the world but having it from where it came from is something. There are a lot of xiao long bao places all over Taipei & Taiwan in general. I think nothing beats Din Tai Fung. The xiao long bao in that random Jiufen restaurant I tried in 2017 comes next.

Nothing beats the Din Tai Fung – it’s still the best xiao long bao for me. Aahhh I want some now!!

Bubble Tea

Taiwan is the land of bubble tea or pearl milk tea or whatever you want to call it. Nothing further.

That’s it for today’s P’s List. I’m sure I’ve tried more Taiwanese treats before but I can’t remember all of them before. Apologies, I can’t find photos for the beef noodles & Hot Star’s chicken chops. Have you been to Taiwan before? Which treat / street food / meal did you enjoy most? Planning to go there once the pandemic is over? Which one are you looking forward to try first? Are you ready to drown yourself with bubble tea? You should be excited then! Do you have any questions about the treats mentioned above? Feel free to put them in the comments section below. You can also send them to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Let me end this P’s List with another photo of Din Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao. It’s just so good!! 😋

Thank you for joining me in today’s P’s List! Check out the posts under the Taiwan category if you want to check out my other Taiwan blogs in this website. Can I ask for a favor from you? Please follow my social media pages to get details on cheap fares & fun posts like this – Facebook & Instagram. Thanks again. Have a nice day ahead! 🙂

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

2019 Rewind: Crossing Borders & Making Dreams Come True

Another year of travels is coming to an end. Those of you following me since 2016 know that I always post a year-end blog detailing what happened to me & where I went in that specific year. 2016 was all about travelling solo, exploring places by myself; 2017 was exploring relatively known & unknown places & 2018 was all about reuniting & travelling with friends. 2019 is a mix of all 3 years of recaps. I went & explored places by myself, I flew & took trains to both & unknown places & I had a few trips with my friends. I can say 2019 is my best year yet for travelling – I’ve crossed many borders & made my long-time dreams come true.

Allow me to share with you details of my 2019 in terms of trips taken. I will also give insights of the interesting content developments here in my website.

trips recap ✈️

SORSOGON 🇵🇭

I started off the year with a day trip to the beaches of Matnog, Sorsogon. I didn’t post about this day trip in this website but I believe it’s worth sharing here. My cousins from Australia welcomed the new year in our hometown. Days after the new year, we took them to the islands of Subic, Matnog in Sorsogon. We first went fish feeding in a sanctuary then continued to Subic Beach. It was a fun day spent with cousins in the beach.

JAPAN 🇯🇵

Back in February, I flew to my favorite Japan for 9 days. My supposed-to-be trip to Nagano, Kanazawa & Toyama turned into a family trip around Tokyo & Kansai Region (Osaka, Nara & Kyoto). I flew with them to Tokyo then took a side trip to Nagano then met my sisters in Osaka afterwards. It was a delight seeing the snow monkeys in Nagano & spending some alone time in a very cold & snowy place in Japan. I then flew to Fukuoka to spend a day around the city before catching my flight back to Manila. I may not have been to Kanazawa & Toyama in this trip but I’ll make sure to go next time.

I didn’t post much about this but I went to Japan again a few months ago. My friend & I decided to surprise another friend in her flight to Fukuoka & to ruin her first ever solo trip. We spent 48 hours around Fukuoka, Japan, went to pretty interesting places, savored every Japanese meal & drowned ourselves with the Lipton milk tea drink.

Blog List:
Japan Highlights 2019: TOKYO – 36 Hours In The Land Of The Rising Sun’s Most Famous Metropolis
Japan Highlights 2019: NAGANO – 48 Hours In The Inland Prefecture Of The Snow Monkeys
Japan Highlights 2019: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN – A Theme Park That Brings You Back To Being A ‘Kid’ Just For A Day
Japan Highlights 2019: KYOTO – Japan’s Ancient Capital In One Day
Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park
Japan Highlights 2019: MATSUMOTO & FUKUOKA Stopovers

BACOLOD 🇵🇭

Office friends & I went on a spontaneous Bacolod weekend trip last February. We flew to the city & went to the famous Ruins then had chicken inasal for dinner in Manukan Country. We then went to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto to check out Negros’ Little Baguio. After a few hours around the mountains, we went back to the city & decided to just eat out until we flew back to Manila.

Blog: Spontaneous BACOLOD Weekend: 48 Hours In The City of Smiles

MELBOURNE 🇦🇺

I flew to Melbourne, Australia with Leng & Shane (from Sydney 2018 trip) during the Holy Week break last April. I spent 8 days around the city & the nearby suburbs. We also went to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Country. My friend Lord, who I was with on It’s The Ship 2018, joined us on our first few days in Melbourne.

We didn’t make out Melbourne itinerary that busy compared to our Sydney one. We just enjoyed our time there, strolling around the beautiful city, trying out different cuisines & hoarding every single interesting item in the supermarkets.

Blog List:
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas
N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb
N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial
N9 In Straya Series: PHILLIP ISLAND – A Perfect Day Out With Nature & Australian Wildlife
N9 In Straya Series: PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY & YARRA VALLEY WINE TOUR – Victoria’s Heritage Steam Railway & Wine Region In A Day

TAIWAN 🇹🇼

It’s been years since our last family trip to Singapore. My parents decided to bring the family to Taiwan for the Fathers’ Day weekend. We went to the city of Taichung on our first day as per my sister’s request. She wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung plus take nice photos with the family. We then went around the city on Fathers’ Day – went to church, strolled around Daan Park, ate at Din Tai Fung, hiked the Elephant Hill & walked around Raohe Night Market.

On our third day, we took the Klook guided tour to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street & Shifen then finished the day around Ximending. We spent our fourth day in Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Liberty Square & in the airport for our flight back to Manila. I met with my good friend Richard, whom I knew in Komodo, Indonesia in 2018, for a few nights in Taipei. He was also in the city waiting for his flight back to Europe. It was fun catching up with this man over food & drinks!

Blog List:
TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei
TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei
YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN Klook Tour – Perfect & Hassle-Free Taiwan Northeast Coast Day Tour

YOGYAKARTA 🇮🇩

One spontaneous trip I took this year was that to Yogyakarta. I saw a piso-fare ticket to Jakarta last June for an August trip & decided to buy that ticket. I contacted Yudi, a friend I met on Its the Ship 2018 who is now based somewhere in Indonesia. We then agreed to meet in Yogyakarta & volunteered to take me around.

Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, who joined me in Melbourne last April, decided to join me a week before the trip. We then met with Yudi & his friend Dallin in Yogyakarta & we went around the city. We went to different temples (Borobudur, Prambanan, Taman Sari) & also took the lava trail tour in Mount Merapi. We ate in different local restaurants & tried several local dishes. We spent most of our time in Yogyakarta in the road, in restaurants & in our hotel. It was a relaxing trip; not the usual busy one. It’s nice to step back for a while & just enjoy chilling.

Blog: The Wonderful Indonesia Series: YOGYAKARTA – A Relaxing Weekend In Indonesia’s Special Monarchy Region

BORACAY 🇵🇭

My buddy Rick & I flew to Boracay last September to surprise our high school friends having their holiday in the island. They didn’t know that we were coming so we decided to show up on the afternoon of their 2^nd day, right after arriving in the island. We ate in nice restaurants, walked along the shore, swam on the beach & spent some quality time with the group.

Rick & I stayed for 2 more days in the island & just spent most of the time relaxing, eating, walking & drinking. I didn’t expect this September trip to have its 2^nd part after the Bohol weekend in 2018 but I hope there will be a 3^rd installment in 2020, 4^th installment in 2021 until this becomes a regular trip with them. By the way, I didn’t join my family in Hong Kong to join these people plus I also don’t have my passport during this time.

E-U-R-O-P-E!!! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰

Finally, A TRIP TO EUROPE! This is the highlight of my 2019. It was a dream come true. I haven’t posted anything about this trip in the website but I’m happy to share that this long-time plan of going to Europe happened last October to November 2019.

One of my Europe trip highlights – a trip to Český Krumlov. This town is picturesque & peaceful. 🇨🇿

It all started with an affordable ticket I got from the Singapore Airlines & BPI promotion last January 2019. I got tickets flying from Manila to Amsterdam, Netherlands & leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark, both via Singapore. I saved up the whole year, planned my itinerary, booked my hostels & booked the inter-country flights ahead of time. I applied for a tourist visa on my own – no help from any agency & got it after a week.

Nyhavn – my favorite place in Copenhagen… It’s where the Danish Christmas market is found! 🇩🇰

And the trip happened. Due to busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to do more research & make my final itinerary. I arrived in Amsterdam with no plans, not even a single idea how to go to my hostel. I got scared at first but I ended up having the best days of my life around Europe. I went to 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic & Denmark), explored cities & small towns, reunited with friends I met from previous trips, met cool new friends along the way, took walking tours in every city / town, drank more beers than waters in a day, walked thousands of steps & tens of kilometers a day & ate all local food I can in every place. I did all of these alone! Yes, I FLEW TO EUROPE ALONE & I SURVIVED. It was probably the bravest thing I did this year.

Obligatory photo with the canals of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.. Can’t wait to go back here! 🇳🇱

I have so much to share about this trip but I am reserving that for the individual posts. I hope you’ll watch out for those write-ups.

Blogs: TO FOLLOW.

blog highlights ✨

Aside from the usual blog contents I post, there were 2 significant developments in this blog. First is the continued posts for the Tuesday Tips & Hostel of the Day features. I had 3 Tuesday Tip posts & 7 hostel of the day features published in my website solely for 2019. I still have a long list of Tuesday tips to share & hostels (especially the ones from Europe) to publish so watch out for those. My main goal of posting these Tuesday tips & hostel features is to show the world that there are nice things out there that don’t need hefty amounts of money. You can have the same fun & memorable experiences by paying small amounts.

Blog List:
Hostel of the Day: DOT HOSTEL NAGANO – Wooden House Turned High-Rated Affordable Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: KHAOSAN WORLD ASAKUSA RYOKAN & HOSTEL – Clean & Affordable Traditional Japanese Accommodation In The Heart Of Tokyo
Hostel Of The Day: NEW WORLD INN OSAKA – Simple, Affordable & Modern Property Near Tennoji
Hostel Of The Day: FUKUOKA HANA HOSTEL – Fukuoka’s In-Demand & Best Valued Tourist Accommodation
Hostel Of The Day: FLINDERS BACKPACKERS MELBOURNE – Budget-Friendly & Extremely Popular Hostel In The Heart Of The City
Hostel Of The Day: UINN TRAVEL HOSTEL – Modern, Space-Themed & Excellent Taipei Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: MAD MONKEY HOSTEL BORACAY – Paradise Island’s Hidden Party Hostel Gem
Tuesday Tip: 4 TRUSTED HOSTEL GROUPS To Check When Looking For AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION in JAPAN
Tuesday Tip: 6 WAYS To SAVE MONEY In MELBOURNE
Tuesday Tip: Do-It-Yourself SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA Application With VFS NETHERLANDS

This year, I introduced a section in my website called Flight Reports. You guys know I love flying & my interest in aviation is something else. I thought of sharing my flight experiences with different airlines – how the service is from check in to boarding to in-flight services & cabin crew service. Since I started the section in June, I already published 8 flight reports about 5 local & international airlines. I didn’t expect this section to get hits but I’m happy that I get regular website visits for these specific posts. I still have about 5 or 6 flight reports to share with you, most of them from my European trip. I hope you’re excited for these flight reports as I am!

Blog List:
Flight Report: EVA AIR BR 277 – Taipei to Manila – Taiwan’s 5-Star Airline For An Affordable Fare
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 328 – Legazpi to Manila – ₱600 ($11.50) Flight Back To Manila
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 759 – Manila to Jakarta – ₱1,236 ($24) International Flight To Indonesia
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7550 – Jakarta to Yogyakarta – Low-Cost Domestic Flight To Indonesia’s Royal City
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7551 – Yogyakarta to Jakarta – Redemption Flight Back To Indonesia’s Capital
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 905 – Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) – Short & Relatively Empty Flight To Paradise Island
Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6244 – Caticlan (Boracay) to Manila – Quick Turboprop Flight Back To The Metro
Flight Report: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 915 – Manila to Singapore – 5-Star Economy Class Experience In A New Generation Boeing Dreamliner

By the way, this just came in. This website has finally hit 90,000 site views! This is another milestone hit before the end of the 2019. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the endless support – from sharing my articles & posts, to commenting & liking the posts that appear on your timelines to your comments & questions. I appreciate all of these.

Thank you for giving me the reason to continue sharing more content in this website. I can tell you this is not the end, it is just the start of more tips, flight reports, itineraries & blog posts. I have a long list of topics to share & upcoming trips & flights to take. You’ll definitely see more in this website next year.

Here’s to an adventure-filled 2020. Happy New Year, dear readers!

PS. Some photos were taken using my HTC U11. Shout out to my friends Junelle, Mark & Richard for allowing me to use your photos in this post.

TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei

Over the last few weeks & months, I shared with you details about our Taiwan family trip last June 2019. The whole family went on a 4-day weekend in Taiwan, also to celebrate Father’s Day for the first time outside the country. I’ve already been to Taiwan twice in the past – one in 2015 with my high school friends & another one in 2017 with my colleagues at work, but I didn’t mind going back with my family to this beautiful country. Besides, our last family trip was in 2016 when we welcomed the new year in Singapore.

Allow me to share with you the details of our tour around Taipei City. We had a flexible itinerary because we were travelling with our parents, aunt, uncle & a 2-year old baby. We missed a few historical places & parks, but we definitely enjoyed each others company. Check out the trip details below.

ticket

For my past 2 Taiwan trips, I’ve flown with Cebu Pacific Air. Both tickets were at less than ₱3,000 return. Since Taiwan became visa-free to Filipino passport holders, airfare to Taipei & Kaoshiung became expensive. I found a good deal with EVA Air, Taiwan’s 2nd largest airline, last February. Return tickets only cost $127.32 (about ₱6,600+) & the fare already included in-flight meal, baggage & in-flight entertainment. Know more about my EVA Air experience in this flight report.

Accommodation

We stayed in Uinn Travel Hostel for 4 days & 3 nights. We booked 4 spacious double rooms that came with private bath & toilet. The hostel offers a superb breakfast & has modern facilities. They also have dormitory rooms for those who are travelling alone or on a budget. I’ve featured Uinn Travel Hostel as a Hostel Of The Day in this website. Check out this post to know more about the hostel.

Update: Uinn Travel Hostel has ceased operations.

taichung day trip

My sisters have always wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung. To make them happy, we rented a car through ACWorx Tours Taiwan. We got the car for 10 hours, went to Taichung, visited the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm & the Rainbow Village. Check out the photoblog of our Taichung Day Tour here.

around taipei

Taipei has a very efficient transportation system. All places in the city are connected by either a bus or a train. We used EASY Card, their own version of tap card, in going to different places. We bought the tap cards at the airport train station & just added value / credit when needed. This tap card can also be used in establishments like supermarkets & convenience stores.

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH

We started our day around Taipei with a Sunday English mass at Holy Family Church. It was also Father’s Day that weekend so we decided to attend the mass as a family. The church was packed with people from all over the world. I’ve been to this church in 2015 when I first went to Taiwan with my high school friends.

Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2

DAAN PARK

After the mass, we decided to have a stroll around Daan Park. The park had a nice pond with ducks & wild birds. My baby cousin enjoyed walking around the park, spotting the animals around. It’s a perfect place to relax & walk around on a cold winter morning or afternoon. Too bad it was sunny & too hot during our visit.

Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2

TAIPEI 101 MALL

We headed to Taipei 101 Mall for lunch & for sightseeing. The massive Taipei 101 welcomed us upon leaving Exit 4 of the metro station. We went around the different boutiques & shops while we waited for our turn in Din Tai Fung & our Taipei 101 Observatory schedule.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

DIN TAI FUNG

We had our lunch at Din Tai Fung in Taipei 101 Mall. This world-famous restaurant originated in Taipei back in the days. The restaurant is famous for its pork xiao long bao, braised beef noodles & steamed chicken soup. We waited for about an hour before we finally had our table. It was Father’s Day lunch so the family had a feast.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

TAIPEI 101 OBSERVATORY

After lunch, we all headed to the Taipei 101 Observatory. We bought our tickets through Klook on the same day & even got a discount for the large booking. Each ticket only costs about ₱600+ per person after the discount. Ticket redemption was easy; it was through an automated machine located near the ticket booth. We stayed on the 88th floor for about an hour & enjoyed the 360-degree view of the city.

Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4

ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN

My sisters & I decided to hike up the Elephant Mountain after going up the Taipei 101 observatory. We wanted to see the city & Taipei 101 from a different angle. The hike up to the viewpoint took about 30 minutes & another 30 minutes going down. The viewpoint provided stunning images of the city & of the skyscraper. I’ve been to Taiwan twice, but it was only until this trip when I was able to go up the mountain. The best time to go up is either in the morning or during sunset. However, expect more people going up during these times.

Access: Xiangshan Staion – Exit 2

RAOHE NIGHT MARKET

We went to Raohe Night Market to have authentic street food for dinner. We got the famous pork pepper buns, pork sausages, fried milk & a lot more. The market was packed with tourists that Sunday night & we haven’t had the chance to try all the food around.

Access: Songshan Station – Exit 5

HUAXI STREET NIGHT MARKET

I met up with my good friend, Richard, after dinner to catch up & have some drinks. I met Richard in the overnight boat tour in Komodo, Indonesia. We’ve been really good friends since then. He was also in Taipei that weekend, waiting for his flight to Spain to be with his family on his birthday. Richard & I literally just walked everywhere until we reached Huaxi Street Night Market. It is a small local market, practically selling everything. This market catered mostly to the locals. Believe it or not, we had a hard time looking for a place to eat up to the point we ended up having pork dumplings & beer in a restaurant near Longshan Station.

Access: Longshan Station – Exit 1

YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN KLOOK TOUR

One of the best day trips outside Taipei is the trip to the northeast towns of Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu. Going to these places is not easy, especially if you’re a big group like us. We decided to avail Klook’s transportation package to make the day trip easy & comfortable. Know more about the tour price & itinerary in this separate Yehliu-Jiufen-Shifen Klook Package post.

Meeting place: Ximen Station – Exit 4 in front of GaKuDen Bakery

XIMENDING

A trip to Taipei will never be complete without a visit to the city’s shopping hub – Ximending. This area is where there young people go for shopping & food trip. It has also become famous for the tourists because of the shops & stores located in this area. The place is full of colorful lights & billboards at night; making it a vibrant hangout place for everyone.

Access: Ximen Station – Various Exits

CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL HALL & LIBERTY SQUARE

The last place we visited before we left Taiwan was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall & Libery Square. This memorial hall was built in memory of former President Chiang Kai-Shek. The hall has different display rooms & galleries where you will know more about the former president. On the other hand, the Liberty Square is Taipei’s largest public square. It is a place used for public gatherings during national holidays & important days in Taiwan.

Richard & I already went to this place the night before our family went. There were no other people there at around 12 midnight. However, the ground gates looked stunning with those lights.

Access: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station – Exit 5

This sums up the places my family visited around Taipei during our weekend visit last June. I know we haven’t been to everywhere but we had a great time building memories with each other. Have you been to these places in the past? Which one is your favorite & why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can send me anything, as in anything about this post / blog / website, via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN Klook Tour – Perfect & Hassle-Free Taiwan Northeast Coast Day Tour

Note: This post is not in any way sponsored by Klook. This is a narrative & a review of the day tour we took with Klook during our Taiwan trip last June 2019. Just like any other group, we paid the full day tour fee through Klook’s website.

Yesterday, I shared with you details about Uinn Travel Hostel, the modern & excellent hostel we stayed in Taipei last June. My family went on a 4-day weekend trip to Taiwan last June. We flew with EVA Air for an affordable price & even went on a day trip to Taichung. Watch out for the post that will lay out our chill itinerary around the city.

It was a sunny day; a perfect weather to explore Yehliu Geopark, the Northeast Coast of Taiwan. 🙂

One of the famous day trips outside of Taipei is a trip to the Northeast Coast of Taiwan. This trip goes to the known places of Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen & Shifen. I already went to Shifen & Jiufen in 2015 (via a do-it-yourself itinerary) & in 2017 on a half day trip with Klook. We opted to go with Klook again this year since we were travelling with our parents & our baby cousin.

I will share with you details about the day tour – its price & inclusions, meeting place & boarding procedure & the itinerary for the whole trip in the different sections below.

Day Tour Price & Booking

We booked the day tour via Klook‘s website. We opted for the 9:00 am tour. The tour included a shuttle bus with driver, shuttle toll & parking fees, an English-speaking tour guide & a bottle of water. At the time of booking, it cost us ₱8,786 for 8 people & 1 infant – around ₱1,100 per person. The rate also included the entry ticket to Yehliu Geopark.

At the time of writing, Klook offers the tour at a cheaper rate of ₱975, including the Geopark entry ticket. No idea why it’s cheaper than our trip – maybe because it was peak season during? Anyway, there’s no need to print the Klook voucher; you can present it using your phone on the day of the tour.

This is Klook’s day tour rate at the time of writing this blog post – 8 September 2019 at 5:00 PM.

Tip: Full names, birthdays & passport details are required while booking the tour.

Meeting Place & Boarding

Klook’s designated meeting & boarding place is in front of GaKuDen Bakery near Exit 4 of Ximen Station. The meeting place is very easy to find; you’ll also see a lot of other people (many of them are Filipinos) waiting for the buses.

On the day of the tour, we went to the designated meeting place at least 30 minutes before our scheduled trip. Our trip is due to leave at 9:00 am but we were already there at 8:30 am. Our tour guide (Hillary) called the groups one by one, asked for a copy of the Klook voucher (showed the voucher in my phone) & let us board the bus. Upon leaving the meeting place, she handed everyone a water bottle & started talking about Taiwan, Taipei & our destinations – Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen & Shifen.

itinerary

Allow me to share with your our itinerary for the day tour. I will give you information about every stop & how long we stayed in every place. The trip to the 1st stop (Yehliu Geopark) took about an hour while the trip back to Taipei took about 1 hour & 20 minutes because of traffic in the city.

YEHLIU GEOPARK

Yehliu Geopark is a natural park consisting of interesting sedimentary rock figures formed through geological forces of sea erosion on softer rock layers. The most famous rock formations found here is the Queens Head. There are a lot more interesting formations found around the Geopark. We stayed around the park for 70 minutes.

The famous Queen’s Head rock formation in Yehliu Geopark; I took the photo from another angle.

YIN YANG SEA

The Yin Yang Sea is the dual-colored part of the northern coast of Taiwan. The blue-colored sea is mixed with the yellow-colored water coming from the old mine sites. The Yin Yang Sea viewing platform & 13 Layer Remains were located in the same area. We spent around 10 minutes in these 2 areas.

13 LAYER REMAINS

The 13 Layer Remains is a former smelter plant that used to process metal from the mountains. The plant was run by the state from the 1940’s & for about 30 years. The plant shut down operations when the metal resources ran out in the 1970’s.

GOLDEN WATERFALL

The Golden Waterfall doesn’t have true golds in it. Its ‘golden’ color is a mixture of regular rainfall in the mine sit & the rich metal elements in the riverbed. We stayed in the waterfall area for only 5 minutes.

JIUFEN

Jiufen used to be a small village of nine families. With the development of the gold mine industry in Taiwan, this village eventually became a town & housed those involved in the gold mining activities. At present, this village is a famous weekend holiday destination for both locals & visitors. The village features old Taiwanese & Chinese architecture & vibe. It also has numerous tea houses, cafes & souvenir shops. In 2001, the place became more famous because of the Japanese film Spirited Away. We stayed in Jiufen for 2 hours; we also had our lunch here.

SHIFEN WATERFALL

Shifen Waterfall is a scenic waterfall found 30 minutes away (by foot) from Shifen Station. This natural & beautiful body of water is regarded as one of the most scenic places in Taiwan. It is definitely worth the visit & more worth the walk towards the viewing platform in front of the falls. We went around the waterfall area for about an hour.

SHIFEN OLD STREET

Shifen Old Street is the famous place to fly the sky lanterns in Taiwan. This place also houses the Shifen Railway Station, which was initially used to transport coal during the Japanese invasion. The station is still used for scheduled train services to Riufang & nearby towns. The old street now is full of souvenir shops & food stalls that cater to the tourists & visitors. We experienced a pretty heavy rainfall whilst in Shifen; we were not able to fly a sky lantern. We opted for a walk around the shops & had some snacks in between. We still stayed here for an hour even if it was raining really hard.

After Shifen Old Street, we boarded the shuttle & took the trip back to Taipei. We were dropped off at the same meeting place – in front of GaKuDen Bakeryin Ximen. This pretty much sums up our Klook 9-hour day tour to Yehliu, Jiufen & Shifen.

VERDICT

Klook’s day tour was worth every peso – it made the 3 places accessible. I already tried using public transportation to Shifen & Jiufen in the past & I can definitely say that this day tour was super convenient & hassle-free. The addition of Hillary, our tour guide, was a plus. She shared a lot of facts & information about Taiwan’s history & culture. She also helped us book our place for lunch in Jiufen.

Shifen Waterfall – one of the highlights of the day tour. It was worth the walk to the view deck! 🙂

The order of itinerary & allotted times for all places were enough except for Jiufen. I wish we stayed longer in Jiufen because there’s a lot more to see, do & eat in the area. I don’t mind taking an extra hour in Jiufen, just to have more time to explore the place. The heavy rainfall definitely spoiled our excitement in flying a sky lantern, but it was all good. Believe it or not, I’ve been to Taiwan 3 times & I haven’t flown a single sky lantern. Perhaps another reason to fly back in the future? We’ll see.

Wish we had more time in Jiufen – I’d love to check all the shops & food stalls along the old street.

Overall, we enjoyed how relaxed & convenient this tour was planned. Thanks heaps to Klook & the tour operator for the fun, enriching & worthwhile day trip to Yehliu, Juifen & Shifen. I highly recommend this day trip by Klook to everyone – you no longer need to plan out how to go to this place & on what train or bus to catch. Klook has everything set for you!

The Golden Waterfall – glad to finally see this one after missing it during my previous two visits 🙂

What are you waiting for? Book your Yehliu-Jiufen-Shifen Day Tour with Klook now!

Have you been to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen & Shifen? Which was your favorite place & why? Have you also booked your day trip with Klook? How was your experience? Feel free to share them in the comments section below & let’s engage in a discussion. Do you have any questions about the day tour of the places we visited? You can email me at contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

Hostel Of The Day: UINN TRAVEL HOSTEL – Modern, Space-Themed & Excellent Taipei Hostel

UPDATE: Uinn Travel Hostel has ceased operations. I am keeping this Hostel of the Day feature to give tribute to such excellent accommodation.

Hey ho! I’m so sorry I’ve been quiet the past few weeks. I just came back from Yogyakarta, Indonesia (more details soon!) & been very busy with work requirements. Fret not, I am back & I am excited to share more information & experiences with you. Today, I will take you to back to Taipei, Taiwan. I’ve been to the city in 2015 & 2017 but I was convinced by my mom to go back with the whole family.

My family & I took advantage of the visa-free privilege for Filipino passport holders & went on a 4-day weekend trip around Taipei & Taichung last June 2019. I already shared with you last month some photos of our Taichung day trip as well as details of our EVA Air flight back to Manila. Now, I want to share with you details about our modern & space-themed hostel in Taipei – Uinn Travel Hostel. This amazing will be today’s Hostel Of The Day feature. I can’t wait for you to see how excellent this property is! Check out the property’s details below.

Location & Access

Uinn Travel Hostel is located in Chongqing South Rd, in the quiet neighborhood of Zhongzheng District. The nearest famous landmark to the property is Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station (Green & Red Lines) is 700 m away & is about 8-10 minutes walk. The hostel is 1 km away from Guting Station & is about 10-12 minutes walk. Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station is 2 stops away from Taipei Main Station & 3 stops away from Ximen Station. Taipei 101 Station is 5 metro stops away on the red line. The hostel is also accessible to Ximending, Taipai Main Station & Daan Park by bus, with the bus stopping right in front of the hostel premises. The Taipei Taoyuan International Airport can be accessed from Taipei Main Station.

The hostel is located in a quiet area with local & affordable restaurants. The nearest convenience store is about 3-5 minutes walk from the hostel. For those who love bubble tea, there are a number of nearby bubble tea shops in the hostel. The hostel’s location may not be as strategic as the other hostels but its location is still nice – quiet, safe & accessible.

private & dormitory rooms

The property offers both private & dormitory rooms to its guests. Those who prefer to have the room to themselves can book their spacious standard double room. This room can accommodate 2 adults. It comes with a double bed, cable television, private toilet & shower, complete towels & toiletry set & a small fridge. The room also has a small table & chair if guests plan to do some work during their stay.

Guests who want to save some money can opt for the dormitory rooms. The dorm rooms are configured to either capsule beds or regular bunk beds. All these beds are equipped with personal television screens (with headset for the bunk beds), bedside sockets, personal reading light & lockers with electronic locks. Towels & toiletries are also included. Guests of the capsule dormitories can fully enclose their space while those on bunk beds can pull down roller blinds for privacy. Guests of both dormitory rooms have access to communal toilets & shower areas equipped with hair dryers.

All hostel guests have free, simple buffet breakfast every day; it is already included in the nightly rate. Room / dormitory bed rates differ from one booking website to the other. It also depends on the season. You can check out the hostel’s booking platform for the updated rates for your desired stay. Book early to get the best deals.

hostel amenities

Here comes my favorite part of every Hostel of the Day feature – the list of perks a guest gets in every hostel. Uinn Travel Hostel offers a long list of amenities & perks to enjoy. Check them below.

Free Fast Wi-Fi
The hostel offers free, fast Wi-Fi to all its guests. The connection is available throughout the property – from the reception area, to outdoor seating area & to the rooms. The Wi-Fi password can be obtained from the reception.

Simple Buffet Breakfast
Breakfast is included in the nightly rate. All guests have access to unlimited bread (with croissant!!) with butter & jam, coffee, tea, biscuits & boiled egg. From memory, breakfast starts at 7:00 am & ends at 9:30 am or 10:00 am.

Free Coffee, Tea & Juice
The hostel’s coffee & juice machines are open to all guests 24/7. Any guest can just go there & get their drink of choice at any time of the day. These drinks are free of charge.

Cozy Lounge & Dining Area
The hostel has a cozy & spacious lounge & dining area on the ground floor, beside the reception area. They even have stuff toys & colorful pillows which my baby cousin enjoyed.

Clean Communal Toilet & Shower Rooms
Aside from the toilet & shower areas in the private & dormitory rooms, the hostel also has communal facilities in the basement, open to all guests – even those who are just about to check in or those who already checked out.

Free Luggage Storage
Luggage storage is free to all upcoming & outgoing guests. The staff provides a small control paper which indicates a control number & the number of luggage the guests have. The luggage area is by the stairs, directly in front of reception. Bags & luggage are secured & are always at the eye of the staff.

24/7 Reception
Uinn Travel Hostel’s reception is open 24 hours 7 days a week. There’s always someone who is at the reception counter. People who are flying to Taiwan in late night or red-eye flights won’t have any problem when they arrive at the hostel.

Cheerful & Helpful Staff
The hostel staff are very cheerful & helpful. They welcomed us with bright smiles on their faces. They also answered all our questions & even gave recommendations on where to go & what to do. They also speak the English language; communication is & will never be a problem.

Outdoor Lounge Area
The hostel has an outdoor lounge area, right by the road. It is the perfect place to have some late night talks / drinks or early morning coffee.

Communal Computers
Personal computers are available for communal use in the ground floor communal area. Guests can use these computers to plan their itineraries, book onward tickets & future accommodation. It’s free of charge. Reception offers printing, fax & photocopying services for an additional fee.

Uinn Joy – Lounge & Games Area
One unique amenity of Uinn Travel Hostel is Uinn Joy. It is a special lounge & games area located in basement level 2 that has a dart machine, a table football, an audio-visual equipment & comfy seats which guests can enjoy. They even have free popcorn for all guests. Drinks can be bought in the on-site vending machine while beers can be purchased from the hostel. The hostel has viewing parties at selected times of the month. Uinn Joy is the best place to meet other guests & travelers. This facility is open everyday from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm or 1:00 am.

Daily Housekeeping
The hostel staff cleans all rooms everyday. They even provide bottled water to private rooms every day. Guests have the option to have their room cleaned every day or not.

Laundry Facilities
Uinn Travel Hostel has complete on-site laundry facilities. Feel free to check with a staff on how you can use the laundry facilities.

Secured Room Access
The hostel main door is open to everyone at all times. Lift access is only limited to guests & hostel staff through an electronic key card. Room access on the other hand is only available to the guest checked in on a specific room. Electronic key cards do not work on other room doors, only on your specified room door.

Bicycle Rental & Tour Services
They also offer bicycle rental & tour services to interested guests. More information about these services can be obtained from reception.

The perks & amenities provided by Uinn Travel Hostel to all its guests are at par with those offered by established Japan hostel chains. The hostel excels in providing every amenity & makes sure that the guests enjoy what they pay for.

my experience

We were a family of 8 adults & 1 kid & we opted on staying in private rooms for all 3 nights in Taipei. We got 4 standard double rooms (2 persons per room) at NT$ 1,700 per room per night – around ₱2,800 per room per night. A normal dormitory bed in Taipei costs close to ₱1,000 per night so getting the room for around ₱1,400 per person per night with privacy & a private toilet & shower is already a good deal.

The standard room was very spacious. The bed & pillows were soft & comfortable. The room air conditioning worked well – we had the coldest room among the four. Cleanliness was spot on – the staff even cleaned our room everyday. They also give our daily supply of bottled water. The toilet & shower were modern & clean; toiletries & towels were included. One weird thing I noticed is that the sinks were located outside the toilet & shower area. It was only a minor observation & probably the first time I saw it in a room. Wi-Fi was fast everywhere in the hostel.

The simple breakfast bread buffet was superb! I enjoyed the chocolate, peanut butter & garlic spreads they have. I ate a lot of small croissants every morning. The orange & grape juice were my favorites. I wish all other hostels offer the type of breakfast Uinn Travel Hostel offers.

Hostel location was alright. We didn’t mind walking to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station & back. Hostel staff were super nice & accommodating. I didn’t have the chance to play & enjoy the facilities at Uinn Joy due to our tight schedule; but just having them on site is already great. The hostel is relatively quiet, not much of a social & definitely not a party hostel. It is a quiet but an amazing one.

Overall, we had a great stay. My parents, siblings, uncle & aunt & my baby cousin enjoyed their stay at Uinn Travel Hostel. We definitely got more than what we paid for. Everything was spot on; it is an excellent hostel. I definitely recommend this hostel to everyone. You don’t want to miss staying here whilst in Taipei.

If ever you have a question about the hostel or you want to contact them directly for an upcoming stay, feel free to reach them in the contact details below:

Uinn Travel Hostel
Address: 38 Section 3, Chongqing South Road Taipei City Taiwan 100
Phone Number: +886 2 2333 1277
Fax Number: +886 2 2339 6800
Email Address: uinntravel@outlook.com
Website: travel.uinnhotel.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/UinnTravel
Instagram: www.instagram.com/uinntravel/

Have you stayed with Uinn Travel Hostel in Taipei, Taiwan? If yes, how was your stay? Have you been to another modern & excellent hostel in Taipei or in Taiwan? Feel free to name the hostel in the comment section below. I might just stay there in my next Taiwan trip. You can also send your suggestions via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you for joining me today. Until the next Hostel Of The Day feature!

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.