Travelogue - Taiwan, The Last Few Days

Our last few days in Taipei were spent doing last minute shopping and checking out more night markets. This time we headed to Wu Pen Fu Night Market. The food there was needless to say, amazing! I especially love the grilled oysters! I would have eaten loads of it if I wasn't already so full. So. Damn. Delicious. 

Other delights at Wu Pen Fu include Braised Pork Rice, Pork Ribs noodle soup and more! Although this night market is smaller than others, the food is ridiculously good! Even though you're full, you tell yourself that you have to eat more because you don't want to miss out on any potential sumptuous dish. 

The last day in Taipei was spent shopping around, and hunting down more of our favourite food. We left the country happy, full of delicious food, and a resolution to go on a detox diet once we got back home. Taiwan was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back to explore other areas, and of course, try more food! 

And this, marks the end of my 2013 Taiwan trip. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 11 (Taichung)

On the second day in Taichung, we set out to explore the Tung Hai University and the city centre. The highlight was the Luce Memorial Chapel - which was unique because of its architecture. The journey to the university didn't take long, and we got to enjoy some sights along the way. Traveling in Taichung is really easy, because the buses provide the stop names in both English and Chinese. We had a data plan which also came in useful at times. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 10, A little bit of Feng Jia

Woke up to a beautiful day! The sky was blue, the breeze just right. We didn't have much to do in the morning so we sat around the hotel's courtyard, taking in the sunshine, and enjoying a good read. This was our designated traveling day. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 9 (CingJing Farm)

After a night at Sun Moon Lake, we headed further up the mountains to CingJing farmlands. The nice cool weather was a welcomed relief from the hot humidity of Kaohsiung. We took a taxi up to save time! The drive up was scenic, and enjoyable, although I did fall asleep - I'm like that in cars. Once we stepped out of the taxi, it was like stepping into a fairytale. We were surrounded by greenery and clouds. To add to the magic of it all, there were adorable sheep all around, grazing as though they had naught a care in the world.  

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 8 (Sun Moon Lake)

One of the highlights of my Taiwan trip was our visit to Sun Moon Lake. I had done some research, and been wowed by the lovely pictures online. As a scenery lover, I could not wait to soak in the beauty of this lake. To my dismay, it was raining the day we went to Sun Moon Lake. The lake was shrouded in fog, and the weather, wet and cold.

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 7 (Fo Guang Shang Monastery)

Back with yet another day trip out of Kaohsiung. We took a bus out of the city to Fo Guang Shan Monastery. I found it really interesting to just soak in the sights and atmosphere of the monastery. It was a real change from the cathedrals I had visited in Europe. I found the buddha statues really (for lack of a better word) extravagant. The monastery was peaceful and calming, set atop a hill. 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 6, Kaohsiung

Second day of my travels in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We found ourselves waking up to a bright, sunny day. Kaohsiung is much more humid as compared to Taipei! We decided to spend the day exploring Lotus Lake, and boy was the lake huge. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Kaohsiung, Day 5

Back with the 5th day of Taiwan. We took a long train ride down to Kaohsiung, even though we could have taken the high speed rail. Enjoyed some lovely sights along the way. We reached Kaohsiung in the afternoon, and immediately checked into our hotel. It did not take us long to get out into the sunshine and explore this town. 

We roamed around with no particular stop in mind, our end point being the night market. And we chanced upon a park! 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 4, Taipei

Fourth day of Taiwan! We spent the day exploring some of the famous sights in Taipei itself. Our first stop was Taipei 101! The tallest building in Taiwan, and a sight to behold. Had to scurry around trying to find decent photo angles to get a nice shot of this building. 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 3 - Beitou, Taipei

Day 3 of Taiwan! We headed up to Beitou to try out the hot springs. Beitou is supposedly the uprising place where many expats stay. Its easy to get into central Taipei via the trains, and yet quiet enough if you're looking for some peace and quiet. 

We decided to explore a little of Beitou before heading to the hot springs. And I must say, it's a quaint little town. I particularly love the library there! It was designed by a Japanese architect, and has a very zen feel to it. So relaxing! 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 2, Taipei Day Trip

Day 2 of Taiwan saw us taking a day trip out of Taipei. We decided to spend the day exploring northern regions of Taipei.  Our first stop was Jiufen to explore some mouth-watering Taiwanese delights. We took a train down to RuiFang, and headed on to Jiufen by bus. 

We were immediately greeted by this lovely view upon alighting.

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 1, Taipei

Moving away from Europe for the time being and focusing on a place that's much closer to home. And that place is Taiwan. I was in Taiwan for a period of 2 weeks on my grad trip and had lots of fun. Taiwan is also most known for their night markets - and I must say, the amount of food there is crazy! I didn't even know where to start.

But before I delve into more details, the first leg of our travels in Taiwan was Taipei. Taipei has so much to offer, from food to shopping, temples to nature sights. There's plenty to do within Taipei itself, and you can also choose to take day trips out to see what surrounding counties have to offer. Our Taipei itinerary was pretty packed. I'm gonna do a day-by-day travelogue here because I took too many photos, and Taiwan just has too much to offer.

Our first stop after checking into our accommodation and getting a little rest was the Fo Guang Shan Temple! It's a really intricate piece of architecture, and would have been better, if it weren't for all the flashing tourist LEDs. Took a walk inside, while my friends offered prayers. Was really impressed by the detailing that was done!