5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary: Day 1 - Maokong Gondola & Taipei Zoo + Zhongxiao + Shilin Night Market

During the late autumn of 2012, we had the chance to visit one of the rising stars in Asia tourism - Taiwan, a scenic island once broken away from mainland China in the late 1940s and now, it is well on its way to become the "Heart of Asia." Its name also made an appearance on Lonely Planet's top destination to visit in the world in 2012, and once I've been there, I knew the reasons why. The claim is rather true, with an immensely rich culture and heritage, visually stunning sceneries, relaxing world-class hot springs and not to forget what it's best known for - shopping haven and night markets lined with throngs of food stalls selling the most amazing local cuisine.

Since then I have gotten a few requests from people I know, as well as my dear readers, to have my Taiwan itinerary put up right on Nomsaurus. About one month before departure, I took a few travel tips from my friend who have been there themselves and did some researching online on the places I want to go, modes of transport to a particular place, the food I want to eat and ectera. The advantage of doing an itinerary is simple: you have at least an idea of what you are going to do, so you wouldn't have to waste precious time on last-minute thinking and planning. Hence, having an itinerary before the trip is definitely a bonus point. So without further ado, I present to you:

5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary - Day 1

Note: Of course you do not have to follow exactly as it is set to my personal preference, but I hope that this itinerary would inspire some ideas and pointers for your trip.

Transport from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei City

For optimum usage of time, I have booked my flight timings accordingly, such that I arrived in the morning (0600hrs) and depart back home at night (2015hrs). From Taoyuan Airport, there are a few modes of public transport that could take you to Taipei city, such as the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR), buses and taxis (which is not recommended, unless you are in fours, and can afford it). We took the Evergreen bus which heads for Shuanglian MRT and that is where my hotel is located.

Digital Buddy and Youth Travel Card

For more information, please visit http://tour.youthtravel.tw/travel2009/pda/eng/index.php

I highly recommend getting the Youth Travel Card, which is applicable to Taiwan, as well as all international youths, aged 15 to 30. It is free and easy-to-apply, and presenting the card to participating places (eateries, shopping and attractions etc) will gain you discounted prices.

Accommodation

If you're interested, we stayed at 3-star Shin Shih Hotel 新仕商務飯店, a simple yet dedicated to professional and friendly services, as well as the welfare of travellers. It is located at Chung Shan district and merely a 3-minute walk from Shuanglian MRT. Priced at only S$40+/- per night (correct as of Nov 12) for twin sharing, I would recommend Shin Shih for a comfortable and non-fussy stay.

Activity 1: Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo 

Note: Please do click on the links for more information, such as directions and highlights of the area, (will open up in another window.)

Most tourists shunned the idea of heading to the zoo, because they thought it is a waste of time when you could spend it somewhere else instead, moreover all the zoos in the world are pretty much the same, isn't it? Well, consider putting Taipei Zoo (also known as "Muzha Zoo 木柵動物園") in your itinerary. Boasting more than 165 hectares of combined space and, several exhibition houses and observatories, Taipei Zoo is not only a leader in conservation, research, education and recreation, it is also the largest zoo in Asia!

With cable car tickets selling at a range from NT$30 to NT$50 (depending on the number of stops), it is the cheapest I have ever come across. And fret not, the ride is generally smooth and definitely safe. One can even take a peek at the iconic Taipei 101 on a clear day!

Activity 2: Zhongxiao East Road

After a day of sight-seeing, it's high time to grab a proper dinner. We chanced upon Kitchen Pucci 葡吉小廚, located minutes away from Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT which serves authentic Shanghai-style cuisine in its modern setting. The food is generally nice, but not exceptionally good. But, do not forget to leave some stomach space for Shilin's delicacies later on!

Besides dining at one of the many restaurants, Zhongxiao District also boasts departmental stores, such as Pacific SOGO, East Metro Mall and Ming Yao Departmental Store, which proves to be a shopping haven for locals and tourists alike.

Activity 3: Shilin Night Market

One of Taiwan's largest and most popular tourist spot and which I guarantee is on 99% of anyone's Taipei itinerary. Besides boasting well-known Taiwanese snacks such as chicken cutlet, oyster omelette and beef noodles (just to name some, or for the adventurous - stinky tofu and pig's blood), it also serves as a late night shopping haven for locals and tourists alike.

Additional notes:

Reasons like jetlag and fatigue, are your greatest enemies on the arrival day. Hence, it is recommended to choose something light, such as sight-seeing with little amount of travelling time.

Shilin Night Market 士林夜市 @ Taiwan

Introducing Shilin Night Market (or better known as 士林夜市), one of Taiwan's largest and most popular tourist spot and which I guarantee is on 99% of anyone's Taipei itinerary. Besides boasting well-known Taiwanese snacks such as chicken cutlet, oyster omelette and beef noodles (just to name some, or for the adventurous - stinky tofu and pig's blood), it also serves as a late night shopping haven for locals and tourists alike.

Directions to Shilin Night Market

1. From Jiantan MRT station, walk towards JiHe road. Try looking for a cross-road junction (ref above). Do note that the night market is NOT located at Shilin Station, which is one stop away from Jiantan.

Shilin (WenLin Road)

This is the main entrance to Shilin Night Market, usually crowded with locals and tourists taking a picture of themselves together with the neon signboard. It gets really crowded on Friday nights and weekends and if you do not want to end up like sardines in a tin, opt to visit at a weekday instead.

One does not simply miss the prominent 士林豪大大雞排 (fried chicken cutlet) shop located just beside the main entrance and for lucky Singaporeans, there are currently 2 branches locally, located at Ion Orchard and Nex.

For NT$55 a piece, you get to enjoy a piece of fried chicket cutlet as huge as a person's face.

It was slightly oily but not exactly greasy. I wished that the layer of batter was thinner though, nevertheless this is much better than the ones you can get from Singapore. Here's an up-close shot of that sinful goodness:

I do recommend this particular restaurant, which specializes in oyster omelette. It is located at the end of JiHe Road.

Keelung Tempura  甜不辣 (NT$50, translated directly as "sweet, not spicy"), which is different from the Japanese version is actually fried fish paste, usually served with slices of crunchy pickled cucumber and sweet sauce.

 

And of course, their well-known oyster omelette 蚵仔煎 (NT$50) which comes with a great deal of oyster and topped with sweet and spicy sauce. For me, I don't usually eat oyster omelette in Singapore, but since I was at its birthplace, I knew I got to try it out. The verdict? Delicious.

Another part of the night market is nestled at the basement and is especially popular and crowded with tourists, as most of the street snacks are housed within the roofed area. Most of the stall owners tout their specialities as you walk pass by the food stalls, but do continue to look around and compare. Usually for newbies like me, I either research online beforehand or look for long queues (Singapore kiasu spirit, if you know what I mean).

One of the must-try is 大腸包小腸 (NT$50). It resembles an American hotdog bun, just that it is replaced with a Taiwanese sausage and crunchy veg wrapped between glutinous rice "sausage" (bun, rather).

You can never get 2 soft shell crab for the price of NT$100 in Singapore. As a crab lover, Peiyi raves about it, while it tasted only pretty decent for me. But again, it is still darn cheap.

Oyster Mian Xian (NT$60) as another highly acclaimed dish but where I ate it, the broth and noodles are fine, however the oyster standard is sub-par.

Similarly to 大腸包小腸, Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing 大餅包小餅 (NT$30) is a crunchy and crispy bun wrapped in a popiah skin. The fillings do come in different flavours such as taro, mung beans and peanuts. I had mine with red beans crisp, which proves to be a nice choice.

Feeling thirsty? Why not try out their honey bittergourd juice (NT$50)? Peiyi was skeptical at first, but grew to like it with every single sip. The fruit, similar to bittergourd but pale yellow in colour, is sweet with little traces of bitterness and leaves your tongue slightly dry after. Interesting eh?

The above are only a fraction of the food Shilin has to offer, hence it is highly recommended to grab a few friends and start a gastronomic trip right here at Shilin. Good food are meant to be shared, isn't it?