I am now finished with my tour organized by Asia Odyssey Travel (AOT). That was 38 days. I now have 3 extra days in Taipei on my own - "free and easy" some would say. I am going to enjoy wandering around Taipei without a planned itinerary. Do whatever I feel like doing. I have 3 nights at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, a beautiful hotel next to Taipei 101
After checking in I decided to explore the neighborhood. There is a convention center next door. City Hall is across the street. There are quite a few shops and shopping centers and high-end hotels in the area. Without a fix destination I asked where the nearest night market is. It is Linjiang Night Market, probably about a 30-minute walk away. As I explained in a previous blog every night market is different, depending on the neighborhood and popularity. This one is relatively small.
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| Taipei 101 at night |
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| Grand Hyatt Hotel |
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| Sign says: Linjiang Street. Tourist Night Market |
They sell the usual "small bites": scallion pancakes, meat buns, fruits, etc. I saw a store that was selling steak. I decided to give it a try. I think I ordered a ribeye. It was not very good. Probably overcooked.
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| Many choices of scallion pancakes |
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| Steak - Taiwanese-style |
I checked online to get some ideas on what to do. I saw a "Free Walking Tour" the next morning, starting at the Longshan Temple. I have been to many "free walking tours" around the world. Contrary to what its name said it is not free. Donations are expected. You give what you think the tour is worth. It is probably a profitable model because they are in everywhere city in the world. Most of the guides are young. It takes a lot of energy to keep the tourists interested and walk anywhere from 2-3 hours. I have been on some excellent tours and now that I can afford it more, I give more generously. I admire the courage and knowledge of these young tour guides.
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| Our two guides (on either side) |
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| Worshipper at Longshan Temple |
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| Courtyard of Longshan Temple |
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| Bopilao Historical Block (closed on Mondays) |
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| Red House at Ximending |
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| Ximending - popular entertainment and shopping area |
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| Chiang Kai-shek Memorial |
Next I took the MRT (Taipei's subway system) back to the Taipei Main Station. I remember the last time I was in Taipei this was a sprawling shopping center and food courts. I was also looking for a barber shop. Unfortunately, I got a little lost and stumbled on a part of the shopping center that caters mostly to video games. At the end I did not find anything interesting to see nor the barber shop.
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| A shop catering to video game enthusiasts |
The next day I thought I will go to Costco, my favorite store. I know Costco in other countries sell a lot of local stuff plus the basic stuffs that Costco sells. I looked up Google Maps for the nearest Costco and thought I figured out how to get there using public transportation. I first took the MRT to the Taipei Main Station and thought there is a bus that goes to somewhere near Costco in Neihu District. After asking several people I was lost in the station. What to do? I saw a taxi waiting outside and just jumped in and told the driver where I wanted to go. The fare? NTD300 or about $9.25.
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| Costco in Neihu. There are 3 Costcos' in Taipei |
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| Like any busy food court |
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| Rotisserie Chicken |
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| Water Spinach or On Choy |
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| Ah...delicious Costco hot dog! |
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| I bought the braised pork rice. So tasty! |
First thing I wanted to see is what's different in the food court. What kind of food do they sell? What about the Costco hot dog?
Yes. They have the hot dog, American style. It costs 50 NTD. US$1 = 32.41 NTD (New Taiwan Dollar). That means the hot dog and soda combo costs US$1.54. Four cents higher than the US. Still not a bad deal. They also sell a lot of local delicacies. I saw an offering for braised pork rice with radish soup for 99 NTD (or about $3). What a deal! And so delicious!
I walked around the store and try to look for things the Taiwan Costco sell that we don't. Yes. They have fresh vegetables but Chinese vegetables like bok choy, water spinach (called On Choy or Kang Kong). German pork knuckles seem to be popular here. Thank God no brussels sprouts. So is laksa (Singaporean curry noodles), Cantonese BBQ pork. Of course they have rotisserie chicken for 189 NTD or $5.83. This wouldn't be Costco if they don't have rotisserie chicken.
Like I explained before, night markets are immensely popular in Taiwan. On a listing of the most popular night markets one of them is the Raohe Street Night Market. It is very popular with tourists. It is almost 1/2 mile long and sells everything from food to tourist paraphernalia.
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| Entrance to the night market |
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| Selling meat buns |
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| BBQ Beef |
As part of the American Express deal to stay in certain hotels I get free breakfast (for two) and a $100 credit to be spent at the hotel. I was looking for a place to have dinner the second night and stumbled on the Japanese buffet restaurant in the hotel called Irodori. I have been to many cheap Japanese buffet restaurants in the US but it's more quantity than quality. But this restaurant offers authentic Japanese food with a live kitchen. The price was NTD1,580 or almost US$50. The restaurant was packed and I almost could not get a seat until I told them that I was a hotel guest. Apparently many customers come from all over Taipei to eat here. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of my food, because I was too busy eating 😊. But here is the website with some pictures:
https://www.hyatt.com/grand-hyatt/en-US/taigh-grand-hyatt-taipei/dining/irodori
But, first, before I go any further I want to talk about the breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. This hotel has 850 rooms and suites, a big hotel, that caters mostly to business travelers. When I was there a technology conference was going on next door at the convention center. One of the featured speakers was Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia. The guests come from all over the world and the breakfast buffet offerings reflect that. I ate there three mornings and there were still food that I did not try. I mainly focus on eating proteins and fruits in the morning, with some Chinese treats that I have missed over the years. It is one of the best breakfast buffets I have had. One thing I noticed eating breakfast buffets at many hotels all over Taiwan is that they hire many young Indonesian ladies as wait staff. Like many advance countries like Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, etc, they are short of labor. Having grown up in Singapore and learned Malay, I was able to say a few simple Malay (or Bahasa Indonesia) words to some of the wait staff, especially when I want an extra cup of cappuccino. Here is the Cafe's website:
https://www.hyatt.com/grand-hyatt/en-US/taigh-grand-hyatt-taipei/dining/cafe
My flight leaves in the afternoon on my last day in Taipei. I still have a few hours to see Taipei before I go to the airport. I texted my driver and now friend Addy if he wanted to come eat breakfast with me at the hotel, then take me to Dadaocheng area. This is a historic area of Taipei started in the mid-1800s' for the export of tea. It is a major tourist attraction and has many shops that sell or make traditional Taiwanese crafts or food.
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| Dihua Street |
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| Dihua Street Post Office |
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| Street Food |
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| A Chinese Temple |
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| Enjoying some local snacks |
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| Popular braised pork knuckles |
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| Chinese noodles |
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| A popular seafood stand |
There were also some buildings that showed the history and culture of the area.
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| An old tea setting |
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| Dadaocheng Theater - for puppets |
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| Puppets used in theaters |
It was a wonderful unplanned 3 days in Taipei. It is a modern city with excellent infrastructure. The Taiwanese people are very nice and prices are cheaper than in the US.
Addy took me to the Taoyuan International Airport, about an hour away, that afternoon. Luckily I have a China Airlines direct flight from Taipei to Phoenix, about 12 hours. I was able to sleep half the time. The service was excellent. There are now two Taiwan-based airlines flying direct from Phoenix to Taipei: China Airlines and Starlux. It is due mainly to the opening of the TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing) fab in north Phoenix. They are expecting increased passenger traffic between Phoenix and Taiwan and the rest of Asia. Personally it makes it very convenient for me because I usually have to fly to the west coast, either Los Angeles or San Francisco or Seattle, to continue on to Asia.
This ends my wonderful 43-day trip to China and Taiwan. I plan to rest and rejuvenate the next 2-3 months - hiking, golf, mountain biking, etc. I will start traveling again in August - Montreal and Halifax, then Munich for Oktoberfest, follow by the Naples area, and then Sicily in October.
