Dear Taipei,

A story with a smile from our 6-day, 5-night trip to Taiwan with friends.

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Taipei is a lovely capital city.

The people are friendly and speak English fluently.

It might be a bit hot with the weather in August.

At some points,

the temperature can soar up to 39 degrees Celsius!

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It is said that when you come to Taiwan, you must not miss the food.

Every day, there are new menus to try.

Plus, we went looking for cool and chic art that can be seen throughout the city.

The fun seems to increase all the time when you travel with friends.

As mentioned in the title,

You. Me. Our Taiwan.

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Why Taiwan?

The question that sparked our research and ultimately led to our decision was: "Why Taiwan?"

Several factors contributed to our choice:

  • Friends in Taiwan: We have friends living in Taiwan who offered to show us around.
  • Favorable exchange rate: The Taiwanese dollar is relatively weak compared to the Thai baht, making it an affordable destination.
  • Visa-free travel: Thai citizens can visit Taiwan for up to 30 days without a visa, simplifying the travel process.
  • Reasonable flight costs: We found affordable direct flights from Bangkok to Taipei.

However, we also considered the potential impact of typhoons, which frequently affect Taiwan during July and August. After checking weather forecasts, we chose a six-day trip in early August with clear skies and sunshine.

With our dates set, we booked our flights with NokScoot, a low-cost airline offering direct flights to Taipei. The round-trip tickets cost around 7,000 baht per person.

Our journey began at Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) and ended at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). Thankfully, NokScoot operated on time, and we arrived in Taipei within four hours.

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All transportation options converge here, connecting you to the heart of Taipei.

MRT, TRA, high-speed rail, buses, and local buses—all come together.

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This is the place:

"Taipei Main Station"

Getting around in Taiwan is incredibly easy and convenient.

They use a card called the "Easy Card," which lives up to its name.

Simply top it up and use it to buy tickets, make purchases at 7-Eleven, and more.

We were fortunate enough to stumble upon a promotion by Nok Scoot and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

They were giving away free EasyCards, each pre-loaded with 100 TWD. Hooray!

And that's not all! We also received a free One Day Tour on the Hop On Hop Off red buses.

All of this for free! It was a truly memorable welcome to Taipei.

**This promotion is limited to 888 cards and is only available during August 2017.**

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From Taipei Main Station

We booked accommodation nearby that is within walking distance

This one - MUIU INN Hostel -


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(* Accommodation details are revealed at the end.)

After checking in at the hostel and leaving my backpack in the room,

it was time to get to know Taipei.

Hellooooooooooooo!

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We met up with a Taiwanese friend we hadn't seen in years.

Today was going to be a breeze. We had a local guide to show us around like real Taipei residents.

No guidebooks, no chasing after landmarks.

We simply told our friend to take us to her favorite places, and that was it. :)

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01 - BOPILIAO OLD STREET

The first place our friend took us to

was a low-key introduction: a walk through an exhibition

where old buildings had been transformed into locations for strolling and taking photos.

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02 - MOON BUS

Next up is the adorable yellow Exhibition,

located less than 200 meters from Taipei 101, just across the street.

We will see a cute bus that invites us to explore the story inside,

entitled "When the Moon Forgot" by Taiwanese artist Jimmy Liao.

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03 - Xinyi Public Assembly Hall

A short walk from the Moon Bus stop, you'll find the Xin yi community conservation village, which has been renovated into a Cultural Park.

We were lucky to visit during a handmade market, where we found a wide variety of handcrafted items for sale.

The items were adorable and affordable, as most of the vendors were students.

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Nestled inside an old building, a charming cafe and homemade ice cream shop awaits discovery.

The interior boasts an adorable ambiance, adorned with an array of trinkets and treasures. From postcards and notebooks

to a diverse selection of teas, the shop caters to a variety of tastes. Tea, in particular, is a staple beverage enjoyed throughout the day.

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Please provide the text you want translated from Thai to English.

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When it comes to tea, a must-try in Taiwan is the "bubble tea" unique to each region.

The most readily available and our favorite, with the best packaging, is the 7-Eleven bubble tea, which is sold at every branch for 28-34 TWD per bottle.

It comes in a variety of colors and flavors, and the newly released rose tea is wonderfully fragrant and sweet.

My friends and I have tried almost all of them, and we love them!

This is it!

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It's time to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

After exploring the heart of Taipei, my Taiwanese friend whisked me away for a temporary escape.

Today, we're heading to Jiufen, an ancient town nestled in the northeast.

We'll wander through the old town, encounter the sea, and hop on a train.

Time to reconnect with nature. :)

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We took a train from Taipei and stopped at Rufeng Station.

Today, we will be joined by more friends. Our group is growing!

This is the main station for the Eastern Line. We will transfer to a bus to Jiufen here.

While waiting for another Taiwanese friend, we took a walk around the town.

This rural town has its own charm.

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There are many street food options available, and they are cheaper than in Taipei.

My personal favorite is a baked pastry with a filling in the middle. It's best enjoyed hot.

The main fillings are cream, red bean paste, and a savory filling made from pickled cabbage.

The prices are very affordable, at only 12 TWD per piece.

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With the whole team assembled, it was time to continue our journey.

This time, our new friend was a joy to talk to and a lovely guide, pointing out interesting sights along the way.

We took a bus to Jiufen, which took about 30 minutes.

The road was steep and climbed up the mountain, with the view gradually changing to reveal the sea.

It was nice to see a different side of Taiwan, a greener perspective, which was refreshing.

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04 - Jiufen

An ancient village nestled on a mountainside

With stunning views of the ocean and the rocky mountains behind

Once a thriving mining town, Jiufen was abandoned when the mineral resources were depleted

The government transformed the village into a popular tourist destination with a charming atmosphere

Attracting visitors year-round to stroll through its picturesque streets

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This is kind of funny :)

Since Thai tourists are a significant proportion of visitors,

many shops try to write their menus in Thai.

But this is funny, my friends and I tried to read it out loud, and it sounded strange.

The tone marks are all messed up, haha.

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From Jiufen, we took a bus back to Rufeng and then continued by train.

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06 - Ping Xi Line

Friends whispered that this railway line is incredibly romantic.

At the end of the station, there are sky lanterns for couples to write their wishes and release them together.

Oh, how lovely!

The area around the station is a rural village that was used as a filming location for the movie

" You are the apple of my eye "

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We arrived in the evening, the atmosphere was very good.

The countryside of Taiwan is also lovely in a different way. There are rivers, bridges, and children riding bicycles home.

It reminds me of the atmosphere in the movie "My Girl".

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From the countryside, we took ourselves back to Taipei again.

This time, it's time to use the premium level freebies.

The red Hop On Hop Off bus

Which we mentioned earlier that we got a One Day Tour ticket to use for free.

I must say, it's worth it :)

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The starting and ending point of the route is Taipei Main Station.

The bus runs every 40 minutes with a clear schedule.

There are stops along the way where you can choose to get off.

And wait for the next bus every 40 minutes. Wow, amazing!

My friend and I chose to sit on the second floor so we could enjoy the city view. On the bus, there are staff who distribute headphones.

And there are narrations about each place in about 4 languages.

There is one place that we both agree on.

"Taipei Fine Art Museum"

So we will get off here and go see the Exhibition again.

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07 - Taipei Fine Art Museum

The peculiar white building was a magnet for architecture students like us.

We decided to spend a leisurely afternoon there.

Ticket booth

The staff member smiled and asked if we were students.

"In that case, you can get a 50% discount on your tickets," he said. :)

Wow! That's great.

Beautiful and innocent Taipei.

We shamelessly pretended to be students, even though we had all graduated and were working. 555

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The museum is divided into many exhibition zones.

We had a great time wandering through the different zones.

It was a lot of fun.

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This is a paragraph with no text.

Translated.

We walked to the last zone, where visitors could dress up as anything they wanted and perform on stage. There were so many people who wanted to play that the line was too long, so we gave up.

We looked at some other exhibits before heading out to wait for the red bus to take us back to Taipei Main Station.

We walked back to the hostel and packed our bags to go home.

It felt like a speaker popped up and said in a sentence:

The fun is over!

We traveled together until the last day.

Our Taiwanese friends warmly welcomed us as hosts.

It was a trip where we got to see old friends and make new ones.

We got to know each other and became a large group, having a lot of fun together.

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We say goodbye and thank you

To all our Taiwanese friends who took time off work to be our guides

When you come back to visit Bangkok next time

We promise to take good care of you :)


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Additional information I would like to share

Recommended accommodation in Taipei

We searched for accommodation near the MRT that was within walking distance of Taipei Main Station.

Close to food sources and from our scan, we have two accommodations that we would like to recommend.

1. MUIU Capsule Inn

This accommodation is very clean, the color tone is comfortable, and it has a clean MUJI feel. 555

I like that everyone has to change into brown slippers, it feels like home :)



2. Mr Lobster's Secret Hostel

This hostel is a great option, with breakfast included and a spacious common area for relaxing.

Best of all, there's a convenience store-like shop right in front of the building, so you can easily grab snacks and drinks anytime.

**


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Thank you for reading this far.

It's time to say goodbye.

The end.

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#taipei
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