Taipei Day 1: Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Shilin Night Market

Destination:          Taipei, Taiwan
Date:                     February 13-20, 2015
Airline:                  Cebu Pacific
Accommodation:   No. 128 Jihe Road, Shilin District

* All shots taken with Panasonic Lumix LX7 unless mentioned otherwise

This is the first time we booked our accommodation thru AirBnB and we chose this cozy little place just outside Shilin Market. We have a cafe on the ground floor of the building and a 7-11 just a few steps away.  The location is also about a five minute walk to the MRT.  Having Shilin Market across the street also meant midnight cravings are very easy to satisfy.

Shilin Market during the day

The Taiwanese people are very friendly and accomodating.  Language may be a bit of barrier but they are very eager to help out. We've asked dozens of strangers for directions and they all seem very genuine in their kindness. 

No self-respecting traveler would ever leave Taiwan without taking a photo of Taipei 101.  It's a cliche shot but it's something you just gotta do. 

Tea shop inside Taipei 101.

The view from the Taipei 101 observatory.  Nice but I don't think it's worth the 500 NTD price of admission. P700 to go up a building?  I don't think so.

You can even send your friends or yourself a postcard (for a fee of course).

Pineapple cake is a popular take home treat from Taipei.  Most people recommend those bought from Chia Te or Sunny Hill but the ones we had at Olympia Bakery are the best!  The pineapple filling is smooth, not too sweet and not chunky at all.  Price per piece is about P28 NTD ( about P39).  The ones pictured above are from a shop in the Observatory but you can find Olympia Bakeries in the basement of some malls and stand alone shops scattered all over the city. Also highly recommended at Olympia are their Sun and Wife cakes. Yummy!

The damper ball is suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor of Taipei 101 in order to offset movements in the building caused by strong winds and earthquakes

Din Tai Fung.  The most affordable Michelin star restaurant you can find. 

Wufenpu area.  First shop we visited was Cosmed which is the first store that will greet you before you snake your way towards the garment wonderland that is Wufenpu.  Drugstore shopping is very popular among travelers to Taiwan and now I know why.  Watson's and Cosmed in Taipei are awesome!  Unlike Watson's in Manila where they only sell a few stuff, the ones they have here have an extensive array of beauty products, food, sweets, etc. They also have original Taiwanese made cosmetics which I found to be of very good quality. I highly recommend buying the cucumber face spray which I read somewhere can only be bought in Taiwan.  These can be bought from 99-199 NTD for a two-bottle pack.   

Wufenpu is an area in the Xinyi district of Taipei known for wholesale shopping.  Aside from garments, fruits and street food vendors are scattered all over the place.  To get to Wufenpu, take the blue line and get off on Houshanpi. 

Taking a  break from shopping at one of the many tea shops in the area.  Tea shops can be found everywhere in Taiwan and maybe much more easier to find than a bottle of mineral water. No kidding!

Since we were here during the winter months, there were plenty of clothes for layering being sold.  Wifey was so ecstatic to have purchased a very nice winter coat for only 120 NTD or about P168!  That's crazy cheap!!!

You won't go hungry in Taipei.

Those candies wrapped in plastic are nougat which are very popular in the tourist-y areas of Taiwan.  They mix in fruits, nuts or even chocolate to create different flavors.  We tried one in Shifen and found them very interesting.  Not too sweet but very filling. 

Taiwan has the biggest (and sweetest) macopas I've seen in my life!  To balance the taste, they sprinkle plum powder on the fruits.  Yummy!  Wondering how plum powder tastes like?  Think of the reddish powder left on your fingers after you grab a piece of kiamoy.   

Travelers often rave about how good Taiwanese sausages are.  The yellow ones above are actually sticky rice formed into the form of a sausage. Upon ordering, the vendor will cut one up and stick a red wiener inside giving the illusion of a sausage within a sausage.   Meeeh.  Tried it once but didn't become a fan.