TAIWAN: Things to do & photo diary

Tourists from different parts of the world flocked Taiwan in the year 2018 when the travel visa in this country was lifted. Taiwan was made famous by the flying lanterns in the old town of Shifen and by the wide array of night food markets located in the different cities.

My college friends and I decided to go to Taiwan for a quick trip and see a glimpse of this beautiful and culture-rich country.

Here a photo walk and checklist that you can check out to serve as your guide on your future travel.

Our travel to Taiwan was very brief but we made sure that our stay there would be maximized. 

First up is Taoyuan International Airport. The airport has a really nice architecture and more importantly the restrooms were squeaky clean! You could also rent your own pocket wifi and there are money changing booths situated there as well. From the airport you can ride a bus shuttle going to Taipei Main Station which is the center to a lot of landmarks that can be explored. 

From Taipei Main Station,  we took a train at the green line bound to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station. This is one of Taiwan's famous memorial hall and definitely a must-see when visiting this country. The place was huge! However, during our visit, the memorial hall was close for renovation, but the the park around was still worth the travel!

Next up, we went for a hike at The Elephant Mountain Trail. Initially, this wasn't part of our itinerary since obviously, we weren't dressed appropriately for it. And we decided that this is one of the tourist spots that was frequented by most first timer travelers, so we gave it a shot. And man, I underestimated those steps! I was literally catching my breath and taking a break every 2 minutes. But it was worth it especially when we got to the view deck. We got to witness an amazing picturesque 360 panoramic view of Taipei 101 from the top of the trail. 

We then toured at 89th floor of Taipei 101. One of the iconic architectural buildings containing the world's largest damper can be found in this infrastructure. 

From Taipei Main Station, we took a train bound to Keelung and alight at Ruifang Station. Then from Ruifang, we waited for a Pingxi line train that was bound to Shifen. Shifen old district is a small festive town packed with a lot of tourists. You can buy and fly a lantern there with all your wishes hand painted on it. It was one of the highlights of my trip! *Tangled moment here*

xx,

Kea Ortega