My summer vacation in Taiwan August 2017 / 我的暑假在臺灣🇹🇼 2017年8月！Part 1/ Parte 1
大家好！Hello everyone! I just arrived home from the airport last night and my eyes were red due to lack of sleep. For three weeks, I went to Taiwan to see my relatives and to explore the city.
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and Taiwan is also known as "Formosa" meaning beautiful island in Portuguese. The Portuguese explorers came to Taiwan centuries ago.
Taiwan is near Japan (3 hours by plane). I did not realize how fast time flies by until my great grandmother mentioned that last time I was in Taiwan was 3 YEARS AGO! I should have come last summer to see my aging relatives :(
Still, I feel blessed to visit and to enjoy my time in Taiwan! My flight lasted approx. 12 hours. I watched movies and I was pleased that United Airlines provided closed captioning on the screen.
I will share with you my list of places that I went to in Taiwan and my personal opinions of the restaurants I ate at. I went to New Taipei City, Taipei City, Ximen Ding, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial.
1.) Elephant Mountain
My uncle told me that this area is popular with foreign tourists. It is not really a mountain and is more like a big hill with many stairs. It was hot that day and I recommend you bring water bottles. Once you reach the top, you will see a great view of the whole city including the tallest and iconic building in Taiwan, Taipei 101.
I did not see any public parking nearby..at least that I am aware of. It is about 3 minutes walk from the metro to the entrance of Elephant Mountain. There are multiple huge rocks that you can get on top of and sit while your companion take a picture of you. There is a deck with shade and benches so you can relax and see the view.
2.) Changing of the Guards Hourly Ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
I get in awe watching soldiers or guards marching during inaugurations or ceremonies, them playing instruments, or raising the flags. There is a sense of poise that captivates me about that. I like the uniforms and how they raise their swords or guns during parades. So I was delighted to witness the Changing of the Guards that occur inside the Memorial Hall with the Chiang Kai-shek statue sitting.
The final ceremony starts at 5 pm and lasts about 10 minutes. However, I was disappointed that they did not play the national anthem. I was used to the national anthem or a band playing as the soldiers stand, their serious faces staring forward. Still, I enjoyed how they marched and stomped hard on the floor synchronistically.
3.) Ximending Shopping Area
Ximending is very popular for millennial as there are many clothes stores, small gifts stores, skincare stores, international brands stores, tattoo shops, shoes stores, restaurants, and popsicle stands. It is sort of like a mini version of Time Square.
Many people gather around in front of the metro entrance to Ximending and it is common to see boyfriends and girlfriends here on a shopping date. I saw a group of tourists from Argentina here.
4.) Queen's Head at Yehliu Geopark
Yehliu Geopark is located on the coast. The drive to the park from Taipei did not feel too long. Bring an umbrella and sunglasses because it was so hot that day and the surface was too bright to make your eyes glare. It costs 80 New Taiwan dollars for a student so that means if you convert it to American currency, it costs $2.66 dollars. Not bad right?!
There is a souvenir shop when you walk in and the signs are in English and traditional Chinese characters. Although I saw a sign that has Japanese and Korean translations too. I have been to this geopark two times, but it is cool to see how over time, erosion formed these shapes that are similar to animals or princesses.
You will also see the ocean and it is windy. There is a statue dedicated to a hero, but I did not take a picture of it unfortunately. Once you leave, you will encounter a small market that has local delicacies and small gifts. I brought a replication of the Queen's head there. It costed me $5 U.S. dollars.
I saw on the floor a big flat fishing net with many small silver fishes gleaming in the sun. The fisherman let them dry so they can shrivel up and he will sell them.
5.) Beach next to South China Sea located in Zhunan Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan
This is located in northwestern coast of Taiwan. Miaoli County is about 1 hour drive from Taipei. There is a B&B close to the beach called "SPOT" that offers surfing lessons. Here is the website for for information: https://www.spottaiwan.com/about-spot-en
I arrived around 7:15 am and the surfing coach took us to the beach. She pointed out that it is low tide. I could see that the beach was empty. I got in the water and I was surprised to find that it is actually warm. The water at beaches near my house were usually cold so I was pleased to be in the warm water!
Then, as hours go by, I noticed that the tides are getting longer and reaching inward, covering a vast area of sand. We had to move our bags and chair so they will not get wet.
The waves are not too high so there is minimal risk of drowning. I had fun that day at the beach. The surfing coach speaks sufficient English.
6.) Miramar Cinemas Taipei
ADDRESS: 10491, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongshan District, Jingye 3rd Road, 22號
It is a huge mall with a movie theatre on the top floor. You have to buy tickets at the bottom located outside of the doors. I suggest you bring your student ID card because the theatre gives a discount. I wish I had brought my student ID.
The mall has mostly famous brands especially high fashion brands and restaurants. I went to Häagen-Dazs to buy crepes with ice cream and delicious berry sauce. Even though U.S.A. already has Häagen-Dazs ice cream stores, the menu in Taiwan offers different choices of ice cream desserts that I wish U.S.A. would offer on their menus.
I loved it. Next time I am in Taiwan, I will definitely go back to eat it again! I watched Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron; I liked the lightning and music in that movie!
Since this blog post is a long read, I will continue my next blog about my vacation in Taiwan in Part 2!
*I wanted to publish this blog last month, but I did not get the chance to do so since I was busy. That's not good because I wanted to write my blog posts about Taiwan while the memories are fresh in my mind.
Also I have been following bloggers and so far I am inspired by their blog posts. I think I know what to write next.
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and Taiwan is also known as "Formosa" meaning beautiful island in Portuguese. The Portuguese explorers came to Taiwan centuries ago.
Taiwan is near Japan (3 hours by plane). I did not realize how fast time flies by until my great grandmother mentioned that last time I was in Taiwan was 3 YEARS AGO! I should have come last summer to see my aging relatives :(
Still, I feel blessed to visit and to enjoy my time in Taiwan! My flight lasted approx. 12 hours. I watched movies and I was pleased that United Airlines provided closed captioning on the screen.
I will share with you my list of places that I went to in Taiwan and my personal opinions of the restaurants I ate at. I went to New Taipei City, Taipei City, Ximen Ding, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial.
1.) Elephant Mountain
My uncle told me that this area is popular with foreign tourists. It is not really a mountain and is more like a big hill with many stairs. It was hot that day and I recommend you bring water bottles. Once you reach the top, you will see a great view of the whole city including the tallest and iconic building in Taiwan, Taipei 101.
I did not see any public parking nearby..at least that I am aware of. It is about 3 minutes walk from the metro to the entrance of Elephant Mountain. There are multiple huge rocks that you can get on top of and sit while your companion take a picture of you. There is a deck with shade and benches so you can relax and see the view.
 |
| Photo credit to Mei Mackleer |
I get in awe watching soldiers or guards marching during inaugurations or ceremonies, them playing instruments, or raising the flags. There is a sense of poise that captivates me about that. I like the uniforms and how they raise their swords or guns during parades. So I was delighted to witness the Changing of the Guards that occur inside the Memorial Hall with the Chiang Kai-shek statue sitting.
The final ceremony starts at 5 pm and lasts about 10 minutes. However, I was disappointed that they did not play the national anthem. I was used to the national anthem or a band playing as the soldiers stand, their serious faces staring forward. Still, I enjoyed how they marched and stomped hard on the floor synchronistically.
3.) Ximending Shopping Area
Ximending is very popular for millennial as there are many clothes stores, small gifts stores, skincare stores, international brands stores, tattoo shops, shoes stores, restaurants, and popsicle stands. It is sort of like a mini version of Time Square.
Many people gather around in front of the metro entrance to Ximending and it is common to see boyfriends and girlfriends here on a shopping date. I saw a group of tourists from Argentina here.
 |
| Photo credit to Mei Mackleer |
Yehliu Geopark is located on the coast. The drive to the park from Taipei did not feel too long. Bring an umbrella and sunglasses because it was so hot that day and the surface was too bright to make your eyes glare. It costs 80 New Taiwan dollars for a student so that means if you convert it to American currency, it costs $2.66 dollars. Not bad right?!
There is a souvenir shop when you walk in and the signs are in English and traditional Chinese characters. Although I saw a sign that has Japanese and Korean translations too. I have been to this geopark two times, but it is cool to see how over time, erosion formed these shapes that are similar to animals or princesses.
You will also see the ocean and it is windy. There is a statue dedicated to a hero, but I did not take a picture of it unfortunately. Once you leave, you will encounter a small market that has local delicacies and small gifts. I brought a replication of the Queen's head there. It costed me $5 U.S. dollars.
I saw on the floor a big flat fishing net with many small silver fishes gleaming in the sun. The fisherman let them dry so they can shrivel up and he will sell them.
 |
| Photo credit to Mei Mackleer |
 |
| You can see the Queen's head right there in this photo. Photo credit to Mei Mackleer |
This is located in northwestern coast of Taiwan. Miaoli County is about 1 hour drive from Taipei. There is a B&B close to the beach called "SPOT" that offers surfing lessons. Here is the website for for information: https://www.spottaiwan.com/about-spot-en
I arrived around 7:15 am and the surfing coach took us to the beach. She pointed out that it is low tide. I could see that the beach was empty. I got in the water and I was surprised to find that it is actually warm. The water at beaches near my house were usually cold so I was pleased to be in the warm water!
Then, as hours go by, I noticed that the tides are getting longer and reaching inward, covering a vast area of sand. We had to move our bags and chair so they will not get wet.
The waves are not too high so there is minimal risk of drowning. I had fun that day at the beach. The surfing coach speaks sufficient English.
6.) Miramar Cinemas Taipei
ADDRESS: 10491, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongshan District, Jingye 3rd Road, 22號
It is a huge mall with a movie theatre on the top floor. You have to buy tickets at the bottom located outside of the doors. I suggest you bring your student ID card because the theatre gives a discount. I wish I had brought my student ID.
The mall has mostly famous brands especially high fashion brands and restaurants. I went to Häagen-Dazs to buy crepes with ice cream and delicious berry sauce. Even though U.S.A. already has Häagen-Dazs ice cream stores, the menu in Taiwan offers different choices of ice cream desserts that I wish U.S.A. would offer on their menus.
I loved it. Next time I am in Taiwan, I will definitely go back to eat it again! I watched Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron; I liked the lightning and music in that movie!
 |
| This is the mall with 3 levels! Photo credit to Mei Mackleer |
*I wanted to publish this blog last month, but I did not get the chance to do so since I was busy. That's not good because I wanted to write my blog posts about Taiwan while the memories are fresh in my mind.
Also I have been following bloggers and so far I am inspired by their blog posts. I think I know what to write next.
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