Reminiscing Taiwan

After an over 12-hour layover in Seoul, South Korea, my friend and I finally landed in Taipei. We met up with another friend who took an earlier flight. We planned the trip on good old trusty spreadsheets, waiting for our group trip to finally occur. Being excited was an understatement because I could not sleep the first few nights there since I was so excited to go on our daily adventures.

From the way people carry themselves to the way the tea tastes, Taipei was so different from New York City. The one element that both Taipei and New York City shared was their well connected subway system. Like if we were in New York City, we took the subway to everywhere we went.

We first toured Taipei 101, climbing to the top floor to enjoy an aerial view of Taipei. There was a nice map that showed various distant places in Taiwan along with their corresponding views from Taipei 101. The highlight of the visit was the unique water bottles shaped like Taipei 101. I didn't end up purchasing one (maybe next time), but it looked really nice.

The next few days we watched movies, shopped, and walked around, soaking in Taipei's energy. The food in Taipei was phenomenal, life-changing even. We left Taipei to travel to Jiufen to take a look at the Studio Ghibli-esque town that was decorated with red lanterns and festive lights. I saw many cute cats in Jiufen, which is now a must-visit if I go back to Taiwan!

We went to a tea house called Jiufen Teahouse, and the experience was amazing! We ate yummy desserts while we sipped on tea. We did not know which tea to order so we asked a tea master, who was incredibly helpful with the tea selection and also with the tea ceremony! The view was amazing! Our view was facing the sea, and since it was sunset, the whole sky turned into a hue of coral colors.

We walked past a crowded area where tourists took pictures. The sunset was again extremely beautiful, so our small group also stopped to take pictures!

After leaving Jiufen, we returned to Taipei. One of my friends departed a day earlier than me and our other friend, so we said our goodbyes before heading out to enjoy our last day in the city. My friend and I visited a teahouse, savoring one final relaxing break in Taipei. Afterward, we explored the Ningxia Night Market. While the atmosphere was lively and the food tasty, we found the variety to be a bit limited, which made the experience a bit underwhelming.