Visiting Taiwan Thread 4

[chinablue]

hi mga sis. I'm coming to taiwan on the third week of march for a short vacation. bale 3 full days lang ako dun as my arrival to the airport is at 1 am and the departure to manila is 2 am. solo travel ko ito but i'm still thinking if I will book a flight for my mother as I feel that she wants to tag along. Hehe. I have some questions mga sis.

1. I'm planning to spend the night na lang sa airport until mag-umaga. May place ba dun na pwede tulugan? Di naman ako choosy kase sanay ako matulog sa airport sa mga upuan lang. Hehe. Or if ever, may mga hostels ba na tumatanggap ng late check in? Yung hindi naman ganun kamahal ang rate. I'm considering checking in kase if ever isasama ko yung mother ko. Senior na kase siya.

2. Pwede ko ba iDIY na lang ang Jiufen and Shifen? I checked klook and I found na may jiufen and shifen package sila na half day. Medyo hesitant pa ako ibook kase ayoko napepressure sa time. Or mas convenient talaga pag magbook na lang ng tour? And kakayanin kaya ng senior ito?

3. Kaya ba ang daytrip sa houli flower farm at xinshe castle if eto lang pupuntahan ko? Planning to commute lang kase.

Sensya na mga sis dami questions. Wala masyado time magbackread. Thanks in advance.

[longing]

^For Jiufen and Shifen and if kasama mo mother mo, best to book a tour para hindi mahirap sa transpo.

Just got back last week from our Kaohsiung trip and just stayed there, hindi na kami nag transfer to another city because mahirap i-mobilize ang 11 sa group. ang init during our travel Manila level so limited ang gala, we basically stayed sa mall or late umalis sa hotel before we go sa itinerary namin.

Amazing ang Fo Guang Shan, naabutan pa namin na may lights and lantern parade. Prior going there, we stayed at EDA outlet mall, not all outlet stores are mura but their Lacoste shoes are super cheap.  We also had fun sa Suzuka circuit kart racing, very nice and sobrang different from Circuit Makati. We also visited Cijin Island and ang sarap mag bike (motorized) to go to different instagram-able places.

Ruifeng night market is the largest in the city, super crowded kasi there are a lot of stalls, all Taiwan-eats is available there.  Pero I like Ximendeng a lot better because there's shopping on the side. Medyo limited sa Kaohsiung night markets.

[chinablue]

^thanks sis. mukhang malabo ng makasama ang mother ko so malamang solo flight na lang talaga ako hehe. I am seriously considering the Klook Shifen + Jiufen half day tour pero turn off lang sa akin talaga yung 2 hours lang na stay sa Jiufen. Gusto ko kasi sana na chill mode lang sa Jiufen. Gusto ko magfood trip. Hehe. Nagbabackread pa ako and research regarding commute doon.

Keep the inputs coming mga sis.

[alexmack]

Hi mga sis! May seat sale ang cebu pacific today and i would like to know kung magkano ba yung regular rate ng tickets para malaman ko kung yung offer nila ay naka-promo na.  Sorry kasi first time talaga. Ngayon ko lang naisipang magtravel. I realized na ang dami ko nang namimiss sa buhay. Lol. Maraming salamat mga sis

[sophiasoon]

^^
Hi Sis.

Ang normal price ng Taipei ay between - 3.0k - 5.5k.

[chinablue]

Hello mga sis. Anyone tried airasia with flights to taipei? Ok naman ba or delayed? I have a dilemma kasi. I booked for myself a cebu pacific taipei flight rt. I asked my mother before if gusto niya sumama, sabi niya wait daw muna niya magkaroon ng date ng graduation ang nephew ko. So few days later, I asked her once more if she wants to come with me. I booked a ticket for her which is on hold. I tried making an overseas call pero hindi ko siya makontak. Sineen lang din ako sa messenger. So I ended up not paying for the booking kase akala ko ayaw niya. Well, 3 days later, saka ako nireplayan na gusto niya sumama. But ticket costs too much na, ranging from 14 to 17k. And no frigging way I am paying 17k for a two hour flight. So sabi niya di na daw siya sasama. Ayun, kahapon minessage na naman ako na baka pwede sa airasia ko na lang siya ibook. I was so frustrated talaga mga sis. Kase nauna pa siya nagsabi sa pamangkin niya na pupunta siya ng Taipei tapos kinabukasan lang niya ako nireplyan. Ngayon naguguilty ako na hindi siya isama kaso sobrang namamahalan ako sa ticket price. If airasia naman, ang worry ko is baka madelay ang flight. I was thinking to book a cebu pac manila to taipei para pareho kami ng flight papunta tapos air asia na lang siya pabalik. Kasi 10k mahigit ang taipei to manila ng cebu pac. Hay, pasensya na talaga mga sis sa mahaba kong rant. Naistress pa tuloy  ako ngayon. Ano bang pinakaok na gawin ko mga sis?

[omneecka]

^i-book mo na mom mo sis, yung memories nyo naman is di mapapantayan. Kikitain mo pa naman yung cost ng tickets nya. Go na yan sis. Pikit mata na lang sa pag-book. 😊😊

[sophiasoon]

I haven't tried Air Asia, wala naman akong ganong nega na nababasa with A/A. Pwede na siguro yan.

[chinablue]

thanks mga sis.. i checked cebu pac kagabi and natiyempuhan ko nagbaba sila ng fares. Got my mom's ticket for 7.5 k. pwede na din. hehe. finalizing my itinerary na lang.

[omneecka]

^wow! Meant to be na sumama talaga sa trip ang mom mo, sis. Dont forget to post here your trip report ha. Will be in Taiwan also in September. 😊😊

[chinablue]

^oo nga sis, haha. 😊 sure

[7galleons]

Came back to Taiwan last February 21 to 26 to visit south and east. You guys should consider including Alishan and Hualien in your Taiwan Itinerary

Day 1 - Mnl - Chiayi - Alishan
Spent the half day traveling to the mountains of Alishan. It was worth the long DIY commute.
Day 2 - Alishan National Scenic Area
We were able to witness the beautiful Alishan Mountain Sunrise
Alishan Daytrip
Day 3 - Hualien - East Rift Valley
Day 4 - Hualien - Taroko Gorge Park
Day 5 - Wuling Farm (Daytrip from Taipei)
Sakto Sakura Festival when we visited. Naabutan namin peak ng Cherry Blossoms
Day 6 - Taipei

[chinablue]

Hi mga sis. Got back from Taiwan last Friday with my mother and I can say that we truly enjoyed our trip. Although we have only 3 full days, namaximize naman namin siya.

Day 1- Arrived at 1 am in Taoyuan airport. Mahaba ang pila sa immigration pero mabilis naman kami natapos. Tumambay kami sa airport until mag umaga. We were also able to take a nap. At 6:30am, we board the bus 1819 bound to Taipei main station. Left our bags at the hotel and ate at a streetside eatery. The noodles were cheap but bland.

First stop of the day is Longshan temple. I recommend na you visit this in the early morning kasi ang serene lang ng place. Afterwards, we went to Ximending for breakfast. Nakipila kami sa famous Aychung rice flour noodles. Ang daming taong kumakain pero sadly hindi namin siya nagustuhan ng mother ko. May kakaibang lasa na hindi namin bet, hehe. Bumili din ako sa katabing stall ng milk tea at yun ang nagustuhan ko. Sobrang sarap at mura! Bought sausages too and liked it. Masarap siya. Then we went to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. May naabutan kami na konting cherry blossoms, haha. We're able to watch changing of the guards too.

Went to Taipei 101 mall and ate na naman sa food court. Malalaki ang servings nila kaya nagshare na lang kami ng mother ko sa isang order. Bland na naman yung noodles pero masarap yung pork braised rice nila. Naiwan pala ng mother ko yung scarf niya sa upuan. Nung binalikan namin, sabi nung naglilinis puntahan daw namin sa information. We were able to retrieve it. Ang saya lang!

From Taipei 101, naglakad kami papunta sa Sun Yat Sen. Medyo pagod na kami at this time kaya di na kami masyado nagtagal. Bumalik na kami sa hotel at nagcheck in. Nagrest and freshen up. For dinner, we went to Shilin night market. Dami food, ang saya! Kung saan mahaba ang pila, dun kami bumibili. Masarap yung homemade barbecued chicken nila. Kaya pala ang haba ng pila. Pati yung octopus na may cheese sauce ang sarap din. Yung torched beef cubes so-so lang. Medyo makunat yung beef.

Day 2- Taichung day tour

We joined a private car tour na nakita ko sa facebook group. 8 am pa yung meetup time kaya kumain muna kami sa hotel. Winner talaga ang buffet breakfast ng Hotel Fun Linsen. Fun talaga, haha. Nalate yung 2 joiner sa tour kaya 9 am na kami nakaalis ng Taipei. 11 am na kami nakarating ng Taichung. First stop is Houli Flower Farm. 120 ntd ang entrance. If mahilig kayo sa flowers at magphotoshoot, don't skip this. Daming instagrammable places. We had lunch at a streetside eatery outside the flower farm. Sulit kasi madaming servings, masarap at mura lang. May nadaanan kami sa street na mga cherry blossoms. Picture-taking ulit, haha. Second stop is Xinshe castle. 250 ntd ang entrance fee pero you can use the 100 ntd voucher for food and drinks. Dito talaga kami nag enjoy ng mama ko. Sarap magphotoshoot dito, haha. Ang ganda ng place, sana lang mamaintain nila ng maayos. Third stop is Rainbow Village. Maliit lang ang place. You can actually finish roaming the place in less than 10 minutes. Last stop is Gaomei wetlands. Super sarap ng squid balls dito promise. 30 ntd lang siya. Gusto ko pa nga sana magtakeout kaso kakain pa kasi kami sa night market.

We paid 1200 ntd per pax and 8 kami sa group. Joiner lang kami. If madami naman kayo sa group, it's better to book your own private car tour para less ang babayaran and maiwasan na din ang maghintay sa latecomers. But anyway, naenjoy pa din namin ang tour kasi mabait yung Pinoy driver.

For dinner, we went to Raohe night market. We had the famous pork pepper bun. Masarap siya. Bought peanut ice cream roll and liked it too. Gusto ko pa sana magnoodles kaso busog na ako sa milk tea, haha.

Day 3: North Coast Tour

Booked our tour with Kkday. Super fun ng tour guide namin. May pagames sa loob ng bus. First stop is Yehliu Geopark. Muntik ko na ito iskip nung nasa planning stage pa lang ako ng Taiwan tour. Pero buti na lang napuntahan namin. Don't skip this mga sis. Worth it siya ivisit. Di na kami nakipila sa Queen's Head. Sobrang init and one hour lang ang time na binigay samin for the tour. Second stop is Shifen Old Street. Dito ako bumili ng mga souvenirs. Mas mura dito kesa sa night markets. We enjoyed the lantern activity. Galing nila magpic at video dun. Third stop is Shifen Waterfalls. Dito kami nastress kasi 35 minutes lang ang alloted time sa amin. Nakakapagod mga beks! May fear of heights ako kaya medyo scared ako tumawid sa suspension bridge pero nakalimutan ko yung takot ko pabalik kasi mas natakot ako maiwan ng bus. Haha. Buti na lang malakas pa ang mother ko kasi nakakapagod talaga yung nagmamamadali ka tapos ang dami pang lakaran. Last stop is Jiufen Old Street. May mga free taste dito. May kinainan kami na noodle shop na sobrang sarap. Very tender yung beef and madami siya ha. Hindi tinipid. Sobrang busog kami after. Dahil nagustuhan ko yung peanut ice cream roll from the night market, bumili kami ulit dito. Hay, sarap magfood trip sa Jiufen talaga.

Tip lang. If marami kayo sa group, much better to book a private car tour para kontrolado nyo ang time. I badly wanted to witness Jiufen at night kaso limited lang ang time namin. But the Kkday tour is fun and hassle-free. Yun lang, you must be always aware of time kung ayaw mo maiwanan ng bus.

We were back at Taipei Main station at 5 pm. Konting palipas ng oras then pumunta kami sa Ximending night market.  May pagkaMyeondong ang vibes ng place. Nagtake out na lang kami ng Hotstar for dinner. Buti na lang isa lang ang inorder namin na hotstar kasi sobrang laki pala niya. Good for 3 to 4 people siya. Then we returned to our hotel. Nag enjoy yung mama ko sa free massage chair ng hotel, hehe. One hour yata siya dun at wala pa siyang balak umalis kung hindi ko lang sinabi na 9 pm na and we have to go to the airport na. We board the airport mrt pala papunta ng airport. From taipei main station, napakahaba pa pala ng lalakarin papunta ng airport mrt station. Pero the trip itself is around 35 minutes lang.

I know mahaba na itong post ko hehe. By the way, I used the Taipei metro app and google maps. Very helpful. Iwas ligaw. Marami pa kaming hindi napuntahan. Bitin ang 3 days. If pupunta kayo ng Taiwan, much better siguro to allot 4 or 5 days. Overall, we enjoyed Taiwan. 😊

[bluewingedangel]

^Sis, saan ka nakabook ng joiner tour sa Taichung? Aalis kami ni hubby sa May for 5 days at wala pa akong maayos na itinerary, haha. I hope you could help me regarding contact info ng pinag joinan mo. Yung mga nakikita ko kasi ang mahalia. I had fun reading your travel story. Thanks in advance.

[chinablue]

^hi sis. Dun sa group na pasyalan sa taiwan yung contact ko. Si sir joven. I ended up booking a tour with him kasi yung sa kanya is sigurado. Daily silang may pa taichung tour. May experience kasi ako sa iba na ang tagal magreply, seen mode lang ako, or walang confirmation. ihahanap ka pa ng mga kasama even a day before your supposed trip. kastress yung ganun na nakabitin ka sa alanganin when you're planning your trip.

kaya pa yang pagpaplano ng itinerary sis! actually itong taiwan trip namin ang least planned ko sa lahat ng travels namin. hindi ako mahilig sa booked tours pero mas hassle-free pala talaga lalo na if taichung at north coast tour. pero if within the city, kayang-kaya idiy.

[bluewingedangel]

^sis saang group ito?

Sorry binasa ko ulit post mo, sa facebook pala. I will definitely check that out, mas makakamura talaga pag joiner. Yung mga natatanungan namin kasi ang mahal pag solo mo yung car, sayang din yun na pang shopping, hehe.

Kamusta naman pala ang weather sis? Sana hindi masyado mainit kungdi lantang gulay na ako pag ganon.  Prepare na rin ako ng OOTD with the hubby kasi alam ko puro picture taking lang gagawin namin aside sa pagkain.

pasensya na ha. busy kasi ako kaya di maka ayos ng trip namin. yung tour ng klook or kkday kukuha siguro kami yung yehliu/jiufen/shifen. gusto pa namin sa taichung kaya ngayon naghahanap kami ng tour na masasalihan. na eexcite na tuloy ako at over the weekend aayusin ko na. malaking help ang post mo sis. again, thanks!

[chinablue]

^Facebook group sis. Mga pasyalan sa taiwan yung group name. Or you can pm sa messenger si joven morcillas embate directly. Siya yung organizer ng tour. Sa kanya ako nagbook ng tour. Just tell him your preferred date and siya na bahala mag ayos at maghanap ng makakasama nyo. Nag ooffer na din sila ngayon ng Jiufen at Shifen tour.

[bluewingedangel]

^Mainit na ba dun? Again, thank you, thank you!

[chinablue]

^oo sis, mainit na.

[bluewingedangel]

^Sis, one last question na lang po. Paano yung transaction pala dun sa joiner? Do you have to give deposit or pay in advance? Kasi medyo natatakot lang ako mag bigay ng money lalo na hindi naman "kilala." Thanks!