Taipei: The diner

When I am traveling, I always take eggs for breakfast. They are easy to digest, filling and unlikely to get your tummy swollen making the pencil skirt a lot less flattering. Specially love those hotels where they have “the omelette fella” so you can ask him for veggie and no-cheese scramble. So good.

Still, in some extreme situations, I don’t manage to wake up early enough for breakfast. In this case, I arrived g at 3AM to the hotel thanks to a China Airlines delay - by the way, try to avoid them if you can, CA flights left delay twice in the same week, soI almost missed the flight back to Europe - so I woke up quite late the morning after, left the hotel super hungry at 12.

What to do then? Brunch, of course.

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Taipei : Maokong Village「貓空」

Maokong - literally cat「猫」sky「空」- is a village located nearby Taipei Zoo. This is one of places in Taipei where you feel like traveling back in time. To tea plantations, slow lifestyle, somewhat tacky tourist stalls, tea cups drank in small little houses at the top of the round mountain - literally, the name of the mountain during the Japanese invasion「丸山」.

The zoo closes at 17:30 so it is perfect time to jump in the gondola and explore the streets amid the greenery. I did not have to wait a lot, maybe it was to hot for anyone to bother or maybe it was that skipping "the glass gondola" was a smart idea - yes you can see the typical cute teenage couple queueing for hours to experience something "oh-so-special" as hovering over the lush mountain top with full 360 degree view, but this is not worth when you have my patience.

As I took a stroll, somehow I started thinking about time. Nothing changes all of the sudden. 

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Taipei Zoo「臺北市立動物園」

Taipei Zoo also started with the Japanese, that had the control of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. It was founded in 1914, in Yuanshan Mountain (Maruyama i.e. round mountain in Japanese) on the north of Taipei. At the beginning it was not public, but the Mr Oe's private zoological garden. One year later, the Japanese government decided to buy the property and open it to the public.

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Green Taipei

I am a big fan of walking the city simply because it is a good way to unveil the different sides of a metropolis as you discover the place step by step. There are scary, strange, crazy and charming places that may not make it to the top 10, but will always have a special place in your mind. Simply because the unexpected is often the most memorable.

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Taipei : Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall「國立國父紀念館」

Travel often unveils how ignorant we are about the history that happened far away from us.

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Taipei streets: The walk

Los que me seguís en instagram sabéis que desde mediados de Abril, llevo un año muy ajetreado. Familia de visita, mudanza, viaje a Estambul, boda y de repente... Me veo tres semanas en Asia, dos por trabajo - Seoul y Taipei - y una por placer, en Tokyo.

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Taipei : Garden Hotel「台北花園大酒店」

When visiting a new city (specially for a short period) it is always hard to pick a good hotel. Our criteria is typically focused on the hotel location (close to the subway, so access to the key sightseeing areas is easy) as well as on the cost (no millionaire here). When travelling for work, I do not get to pick where I stay, but sometimes the choice opens up for a comfortable stay as well as some ad-hoc sightseeing that is always welcome, given you are alone, in a new place, during Sunday.

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Taipei : Shilin Night Market「士林夜市」

Night markets are essential to any trip to Taipei as well as to Taiwanese culture. 

Today we take a stroll around Shilin Night Market. 

I discovered the concept while shopping high-fashion at wholesale price in Seoul but after visiting Hong Kong and Taipei, it is kind of obvious that they are something extremely Asian, probably originated in China. So they were popular already in 900, despite the attempts of Tang Dynasty to shut them down through sanctions. But then, economy expanded and so did the then-called Ghost Markets, which were the heart of Chinese nightlife. Some were open at night, some where open 24 hours - along with brothels and restaurants, that usually mushroom around the business districts. As my friend, currently based in Taipei, put it:

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Taipei : Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall「中正紀念堂」

A short walk from the shopping district and you arrive to this huge and overwhelming park called the Memorial Hall Square. Surrounded by four of the most impressive structures in Taipei - excluding 101, you feel seriously insignificant when walking amid the National Theater「國家戲劇院」, National Concert Hall「國家音樂廳」, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall「中正紀念堂」and the Gate of the Great Piety「大孝門」.

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Taipei: Ximending「西門町」 Shopping Spree

Ximending「西門町」is the Taipei equivalent to Harajuku in Tokyo. The first pedestrian area dedicated to commerce is now turned into a teen culture hub and shopping craze of all sorts. From Rilakkuma Merchandising - to which I confess to be addicted - through Starbucks, UNIQLO and what I miss the most in Europe, Korean Cosmetics from popular brands like Étude House, Skinfood, Tony Moly & Too Cool For School. For clothing and food, night markets are a better option.

While the crowded entrance is rather impressive, I still favour the cute Takeshita Dori sign.

Romantic lights for the teen lovers

Tasty izakayas for the hungry ones

Gurls with Popstar dreams, showing their skills off

Nearby the entrance, The Red House which is Taipei's first public market - currently used as cultural & creative industries development center, observes the area with a raised eyebrow.

I simply CANNOT help myself. It's the androgynous Korean guy look that drags me in. Amid a stravaganza of pink and too-cute-to-be-true packaging, I always end up burning much more money than I should... But it is such a nice experience, that becomes addictive. They always give you a gazillion miniatures and samples and point cards. Simply amazing. By the way, did you know that BB cream was popularized as consumer product in Korea? WE OWE THEM SOMETHING!

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Taipei : Longshan Temple「龍山寺 」

Longshan is one of the oldest and most revered temples in Taipei. Built in 1783, so the busy district of Mangka could pray to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy i.e. Avalokitesvara, Lungshan is kind of an experience to explore. I mean. I was coming from Bangkok, where I had spent the week for work. Buddhist temples in Thailand are something different, like golden and white. Buddhist temples in Taiwan at some point started incorporating Taoist elements, making out of it a perfect example of Chinese architecture in Taiwan.

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Taipei : Bo Pi Liao Historic Street

Bo Pi Liao is a charming old street in Taipei that I found by chance.

I am strong advocate of walking the city. Through years of travel experiences, it became quite clear to me that, the most amazing places, restaurants, cafés, boutiques are usually hidden around the corner, of a street between two subway stations or major attractions. They remain impossible to spot for the 99% of tourists that are shipped around in subways or tourists bus, touring around the must see.

Cool spots are like amazing lovers. Strike by chance at the most unexpected moment, sweeping you off away and into a different reality.

Bo Pi Liao used to be a major passage between key districts of Mangka and Guting. The Japanese Colonial Era (1895 - 1945) relegated it to a back alleway, making Guangzhou street become the main one. However, local residents fought for it to be refurbished so the history of Bangka - the first district in Taipei to undergo economic development under the Qing dinasty - could be preserved, felt and understood by younger generations and visitors, today.

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One day in Taipei

Here's my one day in Taipei guide for the busy business traveller. I know that for many, business travel sounds really glamorous. Like we sit at the front of the plane, drink cocktails while watching the sunset among the skyscrapers. Reality is slightly different. More about sleeping and eating at your economy seat - as the plane will arrive too late for anything else - long hours at the office - to get done all those ASAP mushrooming as soon as you arrive - and of course having zero time beyond that Bermuda Triangle of office-hotel-airport.

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