We arrived at Taiwan at 1 am. The flight was 2-hour long and it felt like I was just going home to Mindanao. No time differences between Philippines and Taiwan! (PHP3184.79 return via Traveloka)
My first impression of Taiwan was it was a lot easier to navigate compared to Hong Kong and Macau. Immigration was a breeze as was transportation. Going to the bus stop, you will pass by Hi-Life Convenience store where you can buy your Easycard (youyouka) for NTD100 and top up load.
Bus 1819 which runs for 24-hours took us to Taipei Main Station (NTD130). I planned to take Bus 1813 directly to Keelung after we've arrived but buses don't leave until 6am. So we spent a few hours at the Main Station then walked to Fu Hang Soy Dou Jiang which is a few blocks away from the main station.
Hang over lol
Fu Hang is known for Taiwanese breakfast and... long queues. It opens at 5:30am and we arrived at around 5:20am and there was already a 2-flight of stairs queue. But don't worry! Taiwanese people are fast workers lol. All the queues we've been into in the trip didn't take longer than 10 minutes.
We got a zhedoujiang NTD30 (add bing at the start of the word if you want it iced) which is soy milk aka taho in Philippines. We also got shaobing NTD40 and youtiao NTD25. TBH, before I went to Taiwan, I ate at Mai Wei Fang in Robinsons Manila which serves almost the same menu and it was a looot better than Fu Hang. So you could just skip this and go for Mai Wei Fang :) I wish zhedoujiang could be a thing in the Philippines too!
See my Mai Wei Fang post here
From Fu Hang Dou Jiang, we boarded the train in Shandao Temple to Nangang NTD24. I know we could've walked to Taipei Main Station so we wouldn't have to transfer trains but we were with luggage and no sleep. From Nangang, we boarded Line 801 Train to Keelung NTD41 and walked about 10-15 minutes to the hotel.
We booked a one night stay at Fu Jia/Fuchia Hotel, Keelung (PHP1039 via Traveloka + NTD200 for the extra person/bed as the room only has double bed) on the first day to explore both the Northeast and Northwest coast of Taiwan and binge at Miaoku Night Market which is known for its seafood.
Check-in time is at 2pm but we arrived too early so we just left our luggage and went on to our next destination. It was raining and my friend Belle didn't have an umbrella and didn't want to buy one (we are that thrifty hahaha)... but she was able to borrow from the hotel. They speak Hokkien in this part of the Taiwan so Chinese-Filipinos, this would be to your advantage!
We walked back to Keelung Station because beside it is the bus station - only to discover the next day that the bus we take actually passes by just outside our hotel. You can also find the tourist information center there - they speak English and you can get a lot of brochures of places to go around Northen Taiwan. We had a hard time looking for Bus 862. Initially, we boarded it to get to Yehliu but we fell asleep lol and woke up at Tiaoshi-Caoli. And just decided to go with the bus until it takes us somewhere beautiful haha so that's how we ended up in Shimen NTD60.
Moving on, we took the same bus back to Jinshan Old Street NTD15 in time for lunch. We bought bao aka siopao NTD15 at Jinshan Wang Rou Bao 金山王肉包 to the old street.
🔆 TIPID TIP: Buy your food pasalubongs here. Very delicious, you don't find in Taipei and cheaper!
They sell tea here. I bought my tea pasalubong here. I especially loved the Chrysanthemum one! Around NTD20 for retail and NTD15 each for a dozen I think. Once you walk this street, you will get greeted with tea samples!
Nougat is really popular in Taiwan. Even in their grocery stores so don't forget to bring home some! This is the most expensive nougat store in this street but definitely the best I've tried in Taiwan.
I badly wanted to try this because this looks like the one Chihiro's parents ate at Spirited Away but it looked too big and we were all full from food samples.
Best for value nougat. I forgot how many pieces but the cheapest and cutest packaging. You can ask to have it assorted in one pack but good luck on your Chinese haha. NTD150
At the end of the Jinshan Old Street, you will pass by Cihu Temple which is one of the prettiest temple I've seen. You know you've reached the end because it's a dead end. Also, there's a nearby hotspring there.
As usual, on our way to Yehliuh Geopark, we went too far and ended up in Wanli District NTD15. Then we rode the same bus again back up to Yehliuh NTD15.
Yehliuh has a NTD80 entrance fee - the only entrance fee we paid in Taiwan and the first place where we saw fellow Filipinos.
Our first bubble milktea is from Qingxin Fuquan 清心福全 which is a famous One Piece-themed milktea shop all over Taiwan. The guy selling in this branch is really cute lol but I think he's younger than me. //I think we got the NTD40 milktea
We went back to Keelung NTD15 to settle our stuff in our hotel room. Then met up with my friend at Miaoku Night Market - around 10 minutes walk.
We got beef noodles NTD155 from a restaurant (I forgot which one and couldn't find it anymore on google maps). Their serving is big so I suggest you share with a friend.
🔆TAKE NOTE: Restaurants in Taiwan usually has a minimum order per head
Octopus at NTD120. The ones in Shilin is cheaper by around NTD10. You would think seafood is cheap in this part of Taiwan but my friend suggested not to buy here if I want to eat seafoods like crabs because it's overpriced here. We also got sausage NTD15 - the cheapest one we've tried and the best according to my friends (they compared sausage tastes every place we went to).
See my Mai Wei Fang post here
From Fu Hang Dou Jiang, we boarded the train in Shandao Temple to Nangang NTD24. I know we could've walked to Taipei Main Station so we wouldn't have to transfer trains but we were with luggage and no sleep. From Nangang, we boarded Line 801 Train to Keelung NTD41 and walked about 10-15 minutes to the hotel.
Check-in time is at 2pm but we arrived too early so we just left our luggage and went on to our next destination. It was raining and my friend Belle didn't have an umbrella and didn't want to buy one (we are that thrifty hahaha)... but she was able to borrow from the hotel. They speak Hokkien in this part of the Taiwan so Chinese-Filipinos, this would be to your advantage!
❗️❗️❗️In this part of Taiwan or any far-flung areas, take note of the bus schedules because buses don't come often. You have to wait 30 minutes to 2 hours before another bus arrives❗️❗️❗️
We walked back to Keelung Station because beside it is the bus station - only to discover the next day that the bus we take actually passes by just outside our hotel. You can also find the tourist information center there - they speak English and you can get a lot of brochures of places to go around Northen Taiwan. We had a hard time looking for Bus 862. Initially, we boarded it to get to Yehliu but we fell asleep lol and woke up at Tiaoshi-Caoli. And just decided to go with the bus until it takes us somewhere beautiful haha so that's how we ended up in Shimen NTD60.
To be honest, Shimen was indeed in my customized Taiwan Map but it was too far North that I decided to remove it from our real itinerary.
It was a blessing in disguise because at the end of our trip, we regarded this memory as the best one and most worth it place we've been in the country. The place was so beautiful!
The weather was rough and we were wet from drizzle and the sea water... it moved my heart so much. I felt like the place exactly shows what I felt at the moment. I was so down because of uni but at that place and in that moment, I felt like I could stand up again no matter how crippled I felt. So I started shouting and crying to the sea and made quiet promises to myself of ending negativities and starting new beginnings. (still so much feels until now. Trying my best to hold my tears while writing this.)
Places to see: Shimen Fishing Wharf, Shimen Cave (dong), Shimen Arch Bridge (will go back when I have a boyfriend and take couple pictures or prenup hahaha), Wulong Palace (the colorful temple) and Dongshi Sheng'an Palace (the old temple/usual temple)
Moving on, we took the same bus back to Jinshan Old Street NTD15 in time for lunch. We bought bao aka siopao NTD15 at Jinshan Wang Rou Bao 金山王肉包 to the old street.
🔆 TIPID TIP: Buy your food pasalubongs here. Very delicious, you don't find in Taipei and cheaper!
They sell tea here. I bought my tea pasalubong here. I especially loved the Chrysanthemum one! Around NTD20 for retail and NTD15 each for a dozen I think. Once you walk this street, you will get greeted with tea samples!
NTD15
YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY AND HOARD THIS!!! NTD150 retail and NTD400 for 3. My friends and I regretted it so much that we didn't hoard this in Jinshan. I gave 1 pack to my parents and they also raved about it. It was so good that it came to this point, "Pwede na pang-ulam". That good I tell youuu!
Nougat is really popular in Taiwan. Even in their grocery stores so don't forget to bring home some! This is the most expensive nougat store in this street but definitely the best I've tried in Taiwan.
I badly wanted to try this because this looks like the one Chihiro's parents ate at Spirited Away but it looked too big and we were all full from food samples.
Best for value nougat. I forgot how many pieces but the cheapest and cutest packaging. You can ask to have it assorted in one pack but good luck on your Chinese haha. NTD150
At the end of the Jinshan Old Street, you will pass by Cihu Temple which is one of the prettiest temple I've seen. You know you've reached the end because it's a dead end. Also, there's a nearby hotspring there.
Yehliuh Fishing Harbor and in front is the Baoan Temple
As usual, on our way to Yehliuh Geopark, we went too far and ended up in Wanli District NTD15. Then we rode the same bus again back up to Yehliuh NTD15.
Yehliuh has a NTD80 entrance fee - the only entrance fee we paid in Taiwan and the first place where we saw fellow Filipinos.
The landscape in this part of Taiwan really is something I've never seen in Philippines
Our first bubble milktea is from Qingxin Fuquan 清心福全 which is a famous One Piece-themed milktea shop all over Taiwan. The guy selling in this branch is really cute lol but I think he's younger than me. //I think we got the NTD40 milktea
We went back to Keelung NTD15 to settle our stuff in our hotel room. Then met up with my friend at Miaoku Night Market - around 10 minutes walk.
We got beef noodles NTD155 from a restaurant (I forgot which one and couldn't find it anymore on google maps). Their serving is big so I suggest you share with a friend.
🔆TAKE NOTE: Restaurants in Taiwan usually has a minimum order per head
They serve bull frogs and they also have really big oysters!!! nomnomnom
基隆遠東泡泡冰 Pao-Pao Ice is really popular with their bingsu NTD50.
Octopus at NTD120. The ones in Shilin is cheaper by around NTD10. You would think seafood is cheap in this part of Taiwan but my friend suggested not to buy here if I want to eat seafoods like crabs because it's overpriced here. We also got sausage NTD15 - the cheapest one we've tried and the best according to my friends (they compared sausage tastes every place we went to).
📍Pink - Places we've been to
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