April 11, 2016

[She Travels: Taipei #1]

You know it is time to update your blog again when your last post is about 1 year ago, or when you made a bet with your friend to post at least 1 blog post a month or post a no make-up selfie on Instagram instead, or simply when you have interesting material to write about (well at least it is to me), which I do right now cos' I just got back from my 10 Days Taipei Trip *cue the fanfare* 
Technically, it was just really 9 days, since I got in quite late and flew out pretty early in the morning.

So, let's begin the first part of She Travels: Taipei edition, shall we?

DAY 1 (01.04.2016)

The sun was shining bright, I had not finished packing and my flight was at 2:40 PM.
Oh, what a splendid way to start your vacation.
Do refrain from last minute packing my fellow heavy packers, tho' I made it in time packing all my stuffs, it was so not worth the hysteria.
Got to the airport with enough time to drop my baggage (always do online check-in if that option is available for your flight) and enjoy a cup of Iced Cocoa Cappuccino at Starbucks before my flight.
What's your ritual before flying out, by the way?


Just love the historic architecture of our Soekarno-Hatta airport

Managed to watch the whole Spotlight movie before I passed out 'til the plane touched down at Tao Yuan airport.  You could say it was a pretty uneventful 5-hour-flight to Taipei.
Once I got off the plane, everything happened in a blur cos' I was so excited to meet my long-time BFF who's been living Taiwan since her high-school years, and also for the Pablo cheesecake she queued almost 1 hour for before she came picking me up *evil laugh*
Tho' I did notice a lot of people used pink luggages, I'm not kidding you guys, wish I have picture to show to you.  Luckily I'd marked mine with some colorful tassels so it was easier for me to spot it.
What's with people and the color pink, jeez.  In my defense, mine is actually my mom's luggage cos' it was the only one big enough to accommodate all my stuffs and my hauls later on.

Well, enough with the pink rant.  Before leaving the airport, I went and got myself a local prepaid SIM card to get reconnected with the world wide web.  My friend suggested me to go with the Chunghwa Telecom since they have better reception and a 10-Day-Pass plan that suited my schedule. (For more complete info on how to get a local prepaid SIM card on Taipei, click here)

Took a ± 40-minutes-bus-ride to the city for NT 125/person.  It was way cheaper than getting a cab for sure,  the bus stop however was about 7 minutes walk (500 m) to my hotel, kind of hard to manage with 13kg luggage and an empty stomach, luckily I had my friend helped me carried my carry-on luggage.
I stayed at Royal Inn Taipei in Zhongshan area.  It is no 5-star-hotel, but the hotel is clean, recently renovated, and the MRT station is nearby.  It is also located near shopping area so it is relatively easy to find something to eat, and most importantly...to shop.

My first super late dinner at Taipei was at this sushi-go-round chain restaurant called Sushi Express 爭鮮, or Sushi NT 30 as my friend calls it, cos' they charge NT 30/plate.  It was about 10 minute walk from the hotel.
My first reaction when I got into the restaurant was "What's with the effing crowd!?  It is freaking 10:30 PM!"  As a matter of fact, we still needed to wait for our table for about 15 minutes *slow clap*
My verdict of this sushi chain is it was worth the wait and calories at 11 PM.  I let the following pictures do the talking, savvy?







Must try brown-sugar sauce pudding

2 girls, 25 plates

And the food adventure continued,  remember that Pablo my friend queued for?  Well, they say save the best for last.
It tasted like heavenly egg tart with cream cheese filling, I was lost for words.
My friend told me that one person is limited to 2 boxes per purchase and she almost didnt get it *phew*.  It costs NT 328/box by the way.
Special shout out to my personal tour guide, Triyana, you are the (wo)man!!!





And that was how my first night at Taipei ended, a scrummy Pablo cheesecake with the best friend ever.  Good food, good company, and good night.


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