THE TAIWAN BUCKET LIST FOR A FIRST-TIMER

This is my first time in Taiwan. And for a first-timer like me, I made the most out of my stay.

Ever since I flew to Taiwan, I've had a lot of people ask me questions about my trip. And instead of finishing the Taiwan vlog that highlights my adventures for a Taiwan bucket list, I decided to write this blog first so I can answer all of your questions (Don't worry guys, I'll be uploading the vlog anytime soon, I promise it will be a really good vlog - 100x way more better than the Surigao vlog). 

As a person, I try to make the most out of my day when I travel - it's always jam-packed. And speaking of that, I'd like to say that this bucket list is for those of you who want to explore Taipei and the rest of Taiwan in 6 days - complete with the sights you must see, the food you must try and the Taiwan-only experience you must experience for yourself. So, I guess I will begin with number 15:

#15 TRY ALL THE MILK TEA YOU CAN FIND 

Althought the milk-tea craze has died down in my country, the Philippines, it's completely the opposite for Taiwan. You'll see milk tea stands left and right that sell different kinds of milk tea flavors. The most popular, however, is the Bubble Milk Tea. I tried it in different stores but so far, the best I've tried was from Chun Shui Tang. This is the birthplace of bubble milk tea and it's famous for its Pearl Milk Tea. Although it can be a bit pricey compared to the other milk tea stores (it is 160 NTD; around Php253), it is worth a try. Aside from Chun Shui Tang, I really enjoyed the Earl Grey Milk Tea from Chun Cui He. You can buy it in any 7/11 store in Taiwan for a very small price of 28 NTD! When I got back to the Philippines, I read that these Earl Grey Milk Teas are usually sold out because that's how much the Taiwanese love it -- so if you find yourself one, buy it right away!

#14 TRY THE SHAVED ICE SENSATION AT ICE MONSTER

This shaved ice cream can cost you 220 NTD (320 pesos), but this can be one of the best desserts you will ever taste in your life! Choose from up to 7 different flavors (we tried the pearl milk tea sensation and the mango sensation flavors), and enjoy yourself a good bowl of Taiwanese kakigori (or shaved ice)! There are not a lot of Ice Monster branches, so if you plan to go, head down to No 297, Section 4, ZhongXiao E Rd, Da'an district! You won't regret it, I promise!

#13 TRY THE STINKY TOFU

If you happen to walk by a street and recognize something stench, that would be the stinky tofu! It can be so stinky you wouldn't want to eat it!!! But trust me, it's worth a try. My mom loved it so much! (the photos were taken from a screenshot from a gopro video, since my camera ran out of battery during this time, sorry)

#12 VISIT A NIGHT MARKET AND BUY ALL THE STREET FOOD YOU CAN FIND (AND DO SOME SHOPPING TOO)

Taipei has a lot of night markets but the most popular is the Shilin Night Market. It is always full of tourists. It is easily accessible by train and you can find a variety of food, clothes, shoes, phone cases and everything in between. Night markets sell really cheap items and the food is really cheap too! I suggest you try most of the food you see. If you ask me, we tried the peanut butter ice cream (ice cream runbing), the kiamoy drink, the glazed corn on the cob, the Taiwanese fried chicken, oyster omelet and the stewed pork. We were supposed to try the Taiwanese torched beef on a different day since we were already so full that night, but we weren't able to see one due to the heavy rains that came during the latter days of our stay. I heard that was highly recommended.

You can also go to Raohe Night Market. I'd prefer this night market over the Shilin Night Market. Not to be biased, but the atmosphere was better, it was less crowded and they sold really good items along the sidewalks. Oh, and great location too!

#11 TAKE THE BEST PHOTOS OF CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL & THE NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM

A visit to Taiwan means also knowing about its culture and history. That includes a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and the National Palace Museum! The beautiful architecture of these two places make it to the list of must-see places in Taipei. Bring out your camera and take the best photos!

#10 WATCH PEOPLE FLY KITES AND ENJOY A GOOD SUNSET IN SUN YAT SEN

At around sunset, people and tourists flock to Sun Yat Sen and spend the rest of their afternoon in the area. Usually, you'll see them flying kites, blowing bubbles and just laying down by the sides. It is a nice place to have an afternoon stroll with a view of the Taipei 101.

#9 GO SHOPPING (OR WINDOW SHOPPING) AT XIMENDING (PREFERABLY AT NIGHT)

This street is very alive in the evening and usually opens late in the morning. You'll find most of the younger generation strolling along the streets of Ximending. Get the latest sneakers, apparel or just enjoy the lively atmosphere! It is here where you can shop at the flagship store of H&M! Watch out for multiple branches of stores too! Don't fret if you can't find your shoe size from the Nike or Adidas store you just walked out of, there is another store that is usually two blocks away!

#8 FLY A LANTERN ALONG THE RAIL TRACKS IN SHIFEN OLD STREET

Wish for good health, love, success and even more money by flying a lantern along Shifen Old Street. This is probably one of the highlights of my trip to be honest. The lanterns are sold for 200 NTD for a 4-colored lantern while it is 150 NTD for a single colored lantern. If you want to know more about how we did our Shifen and Jiufen Trip (it includes the Cat Village, Shifen Waterfall, Golden Waterfall, Yinyang Sea, Gold Museum), I will be writing a different blog post for that complete with our itinerary and how much we spent. But for those of you asking, we rented a taxi for a whole day which cost us 3500 NTD good for 4 people (it's already cheap considering the number of places we went to and the driver spoke in English).

Also, don't forget to try the Chicken Wing Rice Roll!!!! I am emphasizing this because it was THAT GOOD! It was really good I had two in one sitting! It's basically grilled chicken wings with rice inside. You can only find it in Shifen Old Street, and the one in front of the Station is the best. Again, THE BEST!

#7 TASTE ALL THE FREE FOOD ALONG JIUFEN OLD STREET

If you love Chinese movies where the protagonist walks along a street full of vendors calling out your name selling food, well that would be the same exact scene in Jiufen Old Street. You can catch a good view of the YinYang Sea from the Jiufen district also.

#6 EAT XIAO LONG BAO AT THE ORIGINAL DIN TAI FUNG

Taiwan is the birthplace of Din Tai Fung. What started as a small restaurant grew to what the world now knows as a Michelin-star restaurant. I've tried Din Tai Fung in the Philippines and in Hong Kong, and based from experience, you'll really taste the difference between the three. They have a different set of menu as well, so I suggest you get yourself a dish that only the Din Tai Fung in Taiwan is serving. Plus, the servers are so welcoming! There's unlimited oolong tea too!

#5 ENJOY A DAY AT YEHLIU GEOPARK

According to the receptionist at our hotel, tourists usually do Yehliu Geopark with Shiufen and Jiufen in one day. But for our case, we decided to do Yehliu Geopark on a different day. Entrance to the park is 80 NTD per person. Yehliu Geopark is easily accessible by train and bus. You can ride the train and get down at the Taipei Main Station and then catch the 1815 bus that will take you directly to Yehliu Geopark.

#4 SEE THE FAMOUS GORGES OF TAIWAN AT TAROKO NATIONAL PARK

Getting to Taroko from Taipei can be quite tedious. So if I were you, make sure you bring with you a complete list of the train and bus timetable from Taipei to Taroko. Aside from that, avoid going to Taroko on a weekend, Friday included, since most of the people go back to the provinces during this time. Since Taroko is located east of Taipei, get a train to Hualien. This is where you can get a bus to Taroko. To be honest, spending only a day in Taroko won't be enough to complete all the trails, but since we really wanted to visit Taroko, we pushed for a day trip. And yes, although it may be possible, you have to limit yourself to a few trails so you can catch the last bus back to Hualien (the train isn't a problem since trains to and from Taipei run every 30 mins). The last bus back to Hualien is at 5:20 PM. Most of the trails already have a predetermined timeframe of completion, so deciding which trails you want to do can be easy. For our trip, we chose the Shakadang Trail, the Yankou Trail and the Changchun Trail.

The easiest way to get to Taroko is by taxi or a direct train to Hualien. These modes of transportation are usually the most expensive, but we found a different way by spending only 444 NTD per person for a roundtrip ticket to Taroko and back. There is a combo ticket you can get from the taipei main bus station which includes a bus ride to Ludong station, and from there, a train to Hualien.

   

#3 ENJOY A HOT BRAISED BEEF SOUP MEAL

Voted as the #1 most popular dish in Taiwan by CNN, a hot braised beef soup meal for either lunch or dinner is probably a really good choice - even better when you're mostly out in the cold during the winter season in Taiwan.

#2 GET A GOOD VIEW OF TAIPEI 101

This is a no brainer. If I say Taiwan, you'd probably say, Taipei 101. And yes, a visit to Taiwan would never be complete without a visit to Taipei 101. Get yourself a good view of this super tall skyscraper! You can do this while biking along the area (you can have access to the uBike, the bike rentals along Taipei, if you get the easycard from the train station -- it's only 100 NTD). Aside from that, take a family picture or a couple photo with the "Love" sign outside Taipei 101.

#1 GET LOST IN TAIWAN

I don't know if you're like me or my family, but we enjoy going around on our own every time we travel. Sure, getting a tour would be a really good idea too, but since we love exploring a new city on our own, there are a lot of times when we end up getting on the wrong train, going down the wrong bus station or even missing the scheduled ride. But because of these experiences, we end up learning more about a place. We get to try hole-in-the-wall restaurants with really good food, get really good pictures with no tourists trying to photobomb each angle, and meet friendly locals who teach us a thing or two about their place. And sure, we did get lost in Taiwan a couple of times, but we did get to eat really good braised beef noodles, find that another shoe store was a block away from a store we just came out of and try out food only sold in Taiwan.

So yes, explore Taiwan on your own and tell me all about it! I hope this bucket list can help you with a thing or two. Comment below about your own Taiwan experience and let me know! Would love to hear your stories as well.