Rather than following a detailed travel plan, I wanted to experience the city like a regular tourist. My goal was simple: get out of the airport, use public transport, eat real Taiwanese food, and, lastly, get to the hotel smoothly.
The adventure started right at the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport where the first challenge was finding an ATM. When one machine didn’t give out cash, another one worked just fine, which meant that I got the first Taiwanese dollars in my pockets and was pleasantly surprised that my trip has finally started. While I was often confused regarding the directions, it was easy to get help from friendly airport staff.
Getting into the city turned out to be smooth as well. The Taipei MRT Airport Express was clean, modern, and well-organized. Everything was simple due to clear signs, announcements in English, and polite and helpful employees. The 35-minute ride to Taipei Main Station showed green mountains before the busy city showed up in front of my eyes.
The first thing that struck me was how efficient and clean everything seemed to be. The stations were sparkly clean, passengers waiting patiently to catch their trains, and all modes of transport flowed easily. Compared to many other big cities, Taipei instantly gave the impression of being a safe and organized place.
Once I arrived at the city’s center, I switched trains on the MRT system that was going to the hotel I was supposed to stay in for a couple of days. It was a bit confusing purchasing my next ticket since the ticket machines only accepted cash, but the staff at the station helped to resolve the matter in no time. Their readiness to assist left a good first impression.
Looking around the city for the first time showed me the beautiful combination of modern architecture, busy highways, convenience stores, and local markets. Yellow taxi cabs were all over the streets, and Google Maps worked quite perfectly regarding giving me the directions. The weather was warm and many Taiwanese flags were hanging along the streets.
Rather than hastening to my accommodation, I dropped in to a 7-Eleven, which has become somewhat of a ritual in my travels to Asia. The store is stocked with a range of good snacks, instant meals, beverages, and local items on sale. I bought a hot chicken sandwich, which did taste good, though I was aware that it could not substitute an authentic Taiwanese experience.
Following the streets led me to a market where I tried a bubble tea egg tart. Being the place of origin of bubble tea, having the opportunity to taste it here was a wonderful feeling. The dessert I tried tasted unlike the famed egg tarts served in Hong Kong or Macau, as it has a more cake-like consistency with chewy pearls in it.
I also visited a local bubble tea café, where I had my first cup of Taiwanese bubble tea. It tasted fresh with right amount of sugar and chewy pearls making it easy to understand how it came to be popular.
There was an exciting day’s organized trip around a small eatery tucked away in one of the traditional markets. I was told to try beef noodle soup, which is one of the most famous delicacies of Taiwan. It included thick noodles, boiled beef, delicious broth, and fresh veggies, which created a very comforting dish that made my experience a day to remember.
After eating lunch, it was time to check into the DoubleTree by Hilton Taipei. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it offered a contemporary design, great service, snacks, and even robots helping guests in the hotel.
Though I had a brief stay in Taiwan, it left a very good impression on me. Friendly people, well-developed transport, delicious food, clean streets, and an extraordinary atmosphere allowed me to explore the city without too much effort.
