Tai-I-Want! Trip: Day 1

I've always wanted to go to Taiwan, but I just never really got around to it until now. This always surprises people, because I am just so ling long ching chong. I have an irritating habit of replying in Chinese even though a conversation begins in English. After a few sentences, they invariably switch to Chinese too. Ha! 

My trip to Taiwan started off early at 7am, when I reached Changi Airport. There was a couple of hours to kill before our flight took off, so my friends and I sat around the food court. 

Tai Wah Pork Noodles, which serves the best ba chor mee I ever had.  

 I rubbed my eyes to check it's really the Tai Wah I know and love. But as much as I wanted to buy a bowl, it seems like a shame to fill up my stomach right before flying to Taiwan, so I took a rain-check. [Update! My sister tried it and said the noodles here were a far cry from the original.]

When we got onto the plane, I didn't pay much attention to the safety because I thought I have heard 'em all. Which was kind of a mistake. The flight had a lot of turbulence, which was bad news for J, who was slightly afraid of heights. Midway, I was trying to remember: was it a parachute or a life-vest under the seat? It's a valid question. Stop judging me. J was a little too preoccupied to reply. I tried to distract her by sharing my phobia about luggage falling onto my head, which strangely didn't calm her down. 

She told me that if there was a fire, she'll feed me to the flame. I countered that my jacket is flame-retardant. Like the owner, but for flames. 

In hindsight, I'm sure there are better retorts I could have used. But it seemed to prove my point. I'll call it a draw. 

The rest of the flight passed without incidence, and we landed safe and sound at Taoyuan Int'l Airport. We hailed a cab at the taxi stand to bring us to Puri Hotel in the heart of Ximending, a bustling tourist area. 

Picture courtesy of R. Wang. 

We checked the hotels online when we were planning the itinerary. Puri Hotel has some of the best rates, and is also the recipient of Tripadvisor's 2014 Certificate of Excellence.Plus it's located in Ximending, and is close to the metro Ximen Station,  which sealed the deal.  

But a few days after we booked Puri hotel, I searched for its images online, and saw their open-room concept. And then their glass restroom walls. Perfectly transparent, full-on glass walls. 

I'm sorry, but which baichi came up with this concept? I stayed in a similar hotel room in Guangzhou, and one vacation like that was enough for a lifetime. But we already booked the rooms, and what's done was done. I changed the name to Puri Hourly Hotel on the itinerary, but I didn't think anyone noticed. 

The Redhouse in Ximending.

The Redhouse 

 No. 10, Chengdu Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108

After we dropped off our luggage with the hotel concierge, the first order of the day is lunch. Naturally. We headed to the famous 阿宗麵線 (Ah Zong Mian Xian - Flour/Rice Noodles) that's just a few minutes walk away. It's pretty easy to spot: just look for the crowd of tourists spilling out onto the road. But the service is brisk and efficient, and we got our food in minutes. J was about to order the Small (TWD50), but I convinced her to have the Large (TWD65), which was about twice as large. My logic of buying more stuff to save money is strangely persuasive. 

阿宗麵線 (Ah Zong Mian Xian) 

8-1 Emei Street, Taipei, Taiwan

I also got a milk tea from a nearby store. I'm not a big milk tea drinker, but this rivaled the best that I have had in Singapore. 

We headed over to a convenience store to find a local SIM card, which we got at 7-Eleven. I was pretty amazed at their 7-Elevens, which were equipped with charcoal grills roasting sweet potatoes. A giant pot of  茶叶蛋 (Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs) bubbled merrily in a corner. We found a prepaid unlimited data plan for 5 days (TWD399). Be sure to have several forms of identification on you when you buy a phone card. 

We hit a snag with our data plan. We could call one another just fine, but despite our best effort, we couldn't get a 3G signal. We talked to the hotel concierge, who directed us to the telecom's main service centre just a stone throw from our hotel. We asked if it would cost us, and he laughed and told us if that happens, "[we should] just trash their signboard." Welcome to the warm, straight-talking Taiwanese culture. I could get used to this.

We followed his direction to the service centre, and after a moment's work, the staff solved the issue. Turns out, all we needed to do was to turn the phone on and off. Dayum. (It worked for iPhones. J's Sony phone still could not receive 3G, but we didn't get a chance to go back.)

Shida Night Market has a reputation for selling trendy clothes, and we were highly recommended to go there. We took the metro and arrived after a little detour. Do you know that if you ask a local for directions, there's a difference between asking for xx夜市 (night market) and xx市场 (market)? Me neither. But we finally found our way in the end, and expanded our Chinese vocabulary a little. Sadly, due to governmental regulation, most of the Shida Night Market was gone, save for a few brick-and-mortar stores. It was missing most of the food carts that I associated with Taipei's night markets, which was a little disappointing. There were several clothing stores that were around, but we ultimately left the night-market sans new clothes. We did however, find a great two-storied store selling all sorts of stationery. I bought one and half dozen yellow highlighters, which were retailing between TWD7-10 each. Hey, I need them for school... In fact, when I told my sister, she wanted me to go back and get more for her.

I wasn't kidding about the quantity.

Take the Green Line 3 to Taipower Building Station (台電大樓). After leaving Exit 3, make a right turn, then make another quick right to reach Shi-Da Road (師大路). The market is located along both Shi-Da road and in the alleys off both sides. [Credits]

Post-Shida, we headed back to Ximending and wandered around until we found Jian Hong Beef Noodles, which is one of the most famous beef noodles places in Taipei. I had my first bite, and yes, there is substance to all the hype. We ate there 3 times in five days; the third time was on the wee morning of the last day, when I dragged everybody to the store one more time before our return flight in the afternoon. I can't help myself. I tried both their thick and thin noodles, and I love the rough, thick noodles. My friends preferred the thin ones, though. The normal chili is delicious, and made all the difference in the world to the beef broth. We wussed out and didn't add the chili/beef-fat mixture, which were raved about online. A small bowl (TWD80) is very filling, as one Taiwanese customer assured us, and he was right. I was ravenous on the first night, having walked straight for the past 4 hours around Taipei without a break, and I only just managed to finish the small bowl.

The menu can be a little confusing, and this is what I surmised after 5 days:

1st Option (from left): 牛肉麵 - Normal bowl of beef noodles: TWD80, 90 100
2nd Option: 牛肉湯 - Beef and broth: TWD80, 90 100
5th Option: 牛肉湯麵 - Broth and noodles: TWD40, 45, 50
8th Option: Side dishes: TWD20

The orange paste is that chili/beef-fat mixture, which was lauded online.

The side dish of chilled Century Egg and Tofu is delicious. The gravy is found with the rest of the condiments on a nearby table. Pour out any excess water from the tofu, and add plenty of the dark-coloured sauce. 

There were many other side dishes, but we didn't try any other than the Tofu and Century Egg one, because why mess with success?

Wan Hua District, No. 45-6 Luo Yang Street

萬華區洛陽街45-6號

(02) 2371-2747 

Also along Ximending are a few dessert stores. We stopped at one and had a Mango ice (TWD100) and Beancurd with Taro Balls (TWD40). It wasn't anything spectacular, but it's convenient and sweet and a good day to end off our first day in Taipei.

Picture taken as we were wandering 'round and 'round looking for Jian Hong Beef Noodles. This was probably in the opposite direction. 

Many of these photos here are courtesy of EJ Yeo, R Wang and J Lee.

Check out the rest of my Taiwan trip here!
Go to Day 2 
Go to  Day 3
Go to  Day 4 
Go to  Day 5