A weekend in Taipei

For some reason, whenever I travel I always try to draw parallels with my new surroundings and past travel spots. When I moved to Shanghai, I kept hearing myself say, 'oh it's like New York met Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong". But after my visit to Taipei, I'm a little stumped at how to describe it.

This place just feels completely different to anywhere I've been. There's a Chinese feel to the city but it doesn't have Singapore's slick commercial hum nor does it have mainland China's frenetic buzz. In parts, it feels like Kyoto or Bangkok but with American yellow cabs and cop cars. Overall, the vibe is very laidback and relaxed. My Singaporean friend TG described it to me as 'a Chinese Tokyo' and in parts, that description really fits.

On our first night, we happened upon an area in the eastern downtown part of the city behind Zhongxiao East Road. Full of little laneways and alleys, the area is not dissimilar in feeling to London's Soho or Tokyo's Harajuku precincts. Loads of trendy boutiques, bars, restaurants, tattoo parlours and a very cool hipster crowd. 

The flight into Taipei is a pretty great adventure in itself. The domestic airport is located in downtown Taipei and you literally swoop into the CBD. I was unprepared for the experience of flying so low into a city. It was the best view of the trip and within seconds I had a bird's eye view of the city which is surrounded in every direction by lush mountains. 

That said, we did make a pilgrimage the following day to Taipei 101, which used to be the tallest building in the world until Dubai started their one-upmanship. We made it 382 metres above sea level onto the 89th viewing deck (thankfully for this acrophobiac, the outside viewing platform is closed until July!!) Unfortunately it was a really hazy day so conditions weren't the best, but occasionally the clouds parted to reveal the city below.

Straight to the top please lift operator!

The view from the top of Taipei 101

And of course: the food. The centrepiece of all our holidays!

Friends had told me that I must not miss the interesting fusion food. I'm not sure if we quite got to try all the best things on offer as I'm no expert in Chinese food, but we did try.

First up, we visited Shin Yeh Table as I'd read a good review on a Taiwanese food writer's blog Hungry in Taipei. The restaurant itself was a little tricky to find and our waiter was so friendly and excited to serve us as it didn't appear to be a tourist hotspot. The pork buns with coriander and peanuts were my favourite.

Shin Yeh Table

And a trip to Taipei would not be complete without a visit to the original outpost of the much-loved Taiwanese-turned-global-sensation, Din Tai Fung for their delicious xiao long bao (soup-filled dumplings). And yes, they tasted better than in Singapore and Shanghai!

The crowds outside the original (and best!) Din Tai Fung

 Xiao long bao, sauteed spinach and Taiwanese beer. Delicious.

We also took a trip to the Shilin Night Markets - a must-do in all the guidebooks. It was mental! Located north of the river, it draws huge crowds (99.9% locals) every night. It was impossible to find a seat as we wandered up and down aisles of food stalls. Food was being cooked at an incredible pace and people were eating as if they were on speed. Unfortunately we couldn't find a seat anywhere so we didn't eat anything. Next time...

Some kind of oyster omelette at the Shilin Night Markets

Hard at work at the Shilin Night Markets

Potato spirals at the Shilin Night Markets

Candied strawberries at the Shilin Night Market

There wasn't a spare seat in the house at Shilin Night Markets

Gotta love this couple giving their poodle a seat!

We also ate at Shin Yeh, a pretty pricey Taiwanese "must-do restaurant" in Taipei 101 but weren't all that impressed with the food or the vibe. Yen, the top floor restaurant at the newly-opened W Hotel was really great (and the 10th floor Woo Bar), as was the nearby japanese/fusion restaurant Dozo Izakaya (which had my favourite new cocktail, an icy concoction of gin, fresh strawberries and freshly-squeezed lime juice).

Yen at the W Hotel

For a city of almost three million residents, Taipei is also surprisingly small and very easy to get around. Taxis are plentiful and traffic is not a problem. As a result, we managed to see a lot more than we'd anticipated in one day: the National Palace Museum (amazing), the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei (not so amazing), Da An Park (beautiful), flower markets, Taipei 101 and the bright lights of Ximending (Taipei's version of Tokyo's Shibuya).

National Palace Museum - home to the world's biggest collection of Chinese artifacts

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei

Da An Park

Jiangou flower market

Ximending on a Saturday night. Teenagers everywhere!

Zombie street performers in Ximending

A pretty impressive zombie street performer at Ximending

On Sunday, we ventured on the metro to an area called Danshui, a 40-minute ride at the end of the train line in the north-west of Taipei, near to the mouth of the river. It was the centre of shipping and commerce in the 19th century and is home to colonial houses, churches and a Spanish/Dutch fort.  I was expecting a laidback riverside/seaside vibe, but instead it was a pretty crazy place full of day-tripping Taipei-dwellers. But definitely worth visiting.

The pedestrian shopping street, Danshui Old Street, was packed with daytrippers

Everyone seemed to be eating this snack in Danshui

A bit too hazy for great views across the river to the tourist township of Bali

I really feel this trip only gave us a taste to all that this country has to offer. I'm excited to visit Taiwan again and venture further afield to discover the rest of this country's island charms - gorges, beaches, hot springs and mountain hikes. Oh my.