My solo trip to Hong Kong a few months prior to this one reignited my interest in travelling to other countries. Back in 2006 the two cheapest places to travel outside of Japan were Seoul and Taipei. Having done the former at the start of the year I decided to hit Taipei for a few days not that I knew too much about the city when I booked it for that August.

After my research though I was very much looking forward to the trip and wasn’t disappointed. Overall, I didn’t spend too much time in Taipei city in the daytime as I thought it would be just like most other Asian cities. I would learn on my next trip a decade a later that that was definitely not true!

My first full day began with a journey to Bitou Cape in the northeast of the country as I wanted to do some hiking amidst some beautiful coastal scenery featuring sea eroded cliffs. I cannot remember anything really about getting there but looking at Google Maps now it seems a fairly complicated and long journey taking over two hours and needing two or three connections including buses.

At the end of the trail, I went snorkelling in the ocean park at Longdong Bay (the name caused amusement for a few minutes!) which was far better than I imagined it would be.

I saw lots of fish and cooled off after a sweaty walk in the heat. Further down the coast I went to a beautiful white sand beach called Fulong which had a beautiful temple overlooking the bay.

I spent my first two nights at the YMCA but it wasn’t so fun (or cheap!) to stay there so I moved to another hostel where I met some really nice Taiwanese people. I also met a lovely older Canadian couple whilst climbing Mount Chihsing in Yangmingshan National Park on day two.

They gave me some useful advice about where to go and what to do as I didn’t really know what was essential to see as everything is made to sound good in the guidebook. With temperatures in the high 30s (not just on this particular day) I sweated absolute bucketloads in my quest to reach the summit of the 1,120 metre mountain.

Back in the city after that climb, I visited Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which is one of Taipei’s most iconic and inspiring landmarks with beautiful buildings and structures all over an expansive area.

The National Theater and National Concert Hall buildings in the vicinity of the park were wonderful sights too.

I also observed the changing of the guards at National Revolutionary Martyr’s Shrine. For the record, the guard standing next to me in the photo below was not that tall but was just standing on a box!

Grand Hotel Taipei was another fantastic-looking structure that I saw on that day albeit only externally!

That evening I went up Taipei 101 which at that time was the world’s tallest building and an impressive mix of modern engineering and cultural symbolism.

I went up just before sunset so I could see it in both daylight and at night. The views were incredibly impressive.

My third day was spent cycling and hiking in Pinglin which is located over an hour south-east of Taipei. It is famous for its tea and perhaps a surprising choice of destination for a guy who barely ever drank that beverage back then! From memory, I think it was a recommended highlight for the whole of Taiwan according to the Lonely Planet guidebook I was using back then! Different times!

I found the people to be very helpful, kind and friendly which is very important when you can’t read or understand anything. English signs weren’t as common as in Japan at that time but the standard of spoken English was certainly higher! One particular woman even lent me her own bicycle in order to see some of the sights in Pinglin which went way beyond her call of duty.

On that same day (I can’t remember which order though!) I also took a train north-east of Taipei to Tamsui where I saw a couple of interesting buildings and wandered the old street running parallel to a river. With a name like Oxford College, I couldn’t resist visiting the first modern school in Taiwan. It was a beautiful area to walk around and admire the fine architecture blended in with some Chinese style.

Fort San Domingo was another beautiful heritage building nearby which was well-maintained and offered a deep dive into Taiwan’s complex colonial past.

The three full days I had in Taipei were very busy long ones usually starting at 8:00 am and finishing at around 11:00 pm! The evenings were all spent walking around various night markets and enjoying some local delicacies at a time when I still wasn’t that adventurous when it came to food.

This trip was before I’d been to any south-east Asian countries so the sight of so many motorised scooters (with some carrying whole families!) was a new observation for me.

The forecast had been for tropical downpours every day but fortunately I was able to avoid such weather until my last day on the way to the airport. Looking back now, it seems quite mental that I travelled so far from Taipei city centre each day and managed to do so much in just a few days. I returned a decade later with my wife for a much more leisurely paced trip in Taipei only.

Click here to read ‘Dodgy Accommodation, Downpours, Delightful Sights, Local Delicacies, Late Night Drinking & Unexpected Expenditures on My 1st Visit to Hong Kong’

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: Was Island Hopping in Japan’s Tropical Paradise All That It Cracked Up to Be?’

Click here to read ‘Family Time in Singapore & Indonesia with My Eldest Sister’s Family, Wife & Mother-In-Law!’

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