I have everything all planned out before my 24 hour trip to Taipei. Unfortunately, my plans were all washed out by the rain which did not stop the entire time I was in the city. I landed at the Taipei International Airport at 8:00 pm, and I was all excited to venture out to the night market after I’ve checked in at the transfer desk for my night stay at the airport hotel but…… “Sir, we need to have your passport for a while, and we’ll return to you at your hotel room”, said the transit agent from EVA Air. I did not get my passport back till 11:00 pm that night.
I told myself I will have a good night sleep, and leave early at 6:00 am tomorrow. I did not do so until 10:00 in the morning, and the weather was still rainy and damp. I got enough energy to get dress and went to take a bus toward Taipei City. The bus stopped at the main train terminal. It was a large building with a huge hall in the middle on the ground level. Looking up, I could tell the second floor is a food haven for locals and tourists alike. There were Japanese,Korean, Italian, burger joint, fast food, cafe and pastries. I decided to try one of the many selections of noodle shops. It was a bowl of clear broth noodles with pan seared pork in black pepper sauce. And, it was a delicious and satisfying meal.
I decided to go to the underpass to explore after that. The underpass led me through a series of walkways with shops, and next thing I knew I was at the main bus station. The main bus station is huge as well with eateries and shops. I head back down to the underground and decided to take a train to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall which is just a couple of stops away.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a Taiwanese national monument, erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of Taiwan. It is surrounded by a park with the National Concert Hall on one side and the National Theater on the other. The Memorial has a huge bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek and there is a guard on each side. It was full of tourists all waiting for the change of guards. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. It seemed like my day in Taipei was exploring the transportation terminals in the city. I had to head back to the airport from there.
Although I did not get to see much of Taipei, it gave me a glimpse that Taipei is an interesting city to explore given the fact that it is one of the most interesting places to visit in 2014. Moreover, Taipei is famous for its eateries and night markets which I did not get the chance to enjoy.
