Finally, we’re on Day 2! You can view older Taiwan posts here 🙂 Thanks Dexter, Jane, and Cherith for the pictures! 🙂
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One major advantage of not having a tour group or purchasing a travel package is that we didn’t have to worry about time. Less time pressure, less stress. 😉
Woke up around 8 in the morning to eat breakfast. Taipei is full of pretty coffee shops but I realized just now that we weren’t able to go to the pretty coffee shops I saw online :/ We did eat a lot of bread because there are pastry stores everywhere (plus the four of us LOVE bread lol).
Putting this here because Kuya Chinito is really cute 😛
Our first stop : Presidential Office Building. We can’t actually go inside so we just took a picture and made it our background, haha.
It’s still very cold and yet I chose to wear shorts because I planned this outfit a week ago. LOL. Tiis ganda. Dex let me borrow his furry jacket (which he bought last night for less than a thousand pesos!) and it fits like a glove. Thanks, friend. I should have bought one for myself too. Meh.
By the way, Cherith was wearing the scarf and hat I wore on our first day. Haha mix and match!
Sex and the City, Asian Version. LOL.
It was drizzling! 🙁
Went straight to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and spent around two hours taking pictures, mostly because the floor tiles were pretty. Haha! And oh, look at the couple behind Dex and Che. They were so cute. <3
I love the weather because it made my skin look blemish-free (must be the camera?). I love the natural lighting~ #NoFilter #HumbleBrag
It’s quite difficult to have a picture with all four of us because we had to ask someone for help. Most of the time the pictures are blurred huhu. So yayy for decent group shots!
Turista pose, of course.
Inside the museum with a beautiful ceiling!
We were lucky we were able to watch the changing of the guards!
I had no idea Taiwan has cherry blossoms, too! Ahhh, this country really is a hidden gem. For selfish reasons, I don’t want it to be as popular as Japan or Korea. I love how peaceful Taiwan is…
Spotted : Taipei 101!
Our signatures. Only Dexter has a Chinese name, I’m so envious. I’d probably be Ma Li Yan if ever I convert my name in Chinese. Haha.
This wall was created by kids! 😛
This totally looked like a postcard!
Brrr.. It’s cold and raining and I’m wearing shorts. Good job, Marianne.
Went to Shilin and visited some shops before going to the National Palace Museum. I saw a Kitty store!! Even the music inside are meowing cats! Hahahaha. My friends were so annoyed but obviously, I’m in love.
Found a pretty cool library too… Ahh, I wish we had more time to explore the city. There were so many libraries and shops all over Taipei!
We bought this from a convenience store and it was surprisingly good! Very cheap too.
Taiwan, the land of Milk Tea 😛
Ate legit Taiwanese noodles for the first time!
As soon as we arrive at the Museum we panicked a bit because the place is so huge and we only have around three hours (????) before it closes. Haha! There were a lot of people– tour guides, senior citizens, tourists, and students everywhere. It was nice browsing thru Taiwan’s history but we’re running out of time and we’re a bit tired. We didn’t know that we’re supposed to be here the whole day! Dexter was obviously happy (and disappointed that we’re not as excited as him? Haha). He’s a total nerd who loves museums, it’s adorable 😛
There was one part of the museum where we spent a lot of time playing around. I enjoyed the ~technology~ part of the museum, it was so cool. Most people visited the place to become more familiar with Taiwan and/or China’s history. The museum has everything in one place– great collection of paintings, sculptures, pieces of jewelry, etc. History geeks will surely love this place!
Since we’re already in Shilin, it’s a must to go to Shilin Night Market to shop and eat Xiao Long Bao!
Perfect for the cold weather. And the Auntie selling these is super nice as well 🙂
He reminds me of the waffle guy in Coffee Prince! Haha.
Cand/chocolate -coated strawberries! Ahhh, so good!!! You will never go hungry in this place.
We bought a few pasalubongs here and there but we’re not in the mood to *shop til we drop* Haha. The shirts were a bit expensive so I just bought a coat for myself instead! Haha! We were supposed to go the ~province~ the next day so I would need clothes for the cold(er) weather.
I was not feeling well because of the rain, the cold, and maybe hunger. Plus my stupidity because I wore shorts. We had nothing to do and Dexter left us to bond with his friend who has been living in Taipei for a few years now.
We saw a coffee shop somewhere where I ordered hot chocolate. The owner is super nice (every one we met in Taiwan is SUPER DUPER NICE, I want to live there huhu T__T) and we found out that he worked in the Philippines for several years! He used to work in Ayala, Makati in a shipping company. What a coincidence because that particular company is one of the shipping lines that we use in my work today! Ha.
Anyhow, he is shy and soft-spoken but he cracks jokes once in a while. He told us that he got his humor from Filipino friends because Filipinos love to eat and laugh all the time 😛 He has a wife and kids and he plans to retire in the Philippines, too! 🙂 It was the highlight of our day, to be honest. Look how adorable he is!
Many people are still asking why I went to Taiwan and what did we do there. They were surprised that we didn’t go to any amusement park, or beach, or somewhere more tourist-y, etc. I’m not sure if it’s just me but I really enjoyed our stay. Sure there were no extreme rides, exciting theme parks, or even beautiful beaches. But moments like this one made the trip worth it. I love the serenity I felt when I was there. I loved walking in the city, speaking to the natives in English + broken Mandarin, and eating their food. It was not as exciting as others would expect, but for me, Taiwan is a place I would love to go back to again and again and again. 🙂 ❤︎
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End of Day 2 ♥ Two more days!
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