Travel Featured
TIME AWAY IN TAIPEI
BY RICHARD CHIN
I
f you’ve been on the international
education “circuit” long enough,
you’ve probably come across a
colleague or two who have taught
in Taiwan. Every person I’ve come
across who’s taught there has always
had positive things to say of their
experiences. Their stories was the main
reason for including Taipei on my list of
places to see.
I had done a bit of research before
getting to Taipei and had formulated
a loose plan around what I wanted to
see and do. Since I was on my own
and would be doing a fair bit of solo
wandering, I decided to get a SIM
card. This was easy enough to acquire
as there were telecom kiosks located
on the way to immigration. Once out
of the airport I headed to the metro
station, on the sub-level of the airport.
The Taipei metro is modern, clean and
quite easy to navigate. Some of the
ticket booth attendants were able to
speak some English. When this was
not the case, the translation app on my
phone came in handy.
My hotel was in the centre of the
city just across from the main public
transport hub, making it a great
jumping off point to anywhere in the
city. I cannot emphasise enough how
helpful it was to always be able to
jump on a train and navigate back to
the Central Station without having to
check my phone or ask for help. After
checking in and grabbing a bite to
eat, I went online to book a few free
walking tours for the days ahead. I also
spent some time reading up on Beitou
(an area popular for its hot springs),
in order to know which bath house to
choose and how to get to there. I went
to bed early in anticipation of the long
day ahead.
My first full day started with a fifty
minutes train ride to Beitou. I missed
my stop and had to walk about fifteen
minutes to get to the bath house
that I had chosen. That missed stop
was a stroke of good luck. I ended
up walking into a Saturday morning
outdoor market on my way. As it was
mid-morning many locals were out
doing their weekly shopping. The
energy in the market was high, as
shoppers moved quickly between
the various vendors making their
purchases. It wasn’t just food either!
There were also restaurants, pastries,
clothes, jewellery, toys, shoes and
much more on sale. I took a few
moments to people watch and snap a
few pictures. Although I was only there
for a short while, it was one of those
“travel moments” where you realise
you’re having an authentic experience.
This was even better than visiting the
hot springs bath house, where all I did
was just sit in a pool of hot water. On
reflection, I should have ended, rather
than start my day with the hot springs.
My feet and legs would have been far
more appreciative.
My first walking tour was located back
in the city and was focused on Old
Town Taipei. The tour lasted nearly
three hours and took us through the
part of the city that was once fortified.
Along the way our guides gave us
some insight on Taiwan’s past. We
learned that the country, formerly
called Formosa by the Portuguese, has
an aboriginal people whose numbers
and cultural presence is in the minority.
The greater portion of the population
is of Chinese ethnicity, who are directly
descended from mainland migrants
who went there in the seventeenth
century. An interesting fact they threw
in, is that the nation is only recognised
by a handful of other countries, and
that its official name is Republic of
China (not to be mistaken with The
People’s Republic of China). The tour
was enjoyable as the guides were
knowledgeable, friendly, kept a good
pace and gave us lots of information
on things to do after.
Most of my second day was killed by
the rain. Luckily I was able to get out
in the afternoon to see Taipei 101, the
tallest building in the country. As with
other super tall structures there is a
viewing deck, but I decided against
going up. Instead I took some pictures
of it from the outside and walked
around in the huge mall at the bottom.
From there I made my way to see the
jade market. I got there just before the
vendors had begun to pack away their
goods. The pieces on display ranged
from large ornaments to small trinkets.
As far as my untrained eye could tell,
most seemed to be of a high standard
of craftsmanship. I left with a few
souvenirs for family and friends. I left
the jade market and started to make
my way to the metro station via the
flower market. I only had time to snap
a few pics as I was running behind to
catch another walking tour.