Trip - Taiwan - Day 1 - Traveling to Taiwan

Hi Blog,

Finally! I got a chance to travel oversea! Yippee! As I mentioned to most of my friends, I wanted to travel to Japan in 2023, and it was happening!

Exchanged to different currencies and bleeding on my wallet... 🥲 Hope it was enough.

Previously in 2020, my friends and I were supposed to go to Taiwan but it was cancelled due to Covid 19. This time we would travel in big groups because XY returned to Brazil for good and WC wanted to travel too; departed from Australia. So for this trip, we had a total of nine people travelling for two weeks to Taiwan and Japan! (nine to Taiwan and six to Japan)

Bought me a new suitcase and It will be my first personal luggage bag. Bleeding again 🥲 but it will be a one-time purchase and hope it lasts long. I could pack my Captain costume in it.

Busy packing (clothing check! Undies check! Passport check! Money and wallet check! Shampoo, shaver and brush check!) and... 

Getting ready for...

...collected Mr Bean (neck rest pillow) from my brother.

And it's time to go.

I love travelling but I was also worried about things in Singapore... Learning to chill and hoping for the best.

Collected my ticket and time to go!

The whole gang was here and thanked JY and HJ for sending us.

My first wefie shot and there will be a lot coming up sooner.

Yes! Inside one of the best airports in the world and the first reason I can come out with, is the carpeted floor - looks like a huge five stars hotel.

Not the plane that we will be taking but yeah... I just hoped everyone who is flying, has a safe flight.

Yes yes! Time to fly!

Even though I was near the window seat, I thought can see the night sky but there are nothing but Miss Moon. We tried to catch some sleep but to be honest... It is not comfortable at all... Well, poor and low SES taking the economy seat should not complain. Just enjoy whether I have.

Oooo! Around 4+, we could see Mr Sun just woke up.

And the plane lit up with a rainbow 🌈

Mr Sun, I am on the plane. Now it was a good chance to meet you at a higher level.

Let's go to Taiwan together!

Haha thanks Mr Sun for your affirmation.

Taiwan airport :) checking out seemed manageable.

Based on our schedule, now it was 630am, we should take the train to Taipei for our breakfast before checking in at our Airbnb.

Oh, this is the transportation token (one-time stop) to travel from place to place.

Waiting for the train to arrive at the concourse.

Reflection of a fat me.

Knowing it was a different place but the feeling of taking a train in Singapore. 

Heavy clouds were spotted and started to look foggy... I heard my friend, Jon in Taiwan, warn me that it had been raining these days.

Reached Taipei main station!

Honestly, everyone didn't get a good rest but still in high spirit!

A group photo that we should not miss. After our group photo, we tried to find an hourly charges locker in the station and it was quite convenient. Pay a small fee for three hours.

Instead of going for breakfast and most of the shop houses have not started operating, so they decided to go somewhere else and I suggested...

...going to Confucius Temple for a visit.
(Click here to read more)

After visiting the temple, time to pick up our luggage and entered our Airbnb. It is located in between two train stations but requires a ten minutes walk. From the outside, it looks a bit rundown until we stepped in. What you see in this, is our small lobby area.

Entering the house, the living room is the first to welcome us.

A long corridor to the rooms but kind of creepy...

Let me show you what the rooms look like...

Just a space for beds and nothing else. The primary purpose seems obvious - just a space to sleep.

After a short rest and a good bath, we decided to go to a night market.

Our group excluded me focus food but I focus on the experience.

In Singapore, we usually stand on the left side of the elevator but in Taiwan, they stand on their right. I think it is due to how their road system works. In Singapore, drivers will stick to the left lane and allow those who need to speed up to take their right lane; and in Taiwan, is the opposite.

At Shilin Night Market, my first-night market in Taiwan, I swore to Heaven (#thanksheaven new hashtag added in 2023 to thank Heaven for making special moments for us), I MUST HAVE the smelly TOFU and I have to thank Heaven for sending a vegetarian smelly tofu stall to us. Why I said so? We had been browsing lanes and passed by many shop houses (at least twice), we did bump into non-vegetarian tofu but felt unsettling... So we continued to hunt while doing window shopping. After a few failed attempts, something smelled strong... This movable tofu stall showed up and vegetarian some more! It was God's sent.

From the picture, it looks just like a normal fried tofu and I can't smell anything bad though. I guess similar rule to perfume/durian, you may detect it in the beginning but after a while, you won't sense it anymore. Other uncomfortable or anything else, is just a placebo.

We were so happy over it.

Here are some Satisfied customers

Our first day at Taiwan was a tiring day - we didn't have enough sleep on the plane at night, walking around from morning till night, and then back to Airbnb late too. Really tiring...

Jeff