A possibility of a stop-over on the way to and back from Japan in Taipei should not be missed!

On the way there, we had only 10 hours, which however provided us with the opportunity to take a train from Taoyuan Airport to the main railway station in Taipei and spend a few hours in the city center. Coincidentally, it was Taiwan’s National Day (10th October), so we decided to embrace the patriotic atmosphere by visiting the majestic Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and the Presidential Palace area, hoping to attend some festivities. However, the experience turned out to be somewhat underwhelming. The streets of the usually bustling Zhongzheng district were exceptionally closed to traffic, creating an unusual atmosphere. The traditional Republic of China-style events, like a military flyover, felt a bit at odds with peaceful demonstrations calling for Taiwan’s independence — an example of routine democratic expression. Unfortunately, almost everything was closed. As a result, we ended up in a coffee shop to combat the severe jet lag caused by the seven-hour time difference before taking the train back to the airport. A few photos.

On the way back from Japan (Kyūshū), we had significantly more time and no jet lag to contend with. However, the weather was unusual, marked by the transitional period between a typhoon that narrowly missed Taiwan, passing through the Philippines to Vietnam, and another typhoon forming over the warm waters of the western Pacific Ocean. This second typhoon eventually struck the island severely, though fortunately, it occurred three days after our departure. To be specific, the weather was warm and humid, with frequent, rapidly changing conditions — occasional showers interspersed with heavy wind and rain. Upon our arrival, during a particularly windy and rainy period, we managed to visit the renowned “gourmet” Yongkang Street (famous for its beef noodles and mango shaved ice cream) in Da’an, the district where we stayed for the next four nights in a charming café-cum-guesthouse located on a quiet backstreet. A few pictures from this evening.

Then four days of tourist program followed:

• Friday: Datong: absolutely worth visiting, two very different temples, the philosophically sober Confucius Temple, and the religious Chinese Bao’an Temple. Thereafter, transferring to Shilin: National Palace Museum (with all the crowds and its shops and cafés). Finally arriving at the Shilin Night Market for a kind of dinner containing a lot of small portions of this and that from various food stands. A larger gallery of pictures.
  
• Saturday: Wanhua: two temples, the renowned Longshan Temple and the local, but extremely worth the visit Qingshan Temple, and finally the restored historical commercial quarter, known currently as Bopiliao Historic Block. Moved with metro again to Datong: the fancy Dinhua Street, the very authentic and crowded local Xiahai City God Temple, and finally the shiny Ximending: the remarkable Red House, with a gay parade going on, a Thai dinner followed by an inevitable shop frenzy in this very busy commercial district. A photo gallery.
  
  

  Taipei :: the quintessence of the town

• Sunday: Sunny weather, went for a walk in the mountain forest just a few steps from bustling streets: Four Beasts Area — Xiangshan vel Elephant Peak viewpoint, followed by taking a lift to the observation deck of Taipei 101 building. Then a Korean lunch in the basement of this famous sky-scraper, followed with a lazy stroll through the Xinyi district shopping area, finally arriving in Songshan district for checking a Tibetan Buddhist shop there, just curious… Not hungry, but interested — a night marked visit is always a good idea(?) to spend some time — so we visited the Linjiang Night Market in Da’an. Day 3 photos.
  
• Monday: The planned trip with Maokong Gondola to tea plantations and tea houses in the green hills just outside the city was not possible — the cable cars were working just on –this– Monday! So after an erratic walk in the Da’an Forest Park we decided to make a rainy trip to the sea, precisely to the historical town of Tamsui — temples, churches and other historical buildings like San Domingo Fort, Japanese Township Head Residence, finishing in a fancy coffee shop. Then took the metro all the way back to Taipei 101 for a fantastic dumplings meal in Din Tai Fung before taking the train to the Taoyuan airport for our night flight to Europe. Photos from the departure day.