Tag Archives: travel

A Trip of Firsts

Plethora of Taipei guidebooks.

Plethora of Taipei guidebooks and maps I grabbed at various locations. Ended up not using any.

Neighborhood cafe that served fusion Korean-Taiwanese sandwiches.

Neighborhood cafe that served fusion Korean-Taiwanese sandwiches.

Mymore Bakery in Taipei, Taiwan.

Stumbled upon MyMore, a gem of a bakery. They had a great selection of delicious artisan breads like Japanese Red Wine, Cultivation Wolfberry, Frozen Chocolate and many many more. #carbocide

MyMore's schedule of freshly baked bread sorted by flavors!

MyMore’s schedule of freshly baked bread sorted by flavors.

Taiwanese street vendor selling handmade and hand-painted ocarinas in all shapes and sizes in jiufen.

Took a day trip to jiufen (approximately an hour outside of Taipei) with our photographer and his friend. It used to be a mining town in the 50s and is now a popular tourist destination. This street vendor was selling handmade and hand-painted ocarinas in all shapes and sizes.

Mom and pop joint selling Taiwanese dessert (shaved peanut + ice-cream wrapped up).

Mom and pop joint selling Taiwanese dessert (shaved peanut + ice-cream wrap). Singapore sells a similar ice-cream waffle/sandwich so the thought of mixing dessert with bread wasn’t foreign.

Taiwanese tea eggs (cooked in jasmine tea and soy sauce).

Sporting my photographer’s jacket and picking Taiwanese tea eggs. The hard-boiled eggs were cooked in jasmine tea and soy sauce. Don’t judge, just try it if you get the chance!

The staff at a local tea house in jiufen teaching us how to prepare tea.

Tea demonstration at a local tea house.

Giving our legs a rest and our tummies a treat with oolong tea and different desserts.

Giving our legs a rest and our tummies a treat with oolong tea and desserts (peanuts, green tea cheesecake, green tea biscuits and red bean mochi).

Jiufen's trademark red lanterns lighting up the night sky.

Jiufen’s trademark red lanterns lighting up the night sky.

Hanging out at tingba in Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan.

Hanging out with some new friends at a bar in Ximending.

Shilin Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan,

Went the famous Shilin Night Market despite wanting to pass out after a full day of walking. Was definitely worth it. Spent about 3 hours shopping and eating.

Coconut milk at Shilin Night Market.

My Mandarin isn’t very good so I’ve been randomly choosing my snacks and meals (which is adventurous for me because I am a super picky eater). This coconut milk was sooo fresh and smooth. #nomnomnom

Juicy pork and vegetable bun at Shilin Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan.

Had no idea what I ordered when I paid for this. Luckily it wasn’t anything weird (spicy meat and vegetables). Took me an hour to eat it because it was so filling #startuplife #dontwastefood

Pig's Blood Cake in Shilin Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan.

This literally means “Pig’s Blood Cake”. You’re suppose to eat it with soy sauce and peanuts. This was the one thing I couldn’t bring myself to try… especially after our photographer joked that it was pig’s period. GROSS.

GMO avocados at Shilin Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan.

GMO avocados? I’d buy them in bulk if I didn’t already have 30kg worth of stuff to bring home.

Inside the Pavilion of Dreams in Taipei, Taiwan.

Inside the Pavilion of Dreams.

Outside the Pavilion of Dreams in Taipei, Taiwan.

Outside the Pavilion of Dreams.

Guava popsicle.

Guava popsicle.

My 8 day trip to Taipei was a wonderful jam-packed experience. It was the first time I travelled alone on a business trip, the first time I went to a new city without knowing anyone, the first time I forgoed making crazy detailed plans and the first time I encouraged myself to be spontaneous (said yes to everything and anything, that was legal of course). The temporary carefree attitude was super liberating. It was fun letting life unfold in unexpected ways, instead of trying to control different variables and hoping everything will pan out perfectly. Couldn’t have asked for a better time!

xx Ling

Standard