Taiwan blew me away! (Trip Report and Images)

So, finally made a trip to Taipei from India. My 9th foreign country and a really beautiful one. I hope this report is of good use to anyone who wants to explore this island.

Some common pointers:

• Food, I am a vegetarian. Nothing to worry, lot of options. Taiwan is far too kind to vegetarians compared to my Balkan outing last time out. Happy Cow app works fine.
• 7 Elevens and FamilyMarts are at every corner. Food, tickets, snacks, everything is here.
• Language Barrier: Present but does not really matter. Almost every place I went to including street food places have English on their menu.
• IPass or EasyCard: My whole trip I spent around 1K NTD. You can buy tickets with cash but this is easier. Works for all public transportation. The cost from Taoyuan Airport to city center is 160 NTD one way. You can calculate how much you want to top up accordingly.
• Be ready to walk. MRTs take you close but not close enough. I averaged 20K steps each day during my travel. Maybe that's my style but Taiwan does need walking. And is very enjoyable that way.
• Night markets: I went to 3 major ones. Shilin, Ningxia, Raiohe. Raiohe and Ningxia are straight forward. Straight streets with food either side. Shilin is a bit more vast but also bigger. Ningxia is the smallest but still lovely. Veg food is available but obviously not as much as meat.
• Last one - depends on each person. Listen to your body and adjust plans. I have described my last min plan changes. I prefer to adjust that go through with original plan and in the end just left with a bitter memory of exhaustion.

Itinerary (8 nights, 9 days)

Day 1: Arrived at night. Hopped on the Airport express metro and came to my hostel. I was stunned at how calm and almost dead silent the Datong District was at night around just 8 PM. Good place for a hostel. No nearby sounds or stuff. Grabbed dinner at QSquare mall and was dead from near 17 hrs travel.

Day 2: Walked around 226 Peace Park, Ximending at night and few close by places. Orientation.

Day 3: Went to Yangminshan National Park. Took MRT to Jingtan and from there a direct bus to Qiagtianjang. Within the park there is a shuttle bus which can take you to other famous loops in the park. I only did this and then went straight to the visitor center. I made a stop at Beitou on return - honestly didn't enjoy much. Hot springs may not be for me.

Day 4: Went to Chiayi on HSR and then to Alishan. Reached by afternoon and took a train to Zhaoping station. This takes you to the Sister Ponds hike and all those Giant Trees. This was heaven for me. I love nature. I hiked this trail and the Giant Trees one till evening and made my way to Shenmu. Took the train down to Alishan station for the evening. There is a platform outside the national park where sunset is very beautiful. Ask the guards at the gate, they will stamp your ticket to allow you outside and get back in without paying for another ticket.

Day 5: Woke up at 4 AM for sunrise. Went to catch the Zhushan train. There is a viewpoint further down from the station. A short hike. That is a bit less crowded because people flood the main viewpoint just near the station. Not saying the other one is free of people. But a better viewpoint for me personally. I walked the way down to soak the nature in. Left for Taipei in evening.

Day 6: After all this up and down travel. I still didn't slow down. Planned Jiufen and Shifen trip. First went to Shifen via Ruifang station. Then came back to Ruifang after doing Shifen Old Street and water fall. Then took a bus to Jiufen by evening to reach before sunset. A lovely place. Lot of lanterns and good views and food. There will be a truckload of people from 5 to 7 PM. Around 7: 30 PM I noticed the crowds slimmed considerably at the main photo point at Au Mei Teahouse. Be smart in planning your way back to Taipei. Late buses may be full and they will absolutely not allow you to stand on those roads.

Day 7: Finally all those day trips caught me. I cancelled my initial plan to Manyueyuan National Park. Did a few local things. Undiscovered streets and food. Explore Shilin Night market in evening.

Day 8: My last full day. I again wanted to go to Wulai but body screamed no. So I stayed in Taipei. Took a nice massage and walked around town. Killed my time in town. Explored Raiohe Night Market. Yes, I missed out on a couple of major spots but I think I did the right thing by listening to my body. Have traveled enough to learn that lesson.

Day 9: Last day. I checked out the same places I was going all these days. By this time I am a local almost. Happens always. Sadness creeps in but then this does not have to be the last time at all.

Budget - (INR)

Flights round trip: 32K

Accommodation: 30-35K (8 nights)

Buses and Trains within Taiwan: 10-12K

Food/Massage etc: 30K

This is a rough figure but I am certain the total was under 110K.

Accommodation:

In Taipei, I stayed at We Come Hostel near Beimen station. It was a wonderful place. Walkable to Taipei Main Station, to Ningxia Night Market, to Dihua street, and to Ximending. Close proximity to the MRT was very useful to make all day trips.

In Alishan National Park, I spent a night at Shermuh Hotel. A decent hotel. The prices inside the NP you will notice are excessive but that is the premium you have to pay for location. You can stay in Chiayi or close by towns but then getting to the park is a trick without a car.

Bookings: I made bookings online for buses to Alishan from Chiayi and back. Printed these tickets at FamilyMart. Did the same for sunrise train tickets in Alishan.

That covers most of it. I will be happy to answer anything else.

Enjoy your life. Travel. Be safe. Be happy. Help others out. It's a short life.