Taiwan 2014 Days 1, 2 - Flying to Taiwan and visiting Taipei Zoo, Maokong and Shilin Night Market
For the December hols, we decided to visit Taiwan (again).
We were last in Taiwan with the older boys in Feb 2013 and we really enjoyed it. Our other choices were HK Disneyland or Japan but we still chose Taiwan in the end. The pros being, the 5-hour flight duration is bearable, it is relatively easy to get around, it is not too expensive, the weather would not be too cold in December and hey they have Chinese food for my boys ;)
We chose to leave baby Jordan behind though. Up to that point, I had never spent even a night apart from him so I was quite heartbroken. I really wanted to bring him along but I knew we wouldn’t have as much fun fretting over three kids in a foreign country and I knew he would be in the good hands of my mum while we were away.
For starters, our trip did not get off on a good foot because I was stricken with stomach flu on the day we were set to depart. I felt really woozy that day and thought I was just exhausted from packing and running around. Then on my way to the airport, I felt so ill I threw up all the contents of my stomach. Then I threw up again on the plane. I felt so sick and awful.
Thankfully, other than me being green, our 5-hour flight to Taipei was otherwise uneventful. There was no entertainment on board (budget flight) so we kept the boys busy with toys we had brought along (Lego and Plus-plus). That worked for a while. They still had ants in their pants and we eventually caved and let them watch cartoons on our iPad for more than half the flight.
We got into a very chilly Taipei at around 10pm at night.
There was some screw-up with the hotel taxi which meant more waiting with a very sick me and two overtired boys. In the end, we just cabbed it all the way to the hotel. It was way past the boys' bedtime and Ryan quite expectedly knocked out in the car and did not stir till the next morning.
We stayed at Ambience Hotel. The hotel seemed quite new and we had a very comfortable and relaxing stay. Our room also had a really nice big tub for the boys to soak in. (Travel tip: I always make a point to book hotel rooms with bathtubs for the kids to play in at the end of the day.)
I slept on the extra bed the first few nights because I really did not want to spread my stomach flu to the kids. Foops had to run out to get some anti-vomiting meds for me on the first night and thankfully, I felt a bit better after that. (I only fully recovered and stopped throwing up on Day 3 or 4. Ugh!)
We took our first day in Taipei easily. We had a nice big breakfast at the hotel (they have a nice spread).
The weather was quite cool (about 12 deg C) which was novel for the boys. I LOVE the weather too - I swear everyone would be a lot less grumpy if the weather were cooler in Singapore :)
We threw on our jackets and took a slow stroll to the Taipei Main Station (about 15 mins by foot) and boarded a train to Maokong.
Our first stop was Taipei Zoo (our first visit). The entrance fee is really affordable (about SGD3!) and even though it was quite crowded (as it was a Sunday), it did not seem so bad because the weather was lovely.
We saw many animals. Our favourites were the koalas and the pandas. We were not very ambitious about covering everything and it was not very big so we were done in about 2-3 hours.
Then we spotted a cute train that whizzed past the zoo and decided to hop on it. Turned out it brought us to the Maokong gondola station.
The boys were so thrilled to be in the Hello Kitty-themed gondola (cable car) and soar above the hills. The view was awesome.
Maokong is a very small hillside town that is famous for its tea and breathtaking views of the Taipei city. It is quite a nice little place to explore for an afternoon.
We had lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the hillside. The dishes had a very homecooked feel to them. The boys wolfed down their soup noodles. The tea-infused chicken which was served cold was really unique. It had a strong tea aftertaste but I really liked it!
Then we popped into one of the small shops for matcha icecream because the boys wanted some. I was still feeling sick so I could only watch them eat :\
After our tea break, we took the train cab back to the city and cabbed to Shilin for, err, dinner.
The Shilin Night Market was really huge and packed. It was a challenge pushing our stroller through the throngs of people. I was so afraid we would lose the kids!
There were lots to see and eat - we settled the boys' dinner first in a restaurant and then walked around buying snacks from the roadside stalls. We tried some smelly tofu (never again), crispy fried chicken and roasted corn. Didn't think any of them were particularly nice!
Then the boys found the games corner and got completely hooked. They tried some darts game, hitting water balloons and their favourite: shooting games. I loved that the games were pitched at the children's level and they always walked away with prizes. The boys won soft toys and toy guns which really made their day!
It was a fun first day out in Taipei. I would highly recommend the Taipei Zoo and Maokong gondola if you are traveling with children :)
We were last in Taiwan with the older boys in Feb 2013 and we really enjoyed it. Our other choices were HK Disneyland or Japan but we still chose Taiwan in the end. The pros being, the 5-hour flight duration is bearable, it is relatively easy to get around, it is not too expensive, the weather would not be too cold in December and hey they have Chinese food for my boys ;)
We chose to leave baby Jordan behind though. Up to that point, I had never spent even a night apart from him so I was quite heartbroken. I really wanted to bring him along but I knew we wouldn’t have as much fun fretting over three kids in a foreign country and I knew he would be in the good hands of my mum while we were away.
For starters, our trip did not get off on a good foot because I was stricken with stomach flu on the day we were set to depart. I felt really woozy that day and thought I was just exhausted from packing and running around. Then on my way to the airport, I felt so ill I threw up all the contents of my stomach. Then I threw up again on the plane. I felt so sick and awful.
Thankfully, other than me being green, our 5-hour flight to Taipei was otherwise uneventful. There was no entertainment on board (budget flight) so we kept the boys busy with toys we had brought along (Lego and Plus-plus). That worked for a while. They still had ants in their pants and we eventually caved and let them watch cartoons on our iPad for more than half the flight.
We got into a very chilly Taipei at around 10pm at night.
There was some screw-up with the hotel taxi which meant more waiting with a very sick me and two overtired boys. In the end, we just cabbed it all the way to the hotel. It was way past the boys' bedtime and Ryan quite expectedly knocked out in the car and did not stir till the next morning.
We stayed at Ambience Hotel. The hotel seemed quite new and we had a very comfortable and relaxing stay. Our room also had a really nice big tub for the boys to soak in. (Travel tip: I always make a point to book hotel rooms with bathtubs for the kids to play in at the end of the day.)
I slept on the extra bed the first few nights because I really did not want to spread my stomach flu to the kids. Foops had to run out to get some anti-vomiting meds for me on the first night and thankfully, I felt a bit better after that. (I only fully recovered and stopped throwing up on Day 3 or 4. Ugh!)
We took our first day in Taipei easily. We had a nice big breakfast at the hotel (they have a nice spread).
The weather was quite cool (about 12 deg C) which was novel for the boys. I LOVE the weather too - I swear everyone would be a lot less grumpy if the weather were cooler in Singapore :)
We threw on our jackets and took a slow stroll to the Taipei Main Station (about 15 mins by foot) and boarded a train to Maokong.
Our first stop was Taipei Zoo (our first visit). The entrance fee is really affordable (about SGD3!) and even though it was quite crowded (as it was a Sunday), it did not seem so bad because the weather was lovely.
We saw many animals. Our favourites were the koalas and the pandas. We were not very ambitious about covering everything and it was not very big so we were done in about 2-3 hours.
Then we spotted a cute train that whizzed past the zoo and decided to hop on it. Turned out it brought us to the Maokong gondola station.
The boys were so thrilled to be in the Hello Kitty-themed gondola (cable car) and soar above the hills. The view was awesome.
Maokong is a very small hillside town that is famous for its tea and breathtaking views of the Taipei city. It is quite a nice little place to explore for an afternoon.
We had lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the hillside. The dishes had a very homecooked feel to them. The boys wolfed down their soup noodles. The tea-infused chicken which was served cold was really unique. It had a strong tea aftertaste but I really liked it!
Then we popped into one of the small shops for matcha icecream because the boys wanted some. I was still feeling sick so I could only watch them eat :\
After our tea break, we took the train cab back to the city and cabbed to Shilin for, err, dinner.
The Shilin Night Market was really huge and packed. It was a challenge pushing our stroller through the throngs of people. I was so afraid we would lose the kids!
There were lots to see and eat - we settled the boys' dinner first in a restaurant and then walked around buying snacks from the roadside stalls. We tried some smelly tofu (never again), crispy fried chicken and roasted corn. Didn't think any of them were particularly nice!
Then the boys found the games corner and got completely hooked. They tried some darts game, hitting water balloons and their favourite: shooting games. I loved that the games were pitched at the children's level and they always walked away with prizes. The boys won soft toys and toy guns which really made their day!
It was a fun first day out in Taipei. I would highly recommend the Taipei Zoo and Maokong gondola if you are traveling with children :)