Xinyi – The Hidden Panorama

3 Days – Taiwan Experimental Travel Itinerary

The first time I traveled in Taiwan, my itinerary was not really planned. I called it as experimental travel because it’s the first country that I visited using a visa exempt policy. So, in nature, there is possibility that my entry will be denied if there is something wrong how I understand Taiwan’s policy regarding visa-exempt. But I was thankful that my first entry was smooth as I dreamed of it.

Without further ado, here are the 3-Days Itinerary that I had during my first time visit in Taiwan. Please use the itinerary as reference as the list are not necessarily in order the way I visited them. I myself checks other itineraries from other travelers but in the end, I still created my own itinerary based on budget, time frame, availability and more of my preferences. There are different reasons and considerations for my list so you can use it at your own discretion.

Day 1 – Taipei City

Wanhua District (Part 1 & Part 2)

Ximending

Huaxi Street Night Market

Red House Theater

Bopiliao Historical Block

Taipei Jen-Chi Hospital

[Bangka] Qingshui (Chingshui) Temple

[Bangka] Mengxia (Mengjia) Longshan (Lungshan) Temple

[Bangka] Qingshan Temple (Qingshangong)

Bangka Park (Mengxia [Mengjia] Park)

Xinyi District

Taipei 101

Taipei City Government and City Hall

Shin Kong Mitsukosh

Daan District

Lin Jiang (Linjian) [Tonghua] Street Night Market

Day 2 – Taipei City

Wenshan District

Taipei Zoo

Day 3 – Hualien County

Taroko National Park (Part 1 & Part 2)

Taroko National Park East Entrance Arch Gate (East Gate)

Shakadang Trail

Yanzikou (Swallow Grotto)

Tunnel of Nine Turns

Tien-Hsiang

Cihmu (Cimu) Bridge

Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine)

Hualien Der-yen beach

Day 3 – Taipei City

Shilin District

Shilin Night Market

People : Who Wants to be Entertained?

People (Post#3) : Who Wants to be Entertained?

While walking along at Vie Show Square Taipei Hsin Yi, I passed a street entertainment portraying a character. It’s familiar to me and it looks like an anime villain but I can’t remember the name of it, or probably I was wrong in my thoughts. Anyone out there can freely identify who it might be. These photos are part of Taiwan Experimental Travel Adventure Photo Collection January 2017.

Taipei (Day 1 – Part 3) A Bit of Xinyi and Daan District

From Longshan Temple Station, I took Bannan Line to reach Taipei Main Station and from there I change to Tamsui-Xinyi Line train to reach Taipei 101 / World Trade Center Station. I get off the station and saw a different kind of world compared to Wanhua District.

Taipei 101

First thing that I saw was Taipei 101 Tower which famous in the world. Though I was already in the ground just outside of the building, I never went inside the building nor I visited its observation deck to see the city from the top, at that time it’s not my plan, I just wanted to walk around the place. The ground was my starting point to see the district and took some photos of art works being displayed just outside the tower.

Taipei 101

Some of the public artworks that can be seen outside the tower are “Infinite Life” by Kang Mu-Hsiang and “The Rising Sun-The Shooting Stars” by Doug Duff. Below are the photos of the art and its description.

“Infinite Life”

The tightly coiled lines of 「Infinite Life」trace out the image of life in its original form, a steel embryo reborn from the towering structure from which it came. As a reflection on the circle of life, using retired cable from the TAIPEI 101 Observatory high-speed elevator to create beauty from otherwise discarded material, the sculpture stands as testimony to TAIPEI 101’s philosophy of environmental protection.

“The Rising Sun-The Shooting Stars”

An egg-shape waterscape occupying the gentle slope on Sung-Ren Road, water forms different flows along the angles the leaning egg-shaped fountain creates. On the top, a 90cm- diameter granite ball rolls as water whirls. Around the egg, water jets light up the night. The waterscape is formed by a three-dimensional granite assemblage, of human height and proportioned to create a congenial atmosphere that puts pedestrians at ease. A wind speed sensor is included to turn down the jet power during windy times.

“Partners” by Taipei Financial Center Corp

Additional art that I captured has title “Partners”. These are colorful blocks stands in the front and made by Taipei Financial Center Corp.

Some snapshots taken just outside the tower

Taipei 101 was formerly known as Taipei World Financial Center and was once the Tallest Tower in the world from 2004 to 2009 until Burj Khalifa broke the record. But the tower still holds the record as the Tallest and Largest Green Building in the World. Another interesting note that I learned about it is, it holds the Platinum Certification which is Highest Certification in (LEED) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design with that said, I truly respect government and businesses that considers environmental design in every infrastructure they built.

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Taipei 101 from a distance

Taipei City Government and Shopping Areas

I walked from Xinyi Road and then turned left to Songzhi Road not knowing what to see. While walking along Songzhi Road, I found the Taipei City Hall. I reached the end of Songzhi Road which is Songgao Road where Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Mall (Xinyi Place) is located. I walked in the walkway between buildings and I felt overwhelmed because I found a lot of high-end boutique stores in the area which I can say a haven for people who love shopping.

Looking towards ATT 4 Fun Shopping Mall along Songzhi Road

Taipei City Government Park

Taipei City Hall

Songzhi Road towards Songgao Road

Songzhi Road corner Songgao Road

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Mall (Xinyi Place)

After my eyes had been blown-away by high-end international stores in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, I walked to another area not really far from where I came from which is Vie Show Square Taipei Hsin Yi where I witnessed a public entertainment show of some kind of anime character (forgive me if I cannot identify the character, its familiar to me, but not sure who is the character it portrays).

Vie Show Square Taipei Hsin Yi

Photos while walking at Vie Show Square Taipei Hsin Yi

Lin Jiang (Linjian) [Tonghua] Street Night Market

From Vie Show Square Taipei Hsin Yi, I took a bus going to Lin Jiang Street Night Market because I was already hungry from walking. I get off at Sanxing Elementary School near the night street, just a few steps away from it. So I passed the street and walked back. I ate some meats and veggies while walking on the street and bought some sweets to take home as my snacks.

Lin Jiang (Linjian) [Tonghua] Street Night Market

So, overall I enjoyed my first day in Taipei walking around in Wanhua and experiencing a bit of Xinyi and Daan District. I know that these are not all what these districts has to offer but I just have limited time in Taiwan. Until then.

In The Middle Of Somewhere : Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (Xinyi Place)

In The Middle Of Somewhere (Post#8) : Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (Xinyi Place)

I think market place will be always part of tourist destination. I am not used to shopping activity when I am traveling because I believed that I can do the shopping back home and I am trying to avoid to bring so much when my trip ended. After taking photo shots of Taipei 101, I ended up in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, one of the international department store chain with the headquarter in Tokyo Japan while I was walking away from Taipei 101 building. These photos are part of Taiwan Experimental Travel Adventure Photo Collection January 2017.

Name Of The Place : Bo-Pi-Liao (Bopiliao) – A Century Old City Block in Taiwan

Name Of The Place (Post#29) : Bo-Pi-Liao (Bopiliao) – A Century Old City Block in Taiwan)

After visiting Longshan Temple, I checked my map if there are still other things to see in the area. The map shows that another historical site is nearby. From the temple I walked along Guangzhou Street. After passing an alley and two main roads, I reached the historical site in Taiwan called Bopiliao.

Bopiliao is the place where Chinese fir-tree bank was peeled. With the demand to cater the needs of the workers, the place become a block. The block combines the South Fujian and Baroque styles that are still visible in the place. These photos are part of Taiwan Experimental Travel Adventure Photo Collection January 2017.