When I was doing my research about Taipei, one thing would always come out–that while the city lacks the big, stunning theme parks tourists always look for, it can offer a lot more. And so I went to our big adventure, with nothing but high hopes and a sheet of paper in my pocket.
Taipei, as stated by articles and as told by friends, is as underrated as it could be. It doesn’t seem as shiny as its neighboring towns, and yet it is a gem on its own. I personally chose an itinerary that will show us a good mix of the city and also the countryside. And yes, day hikes seem to already be a must-see in every new country that I visit.
Coming from a red eye flight, we woke up late on day one with only one item on the list: biking. I was lucky enough to be with a strong and brave team that’s game for anything, and so we went on to circle a 15 kilometer riverside trail that will let us travel two of the topmost districts of New Taipei, Tamsui and Bali.
It was such a refreshing treat; getting out of the city and just letting fresh wind blow through our bodies as we were biking along the expressway, on top of the Guandu bridge, and along the coasts of Taipei. There were a lot of good spots in the area and a lot of amusing bikers around, too. We all couldn’t help but sigh at the thought that such scenario would’ve been ideal if we had it back home. But isn’t that the beauty of traveling–getting to appreciate things that only happen in strange, new places?
For Day two, I chose a supposedly relaxed plan so that we can prepare and rest early for the next day’s heavy lifting. We were supposed to have a quick lunch, go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, take a close peek of Taipei 101, and eventually watch the sunset in Elephant Mountain. But with (apparently) so many things to do-and waking up late as well-we ended up cramming time and visiting Elephant Mountain at night. Expectedly, the view there was fantastic. We wished to have seen it with less people though because the dream of lounging around while taking as much time as we wanted wasn’t possible at all with the steady stream of people walking around. We still made the most out of it though as we got to have a good vantage point of Taiwan’s most popular tower.
Now, let me cut this post short and let you hit press to the next one for what went on during the last two days. Here’s to getting more out of the expected. 🙂
ABBIE GIRON 