By the third day, we were already completely petered out from all the walking we’ve been doing. When we got out of bed, it felt like our aching bones would give way any minute. These are seasoned shopaholics you’re talking about (in case you thought we were weak).

But of course, that didn’t deter us.

Right after breakfast, we combed the streets of Ximending to check out the shops which were closed when we went on the first night. I got myself a few more pairs of flats, Taiwanese magazines that came with tote bags and cosmetics, more facial masks and other beauty stuff. I ended up with so many shopping bags I had to get a big karang guni bag to stash everything.

Dumped our shopping at the hotel and went in search of lunch. We ended up at this eatery near our hotel where we had one of the most delicious beef noodles ever! The meat was so tender and the broth was rich and flavourful. Will definitely make a trip back if I visit Taipei again.

With round one of shopping completed, we made our way to Wufenpu (an area best known for its wholesale garment market) for round two.

It was quite a disappointing trip though. We covered every turn and every alleyway but ended up with only a few items each. Could be because it was supposed to be the winter season, there weren’t much stuff that were really suitable for wearing back home. It could also be the quirky Taiwanese fashion that weren’t to our tastes.

Thankfully, the weather was a comfortable 18°C — perfect to be outdoors and walking, so we were just happy to be popping in and out of shops.

We had earlier split into small groups to make it easier to shop. When we reconvened at a mini park nearby, it was late afternoon. And we were on the brink of DYING of fatigue.

Despite the blistered feet and aching calves, we decided to check out the nightlife in Taipei. We were that determined to make the most of our short stay.

After a simple dinner and coffee session at Taipei 101, we asked for directions to Room 18 where we stayed all night.

Three of us were picked up by really aggressive local guys even though we had guys with us, it was crazy. We had a lot of fun and danced for four hours straight!

I went to bed that night with six huge Salonpas plasters slapped all over my lower back and calves.
 

Read the rest of my Taipei/Hong Kong travelogue:
Taipei Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Hong Kong Extension

On our second day, we started off with a three-hour meeting in the morning. Zzz.

It was quite a hilarious sight to see some of our colleagues still hungover from partying the night before, looking very groggy and trying to focus!

After the meeting, we were given some time to explore the area surrounding our hotel. There wasn’t much to see so we went to the nearby 7-11 store, where I was suckered into buying a box of Hello Kitty facial masks. Can’t stand myself sometimes.

Then we hopped onto our coach and set off for some sightseeing.

Yehliu Geopark – It is a long cape (about 1.7 km) reaching out into the sea. It is a rare and stunning geological landscape formed by wave attack, rock weathering, earth movement and crustal movement.

What a beautiful place :)

Jiufen – This is a small town in north Taiwan which, until the 1950s, was a prosperous gold mining town. When the mines were closed in the 1970s, it went into a sharp decline and only received a new wave of attention after a few popular movies were filmed there in the early 1990s.

Before the roads were built, all materials were transported via ships. Because of this, its people formed the habit of purchasing nine pieces of same object for convenience, hence the name.

Today, it is a popular tourist trap destination with quaint streets, tea houses, souvenir shops and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean coastline.

We practically ate our way through Jiufen Old Street during our two-hour visit, as you will see from the photographic evidence below.

Next stop was another very forgettable tour group dinner. We were perfectly fine with that especially after all that snacking we just did, and knowing there would be another round of junk food waiting…

Shilin Night Market – The largest and most famous night market in the city. Requires no explanation ;)

Didn’t manage to take many pictures here because it was quite impossible to pose for a shot with the throngs of shoppers pushing to get past. I was also too busy shopping.

Also bumped into Cindy and Yonglin amidst the throngs of people, of all places!

We were on such a high from all that shopping we didn’t want to end the night early. Someone then suggested we have a…

BEER PARTY!

In case you’re wondering, it was a very insipid party. We drank our beer while watching the local cable with our masks on. Haha.

At about 2 a.m., we called it a night.

P.S. Still can’t believe that of all places, I’d bump into Cindy and YL in the chaotic night market!
 

Read the rest of my Taipei/Hong Kong travelogue:
Taipei Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Hong Kong Extension

Upon arriving at the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, I had expected we would be transferred to our hotel where we could check-in and freshen up before heading out to dinner. Instead, with luggages stored away in the tour bus, we hit the ground running and headed straight for Danshui.

As we would later find out, this was a prelude to how the rest of our trip would be like.

Danshui Old Street – Famished and exhausted from being on the road all day, we were a little grumpy knowing we wouldn’t be given any rest but also thought it would be nice to to grab some local snacks.

(Taipei is not far from Singapore but we flew with Cathay so there was an hour long transit in Hong Kong. Boarded our first flight at 8 a.m. and only landed in Taipei at about 3 p.m.)

Imagine our happiness when we arrived at this bustling street lined with stalls offering steaming hot local snacks. We tried everything – steamed pork dumplings, grilled squid and fried chicken fillet, just to name a few.

Next stop, catching the sunset…

Danshui Fisherman’s Wharf – Famous for it’s view of the beautiful sunset, the pier is located further downstream from the town itself and offers a boardwalk, chic coffee shops, food windows and some seafood restaurants.

We went up the “Lover’s Bridge”, a single slanted tower cable stay pedestrian bridge that is modeled after a sailing ship’s mast and rigging.

After this, we went for a very forgettable dinner arranged by the travel agent and got started on what we were waiting for – SHOPPING!

Ximending – This place attracts over three million shoppers a month and is also known as the “Harajuku of Taipei”.

We got to shop in peace since it was a work night and the crowd was lesser than the usual crazy mob. I swept many boxes of facial masks off the shelves and bought enough shoes to last me many months.

All this on the first night. Hurhur.

We were only given an hour to explore the place so if you think about it (and if you know how fickle women are when it comes to shoes and clothes), our decision-making skills were quite remarkable. Of course, not without some “help” from evil shopping buddies :P

Bobbing from the excitement of our new purchases, we piled back into the tour bus and headed for the hotel.

Sheraton Taipei Hotel was our home for the next three days. It is strategically located three minutes away from Shan Dao Temple Station so it was very easy for us to get around.

Slapped on a hydrating mask before turning in

And that’s the end of our first day in Taipei.
 

Read the rest of my Taipei/Hong Kong travelogue:
Taipei Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Hong Kong Extension