Day 2 [28th Oct]: Taipei

I started my second day proper by heading to the MRT station and purchasing a 2-day tourist pass for NT$310. The tourist pass allows unlimited travel on MRT and also selected buses and the pass ends on 23:59 of the second day rather than 48 hours from purchase time. Still, it's really worth it if you intend to take lots of MRT rides in 2 days.

After getting the pass, I took the MRT to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and had breakfast in the vicinity. Breakfast was simple, but tastes great and costs just NT$45. That's very cheap if you compare to Singapore standards!

 

After the quick breakfast, I walked over to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (国立中正纪念堂). It's a small tourist attraction where you spend several minutes in the area taking photos. I think I spent about 15 to 30 minutes in the area including walking around.

Next, I headed to Taipei 101 via MRT. Taipei 101 seemed like quite a distance away from the MRT station. I bought the tickets to the observatory for NT$450 after 10% discount by VISA. I spent some time taking photos in the observatory and also views from up there. I also spent quite some time in the jewelery shop admiring the coral decorations and taking lots of photos there. After spendign about 2 hours in this tourist attraction, I would say it's definitely worth a visit for anyone who loves scenery from up high and have never been to Taipei 101. I also bought quite a number of souvenirs from their souvenir shops.

After the visit, I headed to顶泰丰 and had to wait for about 15 to 20 minutes before there is a vacant table for me. As expected, this turned out to my most expensive meal for the trip. I ordered half portion of 小笼包 (5pcs)，half portion of 虾仁烧卖 (5pcs) and 红烧牛肉面 (beef noodles).

 

After the heavy lunch, I took the MRT to Sun Yat Sen Museum (孫中山紀念館). This place is a huge contrast to C.K.S Memorial Hall as there are hordes of tourists crowding around trying to take photos of the guards performing for everyone. Outside, there is also a good view of Taipei 101.

After the visit, I visited 2 IT malls before heading back to the hostel to offload some stuff and for a short rest. Surprisingly, I discovered that flash memory cards and clothes at Uniqlo are actually cheaper in Singapore. After my short break, I headed to 西门町 (Ximending) for some window shopping. It was already evening but I was still feeling very full from my heavy lunch.

 
After some shopping in XMD, I headed to Raohe Night Market for food. Raohe Night Market was quite a distance away from the MRT station. Along the way, I decided to prescribe a new pair of spectacles as I have lost them earlier in the morning. To my pleasant surprise, they managed to prescribe my spectacles within an hour. I chatted with the staffs a little while waiting for my spectacles to be ready. After collecting my specs, I headed to Raohe. Over in Raohe, there seems to be quite a number of stalls selling shells served in BBQ way. I managed to try 黑胡椒饼，爱玉+仙草+珍珠，prawns, clams, oyster, scallop and shellfish. After the satisfying feast and minimal shopping, it was already past 11pm, so I had to take a taxi back to the hostel. Fortunately, taxi fare in Taiwan is much cheaper than in Singapore.

More photos here!