Boarding Gate 101

Mostly known for its night markets , the supertall Taipei 101 , and for one of the biggest Chinese art museums in the world, Taipei has another attraction that visitors must experience - the hot springs. Located in the northern part of the city, Beitou is mountainous and is criss-crossed by rivers and creeks, often enveloped by steam caused by geothermal warming. The name Beitou originally means 'witch,' probably an oblique reference to the steam rising in the valley - like that of a witch's cauldron.  During the Japanese occupation, the area was developed into a resort town, with inns equipped with hot mineral baths were constructed, much like the onsen in Japan . During my weekend visit to Taipei I swung by the hot spring resorts at the end of the day, as a way to relax after a whole day of exploring the urban side of the city. The area where I went to is called Xingyi Road. Navigating to the area was a bit challenging at first as most of the road s...

I spent most my childhood, outside of school, hanging around the market in my hometown. My grandparents's house, where I stayed until I was in first grade, was located near the public market, so I grew up with the tiangge  as my playground. It probably is the reason why I am more at ease with the hustle and bustle of urban areas, especially while traveling.  Maybe because of that that I kind of felt right at home exploring the night markets of Taipei during a trip there late last year. I was able to explore two night markets: one in Jin Liang St., and the other (the more famous of the two), in Shilin. Jin Liang is right across my hostel and very near Taipei 101 , so I spent a longer time there. Just point and pray your digestive system is strong enough Night markets are a mostly Asian phenomenon, usually occurring where Chinese migrants congregate, like chinatowns. The open-air markets are usually composed of stalls placed on the sidewalks and streets, wit...

Between the trips to the US and Japan was the weekend trip to Taipei. I got my tickets to it first as the US trip was unexpected (as I already had a business trip to it back in March), and I only got my tickets to Tokyo a month later. If it weren't for the one-peso fare promo of Cebu Pacific I wouldn't have planned it al all. I am still wary of Taiwan, as the country has been behaving dickishly towards the Philippines on the diplomatic front, and I have all but written off the country as a destination. Still, the one-peso fare (and the prospect of visiting a new country) beckoned like a siren to a hapless sailor, and I booked my ticket as soon as the airline announced the promotion. Taipei 101 mall As I mentioned in this blog so many times I am drawn to skyscrapers, and Taipei has a notable one - Taipei 101. It is one of the popular destinations in the city, and I set aside half a day to visit it. The building is also right up on my list of supertalls that I wante...