TRAVEL DIARIES: TAIPEI

My first ever travel post!!! I should be dedicated to more of this, don't you think? To add variety to my blog posts... hmmm I'll think about it. Hahaha! My lazy butt is nudging me again. 

Most of thy pictures are taken by my aspiring photographer, my sister, Tricia Atienza! Go follow her on instagram if you want to see more of her wonderfully captured moments! @triciaatienza

And while you're on the verge of searching her, don't forget to follow me as well @lykaatienzaaa :)

SUPPORT THE ATIENZA SISTERS!!! Hahaha! 

We arrived at the Taoyuan airport, which was approximately 40 minutes away from our hotel within the vicinity of Ximending. Completely fell in love with the interiors of the terminal! Ehem ehem! Suggestions for NAIA 1! :)

This was the carbo loaded breakfast... of my sister. We were in Taipei, but all she got were french fries, chicken nuggets, fried rice, and a bowl of cereals... Mine's similar, just add a piece of toast with jam. Tsk tsk! Shameful. Hahaha! 

With our trusty Canon EOS 1100D SLR, iPhones, and the very famous monopod/selfiepod, we were all geared to explore Taipei!!! 

We first toured around Ximending - this was said to be the "mecca for youth culture". Filled with stores for clothes, gadgets, cosplay, etc. I have witnessed this place and I can truly say "I would absolutely live here". This is where I shopped the most! I'd come back here in a heart beat, that's for sure. 

Oh no! Paparazzi!!! Naaah. Kidding! But it could pass off as one, right? Haha! Guess who I was with! :">

This was the MRT... ehem ehem! Again, suggestions for our local MRT and LRTs. This was our form of transportation for the whole trip! So from Ximending, we were led to Xinyi District. 

Xinyi District is know as the center of commerce and business of Taipei. As I was expecting, it would boast of a hustle-and-bustle kind of feel, being known for a place of business, everyone here should be running for meetings, talking on the phone, and the cars should all be rushing and honking (I bet you can tell I was imagining New York like setting). But it was the total opposite. Everything was so calm and peaceful. It was truly lovely. Thumbs up for that Taipei! 

The first supposed-to-be Taiwanese meal we had eaten turned out to be... Japanese. We didn't know what we were doing.. 

That's my daddy-o!!! Being all touristy with a camera hanging from his neck. Hehe!

From left to right: mom, me, Jao (boyfriend), uncle Sky (boyfriend's uncle), Mico (my brother), dad. And behind the camera is the resident photographer, Tricia (my sister). 

This was the inside of the Taipei Main Station - filled with different kinds of restaurants and it has an underground mall for clothes, shoes, games, and the like. It's like Ximending, but this time, it is found underground. Dun dun duuuun. 

Hahaha! Do you see the humor within this photo? Introducing the annoying conceited girlfriend and the 'Im scratching my head because I can't do anything about it and just pray for her weirdness to come off' boyfriend. =))

That's my sister and yes, I was the one who took the photo. I have a talent for it, don't you think? 

There's only one thing I've got to say... HE WAS EVERYWHERE!!! Good job Spider-Man promoters. Applause!

The only temple we went to was called the Longshan Temple at Wanhua District of Taipei. It is a place of worship for a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities, Matsu. It's wonderful to see a whole new perspective - makes one understand the differences in culture and appreciate the beauty of the other side of the world. 

Don't you just love the sight of flowers? *batts eyelashes*

In the heart of a commercial city is the National Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. If you had paid attention to your Asian History teacher, you'd probably know that Chiang Kai Shek was once the president of Taiwan from 1950-1975. Yes, I didn't pay attention to History too, I just googled that. Hahaha!

And of courseee, who could leave Taipei without seeing its tourist attraction - the 2nd tallest building in the world, TAIPEI 101! I'm telling you, it was very very tall. =)))

Told you he was everywhere.

Our dinner was at the Shilin Night Market, which boasts of Taipei's famous delicacies like the xiao long bao and the stinky tofu. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of those two but I've tasted both. One of them I like, the other not so much. Hihi!

Our last day in Taipei was dedicated to shopping shopping shopping! And I tell you we were all on cloud 9. Oh how I remember the feeling of heaven. :"> Hope you enjoyed this travel diary! Till next time, Taipei! Will definitely come back!