Taipei: Well, That Wasn't What I Pictured!
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Hello, everyone! I'm extremely lucky this time due to work requirements. A customer's father invited me to Taipei for the Computex 2024 tech exhibition, so I directly applied for a business visa and flew there.
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To be honest, this is such a rare opportunity! Although I have a severe fear of flying (I always imagine it might fall), but I had no choice and had to push through this time.
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Before anything else, let me share my impression of Taipei:
- Most buildings, roads, and public facilities look quite old. How should I put it? It feels like the older parts in some cities in our country; the buildings seem to be around several decades old.
- Nevertheless, the streets are exceptionally clean! Despite being old, everything is well-maintained. There's no litter anywhere, and the city has a very comfortable feel.
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Regarding Accommodation:
- Accommodating oneself in Taipei is genuinely expensive! For hotels with similar standards, it can easily be twice or even more than the prices we see domestically.
- Since we were on an official trip and expenses could be reimbursed, we decided to book the “Mutong Hotel (Hùshě Hotel)” in Taipei to avoid spending too much money at the company’s expense.
- The room cost roughly 600 Chinese Yuan per night and was spacious enough with all necessary facilities including a bathtub.
- Beside the hotel is a self-service laundry room, and a short walk of only a few hundred meters down towards the right will lead you to the famous "Ningxia Night Market." Overall, it was convenient.
- This is not an advertisement, mind you! I had previously compared many hotels before deciding on this not-too-pricey yet enjoyable stay. Better hotels cost around 800 Chinese Yuan per night – honestly, that was unaffordable for us.
Budget-saving tip: If your budget is tight and you need a good rest after a day of work, the Mutong Hotel might be a good choice because of its great price-to-value ratio.
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Regarding Meals:
- As the hotel is close to Ningxia Night Market, dinner is usually resolved at the night market.
- The street is lined with delicious food stalls which offer lots of choices.
- Additionally, there is a “Snooze 5 Minutes” milk tea shop near the night market. According to reports, it is run by a blogger with over a million followers on YouTube. The taste is excellent and highly recommended!
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About Transportation:
- We almost always used Uber when working (a ride-sharing app similar to Didi) since we carried photo equipment and didn't wish to walk long distances with heavy luggage to the subway station.
Warning About Transportation Costs!
- Taxis in Taipei are very expensive! From our hotel to Songshan Software Park (a high-tech zone), approximately 14 kilometers away, can easily cost between four and five thousand Taiwanese dollars (equivalent to about 1,000 Chinese Yen). Luckily, all expenses weren’t out-of-pocket!
- How to Save Money: When planning a tour, the subway (also known as MRT here) is recommended. It's both convenient and economical!
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This visit to Taipei was primarily work-related, with most days spent attending conferences, which limited the places I could visit, providing a partial understanding of Taipei.
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Feel free to ask questions below if you have any doubts; I’ll respond to comments as soon as I see them.
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It was a lot of hard work writing all this, so if you could give me a "like" or follow, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you to everyone who read to this point.
#TravelSnippets #Taipei #Computex #Travel #Trip #Taiwan #TaiwanTourism
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I actually love that 'lived-in' feel of Taiwan. The buildings might be old, but they have so much character. Back home, it's all skyscrapers, but that human warmth, that 'connection,' is gone. My childhood memories of downtown Shanghai have faded too. In Taipei, you can still find those old spots, those old markets, where classmates from decades ago can still gather in familiar places.
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I actually feel the same way, haha! Taiwan's architecture has so much character, while over here it's mostly just cold, impersonal concrete jungles.
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There's not much you can do about the buildings being old. Most people own their properties, so the government can't just decide to rebuild them whenever it wants. The key is that the buildings are structurally sound. If there's nothing seriously wrong, there's no compelling reason to tear them down and rebuild; people usually just renovate the interiors.
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The main issue is that it's hard to get everyone to agree on the benefits of urban renewal. For instance, owners of ground-floor units or those with rooftop additions are often reluctant. This can lead to 'holdouts,' which are a headache for developers. On top of that, the government has strict floor area ratio requirements. If the profits aren't high enough and the risks are too great, developers naturally shy away, making urban renewal very challenging.
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That's quite objective.
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Exactly, not a single negative comment.
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But Taiwan has such a strong sense of human warmth! You just feel so good when you're there.
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I love Taiwan too. I find the people there incredibly polite.
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I'm heading there soon and was looking up reviews for the Hotel Resonance Taipei (互舍酒店) when I stumbled upon this thread. Could anyone tell me if the rooms are very dated? And is it a reasonably comfortable stay?
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I thought it was pretty good. Initially, my colleague and I planned to stay at a youth hostel for around 300 [currency units], but the conditions were terrible – worse than budget hotels back in mainland China that cost 100-200. So, we switched to Hotel Resonance. At 600 [currency units], it was a bit pricey, but it was very clean and comfortable. The bathroom was spacious and had a bathtub.
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Is your hotel conveniently located for visiting other attractions?
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It's quite convenient, actually, as the hotel is right in the heart of Taipei.
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I've been twice, and I genuinely love Taiwan's cultural atmosphere!!! The unhurried, relaxed pace of life there feels so comfortable and laid-back.
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We're too caught up in the rat race here; sometimes it really feels exhausting.
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Most of Taipei's streetscape looks old because there hasn't been much redevelopment. However, the redeveloped areas in central and southern Taiwan look very new. Every time I visit a redeveloped zone in Taichung, my first thought is, 'This looks like mainland China!'
I hope I get a chance to stay longer in Taiwan next time and explore the unique character of other areas. -
I wish they'd open up independent travel sooner! I'd love to stay and explore for a few more days.
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I appreciate the orderliness and vibrancy of new cities, but I also love the unique traces of daily life and the sense of history in older ones. As a Taipei local, I feel quite fortunate.
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Totally, I love it too.
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Actually, most of Taipei is like that (I'm a Taipei local). Lots of old buildings. When I was a kid, I honestly thought Taipei was ugly, hahaha! But it's my home, so I still love it. Taipei looks old because it developed early, so many buildings are quite old. But actually, many of them are nicely renovated inside.