11 days in Taiwan: Day 8 from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to Houshanpi

11 days in Taiwan: Day 8 from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to Houshanpi

11 days in Taiwan: Day 8 from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to Houshanpi

Back in Taipei for the last leg of my Taiwan trip! Before I set off to hunt down money changers in Taipei city to save my dwindling funds, I used the remaining dimes to treat myself to some economical Taiwanese breakfast fare.

Ximending streets are really quiet in the mornings by the way.

Ximending in the mornings, Taipei, Taiwan

Just across the street from my hotel are two popular breakfast stores.

Ximending crossroads, Taipei, Taiwan

The breakfast shops are also located on the same street as the Taipei City Police Department. I went for Mai Wen Deng (麦味登), the  regular breakfast place on my previous trip (because of the most miserable hotel breakfast menu at the hotel I stayed at just across the street – Ta Shune Hotel).

ximending breakfast taipei (3)

You absolutely have to try the hash brown omelette (薯饼蛋塔) which is a guilty concoction of fried hashbrown, eggs and cheese.Hashbrown omelette - what to eat for breakfast in Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan

I haven’t yet seen it elsewhere so you won’t want to miss it when you are there. I also ordered a simple bacon burger which was equally good.

Turkey bacon burger - what to eat for breakfast in Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan

Hunting down Money Changers in Taipei

Feeling extremely satisfied with my breakfast choices now, I set out to get some Taiwan currency at their money changers. My first stop was at SOGO at Zhongxiao Fuxing station and to my dismay, you needed your passport to exchange currencies and the rates were extremely unfavourable.

Through some intensive googling, I figured that my next best bet would be a few stops away at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Exit from the station and behold, the familiar red and black logo!

Of course I’m not referring to Pizza Hut..it’s DBS!
Money changers in Taipei, Taiwan - where do you change your currency in Taiwan
All hail, DBS!

You can withdraw Taiwan currency using your ATM card. The exchange rate is so much better than at SOGO and I believe there wasn’t any administrative fee (correct me if I’m wrong). However, do note that while there are many DBS branches in Taiwan, it may be difficult to find out which is the nearest/most convenient to you. Try checking with the hotel reception to narrow down the nearer branches.

You can also withdraw Taiwanese currency at any Cirrus machines with your ‘compatible’ credit cards. Alternatively, plan ahead and hit the money changers at the Taoyuan Airport.

Midstop – Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Though never part of the plan, I figured I’d just visit the Sun Yat-sen memorial hall which was less than five minutes walk away from DBS.

sunyatsen-memorialhall (3)

sun yat sen memorial hall (1)

exterior sun yat sen memorial hall taiwan taipei

More of a visual person than the scholarly tourist, I had to force myself into the exhibitions to kind-of make the trip more worth it, only to give up a couple minutes later.

sunyatsen-memorialhall (6)

Didn’t help that the place was thronged with tourists.

sunyatsen-memorialhall (4)

You could also see (or rather, not quite see) Taipei 101 in a distance. The weather was so foggy that almost the entire building was engulfed. Hopefully no one paid to go up to the observatory level.

Taipei 101 from Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan

Wufenpu – shopping paradise not!

After leaving the memorial hall, I joined the cousin at Wufenpu, a couple of stations away on the same line. The shopping district, helmed by many to be the shopaholics paradise, is just across the junction when you exit from Houshanpi station, next to the bright orange Cosmed. Look out for the exit that will bring you to Yongji road.

Also, avoid Mondays as it’s reserved for wholesale buyers.

How to get to Wufenpu from Houshanpi station

wu fen pu taipei taiwan

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly empty streets; the crowds were mostly in the narrow alleys. Once in a while, you even have to give way to motorbikes ferrying goods in this maze-like shopping district.

The prices were significantly higher than I remembered two years back. There hardly were any interesting designs; most of the apparels felt repeated from Fengjia night market in Taichung. I did score a SGD20 winter jacket with a romantic circle of fur around the hood but wasn’t too happy when I paid 25 bucks for dry cleaning after my trip.

Dinner at Formosa Zhang and dessert at Tea Magic Hand

We hit Formosa Zhang to comfort our empty stomachs with their warm Lu Rou rice and radish soup.

 

Formosa Zhang's Lu Rou Fan Braised Meat Rice, Taipei, Taiwan

Feeling slightly adventurous and inquisitive still, we decided to hunt down Tea Magic Hand (茶之魔手), recommended by a Singaporean we met in Cingjing who stayed in Taiwan for a couple of years. In her words, this is the only bubble tea shop selling tea.

Tea magic hand bubble tea - what bubble tea to drink when in Taiwan

After a crazy amount of walking and intensive GPS-ing in the drizzle, we finally located the Zhongxiao East Road branch. Price was slightly lower compared to the more commercialized chains such as 50 Lan, but the teas were really good. I opted for good ol’ milk tea and liked that it has a roasty taste.

Surprisingly still not out of energy, we hopped on a cab to Gongguan Night market…only to find out that it was closed on Wednesdays. Bummer.

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Read the full trip online:

Day 1 in Taipei
Day 2 in Cingjing
Day 3 in Sun Moon Lake
Day 3 in Lavender Cottage
Day 3’s Fengjia food guide
Getting to 921 Earthquake Museum on day 4
Day 5 in Park Lane by CMP
 Day 6 from Taichung to Hualien
Taroko National Park on day 7
Day 8 from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to Houshanpi
Jiufen + Shifen on Day 9
Pingxi sky lantern festival on day 9
Ending off with Taipei creative parks on Day 10
Tried and Tested: Accommodations in Taiwan


 

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8 Comments

  • […] headed back to Taipei next: Day 8 in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Wufenpu. On previously: Day 6 in Hualien’s Zhongshan […]

  • Rachelle
    8 years ago

    I need your day 9-11, pretty please 🙂 also, Mr. Lu’s contact number. Great job publishing interesting and helpful blogs!

  • Aman Bhonsle
    7 years ago

    This is such a helpful blog! I am planning a solo trip to Taiwan for about 9 days & I will surely include a lot of the things you have mentioned… #exceptforthegirliestuff .. Thanks for all this information 🙂

    • Eunice
      7 years ago

      Thanks! Good to know it’s helpful. 🙂

  • […] Day 8 in Taipei  […]

  • 7 years ago

    Hi! do you know how to go to tea magic hand bubble tea store? if the route starts from taipei 101?

    Also, is formosa zhang nearby bubble tea store or any public transport to go there? thanks ya! 🙂

    • Eunice
      7 years ago

      Hi Nathania, I walked from Wufenpu but not recommended. We took more than half an hour. According to Google map, it is only 4 minutes from Taipei City Hall station (https://goo.gl/maps/CdRwGX1Qzkz). For Formosa Zhang, we ate at the branch near Wufenpu. If you wish, you could take the blue line down between the two stations (Houshanpi and Taipei City Hall).

  • […] Looking for a good breakfast shop in Ximending? […]

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Hi there! I’m Eunice.

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A regular nine-to-fiver who loves to travel. Here, I share my detailed tried-and-tested itineraries, experiences, and tips to help other travel lovers like you, with or without full-time jobs, plan their itineraries more efficiently!


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