To Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
I “woke up” at 6AM this time. I put that in quotes because I actually woke up at 5AM for some reason. My body’s really alert for some reason. When I initially woke up, I looked at my watch, and it said 5AM. Fuck that, I went back to sleep again. And when the next time I woke up, watch said 6AM, so I called it at that and sat up.
My usual sleep at Singapore is at 6-7 hours. I only hit 8 hours on weekends, and on very few occasions on weekdays I just get 5. So when I went to sleep the day before, it was 11PM. So my body got used to that routine, thus my body clock woke me up by the time 6 hours was up. Funnily, I beat my alarm clock. I set it before at 7AM.
I got up, took a sip of the iced Americano coffee can I had at the room fridge, and went for a shower. I just had to try the hotel’s default breakfast options. I dressed up in what I usually called “home casual” – a gym t-shirt, 3/4 sweatpants, and sandals. I went down Basement 1 by 7AM to see what’s what.
Fortunately, it was already stocked well. Lots of sandwiches, hotdogs were already on the rollers, there’s buns, and lots of breads and sweets. I immediately went first for the instant noodle section to fix myself a small bowl of beef noodles. I took a tuna sandwich and made myself a hotdog bun, and prepped black coffee as well. It’s a decent breakfast, to be completely fair. It’s part of the hotel experience I paid for anyway. I had seconds as well with another sandwich. Glad I didn’t have to spend extra money for this breakfast.
After that, I went back to my room, and got changed. Time for a small jaunt.
By 9AM I was on a bus headed directly to a stop near Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Wasn’t too complicated, I’ve used them the day before and it was as effortless as Singapore’s, as long as you have a card to use. Tap in, sit your ass down, alight at your stop of choice. But like Singapore, there’s always unwritten set of rules for bus riding in a first-world country.
Like for example, using the buzzer. It’s for the driver to know someone wants to alight at the upcoming bus stop. Ideally, it should only buzz once per stop, as I imagine it’s annoying for the driver to hear 3-4 buzzes before the next stop. So for me here in Taipei, I just scanned the bus and see if someone was to buzz in before the stop I was to go down on. I was not sure how it happened but on the entire bus ride, there were just less than 10 people that hopped in and out of the bus that morning. I didn’t even have anyone that went down the same stop I did. So I just buzzed in freely.
Second, when I boarded the bus, I looked for a seat that was free. Not an issue at all, as when I boarded, there was only two people in the bus (excluding the driver). So I freely chose a nice window seat that wasn’t far from the bus exit door. My plan initially was that if the bus was packed or seats were mostly full, I’d rather stay in the standing area and stand on the ride all the way. Fortunately, seems that day wasn’t that day.
I easily located my bus stop, and alighted the bus. As it was a brisk sunny morning, no issues so far, but I think I should’ve brought sunscreen. The 9AM was burning a bit. So far so good. The walk towards the hall was also OK, no need to ask for directions as one can just look around and see where they at. But there’s guide maps at convenient locations in case people somehow get confused where to go.
I walked towards the first entrance I saw leading to the wide courtyard facing the main memorial hall – the Main Plaza – and once I got to the center part, I just started snapping pictures. Although I rushed a bit, as I noticed the morning might be a bit too sunny for my liking. Getting another one of those oh-I-should’ve regrets. I’m not fussy enough to use sunscreen, but… man, fuck me. Next time, maybe. It took me months of scrubs and whitening soap use to shed off the Bangkok tan I got months ago.
Just get the shots done, then.
After those, I got my selfies near the Liberty Square then I walked towards the big memorial hall. It looked small from a distance until you kepp walking towards it, and it was a huge building after all. I was reminded of one of the people I’ve read online that went to India and saw the Taj Mahal for themselves, they always remarked they thought it was smaller.
I walked up the staircase into the inside of the building, and fortunately I wasn’t too late to see the changing of the guard.
The bronze statue hall itself was big and impressively built. I spent a good while taking a few more pictures after the guards have left. Lots of tourists in the hall itself, milling around and taking a lot of pictures. Me, I looked up and saw they did a good job on the ceiling.
After that, I honestly did not know what else was there in the building. I came in a bit light on information besides the surface-level infos I’ve seen on other travel blogs. So I started observing some of my fellow tourists to see what they would do after that hall, and I noticed some of them used an elevator to the right. I followed a big group that were headed down, and I knew immediately what was down below the moment I stepped out of the elevator.
A museum. Well, I saw an exhibition display first, but those almost always belong in a museum anyway.
So I started walking down into the first floor, and I went to the various exhibition halls. I had time to kill anyway, why not fill it with some cultural enrichment? I enjoyed my free time in South Korea’s national museum last year, why not go at another museum? Should be a fun leisurely time. Heck, maybe the next time I go to Tokyo, I should go to the TNM. Less of the brainrot crowd and more of a crowd with a civilized decency to shush inside a museum. So in I went.
Took a few shots.
To also note, I kind of forgot at times that I should take more photos. I enjoyed the time there, just keeping my phone in my pocket and leisurely taking in the exhibits. I only took photos when I fancied. Well, I took way more photos inside the National Museum of Korea because it was like, a big-ass multi-floored building with tons of seriously impressive displays. This place in comparison is more focused and a lot smaller. Impressive nonetheless.
For the place itself, the exhibitions were painstakingly maintained and well-kept. Every section flowed into each other just fine. The one I spent a lot of time in was of their permanent exhibition, and it was a good chunk of the life and times of their former leader, Chiang Kai-shek. Lots of memorabilia, lots of writings and lots of material. The place was also well-lit and while there were also lots of people, the place was respectfully quiet. I think I spent at least a full hour inside.
I also spent a while inside their gift shops window-shopping and gawking at the expensive items on display, and while I was seriously tempted to buy stuff, I held off on it. I already spent some monies on the first two days already, a decent sum. I have already allotted what remaining monies I have for the next day splurge at the anime shops. So… I mentally made a note to re-visit someday and maybe get some. There are other souvenirs I had in mind.
So when I saw that I kind of killed off more time than I’d prefer – it was quarter to 12 – I knew it was time to go. I made my way to the recommended bus stop by Google Maps, and for lunch, I kind of decided on the spot while riding the bus. I wanted a quick in and out meal as I want more time to rest, so I alighted at the Taipei Main Station and made my way to the second floor where I knew there was accessible food options. There were quite a number of restaurants, but it was lunchtime so some lines were present. That will eat at whatever rest time I planned. So I went to the nearest food court and looked for a seat. Fortunately, a lady stood up to leave, so I took the seat, ordered some beef noodles (it was the one with the least amount of people in line), and sat down to wait for my order. Didn’t take long, maybe 3 minutes. I didn’t really want to admit it, but I was kind of tired. The two days of touring really did a number on me, and all that energy I had at 9AM were really like adding 20% on a half-full phone battery. So I was not in any mood to fall in line behind twenty-something people to eat expensive food.
I ordered the set with a salad and drink, and I had the beef noodles with tendon. I love beef tendon. If well-cooked, it has a melt-in-your-mouth quality to it.
Once I was done with it, I went to the right hallway and looked for Mister Donut. Just saying, Dunkin Donuts is average compared to what Mister Donut has in Japan, China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. I was looking for whatever catched my fancy in their displays. I saved some money eating cheap, might as well go for desserts. I got four donuts. Two of them were matcha and chocolate mochi donuts, one very fancy chocolate filled donut with choco powder outside, and one donut-shaped thing with ridges, with a touch of dipped chocolate on the right side.
Once done, I got back to the same bus stop again to go back to my hotel to eat my donuts while watching TV in bed. It was around 10 minutes after 1pm when I got back to the hotel – well, I also made a small detour to 7-11 to buy two Americano iced coffees. After I got back and put my bag down, I just sank to my bed. Man, it was hot out there. Bed was comfortably chilly, and no rush to do shit. I had planned to do Taipei 101 at 4pm later. So I have at most nearly two hours to just chill in bed, relax, eat donuts, watch a nature documentary. No rush, just one itinerary. As one Jeremy Clarkson frequently asked on a once-blockbuster motoring show on British TV, “how hard could it be?”
To Taipei 101
At 3pm, I lazily got out of bed to take a quick shower before I got to Taipei 101. Quick turned out to be 20 minutes, as I scrubbed myself well with the knowledge that Taipei 101 was supposed to be a high-end mall with lots of tourists.
I donned a new shirt – the one I wore to CKS Memorial got a bit wet with back sweat, so no choice. Same pair of pants. But this time, I wasn’t sure if sweat might do me dirty again, so I added more perfume near the more sweaty areas to compensate should it be hot. Once dressed, I went down to the basement to cop myself a free drink out of the lounge fridge, and out I went after. Transportation was also no issue – there was a bus line that started just blocks away from the hotel, and maybe 20+ stops later (no line change, fortunately) I was at Taipei 101 before 4pm. Bus was kind of full with people at that time – I assumed it was a commonly-used bus line – so I just stood the entire time.
The building was impressively tall (well, it’s no Burj Khalifa but I haven’t been there yet), and getting there was relatively easy. Just head towards the building’s direction. After crossing a few streets, I was immediately there at the foot of the building. Time to head up, I suppose.
I honestly also did not know where to go for the ticketing booth for the observatory. The Klook app gave the location, but getting to the location was the tricky bit. So I did pause a bit to the side, and observed the other mall-goers. I went to the one they commonly treaded, and lo and behold, they led me to the ticketing booth. Getting the ticket was the easy part. The ride up was the long path. People go up the observatory in batches. There was a snaking queue near the ticketing booth, so I fell in line and waited for my turn.
After some long-ass time (I spent it grinding for my HSR characters), it was my turn to go up with a few other people. Going up was quick AF. It was less than a minute. I felt my eardrums slightly pop as we were going higher. Not as bad as the ones I get during flights, but still, it gave me the sensation that we were very high up. The elevator was way quicker than the ones I usually rode when I was working with intracompany partners at the Philippines – clue: it’s in the Smart Tower. After a few rides in that, I got used to the speed pretty quick. Not here. This Taipei 101 elevator was a serious first-world speedy wonder piece of tech. Well, at least it was way faster than other tower elevators I’ve been to, like the ones in N Tower and Kyoto Tower.
Once we were up there and let in to the observatory at the 89th floor, it was like deja vu to me. Felt like I was back in the N Tower in Seoul, but somehow maybe slightly larger. A round floor plan, spots with sweeping views of the city, binoculars, photo booths, souvenir shops, a cafe. Basically a haven for photo junkies and fans of nice high views. I got in some of my shots too. I did stay a while just resting, and perusing the souvenir shops. And yes, bought a few souvenir things. Some exclusive items. And saw the big ball damper too. I kind of missed my opportunity to take a selfie shot as it was crowded there that day and I would just rather see and leave quick rather than stay and take shots. Too many people and arms/sticks with phones going in directions. Nice view, but I’m done. I walked around a bit before deciding what to do next. Some shors below:
Afterwards, while sipping my coffee, I was thinking if I should go up right away to the 101F (I bought the Klook extra option to go up there) and leave before 7PM, or wait until the night conpletely came and get night shots in. See, I noted that the Taipei 101 was FAR from my hotel. I’ve been to several countries already, and I always made it back to try and make it back to my hotel/hostel/rented house by 8PM. I wasn’t yet a fan of doing nightlife tours then. Even when I was in Bangkok and we got back from Ayutthaya pretty late, I thought of staying around a mall for a bit before going “nah” and went back to my hotel.
I decided to “half and half” it that time after consulting Google Maps and seeing what was around the place. I go up now and stay for a good bit, leave before 7PM, and maybe walk a bit to the malls nearby and see if I can grab a spot at Ichiran’s two branches nearby. See, I saw that Ichiran, for some reason, had two branches here. One small and one “main”. I’d love to have ramen for dinner. So up I went.
Going up also was in an elevator, but I was led to this special pathway to get to that elevator. Nice.
Once up there, it was more like… this is it? It’s a higher, more focused observatory floor. More opportunities for group photo shoots, lots of tables, and more “exclusive”. We were like less than 15 up there. Well, no matter. Enjoy what I can, then. Shots!
I spent a good while up there just chilling. I might need it later, so I just sat windowside looking down. Not that the view wasn’t great. Everything looked small up there. I made funny selfies and sent the loony ones to my family’s Messenger feed.
Once I had my fill of the 101, I went down back to the 89th so I can get in the batch groups going down to the 5th again. I could also see that many of them also had their fill of the place, and the new groups who were nightview fans were starting to file in.
Some more shots in the tower:
Once down to the 5th, I looked for one store that I wanted to buy something from: SunnyHills. They have stores in Singapore too, but they are natively a Taiwanese bakery. So I wanted to buy one of their pineapple cakes for my family back home. I got one box, and it came in a bag with the Taipei 101 printed on its face. Nice. Also I found by pure chance a money changer, and I took the chance to convert SGD100 to Taiwanese dollars.
Once done, I walked out and headed on foot towards the Songshou and Songren roads and the main branch for Ichiran. But unfortunately, it seems it was too “renowned”. The line was crazy. There were families, couples, groups. Snaking long line outside. And a ticketing counter that gave me a ticket and a waiting time of… 2 hours. Fuck that, man. I love a damn good bowl of ramen but not a 2-hour-long wait for it. I tried my luck at the smaller branch at the basement of a nearby mall, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. No luck there too, the ticket attendant also noted a… 1 hour 20 minutes estimated waiting time. Ah man, no deal. Nice mall though. I was smack dab right in an area that looked like a nightlife hub – malls, open spaces, trendy stores, brightly-lit signages. Not much for a partly introverted guy like me. Place looked almost like the Ayala part of Makati to me, the area with lots of malls.
I walked through the mall area a bit to see what’s what there (cars, boutiques, clothing stores), and I also checked a nearby food court to see if I could’ve gotten a seat. No luck. I went out of the mall and walked to the bus stop outside to catch a bus going to the stop near my hotel. I planned to check for my fallback dinner spots.
Briathrail // Albert 2MNG 
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