Taipei Day 1 : Ximending Shopping & CityInn Plus Ximending.

Day 1

Taipei, at last the day has reach for our speed 4D3N trip.
Frankly speaking, Taipei itself always amaze me with their food, their culture & the places to visit.
There are various marvelous places to visit in Taiwan itself..
If only i have a week or two, i will surely backpack the whole taipei itself..hopping from one place to other; enjoying the amazing scenery.
But as for now...
Focus on Taipei itself is all i could do. :)

The moment we landed in Taoyuan International Airport, it was already 2.40pm.
The moment we check out from the airport, 7-eleven is the first place that we visited in the airport as we are dreadfully hungry ! Did i mention i have plane sickness ? Most of the time while i'm on plane, i will be sleeping soundly until the plane touches the ground ! That is why i do not buy any seat arrangement with friends in the plane as it will be a waste of money since i will be snoring all the way until i reach my destination. Haha. Nevertheless, 7-11 in taipei is totally different of what we have in Malaysia ! You can really spend time scanning around the various food & drinks sold there ! I am very easy to be delighted. Give me various food & great places for photography..i will be very happy me. :)

After we have a quick lunch at 7-eleven, we bought a bus ticket from airport to Ximending which cost TWD 140 (RM 14) one way.

Our Bus ticket to Ximending, Platform No.7

Platform 7.

Inside our bus which is very comfortable.

The bus is extremely comfortable & clean.
We bought the ticket at the ticket counter at the airport itself.
This particular bus stop in Ximen Station.
Since we're staying in CityInn Plus Ximending, it is just 3 minutes walking distance from Ximen Station, Exit 3.
And only around 5-7minutes walk to the famous Ximending Shopping Heaven.

Our Hotel

We manage to book the cheapest basic room which is Double Sharing room (1 single bed) for RM 365.50 nett for 1 pax (4D3N).

Our Room 205.

Queen Size Bed

Clean Bathroom

Just nice for 2 pax in a room

My Lappy which i never leave at home when i'm traveling.

Another advantages of staying here is, this hotel is very suitable for old folks too cause it has lift !
Just imagine if our parents are to walk up the stairs ! What if our room is on the 4th floor & without lift ! So if you hate climbing up and down especially if your luggage is huge & heavy to be carried.
It is always advisable to check the hotels if there is any lift available or not before you do any booking.
When i book my room, i will always make sure that they provide Free Wifi! I can't live without Wifi..so i need FREE Wifi for any accommodations i book. Hehe

The Lobby is very well design too!

After checking into our hotel, i manage to met up with my new made friend from couchsurfing (CS), D.C. which is originally from Taipei itself.  Previously, we correspondent more through email & face-booking..and this was only our first met up !

D.C. Isn't he handsome-ly adorable? Hehe

We just click on the spot !

He is totally a down-to-earth guy and we just click on the spot !

Well this is one of the great advantages of couchsurfing (CS - http://couchsurfing.org/).
If you haven't heard of CS, it is a platform for you to meet & know more new people from various country ! And if you're in a very tight budget & in need of free accommodation.. you can always enquire if the host is comfortable to let u crash with them for a night or two for free. This will also allows you to understand and know more about your host. In a way to say Thank Q to your host, you could bring something from your country or even treat them out for food/drink before you return back to your own country. It is just a way to appreciate them and letting them know.."hey, if you do come to my country..my home is always welcome for you too"...

DC brought us to this very unique tea place call "Smith & Hsu" (http://www.smithandhsu.com/tw/teadrinking.php)

Various different tea to choose.

A lovely place for gathering & the food is good too..
We chat continuously without even realizing that time passes fast and it was time to say Bye-Bye to him.

Oh boy, there goes our met up; yet it was a great one cause at last we met in person !

At Ximending Famous shopping street.

Ximending which is always pack with people

Street Performances.

Check out how this lady is enjoying herself singing on the street :)

I love him !

 Overall, we did not really walk much as it was a tiring day after our flight & intend to rest early so that we could start our journey to Jiufen by MRT & Bus....:)