Taipei Feb 2013

Went to Taiwan over the Chinese New Year period in Feb. Contrary to what many people thought, most stores were actually open and the streets bustled with festive ambiance. We stayed in a simple boutique hotel right in the middle of Ximending, one of the main shopping area and it was just the perfect location.

Prior to the trip I did some research and found this list of top 40 foods Taiwanese love: CNN Travel Best Taiwanese food. I set forth to conquer this list (which was no mean feat) and am proud to say I completed about 70% of it!! For me, this was such a mega food trip. Taipei is the best place for street food and I can't wait to go back and indulge in those sinful stuff all over again :)

yummiest duck noodles

yummiest braised "snacks"

crowded streets of Ximending

we prefer this market over Shilin

yummiest cuttlefish

street suckling pig

cherry blossoms

just for the fun of it @五角船板

Shinye at Taipei 101 with a great view

Taipei 101

National Palace Museum - & the minute jade cabbage

Shilin Night Market, much more commercialized than before

yummiest braised beef noodle

must try

pork cutlet - must try at Shilin

where I bought my braised goodies every other day in Ximending

Gaudi-looking restaurant with the weirdest structures

Yangmingshan National Park, nice only with good weather