I cannot remember how Asilah got squeezed in into our itinerary—a benefit of traveling for a long period in Morocco. We were supposed to head to Chefchaouen after staying in Rabat for three days but here we were, walking the final two kilometers from the train station to town—the sparkling sea on our right, a field of wildflowers with a couple of camels grazing on our left. It all sounds very beautiful and all, except we’re hauling all our belongings with us in the middle of the warm/cold Moroccan afternoon. This town better be worth it.
Should we go? That was the question we were trying to answer as we dilly-dallied whether to cross the street onto the tram platform or go back the way we came. The town of Salé was only a few minutes away by tram, and why we were debating on whether we should visit or not, baffled even us. The deciding point was the tram fare, a measly MAD 6.00 (USD 0.60). We went.
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| ATYPICAL ALLEY IN SALE |
Salé literally sits right beside Rabat, separated only by the Bou Regreg River. It is more of a residential city than Rabat, in fact, most people who work in Rabat lives in Salé. But surprisingly, tourists who visit Rabat, hardly ever take a quick side trip to Salé. Being indecisive ourselves, I really can’t tell why. Besides being older and more historic than Rabat, it’s just there!
It was totally unexpected that we’d be scared of Casablanca. Isn’t it supposed to be all glorious beaches and syrupy romance? But that’s what we felt the moment we came out of the train that brought us from the airport to the Casa Port station. Without saying a word to C, she also sensed it. The guide books and blogs don’t mention it, but there’s something about this city that makes you keep your phone in your pocket and your cameras zipped tight inside your bag.
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| SUNSET AT CASABLANCA’S MEDINA |
We arrived at Morocco’s largest and one of its oldest cities after a grueling twenty three-hour flight from Singapore to Casablanca via Jeddah. Tired but elated that we’re finally in Morocco, we stepped out of the plane and got the shock of our lives. It’s cold. Like sixteen degrees cold. Like total ignoramuses, we expected Africa to be hot, especially during the summer months. The summer months in South East Asia, that is. We’re in Northern Africa, dufus, and we didn’t have a single winter clothes with us.
It was a Sunday and the plaza near the Palacio de Governo at the center of Dili, Timor Leste’s capital, was teeming with families hanging out at the park. Afternoon mass has just commenced and everyone was at their Sunday’s best. Kids were playing along the grounds while parents watched, sipping on hot bowls of bakso soup from a nearby street vendor as they do. We were watching everything with joy. Delighted at the seemingly simple way the Timorese people enjoy life.
As sundown commenced, we went past a thin clump of trees from the park and wandered into the coast. The beach, though rugged, was very clean. Which was surprising, Dili being a capital city. Well, I guess it’s really not a city city. There’s no CBD, the skyline is devoid of any skyscrapers, there are no malls, and traffic jams are virtually unknown to this place. Everything feels very provincial. And in a good way.
A destination is better enjoyed the second time around, especially if your first visit only lasted for a mere ten hours. It has been more than four years since I’ve last been to Zamboanga City, and on this subsequent outing, the city seemed unchanged, it’s still as vibrant as when I’ve first laid eyes on it. This time, I’m definitely spending more than a day at the city, in fact, we’re here for a total of five days. Perfect for seeing all the tourist spots in Zamboanga!
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| FORT PILAR, A MASSIVE FORTIFICATION LEFT BY THE SPANIARDS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY |
Dubbed as Asia’s Latin City, Zamboanga City is one of the major bastions of the Spanish conquistadors during the Spanish Colonial Era in the Philippines. Traces of this can still be found on the city’s architecture, the people’s chavacano language—a type of Spanish creole, their cuisine, faith, and way of life. The people of Zamboanga City are as diverse as the colors of their vinta boats, here Christians and Muslims—from the people of Yakan and Samal, to Tausug, and Badjao—coexists without friction.
What to do with five days at Gold Coasts’ Surfers Paradise? A lot, if you’re into surfing, shopping, and theme parks. But we’re totally not into surfing, shopping, and theme parks. So, I was wondering myself why I booked a total of five long days here instead of stretching our stay for a day or more at Byron Bay—a town which we feel a deeper connection with.
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| SURFERS PARADISE FROM OUR BALCONY AT RHAPSODY HOTEL |
Our first and second day at Surfers Paradise was spent on a forced staycation at the Rhapsody Hotel. Incessant rain kept us in, but I’m not complaining. With friends in tow, a cache of grocery food to cook, and plenty of alcohol, we were more than happy to stay cooped up.
Our strides went longer and our pace quickened as dusk descended. We just came from the iconic Sydney Opera House, departing as the sun went below the Harbour Bridge. Our next query was food. We were on a strict budget, getting our meals mostly on supermarkets, Australia is extremely expensive, so we thought we’d just grab a bite on a small restaurant. Our friend M, who has just arrived that afternoon from Manila has other plans though, he’d like to eat on the revolving restaurant on top of the Sydney Tower. He’s treating, so alright, to the Sydney Tower it is!
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| SYDNEY’S SKYLINE AS SEEN FROM SYDNEY HARBOUR |
We thought we’d save a bit by walking. We went through Pitt Street, one of the major roads running across Sydney, and in the process got to see a cross-section of the city. To be honest, we haven’t seen much of Sydney yet—we visited some of C’s relatives on our first day, and on the second, went out to the Blue Mountain Sydney.
SINGAPORE | Food & Heritage Hunt, a 16-Hour Layover Tour En Route to Australia
[BEYONDPH] Tuesday, April 03, 2018
“We’re gonna have a sixteen-hour layover in Singapore,” I told C as I was sorting out our Scoot flight from Manila to Australia. “Is that okay with you? What can we do in Singapore for sixteen hours?” I asked her.
“Eat!” was her one-word reply.
A post shared by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on
It was past nine when we arrived at Singapore’s Changi Airport. We’re taking it slow—browsing at the cameras shops, looking for Starbucks mugs, and checking out Lego prices—we’re not in a hurry, after all, we still have more than enough time to go to the city, eat our favorite dishes, and walk around a bit before going back for our Scoot Singapore to Sydney flight which was still at one in the morning.
JAPAN | A Tokyo Day Tour ~ an Extra Day from a Delayed Flight
[BEYONDPH] Thursday, December 28, 2017
It’s confirmed, we’re staying in Tokyo for another full day. A few minutes before we actually went out of our lodging in Asakusa, Enaka Central Hostel, we checked our phone for our flight schedule and found that it has been rescheduled. Instead of a midmorning flight, we’re having our flight from Tokyo to Manila via Cebu Pacific at midnight due to the typhoon that just passed Japan. We cannot be more happy with this news!
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| A JAPANESE FAMILY ENJOYING A VISIT TO MEIJI SHRINE |
Quickly gathering our wits, we immediately formulated a plan. After visiting nearby prefectures like Nikko in Tochigi and Hakone in Kanagawa, a quick day tour of Tokyo was indeed in order. We consulted the Klook app for cheap Tokyo tours, but it was way too late to book one then. So, we did what we usually do best, do a Tokyo walk, DIY style.
We mostly spent the light of days outside Tokyo. On our first day, we rested, tired from the flight from our unbelievably cheap flight from Manila to Tokyo via Cebu Pacific. But on our second day in the city, we woke early to catch a train to visit Hakone, hoping to have a glimpse of Mount Fuji amidst dreary weather. On the third, we scrambled across Asakusa for a day trip to Nikko. It’s all well and good, but how about Tokyo? Don’t we want to see Tokyo?
Of course, we did. We saw Tokyo after dark.
After doing the requisite Hanoi Old Quarter and French Quarter walking tour, it’s time to see other parts of the city. And yes, there’s more to Hanoi than the places around Hoan Kiem District, and what’s nice about it is that these are all very walkable from Hoan Kiem Lake.
Ba Dinh District is mostly characterized by stately government buildings and wide tree-lined streets, a breather from the tight roadways of the Old Quarter. But besides these, it also has the most beautiful temples in Hanoi, even boasting of a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Like the Hoan Kiem walking tour, this would take almost the whole day—check out my Hanoi Food Trip post for places where you can eat along the way. If you haven’t ran your soles to the ground just yet, then get your cameras and let’s see what the western side of Hanoi has to offer!
HANOI TRAIN STREET
ADDRESS: DIEN BIEN PHU ROAD, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE
Walking from either Hang Bong Street from the Old Quarter, or Trang Thi Road at the French Quarter, stop at the train tracks along the Dien Bien Phu Road and enter Hanoi’s Train Street. It’s a proper street—houses on both sides with kids playing along, people going about their daily routine on a narrow roadway reminiscent of those at the Old Quarter—the only difference is that there’s an actual train track right in the middle!
And yes, there’s an actual big-ass train that passes along this route, not once, but twice a day at 3:30PM and 7:30PM. The area is really narrow, so if you’re planning to catch the train, find a safe spot before the designated time, and watch the southern end of the rail for the incoming locomotive.
TEMPLE OF LITERATURE
ADDRESS: 58 QUOC TU GIAM STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 8:00PM - 6:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000.00 (USD 1.50)
About 600 meters away from the train tracks is the Temple of Literature. Featured at the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong and the Starbucks City Icon mug, it is one of the most beautiful temples in Hanoi.
It was built in 1070 on a 54,000 square meter plot of land subdivided into five walled courtyards. The landscapes, well maintained and very serene, matches well with the ornate imperial Chinese architecture. It is dedicated to the teachings of Confucius, with the complex housing the first ever national university in Vietnam, Quốc Tử Giám, or the Imperial Academy. Its prominence fell when the capital was moved to the Imperial City of Hue, but its majesty remained.
It would take more than an hour to explore every nook and crannies of this place, so make sure you’d had breakfast before going in.
LENIN PARK
ADDRESS: 28A DIEN BIEN PHU STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE
Head northwards and you’d find a park dedicated to Russia’s communist revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin. It’s a small park replete with trees, nothing really remarkable except for the Lenin statue. It’s not everyday that you get to see this guy’s likeness on parks across South East Asia.
VIETNAM MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM
ADDRESS: 28 DIEN BIEN PHU STREET, BA DINH DIST. | OPEN HOURS: 8:00AM-4:30PM, CLOSED FRIDAY | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000 (USD 1.50)
Right across the street, fronting Gospodin Lenin, is the Vietnam Military History Museum, or simply Army Museum. You actually won’t notice it, since it’s fronted by a nondescript two-story building, except for the MIG-21 jet fighter (it shot down fourteen US planes during the war) docked on its left flank.
Besides war relics displayed inside the museum, on its courtyard, you’d find a couple of planes, a chopper, wreckage of an American B-52 bomber, and the actual military tank that crashed through the gates of Saigon’s Presidential Palace which ended the Vietnam War in 1975.
HANOI FLAG TOWER
ADDRESS: LE HONG PHONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 9:00AM - 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000.00 (USD 1.50)
Right beside the Army Museum is the iconic Hanoi Flag Tower. Rising to a height of forty one meters with a gigantic red Vietnamese flag dancing with the wind, it’s almost always visible along the Ba Dinh District. Built in 1812, more than 200 years from today, its octagonal tower stands on three brick platforms. It’s one of the rare architectural gems that weren’t destroyed during the French-colonial times in Vietnam.
IMPERIAL CITADEL OF THANG LONG
ADDRESS: HOANG DIEU STREET, BA DINH DIST. | OPEN HOURS: 8:30AM-5:00PM, CLOSED ON MONDAY | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000 (USD 1.50)
From the flag tower, head north to see the Hanoi Citadel. Dubbed as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, it’s one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Vietnam. The massive site served as the political center of Vietnam for thirteen consecutive centuries and the capital of the country for eight centuries. It has a long historical past, with archeological diggings unearthing 6th and 20th century artifacts—from foundations of old palaces to ancient roads, ceramics, and coins.
This place is massive and it would take a couple of hours to tour its grounds, it wholly deserves a separate article.
VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL
ADDRESS: HOANG DIEU STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE
A hundred meters away from the gates of Hanoi Citadel is the Dai Liet Si Quoc Gia. Directly translated, it means National Martyr’s Hall or more popularly known as the Vietnam War Memorial.
With massive blocks of stone carved with a traditional golden pagoda, its construction is a fusion of Vietnamese and modernist architecture. Constructed in 1993, it commemorates the sacrifices of its people during the bloody Vietnam War.
CUA BAC CHURCH
ADDRESS: 56 PHAN DINH PHUNG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE
If you head straight along the highway, which we did not, you’ll arrive at the Cua Bac Church, one of the three major churches in Hanoi. Originally named as the Church of the Martyrs, it was built by the French in 1932 during the colonial period in Vietnam. A fusion in Art Deco and local Vietnamese architecture, it is characterized by a handsome belfry and massive rose windows on its front façade and transepts.
QUAN THANH TEMPLE
ADDRESS: THAN NIEN STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 10,000.00 (USD 0.50)
Another place we missed, but were within striking distance of our Ba Dinh District walk, was the Quan Thanh Temple. It’s a Taoist temple built in the 11th century and one of the Four Sacred Temples in Hanoi. It was built over one of the four cardinal directions to protect the city from evil spirits.
TRAN QUOC PAGODA
ADDRESS: THAN NIEN STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 10,000.00 (USD 0.50)
And yet another one we missed, the Tran Quoc Pagoda. It’s about 300 meters from the Quan Thanh Temple, jutting over Hanoi’s gigantic West Lake. The Buddhist temple is set on a causeway on the east side of the water and features an eleven-storey red pagoda where monk’s ashes are reverently kept.
The temple was constructed in the 6th century, making it the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. Besides its structures, one of the more important things to see inside the complex is a Bodhi tree, a cutting of the original tree in India where Buddha sat and achieved nirvana. It was a gift by Indian president Rajendra Prasad in 1959.
The best time to actually go here is during sunsets, so should you prefer to, you can go to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and its nearby attractions first before going here to make this your final destination of the tour.
HANOI PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
ADDRESS: HUNG VUONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:30AM - 1:30PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 25,000.00 (USD 1.25)
Painted in bright yellows, Hanoi’s Presidential Palace can be viewed only from the wrought iron gates outside the compound. Or that’s what we thought. It turned out visitors can actually tour the ground, but not enter the palace itself. It was constructed in Italian Renaissance style by the French.
It was said that Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the palace during his time, preferring to live on a traditional Vietnamese stilt house that he asked to be built within the same grounds.
HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM
ADDRESS: HUNG VUONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 8:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE
Ho Chi Minh’s final resting place is the centerpiece of Ba Dinh District. Located on Ba Dinh Square, the structure, clad in grey granite, was inspired by Lenin’s in Moscow. It was built in 1975 with a height of 21.6 meters; it’s both regal and imposing. The embalmed body of the Vietnamese leader is preserved inside the hall where visitors are allowed to enter, it was just unfortunate that it was closed when we visited.
ONE PILLAR PAGODA
ADDRESS: CHUA MOT COT STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:30AM - 1:30PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 25,000.00 (USD 1.25)
And like an encore, the final destination for our Ba Dinh District tour is the One Pillar Pagoda. It is located just beside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, hidden behind a wall.
We were actually looking for a pagoda within the vicinity, thinking, we could not possibly miss a pagoda in such an open environment. Well, we failed in finding it. The reason? It was so small! The Buddhist pagoda, built in 1049, stands at a mere four meters! But still, it is considered as one of the two most iconic temples in the whole of Vietnam.
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VIETNAM | Hanoi Old Quarter & French Quarter One Day DIY Walking Tour
[BEYONDPH] Monday, August 28, 2017
Having already done a chaotic no-direction two-day walking tour of Hanoi on our first visit to the city, it was time to do a more organized one this time around. But having seen some of the sights before at the French Quarter and Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we turned to those we haven’t been to before.
But just for your sake, my dear readers, I’m rounding out a one day walking itinerary of Hanoi’s Old Quarter and French Quarter—which, by the way, are both in Hoan Kiem District—in one go. And this one’s much more organized than what we actually did in real life.
I recommend starting your Hanoi DIY walking tour from Hoan Kiem Lake. Well, you can actually start anywhere near your lodging, but for the sake of this guide, since the lake is one of the central area of the district, I’ll start there. For food stops, check out my Hanoi Food Trip post, or you can just eat wherever suits your fancy, you won’t run out of food places in Hanoi. And lastly, keep your eyes open between destinations, it’s where you’d really find what Hanoi is all about. So, ready your walking shoes, this would take almost the whole day!
“Where are the motorbikes?!” We were totally baffled the morning we arrived at Hanoi after visiting the Imperial Citadel of Hue. The streets around Hoan Kiem Lake were devoid of motorbikes, or any motorized vehicle for that matter. It was a Sunday morning, the weather was a bit nippy with magenta bougainvillea flowers and yellow blossoms from the trees littering the road. It was quite a refreshing sight, totally very not Hanoi, but in a very good way!
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| HOAM KIEM LAKE IN HANOI |
It turns out that Hanoi has started to pedestrianize the roadways around Hoan Kiem Lake. The testing stage started as far back as 2014, with six major streets barricaded against motorized traffic. By September 2016, fifteen more streets were added in.
TAIWAN | Shifen, Waterfalls and Sky Lanterns at the Old Street
[BEYONDPH] Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Dusk was settling as we walked through a quiet neighborhood in Shifen. A red giant lantern, scrawled haphazardly with unintelligible words and doodles, suddenly bobbed above the roofline, swayed slightly with the wind, before finally flying off into the twilight. A few steps later, the narrow road opened into a rail track. Vibrant shops filled both its sides, with crowds of tourists milling around the sidewalk and the single train track running in the middle. Most of them were holding a similar sky lantern, lit, poised, and ready to take their wishes into the darkening sky.
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| THE SHIFEN TRAIN STATION IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE MRT |
Shifen has been elusive to us. Located at the Pingxi District in New Taipei, it’s about an hour away by bus from Taipei’s MRT Brown Line. Near as it was, it still took us several hours to finally reach this place. Shifen is a popular daytrip destination for Taipei tourists and is usually paired with tours at Pingxi, Yehliu Geopark and Jiufen.
Like it has always been, it was again drizzling in Jiufen. We waited for it to abate to a fine mist before rushing across the highway and starting the ascent across the glistening stone steps towards its heart. And its heart was beating fast; pumped with people going up and down its arteries, holding colorful umbrellas competing with the red Chinese lanterns lightly bobbing over teahouses, aromas of cooking mingling with the scent of new rain, and mists, magical mist, hovering above everything else, swirling slowly like a daydream.
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| THE STAIRS LEADING TO JIUFEN OLD STREET |
But getting to Jiufen wasn’t really the stuff of dreams. We started off late from the Yehliu Geopark on the second day of our tour, day one being set for our Taipei day tour. The original plan was to take a bus from Yehliu to Keelung City, perhaps visit the Elelphant Rock if we still have time, before proceeding on another bus bound for Jiufen. With daylight slowly getting shorter, we decided to take a cab, haggling hard to bring it down to TWD1,200.00 for the five of us. It was twice more expensive than taking the bus, but was also twice as fast (we checked using our Flytpack). And with our limited time in Taiwan, we’d definitely take time over money.
For a brief moment, the sun peeked through the thick blanket of clouds covering Taipei City. The skyline was awash in hues of magentas wanting to ignite into fiery reds, a moment that never came to be. In a blink of an eye, haze consumed the sun once more, and in response, a cacophony of lights started to twinkle from the city, iridescently hypnotic. In the center of it all, the Taipei 101 stood proud, a colossal monolith pointing to the heavens. I stood back from the railings of a view deck several hundreds of feet above ground and sighed, Taipei, I am back.
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| VISITING TAIPEI WITH MY COUSINS AND MOM THIS TIME |
It was less than two months since I first set foot on Taiwan. After unexpectedly falling in love with the city, I checked the interweb and found an incredulously cheaper flight than my first. After a flurry of bookings and hotel arrangements, I was soon flying back to Taipei, this time with my mom and two cousins.
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| TAOYUAN AIRPORT AT THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING |
We travelled in the middle of January and it was noticeably colder. Temperature was at 12 degrees, something I’m really not used to but was enjoying a lot with just a light sweater on, to the chagrin of my companions who were wearing layers upon layers of warm clothing.
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| AFTER LESS THAN TWO MONTHS, HELLO AGAIN, TAIPEI! |
Dropping our bags at Wow Ximen Wow Hostel right in the thick of Ximending walking street, we did a quick pre-breakfast meal at one of the uncles hawking Taiwanese streetfood, a crepe thing with crispy bacons, and proceeded to my rehashed Taiwan day tour itinerary I made for my previous trip.
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| CHIANG KAI SHEK’S NATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER |
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| CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL HALL |
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| THE NATIONAL THEATER |
Like before, we purchased a three-day MRT pass for a measly TWD380.00. We were soon tunneling our way to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The square has a slightly different feel in the mornings. We wandered around a bit, me pointing out places to my companions and acting tour-guidy before boarding the train once again to check out the Shuanglian Morning Market.
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| SHUANGLIAN MORNING MARKET |
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| THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL CUTESY FOR TOURIST MARKET, WELL, TO SOME EXTENT |
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| STREET FOOD GALORE |
I was expecting a morning version of the Taipei night markets but was surprised to find a legit market of sorts. Like wet market legit, complete with pork meat and what-nots. We breezed through the throngs of locals and tourists, taking in the vibrant colors of the marketplace and its dizzying activities.
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| WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO DADAOCHENG?! |
Still on foot, we traversed the eerily deserted sidewalks of Jinxi Street and plunged headlong into the madness of Taipei’s old district, Dadaocheng. I was taken entirely by surprise to find this once quiet place surrounded by distinct Chinese-Taiwanese architecture swarming with people.
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| EATING OUT AT DADAOCHENG |
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| LUNCH IS SERVED! |
The whole street was lined with stalls hawking all sorts of stuff (with free taste!) and the place was packed. Really packed. We went with the swell, darting quick picks on the free food along the stalls before finally sitting our asses off on a square filled with chairs and tables, ours soon filled with bowls of braised pork rice, shrimp dumplings, pork ribs, steamed veggies, fishball soup and Taiwanese tea egg. Lunch time!
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| VIEW OF NEW TAIPEI FROM THE DADAOCHENG WHARF |
I still have no idea what the deal was with Dadaocheng being a mad bedlam of people as we wended our way back through the crowd and into the Dadaocheng Wharf to relax a bit before proceeding to our next stop.
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| SUN YAT SEN MEMORIAL HALL, NOTHING MUCH TO SEE, REALLY |
We forewent our initial plan of going back to the hostel to check in and decided to push ahead with the itinerary, the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Its classic arched Chinese roof has always fascinated me during my stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, we just didn’t have enough time back then to visit it. Well, it was just as well as the structure nor even its surroundings weren’t really that interesting. Well, I did enjoy watching a few of the locals milling around the place, flying kites and kids running around trying to catch pigeons.
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| GOING UP TO THE ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN, AGAIN |
Now clocking in at 20,000++ steps on my pedometer app, we pushed our feet further for the Taipei 101. We took a quick break inside, warming ourselves and looking for a place to change money before going back down to the train and racing the sunset at the nearby Elephant Mountain.
Morning workout. I cannot. #LakadPilipinas x #Taiwan #teamRHwintertrip #teamRHwatak
A video posted by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on
After a twenty-minute slow walk towards the stairs leading to the Elephant Mountain viewing deck, we contemplated if we would still continue. Our feet were dying. But since we’re already here, we might as well push on and let our feet die a dignified death.
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| TAIPEI CITY FROM THE ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN VIEW DECK |
Slowly, we ascended the unending steps until we reached the first, then second view deck. As usual, it was filled to brimming with tourists waiting for when the golden hour would bathe Taipei City into a golden urban landscape of jagged skyscrapers.
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| GOING UP TO THE HIGHEST VIEWPOINT |
Since we still have a bit of time, I decided to push further than before and see the highest view deck. It was surprisingly just a few minutes away from where we were and the view was even better. Here, you can actually see both the setting sun and the Taipei 101 in a single panorama. It was just too bad that cloud cover was quite thick and the sun was content on simply peeping every now and then from the haze.
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| THE TAIPEI 101 RISING ABOVE THE CITY |
We waited until the city became electric before going back down and riding the train again to our dinner, the Shilin Night Market. We were dead tired by the time we took a seat and our meal was served.
Because this view never gets old. #LakadPilipinas x #Taiwan #teamRHwintertrip #teamRHwatak
A photo posted by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on
It was a long day of exploring Taipei City, returning on already visited places with new twists and experiencing a couple of entirely new ones. It was a first for my cousins and my mom, a second for me. Still, I live for visiting the same places over and over again. Taiwan isn’t a part of South East Asia, but what they say around it definitely applies for Taipei too. Same same but different.
