Holla Taipei!

To be quite honest I've never been to Taiwan as much as I'd like to... So I don't know if it's a good idea to be writing about it. Anyway! After a good 5 years (2009!), I went back to TPE with my then-colleagues for a learning trip in March'14 and with my mum in May'14 for some R&R.

We visited many companies on the learning trip and you can find my reflection for the journey here. I'm really thankful to be able to participate and definitely learning points that I won't forget!



In my trip in May'14, I decided to get my fillers done there at Star Clinic. The location of the clinic can be found here. It was still fairly expensive in SG then so I opted to do it in TPE since I'll be there for 5 days and can save about $400-$500 as compared to doing it in SG. There is an even further discount if you're coming in 2!

I did it on my nose (1cc) and chin (0.5cc). Fillers used was Radiesse 1.5cc, for approx TWD17,500 (~S$745). There was an anesthesia jab on the tip of my nose which hurts real bad. I was injected on the tip of my nose, not the bridge. I reckon the latter would be less painful? Chin fillers were painless though, so yay for that. Entire process from the moment I entered the clinic to exit was about 1 hour, almost like a jab-and-go.

Prior to your trip, select the day/doctor that you want to get work done and make an appointment online. The clinic assistants will get back to you via LINE app and the arrangements can be done there. As mine did not require overnight stay, there were no complications or details required to be filled up. You can direct your questions to the correspondents and they will do their part!




Visited my aunt in Taichung on day two. It was a day trip as we did not have enough time for a night's stay there. The fare table is as below, train schedule here and you can make ticketing booking (up to 28 days in advance) here.


Look at our Cartoon Network themed train!
 The inside of the train looks like a plane minus overhead compartments.
 I guess most people are familiar with the Bento boxes at THSR stations, affectionately known as 台铁便当. They are almost freshly made and usually fly off the shelves upon replenishment. I got myself the ribs set and it was delicious! Prices range from TWD80-150, depending on your selection.



Day three was Sky Lantern day! We made our way to Ruifang -> Pingxi area via the railway. It wasn't as bumpy as I thought and train ride was approximately 1hr.

Ruifang area is located in 新北市, a moderately short drive away from 台北 (think SIN to JB). To get there, purchase a ticket on the ‘北迴幹線-自強號’ (Northbound train) from the Taipei Main Station ticketing counter (see below).



We took the Pingxi line to the Shifen Station where we finally did the must-do sky lanterns activity. When you get off the train, you will see hoards of tourists walking down the train tracks to pose in the middle of the tracks. Safety first though, please ensure that there are no trains passing through before walking down to the railway and do a quick snap and go!


Located near the train station is the suspension bridge that sent chills down my spine. Haha! The Jing An Suspension Bridge (静安吊桥) can be easily spotted within steps from the train station. Here, tourists tie bamboo pieces carved with their messages in hope for... Good luck? Cutest one I saw was ‘我要和XXX一起走到最后。’ . So sweet!

I only took a few steps on the bridge (enough for a photo) and went back because there were so many kids jumping up and down the bridge, rocking it back and forth and making me so afraid.
Check out what I wrote on my the sky lantern! I want to travel the world.

There are so, so many shops along the road offering the sky lantern activity but there isn't much difference, so we went for a store in the middle. Prices were also the same (competition lah) so I guess you can just go to the store you feel like.

The different colors of the lanterns mean different things and you can write all your wishes there. I think I was being a little greedy with all my scribbles huh... Hahaha.




After our activity, we took a really long walk to the nearby Shifen Waterfalls. I don't think I've seen one in real life and being at the edge near the falls seems cool enough anyway so I went ahead with it.

You'll see the signboard like the above pointing towards Ruifang and that's the direction that you should be heading towards. It is a 40 minutes walk from the sky lantern area and you should be able to hear the waterfalls.