A Unique Taiwan Travel Guide: Day 1 and 2

Taiwan has been one of the favorite Asian destinations by many, especially because it is known to be a food mecca. Being able to visit the country thrice though, I can attest that this beautiful country has more to offer. I partnered with KKday, an online travel platform that provides travel essentials and tour packages, and Taiwan tourism to know more about the country’s heritage and culture.

I traveled with Alyssa to Taiwan a few weeks ago and I thought of sharing our not-so-conventional 4-day itinerary that includes must-see places in Taiwan, at the same time, activities that could let us experience their culture. With the help of KKday’s website, we were able to do a flexible itinerary since it is not a fixed group tour for the entire trip. We just pre-booked all our activities, tours and trains through the website. This made the trip more convenient and cost-effective too since some vouchers have discounts. Anyway, I’ll tell you more about it in the next post. For now, let’s start!

Day 1: Arrival. We took the last flight out from Manila to Taipei via Air Asia. When we got to Taipei, we just headed to our hotel to rest.

Here is the hotel transfer we availed from KKday’s website: Taipei Taoyuan International Airport Transfer to Taipei

The price is even cheaper than getting an Uber, which I tried in my previous Taipei trip. Also, a car can fit 3 pax so it comes out inexpensive if you are going to split the bill with your travelmates. Best of all, it is convenient!

Day 2, we started around 8:30. Our first stop…

Pineapple Cake Making Experience

First of all, let me just share, I am aweful in cooking or baking. But then I thought, hey, I am here to try something new, right?! Also, Pineapple Cake is part of Taiwan’s culture. Aside from being a favorite sweet snack amongst Taiwanese locals, it has been their tradition to give this pastry whenever they celebrate something special or reach a milestone in their lives. So instead of simply buying Pineapple Cake in a store to bring home to my family, why not get the experience of creating it?

Yes, it is really a hands-on activity from working with the smooth dough, to incorporating Taiwan’s Guanmiao special pineapple filling into the cakes, and packing each pastry into a gift box. For those like me who are not into cooking or baking, do not worry there are instructors going around to make sure you are doing it right and your pastry would be worth giving to your loved ones.

While waiting for our pastries in the oven, we had the chance to visit Kuo Yuan Ye Pastry Museum. This was built in August 2002 to inform visitors about the history of the cake and promote the cultural development of this iconic Taiwanese snack.

Alyssa and I tried on traditional costumes too.

And here is my masterpiece! Oh, and my mom said it is delicious! I’m quite sure she was telling the truth since I tried it too. Haha!

I never really thought I would enjoy Pineapple Cake making. It is especially a fun activity to do in the city when you are with family and friends. If you want to try it out too, you can get your voucher through KKday website to secure your time slot. Here is the direct link: Pineapple Cake Making Experience

By 11am, we left Kuo Yuan Ye Pastry to be at Jiufen just in time for lunch.

Jiufen

Jiufen has been a popular destination outside Taipei amongst locals and tourists. It is a mountain town in northeastern Taiwan and is known for its old town with narrow alleyways filled with teahouses, souvenir shops, and street foods.

This peanut ice cream is sooo good!!!

A visit to Jiufen is not complete without experiencing the Taiwanase tea culture of tea tasting. The tea house we went to was definitely a nice place to relax and sip freshly brewed tea with a view.

Alyssa and I enjoying our teas… and taking photos around. This traditional tea house is really pretty!

To get the same Teahouse Tea Tasting package we had, you can get the voucher here: JiufenTeahouse Tea Tasting

Before leaving, I made sure to let Alyssa try a famous dish in Taiwan – hotpot! We took advantage of the great view and the cool weather in Jiufen.

We got back in Taipei by 5:30pm. We had some time to rest before dinner. I made sure to let Alyssa try Din Tai Fung for our first dinner in Taiwan. Din Tai Fung is almost always our default restaurant in Manila, so it is a must for us to eat in Taiwan, where it originated. Haha! Of course, it did not disappoint! We waited for an hour just to be seated!