Back in Taipei

Flying to Taipei

I woke at 0330, way ahead of my alarm at 0500.  That meant only 5h of sleep but that is somewhat enough for me.  I lay in bed for quite a bit before preparing to head to the airport.

Leaving the room at 0527, I called by reception to return my keycard and collect my deposit back.  I got to the KL Sentral station and down to the KLIA Ekspres train as it pulled away at 0540.  No big deal, I had intended to take the 0600 service anyway.

With no checked-in luggage, I went airside and had breakfast at a lounge before going to the gate for my AirAsia X 0925 flight to Taipei.  Due to air traffic, we left about 30 mins late.

It was a packed flight with the crew super-busy with pre-booked meals followed by buy-on-board.  By the time they finished with the duty-free sales, it was time to land.

Arriving in Taipei

We landed just before 1500 and I breezed through immigration and straight out since I had no luggage to wait for.

I was on the train at 1545 which got me to the Taipei Main Station about 35 mins later.  It was 31 degC with super high humidity with my weather app saying that it felt like 39 degC.  The breeze was warm and heavy rather than cooling.  It made Kuala Lumpur feel dry.  Taipei isn’t new to me but this is the first time I’ve experienced it sweltering like this.

With the heat, the short walk to the Relax III didn’t feel short but I was there around 1630.

Out briefly

After an hour of decompressing in my room, I headed out to the Longmen Temple and the nearby Huaxi Night Market.

I had been to the temple before but not this night market.  This night market used to be called Snake Alley and there is little sign of snake, turtles and exotic wildlife being slaughtered and sold.

The night market comprised of stalls on the road and shop located on both sides of an alley, the beginning of which was decorated with an arch.  Most of the eating was on the road while the shops had knick-knacks and a few restaurants.

Still full from my rendang breakfast at the lounge, I couldn’t face the deep-fried fare from the stalls and opted for a Vietnamese pho of mushroom and meat balls with rice noodles.  It hit the spot perfectly.

Huaxi Night Market was once a red-light district and I was approached a few times by some of the older workers.  It’s a first in Taiwan!  Likewise, on the walk back to the hotel, there were workers calling out to passers by from shopfronts that had closed for the night.