Taipei Trip 2026: Reliving Memories and New Adventures
Join us on a nostalgic journey to Taipei in 2026! From hilarious food mishaps to bamboo menu mysteries and city night views, relive past memories and plan new adventures.
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Join us on a nostalgic journey to Taipei in 2026! From hilarious food mishaps to bamboo menu mysteries and city night views, relive past memories and plan new adventures.
Taipei Trip Prologue
Chicken Wing Fried Rice
Bamboo Menu Mystery
Night Views
What's next on the travel agenda?
It's Taiwan!
Though I'm just now getting around to packing, I actually booked these tickets way back in 2025. Today, before we officially take off, I wanted to share a little prologue to get us in the mood for our upcoming adventure.
You know what's wild?
Taiwan announced a travel grant program! We're talking 5,000 Taiwan Dollars (TWD), which was roughly ~$145 at the time. The initial announcement was made, but the specific details hadn't been fully released yet.
On top of that,
Taipei was also giving away free city tour bus tickets! A total of 10,000 tickets were available on a first-come, first-served basis.
So, what about my Taipei travel plans, booked a year ago?
Unfortunately, my travel dates didn't align with the promotion period...
Farewell, Taiwan travel grant.
Goodbye, city tour bus tickets.
Even though I couldn't take advantage of them, I promise to post an update if new details emerge for future travelers!
This Taipei trip marks my first return in six years, and I'm thrilled to be going with the same friend I traveled with back in 2020.
I have a few memorable anecdotes from that previous trip that might just connect with our upcoming adventure...
During a Yehliu, Shifen, Jiufen (Y.S.J.) bus tour in Taiwan, we were asked to pre-order our chicken wing fried rice. There were two options: spicy or mild.
After collecting everyone's orders, our guide came over and asked,
"Rexfun~ (Of course, I wasn't Rexfun back then, haha!)
How many people are in your party?"
"Two of us!"
"Two people?
Are you sure you ordered five portions?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"Five portions for two people?"
"Uh, yes..."
I had ordered one of each flavor to try both, but my friend, thinking "chicken wing fried rice" meant small chicken wings, assumed they wouldn't be filling and ordered three! (We did manage to eat it all eventually, though, haha!)
I hadn't expected much, but it was surprisingly delicious, so I'm really looking forward to the Y.S.J. bus tour this time around!
My friend wanted to visit a tea house in Jiufen, and I remember it being quite pricey for a single cup of tea.
We entered around the same time as a group of Japanese visitors and ended up sitting at the table next to them.
But here's the thing... the staff gave them a beautiful bamboo menu, while we received a regular paper one.
We started wondering, "Are the expensive items on the bamboo menu and the cheaper ones on paper? Were they given it because they were older? Do we just look poor?" We had a good laugh about it later, though.
This time, I'm definitely going to check if they offer a bamboo menu and if the paper menu has the same items! It'll be a fun little mission. Haha!
For that previous Taipei trip, I booked our accommodation, splurging a bit only on the last night and saving money on the rest.
That last night, we had a room with a city view, and we capped off our Taipei adventure with a beer, gazing out at the cityscape.
My friend absolutely loved it, and ever since, she always books a hotel with a night view for the final night of her trips.
Honestly, though, it didn't leave a huge impression on me... so I thought, "Was it really that good?"
I figured her memory might have just been romanticized over time...
But after digging through old photos, I found it! This was the place, haha!
Seeing the picture does bring back the feeling of that moment. Even though it wasn't particularly late, the city seemed to stop. There were hardly any cars moving, and the lack of activity made it feel as if time had paused.
A night view doesn't have to be spectacular to be meaningful. Sometimes, it's the thoughts, the atmosphere, and the shared moment that create the magic, making the actual view less important. Anyway, sorry, friend, for potentially shattering your romanticized memory!
Even though I missed out on the city tour bus and the Taiwan travel grant, I'm still going to have an amazing time!
I'm excited to revisit those nostalgic places from our last trip.
Taipei travel intro complete.
Oh, wait. I haven't actually left yet. Still in the US!
The Taiwan travel subsidy is 5,000 New Taiwan Dollars (TWD), which is approximately ~$145. Currently, only the announcement has been made, and specific details have not yet been released.
A total of 10,000 Taipei City Tour bus tickets will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. I was unable to receive the benefit as it didn't align with my travel itinerary.
On the Yeshiji bus tour, two flavors of chicken wing fried rice were available: spicy and mild. I ordered one of each to try both flavors.
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