End of Year Travels 2012/2013: Highlights of Taipei (Part 1)

It was my first time venturing into Taiwan territory hence I covered mainly touristy places in the north. I will definitely return to explore central and southern Taiwan for more food and scenic goodness!

• Taipei 101 - mentioned briefly in the previous post. There's a Din Tai Fung dumpling branch inside. I didn't go up to the observation deck due to the large tour crowds floating around the building.
• Mao Kung cable car- the view of the city was quite nice on a non-cloudy day. Once you reach the top, you are presented with numerous tea houses to choose from. Some have a better view than others but may be limited in food choices. Either way, you won't starve there! 

Taipei 101 in the background:

There are some snack vendors along the way which were on average under 30 NT ($1 AUD) per serve. 5 spice chicken rice, creamy vegetable soup with wonton and glutonious rice.

Their oyster omelette was a bit undercooked, batter was too heavy and it wasn't as fresh as the ones we tasted in Hong Kong.

Mountain views:

The tea appreciation plantation/museum was about a 15 -20 minutes walk from the drop off point of the cable car. The back garden and fields were unfortunately closed when we arrived (for renovations). We watched a quick video and had a wander around of what was left open to the public.

Overall, it makes for a nice half-day trip. There are hiking trails offered for the more adventurous or those missing their usual exercise.