Last May, together with my Mom and Older Sister, we went to visit Taiwan for the first time. Taiwan has been on my bucket list for so long and I haven't been outside the country since November and been itching to go out again.


This trip serves as a birthday and mother's day gift to our Mom as she turns 60 and she don't want a birthday party but wanted a travel birthday trip instead.



There are a lot of landmarks I wanted to see during this trip, but since my Mom can't tolerate long hours of travel and walking I arrange the tours in favor for her. But it doesn't stop us to enjoy the beauty of Taiwan.



Here, I'll list the places we've visited according to what I love most first.


1.










 Jiufen. As I've said, Taiwan has always been on my bucket list of countries to visit, it deepens when I watch Jennleyn MErcado's movie together with Derek, that scene with so much red lanterns. I know it such a shallow for many but that view is spectacular. It reminds me so much of Christmas Season, my fave season actually, so seeing those makes me want to go there right away.

There's not much on Jiufen to see, honestly, but there are a lot of stalls that sells food and random items such as bags and clothes and different accessories.


2.





 Shifen. A popular place for lanterns. Though personally, I am not a fan of it since it doesn't promote environment-friendly, but still, the vintage look and feel of the place is a must see. Another destination for those food lovers out there. You should try Milk Tea from Jin Fa Tang. First Milk Tea I've tried.


3.






Shifen Waterfall. Not far from Shifen main station is the magnificent waterfalls. Too bad, swimming is not allowed but definitely this gigantic waterfalls is a must see. Tourists may avail a cab going to jump off but if you are into exploration and budget trip you may just walk yourself there.



4.



Elephant Mountain. If you are into sporty side you may do a sidetrip hike at Elephant Mountain. From the top is a perfect view of Taipe 101. You may choose doing the hike during sunrise or sunset, but both will give you the satisfying view.


5.

Yehliu. Honestly, these are great spots for tourist but be mindful of the time of the day you're going to visit as crowd really flocks here.


6.




Ximending Night Market. We've been hitting this place every night since its just walking distance from our hotel. There are a lot of restaurants and stalls where you can buy food and souvenirs.


7. Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. Honestly, after our SEA backpacking trip, we kind of avoided temples landmarks, but visiting this Memorial is a learning experience as it is part of Taiwan history.



I'll update this as I just booked another trip this coming December. Will be going to flower farm and rainbow village :)

How To Get There

Tour Packages?

Where To Eat?

What To Visit?

Other Ways to Tour Ayutthaya?

Entrances?

Tips

Temple hopping in Bangkok is one of the popular destination but make sure to wear proper clothing when doing one! Here's what I wore during our one day tour in Bangkok. If you will, like me, wear a sleeveless, make sure to bring cover-ups for your shoulder!

Of course you cannot see Bangkok in just a day. But, if you badly need to explore at least some parts of Bangkok make sure to explore the best it has. This travel guide will help you explore one of the finest Bangkok's landmarks.



We stayed in Thailand for only three days and with that short period of time we manage to visit Phuket, Bangkok, and Ayuttaya. But this post will focus on Bangkok.



Bangkok is one of the famous city in Southeast Asia and when one says Thailand, Bangkok definitely follows the name. I myself was so intrigued and eager to see this city and it is one on top of my list to see in Asia.













Thorough research is important on any trip, that is, of course according and base on my experience. But of course it will vary depending on someone's point of view on this. I love researching about the place I want to visit from its location, to entrance fees, how to get there, if I can just walk myself to it from where I'll be staying to opening hours and so on. It makes a lot of difference when you are prepared for what's out there. But funny thing about this is that, whatever you searched back home it can be really different once you're there and your itinerary can be interchange and can really change in an instant when you are in the actual place.




First, I suggest staying in Bangkok. This will give you enough time and can be at the landmark's as early as possible. There are a lot of hostels and cheap accommodations in Bangkok that will suit any budget travelers or solo backpackers like me. If you still haven't had any ideas, you can always book in booking.com where I always book my hotels.






Once in Bangkok, head straight to Thonburi where the landmarks: Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Grand Palace can be seen. Wat Arun opens as early as 8:30 in the morning with 50 baht as entrance fee. Wat Pho starts receiving tourist as early as 8:00 am with entrance fee of 100 baht (with water included). Grand Palace entrance fee however is a lot more than the first two temples, with 500 baht as entrance fee, it opens at 8:30 in the morning. You may chose what to visit first but trust me you can visit these three in one day. These three has dress codes and strictly implemented that we must follow.









I list almost ten temples that we can see in Bangkok that sits almost near each other. But during our stay we manage to just visit two. I know, why just two? At first, we had a hard time locating the temple nearest to our hostel and really, we started after lunch time. We  came from our trip to Phuket and was so tired that we rest until noon. But if you can start early you may visit as much.