Quick Review: Go Sleep Hotel Hankou

The last time we went to Taipei, we stayed at a Go Sleep Hotel Hankou. It is located in Wanhua District. It's still near Ximending, a couple minutes walk and you're there. This is also a bit cheaper than our last hotel. Probably due to the location being a bit farther from the train station and food is served as buffet style.

Missed this a few times as the sign was a bit small.

As for our room, we had one double and one single bed. It's good enough for a family of three.

You get a small tabe and chair, a small cabinet, a tea kettle, complimentary water with tea and coffee. If you also choose a room without a window, the rate is a bit cheaper than with a window.

The flat screen tv is mounted on the wall to maximize the space. It has a decent channels and a few channels with english movies.

As for the toilet, it has a shower and a bathtub with cold and hot water. The toilet is western style. The sink also has hot and cold water. The setting though is a bit tricky as the pressure is very good so getting the right temp may take awhile. The mirror also has heating to prevent it from fogging up. Just make sure to turn on the switch on the side. The hair dryer is near the water basin. Shampoo and body wash is also provided.

Bath tub is of decent size so it takes awhile to fill it up if you want to soak.

Floor gets slippery when you get it too wet so be careful.

 As for the breakfast buffet, below are just a sample of the choices. Some of the choices will be changes out during certain times so stay for a bit if you don't fancy some of the choices.

The drinks are unlimited and are open 24/7. Downside to this is, it is located on the Ground floor and the rooms are located on a separate floor.

Overall, this is a great bang for the buck type of hotel. It is clean, has a decent breakfast, and still a walking distance away from Ximending.

Gudetama Chef in Taipei

Here is a quick look of the Gudetama Chef in Taipei. Food is of course a bit more expensive compared to regular cafes' because of the theme. Although it was a bit on the pricey side (compared to where I usually eat), it was still a nice experience. You could pre-pay your food through their website. You will also have to reserve through their website, just to make sure that you will have seats. There are times that the place is packed but there are times that you could just walk-in.

One Piece Cafe in Taiwan

Below is a short clip of the time we visited the One Piece themed cafe in Da-an, Taipei, Taiwan.

Enjoy!
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My Hotel Review on: Diary of Taipei Hotel - Ximen Station Branch

When we were in Taiwan, this was where we stayed. It was the nearest that we could find that is a stone's throw away from a MRT Exit. Based on the pics we found on the net, it was clean and it had breakfast included plus snacks and drinks of some sort.

It does not have the easiest entrance to see. It was wedged between two shops leading to two elevators. It is located at the buildings 3F. Once you get off the elevator, the first thing you'll see is the reception area. The staff knows English so it's not hard to communicate. Here you will also find the complimentary Milk Tea dispenser, Regular Tea, Different types of coffee from two dispensers, dinner roll, sandwich bread and an assortment of jams/spreads.

Our room is the nearest one to the reception area so getting free snacks was a breeze. Our room had two queen size beds. It was more than ample for us three. It had a safe, a small fridge, flat screen tv, a desk, chair, one bedside table and coat hangers. Unfortunately, there was no closet. AC was a split type and was super quiet. They also provide cups if you want to drink the complimentary tea (which the room also has). You could use the electric kettle in the room and the complimentary water in the fridge (replenished everyday).

Our toilet had a shower area, wash area, and a western style toilet. Water pressure was good. It had heated water both on the sink and shower. Soap and Shampoo dispenser is inside the shower area. The hair dryer was pretty strong so it heats up quickly so be careful. Floors could get a little slippery when wet. Towels were changed everyday. Toiletries were also replenished everyday.

Pros:
-Very affordable
-Staff was helpful
-Breakfast vouchers are from the nearby KFC
-Unlimited supply of bread, coffee and tea at the reception area
-Place was cleaned everyday
-Located at Ximenting
-Near MRT Station

Cons:
-Entrance was a bit tricky to find
-Walls are not sound proof (we could hear the next room occupant showering)
-You could here the noises from outside when there is an event

Contact Details:
Diary of Taipei - Ximen Station
3F, No. 90, Sec 1, Zhonghua Rd.,
Wanhua District, Taipei City 10843, Taiwan (ROC)
Tel: +886 2 2311-2996
Fax: +886 2 2311-5231
Email: diaryhotel2@gmail.com

Visiting Taipei Zoo

I wasn't really expecting much before we went to Taipei Zoo. I thought it would be just another zoo. Lo and Behold, the zoo was huge! It had several sections and it would take a whole day to explore the whole area.

Some of the sections are:
1. Children's Zoo (some of the animals here could be petted)
2. Fern Garden
3. Formosan Animal Area
4. Insect Valley
5. Asian Tropical Rainforest Area
6. Desert Animal Area
7. Australia Animal Area
8. Africa Animal Area
9. Bird World
10. Temperate Zone Animal Area
11. Amphibian & Reptile House
12. Penguin House
13. Panda House
14. Koala House
15. Education Center

There are many places to buy food and snacks. There are also water fountains for hot/warm/cold water. Just bring your own container.

To get to the zoo, just get to the Wenhu Line (brown line) and get off at the Taipei Zoo Station. This station is also near the Maokong Gondola, if you like riding the cable cars then it's a 2-in-1.

Ticket prices are NT$60. Here are some of the pics that I took.

Map of the Taipei Zoo.

Entrance to the zoo.

There's a 7-11 and a McDonald's near the entrance. A few more snack bars up the road.

One of the animals that you could pet. Just make sure to wash your hands after.

I'm not used to see a yellow monkey.

This guy almost ate the bonnet of the baby posing near it!

Almost all the Koala's that we saw are sleeping. They are nocturnal creatures. There are signs warning that flash photography is not allowed and loud noises.

This panda just kept pacing around. Must be bored.

Lego Panda!

Panda's you could take home.

Some of the snakes blend so well in the environment that they are hard to see. Wouldn't want to encounter one in the trails.

This frog is either great at playing dead or is just dead. But I doubt it's dead.

First time to see a real live wolf!

Ways to get to the city from Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan

Let's say you arrived at Taoyuan International airport, there are several ways to get to Taipei or anywhere else in Taiwan. One of the conveniences of this airport is the options to get around. There is the typical taxi which operates 24 hrs a day. Using "Grab" app to get a ride. The cheapest is by Bus. And the newly opened Train from the airport to Taipei Main Station.

Easiest way is by taxi if your arriving in the wee hours in the morning because of its 24 hr operation. There are some waiting just outside the arrival area. Although expensive, (around NT900 up if i'm not mistaken) but it will get you to your destination quickly and less guesswork.

There's also the "Grab" app. I saw sign posts outside the terminal where you will wait for your ride. I honestly haven't tried using this or any other ride sharing services so if you have experience with this, you have that option.

If your flight arrived during the day, you could use the just opened express train from the airport straight to Taipei Main Station. Although right now it's still in its test phase, operation is from around 6am-11pm and will be half price (regular price is around NT160) until its normal operation on April 2017.

There's also the cheapest option, using the Bus. Although not as fast as the train, but it is reliable as they also follow a time table. Several buses link the airport to Taipei, Taoyuan City, Jhongli, Taichung, Banqiao, Changhua, and THSR's Taoyuan Station. Bus terminals are present at both terminals. For buses going outside of Taoyuan area, operations start at around 5:30am. For buses just going around Taoyuan, it has continuous operation albeit longer wait times.

You could buy tickets at the bus counters, but if you have an Easy Card or iCash, you could pay directly before boarding. 

To pick up a bus:

- From T1: zone at B1 Arrivals.

- From T2: At the northeast arcade of the 1st floor Arrivals lobby.

Available buses from the airport:

- 1819 to Taipei Main Station

- 1840 and 1841 to Songshan Airport

- 1843 to Nangang Exhibition Center

- 1960 East Bus

- 1961 West Bus

- 5201 and 5202 bus

We were going to Taipei so we boarded the 1819 to Taipei Main Station and it cost NT130/person and NT65/person for concessionaire. Travel time was around 1 hour.

Additional info:
When your finally in Taipei, there are several stations for bikes called U-bike, where you could rent a bike and go around the city for a minimal fee. There is more information on the terminals if your interested. But the jist is there is a kiosk near the bikes that has information on the number or bikes available and parking spots on the different bike terminals nearby.

Travel tips if your going to Taiwan

Now you've decided to visit Taiwan. The land of the Beef Noodle, Night Markets, and Cherry Blossoms. Below are some tips that I learned when I visited Taiwan.

First, secure a VISA or E-VISA. For further details here is a link: http://www.roc-taiwan.org/ph_en/post/1421.html

Second. If your visiting during the first or last quarter of the year, better pack your winter clothes or at least layer your clothes as it gets pretty cold! We learned this the hard way as we still caught the tail end of the cold season and we just brought hoodies. (cue the weeknd: "I can't feel my face when I'm with you...")

Third. When you do arrive at the airport, you could purchase an Easy Card or iCash card at the convenience stores. This is like the EZ Card of Singapore or the Octopus card of Hong Kong. We paid around 100NTD for the card and loaded 200NTD. These cards are your way of payment for trains and buses. These could also be used to pay in convenience stores and mall stores that accept Easy Card and iCash payment.

Fourth. Get an unlimited data sim card for 3, 5, or 7 days. You could do this through the Klook app if your arriving in the wee hours of the morning (booth opens at 5:30 am) or just through the local kiosks around town or within the airport (opens around 9:00 am). This helps a lot if you like to remain connected to social media and using google maps to get around town. I suggest using another phone and just use it as a hotspot as keeping data on your phone eats the battery faster or bring a hefty power bank to keep your device juiced up.

Enjoy your trip!

For the places, food, and events we encountered will be in a separate blog! Stay tuned!