Taiwan Day 3: Bopiliao Old Street, The Red House and Around Ximending
I cannot remember what time I woke up on our 3rd day in Taiwan. But I know for sure that I am always the first to get up for my coffee ritual. Rodel got more sleeping privileges because it was his birthday 🎈.
Brought Essenso Coffee Mix during #RuRoinTaipei. Our hotel has complimentary coffee and espresso capsules but I also love this mix.
We had plans in the morning but we decided to just stay in the hotel room before we checked out and headed to our next accommodation.
Read about our luxurious suite in Grand Hyatt Hotel Taipei.
I was partly sad when we closed the door of the Suite Room. We checked out and took a cab going to Ximending. It was a start of a new adventure.
We checked in at Amba Hotel Ximending and by the time we have settled, it was time for lunch. We decided to have late lunch at Modern Toilet Restaurant (at last, something that we can cross off our itinerary that day).
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Read: Eating poop at Modern Toilet in Ximending
It is just walking distance to our hotel but as expected, the place was packed and we were put on waitlist.
After lunch, we decided to check out what other places to visit around Ximending. We walked a few blocks to Bopiliao Old Street. On our way, I kind of felt my stomach and I was quiet the whole time while we walked down the quiet streets that remind me of Ongpin. I told Rodel that I felt the need to use a toilet (a modern one, please!), but there’s no sight of Starbucks or fastfood around. I remember this feeling when we were out in the streets of London and badly needed to pee.
When we got to Bopiliao Old Street Museum, the guard said that they were closing in 10 minutes. We hurriedly entered to explore and take photos. For some reason, I have forgotten I needed to use the toilet. It was funny that we always got to visit places that were closed or were closing. 😀
The guard then instructed us to leave the place. When we walked further down the street, that’s where we found the gold – the old street! Bopiliao has well-preserved streets and traditional shop homes from the Qing period, as well as buildings from the Japanese occupation and early post-war periods.
I love the vintage feel of the Bopiliao Old Street.
We walked further to find the nearest shopping mall per the Google Maps suggestion; but what we saw is just a small building which sells clothes.
In between bricks and temples, we found some cute stuff – like Pokemon drinks.
We decided to head back to our hotel. We took the train going to Ximen Station which is the nearest MRT station to our hotel.
When we got to Ximen Station we were surprised to see people gathered around the stage. It seemed that there was a local artist performing that night. We tried to look for the old theater Red House which is one of the first Taiwan public market originally built by Architect Kondo Juro. Now, it is turned over to the Taipei Cultural Foundation to start extensive renovations. Aside from holding performances, Red House also has cafes, restaurants, bars and designer shops. There’s also 16 Creative Boutique which houses shops that sell unique local products. I tried not to buy anything I do not need.
When we got back to Manila, we found out that it was the Gay District in Taipei and is a trendy gathering spot for the LGBT community, there are many gay-friendly shops in the area. We were clueless.
We let the neon lights and signages blind us on our way back to the hotel.
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