Taipei, Taiwan (Solo)

I'd describe my trip to Taipei end-2022 as a series of unfortunate events where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Hilarious in hindsight, but pretty miserable in the moment. Perhaps it was the impromptu nature of the trip, where I booked it without much thought simply to utilize my company's "work from anywhere" policy, leading to all sorts of disasters. Think: booking the wrong hotel, realizing that the hotel you ended up in was a Covid-19 isolation facility, falling sick alone overseas, and feeling the tremors of the earthquake in that said hotel while nursing my illness. 

Yet, these moments made me discover a side of Taipei that I wouldn't have otherwise explored, which made my visit feel more authentically local. 

The wrong hotel gave me a peek into local life 

The hotel I was supposed to book, 'York Hotel' was centrally located, near the Taipei Main Station and the office, where I was meant to work from for a couple of days. However, the 'York Hotel' I ended up booking (yes they literally had the same name) was located in Banqiao District, and a ~40 mins commute to the city. 

This slight inconvenience necessitated a long, early stroll to the metro every day I was there, passing by local eateries and homes, ones I wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise. The morning rush hour commute was memorable and as real as it gets–squished up in between sliding doors and the warm human bodies who gave no hoots about personal space. 

These were the little things that gave me a taste of what working and living in Taipei felt like, and I did end up still having a lovely time meeting my Greater China colleagues and touring our office situated within the Taipei 101 building. 

With Z, whom I'd been working with for a year at that point.

Of course, we had to have my favourite drink in its birthplace.

Always fun visiting the offices abroad.

A cozy nook, and the snacks in the Taipei office are elite. 

Dinner on one of the nights post-working in the office with Z.

Covid-19 isolation facility, but so very homely 

So how did I realize this god-forsaken hotel was moonlighting as an isolation facility for the pandemic? Well, there were some signs. I first arrived in the early morning of 11 December (yes, I only had an 8 hour "stopover" in Singapore in between my Hanoi and Taipei trips). As I wanted to make sure I had a room to shower in prior to starting my day instead of waiting till the usual check-in time, I had booked my stay from the night before, expecting the room to be ready once I arrived. However, when I stepped into the hotel, the lights of the lobby were switched off, and a lone lady at the counter was clearly not expecting me. The booking confirmation from my inbox was scrutinized, before she informed me my room wasn't ready and instructed me to take a seat and wait–not before turning on the lights though. 

When I got to my room, it was cozy, nothing amiss yet. I did notice that every other room in the corridor apart from mine had some sort of two-tiered trolley rack near the door, and it seemed like standardized meals were being delivered to the guests, left on their trolleys. These meals were soon replaced by trash bags, to be picked up by the staff. I put two and two together, and it all made sense when I saw that the staff running these errands were dressed in PPE (personal protective equipment) from head to toe.  

Throughout the five days I spent there, I didn't see any other hotel guest. At least, none who could leave their rooms. This made me the most identifiable person for whoever was on duty at the lobby each day. At first, service was not given with a smile–alas, this was no luxury hotel. However, it seemed like word spread amongst hotel staff about this random Singaporean girl, and I was greeted one night when I returned with an "哦!是妳啊?" (translation: "Oh! It's you!"), by someone I'd never seen before. I suppose, yes, it's me, the girl who paid for a room in this isolation facility. By the last day though, the staff were all talking to me, making sure I knew how to turn up the temperature in my room as the weather was getting colder, and making sure I was putting on enough layers before I left their doors. It was very sweet. 

The hotel lift that only serviced a single hotel guest–me, post surviving an earthquake.

Valuing health, and time

Falling sick overseas, especially when you're alone, seriously sucks. I probably spent a good two out of the five days trying to nurse myself back to health, made easier with the wonders of Asia's 7-11/ Family Mart stores and apple milk, a beverage I waited 6 years since my last Taiwan trip to drink again. 

Heaven sometimes takes the form of a convenience storefront serving up tasty hot, microwaveable meals.

 

Yes, I was sick, but I clearly still had quite the appetite. 

I only had about 50% of my taste, but this still hit. 

Yet, the limited time I had left to explore the city made the hours feel so much more valuable and special. Instead of relying on myself, I enlisted the help of my Taiwan-crazed friend who's practically a local. She happened to be there at the same time I was, and I knew I could count on her to give me the right Taipei experience. It also helped that this was my third time in the city and I've already been to all the tourist must-do's, so no pressure there. 

And when it mattered, plans worked in my favour. Receiving this very message on the day I was due to fly was such a gift: 

A flight delay when I most needed it!

Instead of moping around feeling frustrated about why I fell sick in the first place, I dragged my sorry nearly-recovered ass out the door and properly begun my trip, with about eight hours left to spare. The first stop was a quaint cafe-and-bookstore near my hotel, literally called 'eslite me-time', exactly what I needed. 

Tea for one. 

I couldn't resist a strawberry pon de ring from Mister Donut at the metro station, while waiting for my friend RN. 

Dinner was a place called 燈籠滷味, serving up a dish called '滷味' which I can only describe as a braised version of mala xiang guo/ yong tau foo. 

I enjoyed it, didn't taste like anything I had before. 

The next stop was 師園鹽酥雞 (translation: Shi Yun Crispy Fried Chicken).

This is popular with locals, it's not your usual over-seasoned Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet (Shilin-style), but served in a variety of batters and cuts you could pick and choose from. 

And we ended the night on a sweet note with mango shaved ice, of course. 

Thank you for readily showing me around your favourite city, and jam-packing the few hours I had with everything I was craving, and undeniably the best versions of each one. 

Just like that, my trip to Taipei came to an end. Quite a banger of an end, if I may say so myself. 

Sure, there were a couple, or loads, of bumps along the way, but everything could've been a lot worst. The series of unfortunate events turned around to become some of the greatest blessings, due mainly to the unique experience I ended up with. Being the only hotel guest and having some of the cutest conversations with the staff, nursing myself back to health and understanding the importance of rest, surviving the earthquake tremors, and having an absolute adrenaline-packed speed-run of delicious Taiwanese cuisine; what more could I have asked for?

If this is what an impromptu trip results in, count me in for the next one.