As soon as 12mn struck that night, our door bell rang and Ruth insinuated me to open the door. She once again setup a surprise celebration. It wasn’t that fancy but I really appreciated the thought of checking in the hotel restaurant, sourcing out and collaborating with the hotel staff just to have wine and chocolates on that night. It was sweet.
It was a good idea that we checked the weather first in Taipei before flying out of the country. As forecasted on our day 2 in the city, there will be scattered rainfall in different parts of Taiwan. Good thing I brought an umbrella with me. Unfortunately, the small-sized umbrella I got wouldn’t be able to cover two heads.
But we found a solution to our problem on the succeeding events.
Our day 1 in Taipei were almost cut in to half wandering the huge hotel we stayed it. I did not regret doing so for the Hotel it self was already an exploration. After having our brunch, we decided to go out and explore the city.
And because this will be our first day of exploration, we already thought that it will still take some time to familiarize ourselves with the ways of the people, directions as well as the transportation system. With a very flexible itinerary we had, we decided to explore the center part of the city first – we visited Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Datong District, Taipei City.
I fell in love at Ximending as soon as we get off our taxi. We were rolling our luggage from the busy streets to the hotel, yet it didn’t matter at all. My eyes were already feasting at the shops surrounding the area. This neighbourhood is truly alive and I can’t wait to explore this side of the city.
Tucked in the middle of the bustling streets of Ximeding, is a seemingly secret passage to what we can call a hideout. Amba Taipei Ximending Hotel is situated in the middle of what we can say the ‘Harajuku of Taipei.’ Busy, Youthful, and glittering, just the right place to go if you really wanted to see Taiwan’s fashion, and subculture.
It was a coincidence at first, but I think It’s becoming a habit. I didn’t realise that I am booking flights that fall on my birthday. Celebrating my birthday isn’t really a thing for me that I considered it mostly as a regular day, but I think, recognising it just gave me an excuse to book a flight and travel. Last year it was Cambodia, this time I go to Taiwan. (Check out my Cambodia Vlog series)