Sometimes, the beauty of travel is experiencing retrospectively with someone else through their words and images. To that end, below is the story about our journey to Macau and Tapei as told by my husband, Jeffrey Rose, whose blog is entitled Purple WorldView. His piece is entitled:
A Weekend in Macau and Tapei: Even Typhoon Nepartak Could Not Dampen Its Allure!
My wife and I spent a good deal of time deciding when and how to fit a weekend trip to Taipei into our busy 5-week visit to China. We finally chose a weekend, which allowed us to celebrate my birthday in Taiwan. We found the most efficient, economical way to travel between Guangzhou, China and Taipei (high speed train to Zhuhai/Macau; Macau-Taipei round-trip flight) and made our arrangements. However, on the day of our departure, a level 5 super typhoon, Typhoon Nepartak, hit Taiwan! Thankfully, the storm’s impact was far less than expected and we were able to fly from Macau to Taipei only 12 hours later than originally planned.
Prior to leaving Macau, we spent a night at The Landmark hotel. When you visit Macau, keep the Landmark on your short list of hotel choices. Great hotel, excellent location, plush accommodations, and wonderful service from the staff. Their rooms even come with a mobile phone for you to use during your stay providing free internet access, local and international (in Asia) telephone calls! Their manager even extended our stay to accommodate us as we dealt with the later than expected flight time.
While in Macau, you MUST visit Cafe e Nata, for some of their AMAZING egg tarts! The cafe is a little hard to find (it sits in an alley way between streets in a crowded area of central Macau) so ask for directions either at your hotel or while you are walking through the streets. It's a very popular spot so most people know where it is. Once you arrive, order a few of their flaky, fluffy, delectable treats! Go ahead and splurge (they are small), add a coffee (hot or iced), and find a spot at one of the picnic tables or benches found right outside the small cafe (there is no room to sit inside).
After enjoying the egg tarts, visit the nearby historical center of Macau. This area of Macau is really cool with its mixture of Chinese and Portuguese culture and architecture especially the use of the famous ceramic tiles for the walkways/streets. But one of the main attractions for female visitors is one of its stores, Sasa (high end cosmetics/beauty products at low prices). The atmosphere inside may only be described as a shopping frenzy! Women pack the store furiously, but happily, searching through shelves and bins for all types of products. Guys, give your better half all of your cash, leave her there, and plan to spend at least 45 minutes exploring the area on your own. You'll likely find that she'll need/want a little more time (and maybe more cash), but in the end, she'll be ecstatic so you will be, too. Once she finishes, be sure to visit the ruins of St. Paul church (simply follow the signs found throughout the area).
After eating and shopping, we returned to the Landmark to check out. We stowed our luggage with the concierge and walked across the street to the MGM Hotel and Casino (yes, that MGM Hotel and Casino) to check out their always decorative Grand Hall. It did not disappoint us as it was, as usual, ablaze with artistic splendor.
We grabbed a quick, but delicious, lunch as one of the many local restaurants found directly behind the Hotel Lisboa (the oldest and perhaps the most fabulous Macau hotel, usually our favorite choice when we visit Macau), then returned to the Landmark to pick up our bags and head to the airport.
We arrived in Taipei and caught a cab to our first hotel - the Beitou Hot Springs Resort. The Beitou area of Taipei contains a natural source of hot, geothermal, spring water. The area contains many remnants of Japanese culture left over from the years when Japan invaded and controlled Taiwan. The Resort is wonderful with separate general bathing areas for men and women. Each contains three huge pools (one cold, one warm, and one very warm to hot) filled by water from the natural springs. In addition, each room in the hotel contains a private, deep, luxurious hot spring pool to soak in along with a large shower to bathe in after soaking.
If you stay there, be sure to include breakfast in your room reservation. There is an additional cost (around $20-25 per room) but the buffet contains an excellent blend of western and Taiwanese breakfast foods (delicious steamed bun sandwiches with soy-soaked pork with other tasty toppings as an example). Many other Beitou sites such as their library (completely energized by solar power), the Beitou Hot Springs Museum, the Katagalan Cultural Center, and the Beitou Hot Springs water source are within easy walking distance from the hotel.
Taipei's metro system is incredibly affordable, spotlessly clean, and very easy to utilize. Abundant signage and instructions exist in English in every station including on the ticket machines (several ticket options are available). We jumped on the train and headed to our next hotel - the famous and fabulous Grand Hotel. The aptly named Grand, was built because President Chiang Kai-shek wanted to build a five-star hotel to accommodate foreign ambassadors and dignitaries. The hotel was built in the style of historical Chinese palaces and its location, and size, allows for it to be viewed from all parts of Taipei. The gardens, the lobby, the restaurants, and the private club on the hotel grounds with its huge swimming pool and numerous tennis courts, all provide guests with a constant feeling of opulence and splendor. But do not worry, the Grand has a large variety of accommodation options so everyone can find a room matching their budgetary guidelines.
One of the best ways to explore a new city is simply to wander around and see what you stumble into. We bumped into a Farmers' Market just outside a metro station not far from the Grand and decided to check it out. We enjoyed scallion pancakes, black tea, shrimp crackers, pineapple cakes (with parmesan cheese) and the sweetest pineapple and mango slices we've ever had! It took a concerted effort on our part to leave the market so we could continue sightseeing as we were so thoroughly enjoying ourselves but we finally moved on!
Taipei 101 - Taiwan's tallest building and the 4th tallest building in the world must be seen when in Taipei. The view of Taipei form the Observation Deck is outstanding! Its HUGE food court on the ground floor serves more types of foods than you can imagine. We had a bowl of Taipei's famous beef noodle soup (do not miss this when visiting) and it met and exceeded our every expectation.
Taipei has seemingly endless sights to see and things to do so you pick and choose based on your tastes. One thing that you MUST do is visit one of its many Night Markets. We visited the Shilin Night Market thinking that it would be a small, indoor market similar in size to the Farmers' Market we had visited earlier in the day. We were completely wrong! The Shilin Night Market is basically a large, busy commercial area in Taipei chock full of stores and vendor shops. Visitors wind through countless streets and alleys buying all kinds of goods and choosing from an endless collection of delectable treats. The food is AMAZING and basically free so you will be able to gorge yourself without emptying your wallet. We had snacks such as grilled squid, vegetable omelets, sweet potato balls, pork and vegetable dumplings, deep fried soft shell crab, bubble tea, and local Taiwanese craft beers. And we did not even scratch the surface of all the available food options! So be sure to build up a huge appetite before going to a Night Market so that you may enjoy as many different Taiwanese snacks as possible.
Our weekend in Macau and Taipei was a wonderful, memorable experience that we will never forget. Both cities are must-visit places so be sure to put them on your "soon-to-be-visited cities" list! You will be glad that you did!
Jeffrey Rose is a graduate of Yale University where he studied Economics and Political Science. Currently, he is a Math Teacher at Palmer Trinity School, after many years of working in the world of business and healthcare finance. He is also currently the Head Golf Coach and the Assistant Head Baseball Coach at Palmer Trinity School.