DAY 1 in Taipei, Taiwan: Arrival and 7-Eleven Shopping!

Taipei is one of my favorite cities and I was very excited to go back. This is actually my nth time to visit. Taiwan is not a popular destination among Filipinos because Visa is needed unlike in Hong Kong and Singapore. Taiwan Visa is waived if you have a US Visa or any other first world country visa. Taipei is Taiwan's vibrant capital city. It has biggest night markets in the world, world-class shopping and delicious food!

I arrived at Taoyuan Airport around 1am. The weather was cold. It's about 18 degrees Celsius. The airport is currently under construction but that did not affect the immigration process. It only took me less that 15 minutes to finish the immigration stamping. I noticed that the money changer office was closed so I decided to just withdraw money from the ATM - very convenient! At the exit I saw my driver and he drove to Taipei and I paid him NT$1,200 (PhP1,740). It's really expensive! I really wish there's a train from Taoyuan to Taipei.

I arrived in my hostel safely. After unpacking my things I went to 7-Eleven to buy food. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven are very popular in Taipei. Nearly every corner of a street one can find a 7-Eleven store. I went to the fridge section and I notice a familiar bottled drink. It was my favorite green tea drink back in Manila! I was surprised because the shape of the bottle was different.

Another weird thing in Taipei is the giant Yakult! It's one of the things that I always try to get when I'm in Taipei. I also like their yogurt drink. It's so delicious compared to the Nestle brand in the Philippines.