20240103_174208Raohe Night Market (January 2024)

I had not been back to Taiwan since 2016– honestly, I was long overdue for a return trip. While planning my vacation to Malaysia and Singapore last January, I decided to have an extended layover in Taipei (48 hours) to revisit family and, overall, revisit the country before continuing onto Malaysia. With direct flights from Los Angeles every day, it made it all the easier to book the journey over to Taipei.

Although I’ve been to Taipei numerous times for family, this visit was slightly different as it was 1) a considerably-shorter stay (I usually stay for at least a week), 2) I was visiting in the winter (I often visit in the hot, humid summer, so the winter was much-cooler, yay!), and 3) I was going solo. In fact, this was the first time I wasn’t going with my immediate family, so I was to navigate Taipei by myself.

However, I’d been in touch with my relatives in Taipei, and they were all the more excited and thrilled that I was coming back after so long– short stay or not. I met up and spent some time with my aunts and one of my uncles, and it was great to see them after so, so long. They were also really helpful giving me advice of how to get around, and one of my uncles even offered his apartment to stay at while he was out of town– considering that hotel prices in the city center are quite expensive (even in US prices!), I was very grateful for his generosity to have a place to stay free of charge.

That said, I headed out on the evening of New Year’s to catch my 14-hour flight to Taipei. It was a red-eye flight, and I would be losing two days while in transit, as Taipei is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles. Anyway, the flight went smoothly, as I slept through much of it. Soon enough, I landed in Taipei at 5h30 local time, clearing immigration and taking the MRT (metro) into the city center. The sun was just starting to rise as I rode into Taipei, with the slight sprinkle of rain foreboding a soon-to-be rainy first day.

After getting off at the Taipei Main Station, I grabbed a taxi to my uncle’s apartment, where my aunt was there to meet me and give me the keys. She also took me to the nearest little shop that sold shao bing you tiao (燒餅油條), which is basically a sesame flatbread with fried cruller. It’s a popular Taiwanese breakfast dish and, paired with some sweet soymilk, it’s just absolutely delicious. Total (including soy milk) cost $60 NT, which is just under $2 USD– MASSIVE culture shock! Even more shocking is that my aunt told me that shop was overcharging, that usually it’d only cost $40-50 NT ($1.25-1.50 USD)!!

20240103_082439Shao bing you tiao (燒餅油條)

I enjoyed my 燒餅油條 back at my uncle’s apartment: savory, crispy, and flaky, it was my reintroduction to Taipei, and a tasty one at that. It was also very filling, and it kept me going until the next meal I would have, which would be in just two hours. Until then, I decided to head out to a nearby outdoor market that my aunt had recommended me to browse, perhaps even buy.

Although it’d been a light sprinkle when I arrived into Taipei, it began raining heavily as I made my way to the Wuxing Shopping District (吳興商圈). It’s an outdoor market selling all sorts of fresh produce, discounted clothes and accessories, and street food. There are many of these markets all throughout the city, but I especially found Wuxing’s to be more old-school and not too commercialized– it definitely is a place for locals to go grocery shopping and, overall, for their everyday products.

20240103_092926Wuxing Shopping District (in the rain!)

While I didn’t buy any food, I ended up buying a new wallet at one of the accessories stalls, as my old wallet was falling apart. You can haggle at these places, but I’m terrible at it, so I only haggled down 10% of its original cost– I paid $800 NT ($25 USD) in the end. Not my best attempt, but I tried– I’m still using the wallet to this day!

I still had some time before I had to meet my aunt and uncle for lunch, so I made the rainy trek over to Taipei 101, the crowned jewel of the city (and emblematic of Taiwan). It’s a tall building that has, of course, 101 floors and was once the tallest tower in the world before the Burj Khalifa usurped it in 2010. I’ve been up to its observation deck before, so I didn’t have the need to go up again, so I just admired how high it was before heading back.

My aunt and uncle picked me up at 11h00, and we headed to lunch near Ximending have a Taiwanese classic: beef noodle soup (牛肉麵). We had it at a popular mom-and-pop shop that’d been around for generations: I decided to pay a bit more for beef tendon, so my bowl cost $220 NT ($7 USD). Still a steal! Personally, I found the beef at this establishment to be on the tough side, but the noodles were nice, thick and chewy. However, the star of the show was the broth, which was one of the richest and flavorful ones I’ve ever had. For a cold January day, the broth was warm and comforting like a big hug.

20240103_112839Beef noodle soup

Satisfied, my aunt and uncle took me shopping at Chengzhong Market (城中市場), a covered market specializing in discounted clothes and accessories. I remember shopping here with my family as a kid, and I looked around before buying some beautifully-embroidered house slippers to take home. I also bought some cute little souvenirs for my partner and stopped by a tea shop to buy some loose-leaf Taiwanese tea to bring home to my immediate family.

20240103_120822Slippers galore!

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my aunt and uncle outside of Taipei, as they took me to other parts of northern Taiwan (more on that in the next post). We returned in the early evening, and I said goodbye to them after they dropped me off back at the apartment.

However, the day wasn’t quite over yet, so I caught the bus over to Raohe (饒河) Night Market. Taiwan is known for its lively and bustling markets with tons of street food vendors and clothing stands for locals to enjoy as a community– Raohe is one of the most well-known in Taipei and despite having visited other night markets in the city before, I’d never been to Raohe. That said, I arrived there around 17h30 and passed through its iconic-lit gate to experience it all.

First thing I wanted to try was the pepper bun (胡椒餅), specifically from the famous stall right at the gate’s entrance. The queue went quickly, and after paying $60 NT ($2 USD) for a bun, I secured the piping-hot baked pastry. The outer layer was flaky and toasty with a juicy inside filled with peppered pork meat. A great way to start a food-filled evening!

20240103_174754Pepper bun (胡椒餅)

I tried a few more food items at Raohe, including papaya milk (木瓜牛奶), wheel cake with red-bean filling (車輪餅), and stinky tofu (臭豆腐), another Taiwanese must-try. All were delicious and affordable, costing no more than $50 NT ($1.50 USD) per treat. Super filling, too!

20240103_183027Stinky tofu (臭豆腐)


20240103_181744Wheel cake with red bean filling (車輪餅)

After an hour or so, I was pretty much good on eating and wandering Raohe. I did buy a few more souvenirs (and an extra luggage to bring home the souvenirs!), but I will say that, since I was there on a weekday evening, there weren’t as many people as there would’ve been, and many of the food stalls weren’t open that day. I can imaging Raohe must be packed on the weekends, though. Tired from a full day of being out and about (and a 14-hour flight!), I decided to head back and rest up for another day of revisiting and rediscovering Taipei.

More to come soon. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

55 thoughts on “Destination: Taipei, Taiwan (Rainy Day, Shopping Around, and Raohe Night Market– DAY 1)”

    1. Absolutely! Very convenient to meet up with loved ones and stay with them while in town 😊

      …and yes, we’re all okay! We’re relatively far from the wildfires, so no need to evacuate yet. But the wind and air quality are insane!!

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  7. Sounds like a lovely time with your family. The food looks fantastic and wow, the prices are amazing! I remember wandering through the street markets in Hong Kong years ago and being very surprised by the bargain prices.

    I was going to ask if you’re safe from the fires, but see from previous comments that you are. It seems absolutely horrible. Take care!

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    1. It’s true Taiwan’s prices are inexpensive compared to the US (although with inflation, it’s gone up in recent years). I’ve yet to head to Hong Kong, but it’s high on my bucket list!

      I’m doing well here in LA, along with my family and partner. I appreciate the concern!

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  8. I love the idea of Tapei Night Markets and how the city comes alive at night and transforms into humming markets. I am a big fan of tofu, but have yet to try the stinky tofu – from what I’ve gathered stinky tofu is just one of those foods that you’ll have to get used to. Once you’ve gotten used to the taste and smell of it, you’ll suddenly find yourself craving it for dinner. I am glad to hear you are far away from the blazing wildfires. It’s devastating to know that the central part of the city was under threat as a new fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills. Take care and stay safe 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Considering I landed into Taipei early in the morning, I knew it was a good idea to stay awake as much as possible to get used to the time zone difference. I powered through, but I was really exhausted in the end! XD

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  10. It was great that you could squeeze an extended Taipei stopover into your travel schedule Rebecca and not only to spend time with your uncle but also to reacquaint yourself with the city and it’s delicious street food. It’s been awhile since I was last there but I enjoyed the country so much I’m sure to return at some point.

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    1. Yes, an extended layover in Taipei was the right choice! I hadn’t seen my aunts and uncle in several years, and it was great to see them after so long. Taiwan is my family’s home country, and I always get a sense of nostalgia every time I head back. Thanks for reading, Marion!

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  12. Ahh, I’d love to go back to Taipei. My trip to Kaohsiung in 2023 reminded me of how much fun Taiwan really is. I loved exploring the night markets, and I remember having beef brisket noodle near my hotel, which was really good. It’s been 12 years since I went to the Taiwanese capital. I should return!

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    1. Yes! Taipei is a wonderful capital city that’s yet to become a big travel destination for the world. Great food, kind people, and plenty of city and nature to explore all over. Hope you can return soon!

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    1. Absolutely! Having relatives in Taipei is convenient and also all the more reason to return more frequently in the future. Taiwanese food is severely underrated, but delicious and worth a try!

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  17. Great to see more of Taipei on your blog Rebecca. As I’ve said many times before it’s a place we’d both love to see having spent so many years in China. Ahem, well, you know what I mean. Market hopping sounds like a fun way to wile away the time, I think I’d give all the snacks a go, even the stinky Tofu. Cheap eats (even at a market) is such a hard thing to come across these days and these prices indeed remind me of my earlier travels and simpler times.

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    1. Thanks, Leighton! It was a trip down memory lane writing this post on Taipei from last winter. I hadn’t gone back in years, and it was great returning to see my relatives. Food is abundant and affordable; you can’t go wrong with any of the delicious Taiwanese dishes while in town! Hope you can head over some day 😊

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  23. What an amazing trip! I am slowly catching up on blogs as I go pretty sick the past month, and I can’t wait to read more about your trip! All of the food looks delicious! It is really cool that you got to see your family in Taipei – do you speak English with them?

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    1. Thanks, Juliette! I’m recapping my trips in Taiwan and Southeast Asia (Malaysia and Singapore) from last winter. It was great seeing my family briefly in Taipei while heading over to Malaysia– I speak Mandarin Chinese with them, and it’s a good way to brush up on the language!

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