JV's Hostel and Area

After visiting the Confucius Temple, I walked back to the subway station.  It was now in the late afternoon and I wanted to check-in at another hostel I was staying at and unload some of my backpack.  I stayed at JV’s Hostel for the last two nights in Taipei and it was located in the downtown area of Taipei – and a somewhat grittier area.  I had to take the subway and transfer to like three different lines.  It took about a half-hour from the Confucius Temple.  By the way, Taipei’s subway is very crowded and depending on where you are; trains are either underground or elevated.

JV’s was about a 10/15 minute walk from the subway stop and the hostel provided detailed directions as it was a little confusing to get to as you had to traverse a few different roads and alleys and not all of them are 90-degree angle roads which complicate matters.  The hostel was fine.  I had my own room with, again, shared bathrooms.  There was free Wi-Fi which was good.  It was fairly clean and the girl that was working there was really nice while showing me around the place.  My only small complaint was the coffee.  Whenever I travel, the two questions I usually always ask first are 1) do you have free Wi-Fi? And 2) do you provide coffee in the morning?  She showed me where the coffee was and I noticed there was no sugar in the canister.  I asked her about it and she said some would be provided in the morning.  Neither morning was there sugar.  Oh well.

The first pic below is a view of the elevated subway near the hostel and the station is to the left.  This area was a large traffic circle/roundabout.

The next pic is a shot of the area walking to my hostel.

 Then I had to turn and walk down alleys.

The next few pics are of the hostel.  These pics were taken the morning I left Taipei a couple days later.  The first pic is of the hostel located on the second floor.  You’re probably wondering how I found this place?  The other two pics are views down either alley from the corner of the hostel.  Pretty empty in the early morning and grimy.  But I like staying in places like this at times - you get a more authentic experience than a 3-4 star hotel.

However, this same area outside my hostel starts hopping in the later morning hours (as well as at night).  Some of the pics below were probably taken around 9:30am the next morning – or the last full day I had in Taipei.  Lots of street vendors where you can get noodles, meats, fish, veges, etc.  And take a look at the last pic with the lady in the nice red suit buying meat in the early morning.  Gotta love Asia; right next to her on the table, to her right, is a single leg of an unknown animal you can just pick up and put in your bag with its hoof still firmly in place.  If you’re not into legs (I know you Americans are – you like your legs, breasts, drumsticks, etc.), you can buy the full head hanging to the far left.  Put that in your bag too if you wish.  Take it onto the subway and start gnawing at it – no one will mind.  Being a vegetarian, these are some sights to see!

 

Also, this same area turns into a night market every night.  This area is called the Tonghua Street Night Market (see pic below).  Night markets in Taiwan are street markets that operate in urban or suburban areas.  They are similar to those in other areas of Southeast Asia.  Most occupy either sidewalks adjacent to streets or entire streets that are normal thoroughfares by day.  Most of the markets operate daily and feature a mixture of individual stalls hawking clothing, consumer goods, snacks or fast food, and specialty drinks.  The atmosphere is usually crowded and noisy with hawkers shouting and fast-paced music playing over loudspeakers.  Night markets in Taiwan have become famous for their xiaochi, an important category of Chinese food which literally translates to "small eats."  Served in portions similar to Spanish tapas, these dishes are often served as carry-out items, but many sellers provide small folding tables and stools for customers who would like to sit while they eat.  These dishes are offered at low prices, usually around 30 to 50 TWD (~$1-$1.75).  I bought a single corn on a cob with some kind of spices on it from a street vendor and I think the lady ripped me off.  I probably was charged double or maybe even triple what it was worth.  But in all honesty, I was a little ‘buzzed’ and didn’t want to fight with her which I would have if I wasn’t.  I went there and took the pic around midnight after earlier going to a few bars for some drinks as it was really my first night in Taipei as the night before was the night of my arrival and I arrived late from the airport.  As in Singapore, there was a Hooters that I visited and I went to a great English pub where they had free Wi-Fi with outdoor seating.

Also in the immediate area and down the street from my hostel was this simple, small temple.  Not sure of its name but what beautiful dragons – they’re so colorful in Taiwan – totally different than the mainland; love them!  See pics below.

So that pretty much wrapped up my first full day in Taipei.  I saw the National Palace Museum, Baoan Temple, Confucius Temple, and the Tonghua night market.  I also walked around the immediate neighborhood near my hostel as well as the central business district in the evening after checking-in.  I also saw some other neighborhoods/districts when I went bar hopping that night.  I saw a lot for one day and would see a lot more the next day.