A Weekend in Macau and Taipei. 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 the weekend of July 7-10, 2016 since it also allowed us to celebrate my birthday (July 9) in Taiwan.  We worked hard to find the most efficient, economical way to travel between Guangzhou, China and Taipei (high speed train between Guangzhou to Zhuhai/Macau and a round-trip flight between Macau and Taipei), chose hotels, planned our activities, and booked everything.  We were all set to go and we anxiously awaited our day of departure, Thursday, July 7, like two children eager for the arrival of Christmas morning!  On the day prior to ourscheduled departure, I was casually watching one of the few news programs broadcasted in English and was shocked to hear that a level 5 super typhoon, Typhoon Nepartak, was bearing down on Taiwan with a projected landfall date of Thursday morning!  I was flabbergasted!  How could this be happening??  Would all of our plans be dashed due to this storm?  I, of course, also was very concerned for the well-being and safety of Taiwan's inhabitants but selfishly I was also worried about our plans falling through.  Our flight was scheduled to depart Macau at 8:45 am reaching Taipei at 10:00 am - right in the heart of the expected arrival of the storm's eye to the island.  We watched and read everything we could regarding the storm and decided to simply move forward with our plans, hope for the best, and see what happened.

We traveled to Macau on Thursday, spent the night at a wonderful hotel, The Landmark.  If you are planning on visiting Macau (I highly recommend that you do), 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!  

We checked out at 6:30 am Friday and headed to the airport.  Upon arriving at the airpot, the airline, Air Macau, informed us that, due to the weather conditions from Typhoon Nepartak, our flight departure was delayed until 6:00 pm.  The storm was battering the southern part of the island but Taipei and the other northern sections were only experiencing gusting winds and rain.  The conditions in Taipei were expected to improve later in the day and the airport would re-open.  We called the Landmark to inquire about our room since their official check-out time was noon.  We explained our situation and they happily agreed to allow us to return to our room!  Their manager even extended our normal check-out time of noon to 2 pm since our flight was not scheduled to leave until 6 pm.  Could the day get any better??

After catching a couple more hours of relaxing sleep, we headed directly to our favorite snack spot in Macau - Cafe e Nata, for some of their AMAZING egg tarts!  I have written about these previously so, take my word, this is a "must-visit" spot for any visitor to Macau.  The cafe is a little hard to find as it sits in an alley way between streets in a crowded area of central Macau but it is only a half-block off of several main streets so it's really not too hard to find.  Just ask for directions either at your hotel or while you are walking through the streets.  It's a very popular spot so people know where it is.  You'll be rewarded for your efforts with flaky, fluffy, delectable treats that you will love!  Order a few (they are small and you'll definitely want more), 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 our egg tarts, we had to make the short (2-3 blocks) walk to the historical center of Macau for a little more shopping as the store Sasa.  The center 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 Sasa.  The main branch (Sasa has a few stores in the area) is near the main square and the atmosphere inside may only be described as a shopping frenzy!  Sasa sells high end cosmetics/beauty products at incredibly reduced prices.  It is ALWAYS packed with women furiously, but happily, searching through shelves and bins for all types of products.  The few men who have either volunteered or were forced to accompany their wife/girlfriend into the store all had the same glazed, "please-save-me" look on their faces.  Guys, the best decision is to speak with your better half and determine how much time she will need in the store (trust me, no less than 45-60 minutes), and then head out to explore the rest of the area on your own.  Just imitate George Jetson, have her empty your wallet, and head out!  You'll likely find that, upon your return, 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.  Be sure to visit the ruins of St. Paul church which you'll find at one end of the shopping area.

We were nearing our new check out time (2 pm) so 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), then returned to the Landmark to pick up our bags and head to the airport.

The flight left perfectly on time and we experienced only slight turbulence on our way to Taipei.  We arrived and caught a cab to our first hotel - the Beitou Hot Springs Resort.  Beitou is a neighborhood/area of Taipei that contains a natural source of hot, geothermically created, 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.  

We only were able to spend Thursday evening and Friday morning there due to the delayed flight but it was amazing!  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.  The people working in the cafe also happily provide instructions on how to properly combine and eat the Taiwanese items (they showed me how to build a delicious steamed bun sandwich with soy-soaked pork and a couple other tasty toppings).  After enjoying the hotel facilities, be sure to explore the Beitou area being certain to visit their library (completely energized by solar power), the Beitou Hot Springs Museum, the Katagalan Cultural Center, and the Beitou Hot Springs water source.  All are within a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel.

The center of Taipei is a short (15-20 minutes) metro ride from Beitou.  As in other Asian cities, 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.  There are several ticket options, single use, one-day, etc., so you may choose the option that best fits your needs and plans.  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.  HIs wife, Soong Mei-long, chose the location, Yuanshan Mountain, and oversaw the building of the hotel.  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.  You definitely feel like a king or queen while staying at the Grand.  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 spend a minute or two checking it out.  One to two minutes quickly became 30-40 minutes as we were amazed by the volume of delicious food choices available in this small, outdoor market.  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!

No trip to Taipei is complete without a visit to Taipei 101 - Taiwan's tallest building and the 4th tallest building in the world.  Be sure to visit the Observation Decks as the view of Taipei is outstanding!  On the ground floor of the building you will find a HUGE food court serving 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.  If you visit Tapei 101, try to enter its food court with an idea of what you'd like to eat because the number of choices can be overwhelming!

There are seemingly endless sights to see and things to do while in Taipei so you will have to pick and choose based on your tastes.  But one thing that you MUST do is visit one of its many Night Markets.  We chose the Shilin Night Market and all I can say is...OMG!!!  We thought that the night markets would be small, indoor markets 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.  Despite a steady rain falling, the Market was packed with people and umbrellas and we dove right into the action!  The food is AMAZING and basically free so you will be able to gorge yourself without emptying your wallet.  We had SO many snacks such as grilled squid, vegetable omelets, sweet potato balls, pork and vegetable dumplings, deep fried softshell crab, bubble tea, and local Taiwanese craft beers.  All of this and, believe me, 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!

Happy Travels!  Power to the Purple!