Shadowing Practice: Asia's Best Kept Secret! 4 Days in TAIPEI, TAIWAN Travel Vlog & Guide - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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This...is...Taipei.
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This...is...Taipei.
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A somewhat overlooked city that I can almost guarantee is not what you might expect.
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Invited by their own tourism board, we were shown Taipei through the eyes of locals and tour guides as well as on our own time,
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so can now present to you what we found to be one of Asia's best kept secrets.
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the island of Taiwan has very much formed its own progressive, all -welcoming identity.
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So in this video we'll show you just the tip of Taipei, with nature trails, mountainous hot springs,
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lookout city views, bustling shopping districts, a stack of food recommendations,
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a selection of stylish hotels and what has since become our new favourite skyscraper.
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If you're new here then welcome, we make travel movies and guides from around the world, hoping just find your next holiday inspiration.
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This is Suitcase Monkey, spending 4 full days in Taipei.
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you Our journey begins with a direct flight from London Heathrow.
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Despite its name, China Airlines is actually a Taiwanese company and the international airport is an hour from the city, either by taxi or single direct metro line.
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Our first full day began with a walk around three must -visit cultural hotspot,
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the Datong district, the historic heart of Taipei, and Zhongshan with its grand national buildings and remnants of the old city walls.
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Of the four remaining, the Northern Gate is by far the most popular.
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In addition to it being the only gate in its original form, it's also really close to the world's largest pizza hut.
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Although the 5km of wall connecting these gates were complete in 1884,
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it was the 1850s where this area of Taipei really became a significant trader of tea, sugar and rice.
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Today, you'll still find the clearest echoes of this past in Dada Cheng, and specifically along Diwa, officially the oldest street in the city.
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It's a great place to window shop and see how both old and new can blend together so perfectly.
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One thing we were continuously surprised about in Taipei was their obvious love for public reading,
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the quiet combination of book hunting, reading and coffee.
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And if this is your thing, Kuo's Astral Bookshop on Dewa Street is a good place to stop by.
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It's also worth noting at this point that if you're using this video as a suggested travel itinerary,
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I've also created a free written version of all the places featured in this video, and some that we just don't have time for.
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Restaurants such as this one, but also shops, hotels and other notable attractions, so if you want a complete list with clickable
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scan the QR code now on screen or visit the link in the video's description below or pinned comment.
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So with our stomachs full, we next headed over to the iconic Liberty Square, an impressive open space that serves significant public gatherings and presidential ceremonies.
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Although not immediately obvious, these red pillared buildings are actually Taiwan's National Concert Hall and National Theatre.
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but it's the memorial to Chiang Kai -shek, president of Taiwan for 25 years, that takes centre stage.
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Every day 10 minutes before the hour you'll have the chance to catch the changing off the guards, which I'd recommend if you're able to time it right.
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For the late afternoon and early evening, there are two must -stop areas I'd heavily suggest on this side of town.
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The first is Ximanding, a buzzing, trendy, hipster area that we enjoyed so much we came back later in the evening when it really comes alive.
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Ximanding was the first pedestrian -zoned area in Taipei and remains the largest to this day.
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Amusement arcades, shopping malls, retro clothing and a walkway literally called Tattoo Street.
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It's impossible not to find something of interest here.
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For us, we really loved the Red House.
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Now an independent boutique hub, it started life as the city's first public market.
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Built during the Japanese colonial period, it remains one of the best preserved buildings from its time.
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The stores inside are also frequently rotated so even the locals aren't sure what to expect.
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One relatively new tourist attraction just outside is Rainbow Road.
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Ximanding has long been considered the centre of LGBTQ + in Taipei,
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but it was 2019 when Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same -sex marriage, hence the addition of this road.
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The most famous collection of LGBTQ + bars are all along lane 10, just next to the red house where everyone is welcome.
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Also vying for Taipei's coolest neighbourhood is Zongshan, just two stops along the metro.
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Whilst the main road is full of big commercial brands, during the weekend you'll find 500m of independent stalls selling clothes, jewellery and handicrafts.
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But it's these easily obscured alleyways that really give the most character.
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For our evening meal, we visited one of the most popular restaurants in the area.
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Although these dumplings or Shaolongbao originated in China, it was this restaurant in Taipei that made them globally famous and they take that history seriously.
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each one a precise 18 times, giving them their perfect texture.
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After all of their work, there's also a helpful info card on how best to enjoy them, although looking at this, any British viewers will immediately think they've missed a parcel.
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So after a busy first day, we relax back at the hotel to rest our legs.
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And that's because tomorrow we'd be heading into the nearby countryside that circles the entire city.
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you
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The Taipei Grand Trail is a purpose -built 92 -kilometer hiking path showcasing some of the city's most scenic landscapes.
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Split into 8 different sections, this relatively accessible route connects to train lines and cable cars and over the next two days,
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we'd sample areas around sections 3 and 7.
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The Qin 'nan Temple is a Taoist temple built in 1882.
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Historically, it was famous for its 1 ,000 steps that you'd have to climb in order to reach.
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Although the cable car has since made it more accessible to visitors, those hiking the Grand Trail can still visit as it was intended, which despite the extra effort,
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makes the destination all the more rewarding.
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One thing to always keep a look out for during any temple visit are these moon blocks.
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These divination tools originated in China and allow you to ask any yes /no question, with the answer determined on how they both land.
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And yes for anyone wondering, I've since sold all my bitcoin.
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car circuit took us up to the highest point of Maokong station.
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There's a nice stretch of road here with various cafes and restaurants all looking out over the scene below.
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Price wise we generally found Taipei to be between reasonable and low cost.
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Most two or three course lunches or dinners would total around 10 to 12 US dollars per person, and that was going to really popular or nice restaurants.
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For example, later in the evening we visited us into a well presented casual diner where every dish absolutely hit the spot.
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Hot tea was served in this pot with an egg timer and cold tea in this wine glass, which somehow added to its overall flavour.
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But we are getting ahead of ourselves here.
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we still have one last stop in the mountains, and that was Beto.
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Less than an hour from our hotel, Beito is the geothermal capital of Taiwan, and either makes for the perfect half day trip,
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or a single night stay in one of its cosy hot spring hotels.
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Whilst knowledge of the area goes back as far as the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, using Beito as a place to relax came to life during the Japanese occupation.
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With their own experience of onsens, they quickly realised Beito's potential healing benefits
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and by 1916 built this train station to make the escape from the city all the more comfortable.
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The original space has now been repurposed into this tiny museum that puts its own history into context really well.
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I'm going to go to the next one.
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- Something
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that has to be on everyone's Taipei bucket list plus night markets.
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And we were able to visit two of its most popular: Shulin and Raohe.
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At either of these you'll be able to sample a wide selection of small bites, usually around 1 to 2 US dollars per serving.
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It's fun, noisy and busy, but you can't get a much better deal for delicious Taiwanese street food.
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Some personal food favourites include this three scoops of ice cream inside along with a double dose of peanut shavings.
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These sweet potato balls which had an almost churros feel to them, these light crispy egg pancakes which were delicious,
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and why not finish with some deep fried milk ice cream for good measure.
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Out of the two night markets that we visited, we probably enjoyed Raoher the most.
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It was slightly smaller than Shulin which made it a little bit easier to handle, but also had two lanes of traffic which also made it easier to navigate.
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But overall, we largely got a similar vibe at each, so if you only have one opportunity to visit any of these, there isn't really a wrong choice with either.
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And so with that our time in Taipei was almost complete, but we still have one giant attraction, one that we haven't even touched upon.
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No matter where we were throughout Taipei, this striking structure frequently sat prominent on the horizon.
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And for our last day, we'd finally get the chance to see it up close, where it legitimately became our new favourite skyscraper.
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The area is Xinyi.
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The modern, highest reaching district, we came away from here wanting another day.
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With the highest density of shopping malls in the world, along with a bunch of cool cafes that are right up our street, we felt like we barely scratched the surface.
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We did however have plenty of time to sink our teeth into Taipei 101 itself, a building that certainly doesn't disappoint on arrival and somewhere I'd definitely recommend.
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Its unique design is based on a continuously growing bamboo stem, making it the first skyscraper to have a traditional Asian aesthetic.
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Opened in 2004, its lift zooms you up at 1000 meters a minute.
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And so after just 37 seconds we reached the 89th floor
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and were met with the new perspective of what it looks like to be inside a cloud.
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To be fair though, you may have noticed that it's been raining a fair amount on this trip, and that's because we were caught by a typhoon that was heading our way.
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So all things considered, we were actually pretty happy with what we eventually got to see.
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There's a bunch of fun photo opportunities to be had up here and plenty of space also to walk around, but one unexpected highlight was this.
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What you're looking at is a 660 ton damper ball, suspended from the 92nd floor, and it's the only one in the world open to the general public.
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If, like me, you're wondering at this point what exactly it does, then check out this 2015 video.
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On the outside, a typhoon was causing the building to sway 2 meters and this is what was happening on the inside.
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Ultimately, this swing counterbalances any forces received by up to 40%.
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Although, as much as I was amazed by this impressive engineering feat, nothing quite compared to my total wonder of this person's ability to continue posing for a photo,
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even during a 6 .3 magnitude earthquake.
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Now that is dedication.
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To go full circle, there are numerous viewing platforms to catch a sunset or even nighttime view of Taipei 101.
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Depending on how far you go, this city hike can take anywhere between 20 or 30 minutes and beyond.
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Just be prepared though, there are a lot of steps, but the reward is certainly worth it.
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For those wanting a slightly more comfortable viewing platform, I can also recommend the hotel we stayed at.
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To round off this video I'll be going through a quick fire travel guide with things
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that might help anyone thinking of visiting Taipei.
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I'll cover the hotels that we stayed at, some notes on safety and how best to get around the city with public transport.
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So, to let you in a bit behind the scenes, despite this video's title, we were actually in Taipei for 6 nights.
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But the first two nights were simply just arriving and then getting over jet lag.
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So we actually stayed in three different hotels around Taipei for a couple of nights in each, and again, everything I'm about to talk about and everything featured in this video so far,
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I've made a free written PDF version with clickable links and further info, which should be really helpful if you're planning a visit here.
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So our first day was in this really cool apartment hotel.
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It came with a stylish homely vibe, a bright open space, kitted out in furnishings from Taiwanese designers in a chilled neighborhood.
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The location was excellent, three blocks from both the trendy Zongshan as well as the historic Dara Cheng
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and minutes from another famous night market called Nin Cha.
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The second hotel had a relaxed social vibe to it with lots of communal space
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and a bunch of cool details such as this welcome pack.
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Amongst other things you get these jigsaw pieces
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that you can write your own message on and then share it to the community walls, so it's just a really friendly atmosphere.
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The room itself was clean and quiet, the beds comfy and with a really good shower.
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Location -wise, this one was a couple of blocks from Ximanding, so Rainbow Road, the Red House and the entire pedestrian shopping area was only 5 minutes away,
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but without any of the noise.
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sockets also included the 3 -pin plug which I'm sure we can all agree is the world's greatest power supply.
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For its location, the building was literally connected to the metro station
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and also just a couple of minutes from the Raohe night market.
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In terms of getting around the city, the public transport network is really efficient, clean and affordable.
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You can either pay as you go by getting these single use chips from the kiosks, with most journeys being 20 to 25 Taiwanese dollars.
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These are a really good option if you only plan on making a small number of journeys during your time here.
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Otherwise the most convenient way to get around the city is with the easy card
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which you can get by speaking with staff at the station desks.
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These are also super cheap with the cards themselves being 100 Taiwanese dollars and again 20 -25 Taiwanese dollars per journey.
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But you can also pre -purchase these cards and collect them at the airport which I've linked below in that pdf.
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per journey.
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You can pay in cash, but no change is given, so again the easy card would be the best solution if you don't have any coins.
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Just a quick note on safety as it's something really positive to share.
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We found Taipei to be one of the safest capital cities we've ever been to.
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Aside from just a chilled vibe amongst the general population, we'd often see things like this iPhone just sitting on its own in a busy shop for 5 minutes.
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Or these TVs just sat there with no fuss.
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The people were all really friendly and warm giving genuine service
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and when we were on our own we didn't have any language barriers
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so the city is really accessible from that side also.
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We flew direct with China Airlines
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which is the only non -stop flight from London Heathrow and also has some same day connections to other Oceania countries beyond.
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We flew out in economy on an overnight flight and back in premium economy in the morning.
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Due to the distance, the economy seats were larger than the average seats you'd get, and even as a 6 foot 3 man, I did feel the difference.
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For the return flight, since we weren't sleeping through half of it, the further extra space was really noticeable and appreciated, and the seats themselves almost as comfy as our living room couch.
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These videos take a really long time to put together, so please if you have enjoyed joining us on this trip, now is the time to give it a like,
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subscribe and share with your friends who you think will also enjoy this fantastic city.
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Let me know if you have any questions or comments, I do read them all even if I can't always respond.
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So, as ever, until the next one, thanks for watching, Suitcase Monkey.
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Learn English with YouTube: Practice Speaking & Pronunciation with a Taipei Travel Vlog
This lesson uses a lively Taipei travel vlog to help you improve English pronunciation, practice IELTS speaking skills, and master shadow speak techniques. You’ll learn real-world vocabulary for travel, culture, and daily life, while mimicking natural speech patterns to sound more fluent.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Progressive, all-welcoming identity: Describes a society that’s modern and inclusive (e.g., "Taiwan has a progressive, all-welcoming identity").
- Pedestrian-zoned area: A part of a city closed to cars, for walking (e.g., "Ximanding is Taipei’s largest pedestrian-zoned area").
- Changing of the guards: A formal ceremony where soldiers replace those on duty (e.g., "Don’t miss the changing of the guards at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial").
- Obscured alleyways: Narrow streets hidden from view (e.g., "Zongshan’s obscured alleyways have unique shops").
- Precise 18 times: A specific number of actions (e.g., "Dumplings are folded a precise 18 times").
Practice Tips for Shadowing & Pronunciation
The video’s tone is friendly and conversational, with a moderate speed—perfect for shadow speak practice. Here’s how to use it:
- Shadow in short chunks: Pause after 5-10 seconds and repeat. Focus on mimicking the speaker’s rhythm, especially when listing attractions (e.g., "nature trails, mountainous hot springs, lookout city views").
- Emphasize key words: Notice how the speaker stresses words like "secret," "iconic," and "globally famous" to highlight importance. Copy this to improve IELTS speaking fluency.
- Master connected speech: Listen for phrases like "tip of the iceberg" and "blend together"—the way words link will help your pronunciation sound more natural.
- Record yourself: Compare your shadowing to the video. Check if you’re matching the pace and intonation, especially in casual lines like "we came back later in the evening when it really comes alive."
Use this vlog to make learn English with YouTube fun—you’ll boost your vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking skills while exploring Taipei!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.