With Love, Sam: taiwan

It's been weeks since our Taiwan trip and I still cannot get over this must-have item whenever you travel! And it only costs for as low as PHP 220.00 a day!

Whenever we travel, my phone is mostly out of reach because I only own a prepaid sim and I am too lazy to subscribe to my carrier's roaming services. I tried it twice when I went to Dubai in 2014 and Japan in 2016, but it miserably failed me and even left me with a PHP 0.00 balance once. And unlike our booked Airbnb apartment in South Korea that had a wifi egg that we could use for the time being, our Airbnb apartment in Taiwan did not and as a result, I had to search for a great wifi rental service available here in the Philippines. Thank goodness that Miss Ana Gonzales of Anagon's Blog wrote an article about using Flytpack in one of her trips and I decided to put it to the test as well!

Flytpack is an affordable wi-fi router rental that allows you to connect multiple devices at the same time and gives you an unlimited wi-fi access everywhere. Some models (not in picture) can also be used as a portable charger and it is totally hassle free to bring!

The renting process is quite simple. You can easily do it online in just a few minutes and you can choose whether to pick the device from their office or they will send it to you through a courier service. Same goes for returning it but I opted to drop it off at their kiosk at the airport (they have a drop box at the right side of the kiosk if you arrive during the wee hours). The kiosk is located across the Philippine Airlines Ticketing Office at the Departures area of Terminal 3.

You can bring Flytpack everywhere and the rates per day are not that bad! They even have a cross-country package if you plan to fulfill your dreams of traveling the world and still want an unlimited access to the internet because, let's face it, we need to keep our followers updated (chos!).

Aside from pocket wi-fi, Flytpack also offers JR Pass if you plan to visit Japan, overseas simcards and attraction passes to selected areas around the world!

My verdict: I will definitely use this for my next trip this year! I had no problems with the connection and it lasted pretty much the whole day even though three of us were connected to the device. I was expecting to get the model that acts as a powerbank as well but it was alright, the smaller one fits right in my pocket and I could easily bring it anywhere (especially when we go out to buy a few things from the convenience stores). Their staff were also punctual to update me from the very beginning until the refund process. I definitely recommend that you try it out!

For more information on Flytpack, just visit their website at www.flytpack.com

or click here. If you have other inquiries, you can send them an e-mail at hello@flytpack.com or see their Contact Us page for more options.

Hey there! Did you find this article useful? Feel free to share this with your friends and family by clicking one of the share buttons below. If you have any suggestions/comments, leave a comment below. If you want to collaborate, send me an e-mail at withlovesamblog@gmail.com. Kamsahamnida!

August 17, 2017 2 comments

The city view in Taiwan is quite impressive especially when you see Taipei 101, but if you find yourself wanting a refreshing view of the mountains and the sea, and a deeper understanding of Taiwan's rich culture and history then this place is definitely noteworthy for your itinerary!

Nestled in the mountains of Riufang District, New Taipei City is the picturesque Jiufen Old Street known for its golden past, mouth-watering delicacies and century-old teahouses with a majestic panorama of the mountains and the ocean.

If you are into animated films, you can easily distinguish similarities of Jiufen's bustling streets and attractions with the highest-grossing Japenese film of all time - "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki. Many have also called Jiufen Old Street as the "Little Santorini of Taiwan" because of how the houses are stacked on top of one another and its incredible view of the sunset.

Jiufen Old Street was founded during the Qing Dynasty (1683-1895). It was only known as an isolated village that housed nine families who would ask for "nine portions" back then, hence the name Jiu (nine) fen (portions). Upon the arrival of the Japanese, Jiufen became a gold mining area and the town quickly developed. Many of its older buildings were retained up to this day to reflect the influence of the Japanese in architecture and culture. In 1989, a movie called 'A City of Sadness' by Huo Hsiao-hsien, which was inspired by the 2-28 incident, was filmed in the streets of Jiufen which gained praises throughout Taiwan and revived the tourist attraction in 1990 up to this day.

How to get there

My tita, mom and I took two buses going to Jiufen Old Street from our Airbnb apartment. The 1062 bus goes directly to Jiufen (and back) for around NT$83-87 per trip. It took us around two hours to get to Jiufen but you will surely enjoy the view as buildings slowly fade from a distance and you are welcomed by small houses and abundant trees.

Other options you might want to try:

TRAIN - BUS (approx. NT$118)

From Taipei Main Station, take the Bannan Line (Blue) then go down at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station [3 stops]. From Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, take the 1062 Quan Ji Tang bus to Jiufen Old Street [23 stops].

BUS - BUS (approx. NT$113)

From Executive Yuan, take the 202 bus to Tainan Adventist Hospital [9 stops] then transfer to the 1062 Quan Ji Tang bus to Jiufen Old Street [20 stops].

Note: depending on the time and your current location, routes might change so I highly suggest using the apps such as Google Maps and Metro Taipei which can guide you in your trip real-time. We mostly used Google Maps because it gives all the important information like expected time of arrival, travel hours, expected amount, etc.

What to do

The view at Jiufen Old Street is really one of its strongest features. Wherever you are, you will surely get a glimpse of the clear blue skies, forests and the sea. They also have these "scenic areas" where they give you the best view throughout the place.

Besides eating and admiring the view, why not try visiting a few of Jiufen's oldest teahouses? We were only able to visit Chiufen Tea House (tea costs a fortune here! lol) but I definitely recommend looking for the Grand Tea House! It is one of the most visited tea houses in Jiufen and was also one of the buildings used as an inspiration to Spirited Away.

Image result for gold mine museum jiufen old street

Photo taken from TaiwanDay

Another activity that I suggest but we never got to try is to visit the museums. Jiufen was extremely crowded at the time and the weather was no help as well. Jiufen has two museums, one is the well-known Gold Mine Museum where you get to learn about Jiufen's gold mining history and the other is a Kite Museum.

And last but not the least, shopping! Check out the souvenir shops from left to right or visit some of the specialty stores selling paintbrushes (bottom photo), antiques, ocarinas (top photo), handmade masks, etc! You will surely have tons of options for pasalubong!

Where to stay

Many tourists opt to visit Jiufen Old Street during the day but if you want to watch the sunset and see the red lanterns light up the streets, you might want to try staying here for at least one night. Unfortunately, we never got to do so because our flight back to the Philippines was scheduled on the same day and we also had to go back to Taipei 101 for our tax refund.

We were able to pass by a few 'homestays' while walking along the area but if this is a sudden decision, you can easily distinguish which ones accept guests by looking for a gold sign with a picture of a house (see photo above) or you can check out Booking.com's 10 Best Homestays in Jiufen for more suggestions and prices.

What to eat

Taro balls

Taiwan's version of Takuyaki (but with shrimp!)

Vermicelli balls

Misty's Sweet Potato Bun with ice cream

Fish balls

(A Filipino favorite! They also have other flavors besides the original. I recommend trying the kimchi flavored one!)

Deep Sea Squid

Vinasse Balls

(it looks really odd but it is delicious and worth the try!)

Other activities worth trying

Photo taken by My Fat Pocket

If you are up for a challenge, hiking at Mt. Keelung is definitely a must-try while you are in Jiufen Old Street! According to My Fat Pocket, the climb was really difficult and it was filled with stairs but the view is truly rewarding! If you would like to know more about this activity, head over to their blog for more details.

Photo taken by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Cat lovers (or animal lovers in general)! Taiwan has its own cat village! Although the name is not connected to cats (I think it means monkey... or mining), Huotong Cat Village is surely one you should not miss. Aside from its furry inhabitants, cafes, shops and restaurants that are cat-themed are all over the area but they also have a museum if you are interested to know more about their mining days! Visit The Girl Who Ate Everything's blog to know more about Huotong Cat Village!

This travel guide is one of three articles that I wrote about our recent Taiwan trip.

If you wish to see more, click here.

August 16, 2017 No comments

Some may or may not agree with me, but creating an itinerary is probably one of the most tedious preparations you have to do before you travel. You have to constantly research and check the map if it is possible to go from place A to place B to maximize your time and if the people you are with can handle the long walks and transferring from one transit to another. Sometimes, this method can be quite expensive depending on how many destinations you are planning to go to and it can be quite a hassle especially if you have a group of twelve following you. Fortunately, there are only three of us during our Taiwan trip but we were pressed for time because we only had three full days to go around and with Taiwan's rich culture and history, three days is not enough.

Luckily, I stumbled upon Klook's Taipei Double Decker Bus Tour which allows you to go around Taiwan's most visited tourist destinations for as low as PHP 455.00 for four hours or PHP 1,061.00 for one whole day. This bus tour is also a 'Hop On, Hop Off Sightseeing Bus' which means that you can alight at any place as long as it is on the bus route then go around for about thirty to forty minutes until the next bus comes and takes you to another destination.

The tour has two routes: Red and Blue. Both routes have different destinations in store for those who choose to take it. The blue route is longer but has fewer stops while the red route is filled with landmarks since it will mostly focus around the city. You can take both routes if you wish but in order to transfer to another, you must either be at the Taipei Main Station, MRT Ximen Station or Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. If you wish to see the route, just click this link. The staff will also provide you maps which includes the route and the time frame so you will know when will the next bus arrive for each stop.

Worried that you will not understand the tour guide? Well, in front of each seat is a recording with multiple language translations which tells you a brief history or facts of each destination that you will be seeing during this tour so you do not have to worry. And besides, the staff is really good with English and I also heard them speak Korean when two passengers were asking about transferring to the next route. Also, the staff will be giving you a headset for you to be able to listen to the recording.

How was the experience?
I actually enjoyed it a lot except for the part where we had to sit in a non-airconditioned area at the top because the seats were only limited and were all taken so we had no choice. However, they do have a shaded part and mist sprays (I do not know what you call them lol) and they have wi-fi! (So you can update your Instagram stories and Snapchat while you are on the bus). We also did not get the chance to go around that much because we spent a lot of time in Taipei 101 and left there around 4:00 pm so we just rode the next bus to TPE Main Station then transferred to the Blue route to go to Shilin Night Market but I definitely recommend that you take this tour if you only have a few days in the city.

Here is a picture of our haggard selves going to Shilin Night Market. We gave up looking at the view from above and just stayed below to cool off

Note: Prices are subjected to change without prior notice. Once the tour is confirmed, no cancelations may be made. The bus tour starts at exactly 9:00 am. Both lines start/end at the M4 Exit of Taipei Main Station. For additional information or inquiries, kindly go to Klook's official website.

August 01, 2017 No comments

July 27, 2017 No comments

With Love, Sam

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