and sandpit will keep your kids easily
entertained.
We rounded off our sightseeing tour
by visiting the unusual and captivating
Miniatures Museum of Taiwan. For kids
that love dolls’ houses, this place is an
absolute must, with intricate replicas of
everything from a traditional Japanese
town to Buckingham Palace.
What better way to finish the day
than chowing down on more street
food? Although be warned, if your kids
are picky eaters you may want to give
them a snack beforehand. Highlighted
by numerous food blogs as the most
authentic in town, Raohe Street Night
Market houses seemingly endless
food and drink stalls. We attempted to
work our way through the greatest hits
of the Taipei street food scene, from
Fuzhou pepper buns and deep fried
milk, to succulent Wagyu beef cubes
and heavenly scallion pancakes. Our
favourite dish was the ‘Bomb Pancake’, a
runny egg deposited inside fried dough,
slathered with a sweet sauce. Having
been overwhelmed by the smell, we
couldn’t quite bring ourselves to try the
famed ‘stinky tofu’. So we finished dinner
with flavoured mochi (a sweet sticky rice
cake) and sugar cane juice.
Monday
Another day, another grandiose
Memorial Hall, this time to Dr Sun Yat-Sen,
which houses a big bronze statue of
Taiwan’s famed Father of the ‘Republic
of China’. The building is located within
Chung-shan Park, with some lovely
gardens and views over to Taipei 101.
If you didn’t get the chance to see the
changing of the guard at Chiang-Kai
Shek Memorial Hall, you can also catch
it here.
A ten-minute walk from the Memorial
Hall is the SongShan Culture and Creative
Park. This is a former Japanese tobacco
factory converted into a design expo
park, featuring art, stores and cafes. After
a stroll through the art displays, we had
intended to head towards the Elephant
Mountain Hiking Trail. This 25-minute walk
up stone stairs takes you to a popular city
viewing point for views of Taipei 101 and
the city. Unfortunately, the soaring May
heat, coupled with whining children,
meant that we had to swap the hike with
a retreat to the Shangri-La’s rooftop pool.
Thankfully, the magnificent views from
the rooftop pool reassured me I hadn’t
missed too much!
After a final meal of luscious
Taiwanese beef noodle soup, we
returned to Hong Kong, exhausted but
full. Taipei is an easy family getaway
with so much to offer. We are already
planning a return trip to visit the hot
springs and, of course, sample more of
the city’s amazing street food.
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