On the 27th of April 2019, we arrived at Taipei, Taiwan. It was actually the start of our trip to Asia as we were scheduled to go to Shanghai and Hong Kong next. This is a special trip for us because it’s our first time to travel as a family of four. The latest addition to our family came in seven months ago. So it’s thrilling to have another child on board with us for our trips from now on.
On our first day in Taiwan, we arrived just before 11 in the morning, and we got to check in at the Pacific Business Hotel. We had our lunch at Taipei 101 food court and we capped off our meal with Taiwan’s famous milk-tea. Even if there are many milk tea places in Manila, having it in the place where it is most famous for is a different experience altogether.
On our second day, we went to Taipei 101 Observatory floor. The building and view were such an experience! (We are fans of city views and we love visiting observatory buildings.) The view up there is absolutely breathtaking. Not to mention that Taipei 101 once held the world record as being the tallest building. With that alone, we knew that we can’t afford to miss seeing it. We also couldn’t afford to miss having milk tea while we were there.
After visiting Taipei 101, we then headed to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. It is a popular venue for protest movements, but it has also become a famous tourist attraction in Taiwan. A visit at the memorial hall’s park is a must on tourists as it exhibits Taiwan’s culture and traditional architecture.
For our third and last full day in Taipei, we had lunch at the Modern Toilet Restaurant. It’s a restaurant/cafe/dessert place themed in a toilet space. The seats are real toilets, you drink out of mini urinals, the tables have toilet bowls with fake poo in them, even the couches are big toilets. It’s unconventional but it’s fun to try new things.
You don’t need a reservation at Modern Toilet Restaurant, unless it’s on holidays at peak times, even then a 10-minute wait should get you a table.
The food was actually pretty good. Jojo ordered beef udon which was really tasty. Mikko had chicken nuggets with rice and I had breaded chicken with ham and cheese. When we have finished our meals, the waiter delivered our little chocolate ‘poo’ ice cream. Apparently, it comes as standard with meals!
I definitely recommend visiting the Modern Toilet Restaurant in Taiwan. Sure it’s a bit gross but the food is actually good and it’s all part of the fun, and part of what makes it special.
After our lunch, we headed back to Ximending market, tried their local snacks and street food and went souvenir shopping.
Our stay in Taiwan was short, yet it didn’t fail to amaze us with its scenic beauty.