36-hour in Taiwan

Gavin has started to invite me for his wedding dinner on 16 Jun 2012 for quite some time. However, upon checking and considering, it's quite costly to fly to attend a wedding dinner. Then, it happened when I was in Shanghai for work and so got permission to have a stopover in Taiwan on my way home. 

I have had few transit in Taipei airports on the way to States, but, have never been into Taiwan. So, this is my very first time. Kinda excited about it.

Then, as I also have not met YaYing and Annette (my uni friends) for a long time, since I graduated, I have also decided to pay them a visit. When Gavin told me that he has arranged some friends to take care of me on Friday night and Saturday morning, I shared with him my plans. And I went with my plans, which was kinda crazy.. :D Super pengsan.. 

I arrived into Taipei on Friday 3pm. Cleared custom, checked-into hotel and catch a 5pm high speed train to Tainan. Arrived Tainan around 7pm, met Annette and family. Had dinner with them and spent the night at Annette's place. Thanks to the high speed train which travels around 290km/h, the journey really got shorten. 

On Saturday morning, I took a 10am train back to Taipei from Tainan. YaYing came to the MRT station with her son to take me for a lunch. We chatted, and I went to her house for more catch-up, met her husband and all the 3 boys. Wow!!! I left her house close to 5pm. Took a cab back to hotel, changed, and off to the wedding dinner. Dinner supposed to start at 6pm, I arrived at 6.30pm. And the dinner started at 7pm. phew.. Gavin throw-ed fairly handsome dinner at 86th floor of 101 Tower in Taipei. I make some new friends. Dinner was over by around 9.30 - 10pm. I took a cab back to hotel, showered, and off to the 24-hour bookstore, 诚信书店, at around 11pm. I was at the bookstore till around 2.30am when I kept sneezing that I think it's time to go back and have a rest. It was safe in Taipei. There were many cabs waiting outside the bookstore. And surprising so many people inside the bookstore at late nights. There is a cafe inside the bookstore as well. 

So, the next morning, I didn't go out with Gavin as he thought wanted to take me around. Instead I went to a few nearby sportswear shops to check out some climbing equipments. Rushed back to hotel at 12noon, checked-out and off to airport. 

It was a sweet and too short 36-hour in Taipei. I wish I could go back again one day. :)