What's it really like, traveling solo?

I found that there are 3 common reactions to "I'm going to travel alone": 1) ang lakas ng loob mo! 2) inggit ako (or similarly, dream ko rin 'yan) and 3) sana mahanap mo na dun si 'the one'. 

The first would make you double, triple, quadruple check your already carefully planned out itinerary because why does it seem like everybody's scared for you when you're not even scared for yourself? Fine, you'll get about 20% scared for yourself because you'll realize that you're not really that good with maps but you're the best at getting lost or taking the long route home. 

The second would excite you either because you can't wait to one-up everybody else who hasn't done it yet (!) or simply because it used to be a dream for you too. 

And the third would make you wonder "bakit nadamay si 'the one'?" ...and "taiwanese (or whatever nationality) talaga si 'the one'?!" Ewan.

In the end, no matter what they say or how jittery you feel, you'll get on that plane anyway and just get on with it.

You would think that the most challenging part would be taking 'new profile photo-worthy' photos of yourself-- which is partly true. Forget #OOTD and #mowdelwannabe, going alone (at least for me coz y'know, shy) means #awkwardselfie and #imusingaselfiestickbutimemotinglikeimnot. I mean you can always set-up your camera somewhere but I'm just not one to bother. Haha.

My first awkward selfie at the Jingan Suspension Bridge

That's how the bridge looks like.
You can't really tell from my selfie above.

People are flying lanterns at Shifen Old Street.
It's near the end of the bridge. You just have to cross an active railway to get there haha.

Of course I flew a lantern myself. Each color stands for a wish (ie orange is for well wishes for love).
Kuya selling lanterns stood in as my photographer coz I needed a photo of me in action haha.

Another photo of me finally flying my lantern

Kuya sure knows what he's doing. Uma-angle pa!

How Shifen Old Street really looks like.
People scramble when the train approaches. 

But I found that it's the little things that you haven't given much thought about that will make you kinda wish you brought someone along -- like when you have to go back and forth looking for directions because you only have one head and two eyes, or when you have to play charades with locals when all you want to do is to break your 1,000s into smaller notes, or when (for some weird reason) you're refused entry to a private hot spring because "2 people have to use it", or when you have to fill up a room that's too big for one because it is the only one available and you are stranded because of an unexpected typhoon, or when you have to carry your luggage filled with pineapple cakes up a flight of stairs then carry it some more coz apparently you're in the wrong bus station. I've never appreciated family, friends and travel buddies more. Haha. 

This used to be a public bath house in Beitou.
Beitou is known for hot springs, and so I thought of trying a private one.
However, as mentioned above, I was not accommodated in the spa that I went to coz I was alone huhu.

At Thermal Valley, otherwise know as Hell Valley.
It's the closest that I got to a hot spring.

Beitou has a lot of stories. "Legend has it that it is a place of witches.
An artist installed these in the children's playground to inspire kids to explore and learn
 while searching for the mystical witch."

I found these at the pedestrian path. They represent the invisible beings watching over Beitou
(thus the use of eyes)--and they double as seats as well!

That is not to say that i did not enjoy my solo trip. I still think it's something we all have to experience at least once in our lives. When you're on your own, you'll realize how capable and determined you are. You'll realize how refreshing it is to just be alone and not be inhibited by the comfortable and familiar. Plus you don't only get to taste a little bit of everything, you get to eat the whole thing! Haha

I went up the Taipei 101 Observatory by myself

 

By my third day, I think my selfie game got stronger haha.

Me riding the Maokong Gondola. For a while there, I panicked
because I thought that they were going to put me alone in 1 cabin haha.

My 'cabin-mates' insisted that they take my photo.

Maokong is famous for tea plantations. While I am a (high) tea person (lol),
I found it too hot for tea. And so I got this green tea ice cream instead.
Plus the cat cookie! 

Taipei at night :)

Taipei when it was raining so hard and I got stranded.

                                                                 
                                                                         Did I mention that it was my 29th birthday when I got stranded?

                                   With everything closed, I celebrated with Korean style fried chicken and vegetable salad from 711.

Taipei for when you're hungry. Raohe St. Night market is <3!
1 perk of going alone is that you can just stop and queue for street food that you like and skip the rest.

I sure did make a couple of stops. Raohe St. must-try: Pepper pork buns!
And of course milk tea. Milk tea was my water in Taipei.

Speaking of Taipei food, I managed to successfully locate the famous Yong-kang beef noodles
with a little help from my friend Google Maps. Even on an early morning after a typhoon,
the place was still packed! And so I had to share the table with this couple. Awkward much? Haha.  

The noodles above was so-so. When in the Yongkang area, I suggest that you skip the noodles
and go straight to dessert. This mango emperor from King Mango looks and tastes yum. 

Sans Google Maps, you can always just follow the crowd. The longest line often leads to the yummiest food find!
This line led me to Ay-chung Flour Rice Noodles in Ximending. I'm glad I queued up, it was so goooood 👅

Dinner for 1, appetite for 2. 

In the end, traveling, for me, is still best shared with friends and family. I would still want to have someone to smack (very very lightly) whenever I see something overwhelmingly beautiful and get kilig about it. We travel to build memories, and memories become a tad more colorful and meaningful when recalled thru different lenses :)