Sunday, July 1, 2012

My Taiwan Market Experience

 Part of what made my Taipei trip so fun were the nights spent at the markets. I love to shop!! I find dressing up fun because it's how I express myself. Whether bright and happy or just plain chill. It's somewhat like another artistic output for me. :) 

I went to 3 markets. 2 in Taipei and 1 in Kaohsiung. 
First was the renowned Shilin Night Market which is considered to be the largest and most famous in the city. Like most markets in Taipei, it opens at around 4 'o clock but Shilin closes at 2 AM unlike the rest of the markets which normally close at 12 'o clock. If you're looking to buy accessories, shoes, bags, and hats.. Shilin is the place to go!


The second market I visited was the Kaohsiung Liouhe Night Market. This is where I got to try most of the street food because I wasn't too caught up in shopping. Sadly, there weren't many things that interested me there while I was there so I spent most of the time stuffing my mouth with street food which was really cheap yet surprisingly yummy!


The last market I visited was called Wufenpu. It's where you get things at a whole sale price. Clothes were much cheaper there than in Shilin. I got a lot of dresses for only 100 NT that amounts to about 140 pesos. Not bad, right? You will come across a lot of racks that sell out for only 100 NT. You just have to be patient enough to go through each hanger and hopefully find something of interest. :)



Not many people know this about me, but I hate crowds. I can sometimes be claustrophobic. Luckily, I visited these markets on weekdays so the crowd wasn't as bad.


SHOES! SHOES! SHOES! I went crazy. I tried these boat shoes on and they were pretty comfy! I mean, not bad for 350 bucks, right? 


UPSIDE DOWN UMBRELLA? Seriously, who would wanna buy that. -_- HAHA.


I only get to wear nail polish on the weekends when I'm not lazy enough to put 'em. I seriously can't wait to graduate from culinary school so I can add more colour into my life! :")



See what I mean? Piles and piles of things under only 100 NT. You really just have to be patient and look at each and every one of them. ;)


Check out the owl bangles I got! Pretty cute, don't you think? :)


Statement necklaces are so in demand nowadays, and boy were there a ton of them in the market! I don't feel like buying any here anymore because I know that they price them so much cheaper in the market. They practically triple the prices sometimes! Crazy.




Bags, which you can haggle for still. :) I just wished they spoke english more. There was a huuuge language barrier, but I was thankful to have Sab tour me around and haggle for me! 


Sandals I thought were cute, but sadly they ran out of my size. :( 







Wedges I got to buy for a very reasonable price! Parisian sells practically the same design here but added a hint of gold which I wanted to buy but I'm happy I got to buy this instead! ...for a cheaper price, too. :)


Here's Sab. Thank you so much for staying up so late just to shop and eat with me. Hope you had as much as fun as I did. Thanks for treating me to Din Tai Fung & Milk tea! :)




Whenever I go shopping, I always make it a point to:

a.) Wear something comfortable! Preferably a tank and shorts. Why? So you can easily wear things over it to try it on. --- Sadly, in the markets here they had a "no fitting" rule.

b.) Bring a big bag! So you can just dump all your purchases without having the hassle of carrying them. Be mindful of pickpockets though! So don't keep your money in one place, and have some in your pocket just in case. :)

Disheveled hair, a happy tummy, and the biggest smile.  

Everyone's been telling me to try their glazed fruits so I bought a stick without a doubt and WOW was it yummy. Strawberries are my favourite fruit so I enjoyed it very much. Definitely a must try when you're in the market! ;)





Here's a glimpse of what I got in the market! Be sure to check out my next blog post for some more detailed photos. 

I seriously had a blast shopping here! Hope you guys get to visit these markets when you think of visiting Taipei. It really is such a beautiful city filled with nice people! So what are YOUR favourite markets and where? Comments are much loved below. :)

2 comments:

  1. I loved the Taipei night markets! But sadly, when I was there they were selling mostly winter clothes. I'm going back this August though and can't wait :)

    - Sofia

    P.S. Hi Alyssa! Haha

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  2. Aw shucks! Yeah, I think the weather be will be a tad bit cooler during August. :) Lucky you! Who are you going with? I might go to Bangkok end of July. HAHA.

    P.S. Hi Fia! You cutie. :") FORMA SOON, PROMISE! I have to renew my membership again.

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