What to Do in Taipei During a Typhoon

I have traveled quite often through my life.

I usually traveled leisurely during my own time, and some via work trips. Through my traveling, I had experienced earthquake, snowing & raining seasons. This is the first time travel to Taipei and experienced typhoon. Raining is quite often in Taiwan, the same for typhoon. As a season traveler to Taiwan, I would try to avoid the typhoon period. Recalled that I once did a solo travel to Taipei around the same period too. That was in year 2016. There was not much rain during past traveled months. And after 8 years, the weather changes drastically. I have encountered the first storm day on my second day touch down at Taipei.

Planning – Early Morning

I stayed in a women hostel and they served free breakfast. While I was eating my first breakfast in the hostel, some of the diners shared that the day has Typhoon. They also stayed in the hostel. Taiwan government had announced and advice no school and work (with no emergency needs) on that day. They suggested I only visit the Taipei main station underground shopping street to avoid the storm. I have planned my agenda for the whole trip. And now I had to switch my travel planning around to avoid the storm. It has never occur to me the weather would hinder me from my travel plan.

Execution

I traveled to Taipei Art Museum – only to find out all Museum and Government related offices were closed. I met a guard at the museum ( she was there due to some emergency work needs). After knowing I am a tourist, she apologized because the Museum was closed due to the weather. It is not her fault. She had suggested I go to big shopping malls to spend my time for the day. It should be safe to stay in malls. She even offer me a chair to sit and wait until the rain was not that heavy before leaving. She also pointed the direction and explained the ways to walk to Metro location. Thanks to her hospitality. The day is not so cold and wet after all.

I traveled to Taipei 101. I found other travelers like me standing at the door of Taipei 101 with disappointed faces. The mall had closed for the stormy weather too.

I then traveled to Taipei underground shopping, most of the shops are closed. Some of the essential shop, the Umbrella shop, and souvenir shops were still open, but not the Bookshop!

Luckily I managed to find my favorite Sando Sushi rice store still open to have my my lunch. But that lunch cost me one umbrella. The Taipei manufactured umbrella could not survive under the Typhoon weather. Maybe that was the reason the umbrella shop is still open for new business opportunities!

Counter Attack

I have experienced quite an eventful day. I tired to find a cafe to spend my rest of the day. I’ve tried my luck since the google map has stated the shop is still open. Too bad, it was a false hope. While I was looking for the cafe shop, I nearly slip and hurt my foot due to the slippery ground. I went back to my hostel. I had bread for my dinner. I hope that the next day I will have better luck.

While I was traveling in the Metro, a poster caught my attention. It has a logo in Mandarin: 球来就打- 掌握每一个机会和挑战。 In English, it translates to: “When the ball comes, we beat (fight back). We control every chance and challenge.”

At that instance, I do not know how the coming days the weather would be. Will the new situation spoil my holiday trip? Will I be able to adopt and carry on to enjoy my trip.

Like the life I faced every day. You never know what is on the way, just face each challenge and opportunity that comes. You have to adopt any changes in life to be happy!

After notes:

Today, I read the news from 11 Nov 2024. It is the day I wrote this blog. The 4th tropical storm around Taiwan is brewing. I am pretty sad to hear such news. I’m not sure if the coming storm would blow away the beauty natures at the coastline of Taiwan. Well, only time can tell.