We had to get up around 6am to get ready to go to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until 10am but we had to get there early to check in with the tour guide. After 1.5 hours, we arrived at Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) with another tour guide waiting for us there.

To fill our hungry stomachs, our first stop was Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村). Although going to a theme park may sound fun, it was actually a bad day to go because it was raining and freezing cold. Barely anyone except students going on a field trip were there. After a quick but satisfying meal, we went to walk around the park within our time limit. One con about being on a tour is that we always have to be on the move and never have enough time to see everything.

Afterwards, the tour guide brought us to a place where they grew all kinds and shapes of tomatoes. This was also the beginning of a series of tourist traps and people convincing us to buy their “special and effective” products.

It was finally time for dinner and I was pretty exhausted. What’s for dinner you ask? Hot pot! Which is perfect for the chilly weather. What’s different about this hot pot restaurant is that each person gets their mini pot to cook food in.

To wrap up our day before we head back to the hotel, we went to the ferris wheel at Miramar Entertainment Park. This ferris wheel shows up in half of the taiwanese dramas I watch! We only had around 50 minutes to spend here so we went straight to the ticket booth to get tickets for the ferris wheel. They had student discounts if you show an ID and good thing I had mine. The ride itself was about 15 minutes long.

View from the top of the ferris wheel.

We stayed at Monarch Skyline Hotel for the 1st night. It was such a relief to get to lay on the bed after such a long day…and part 2 comes tomorrow!