Usually I only have good things to say about my travel tales. But I’m not gonna lie, I had a really disappointing night out in Ximending tonight.
Ximending is one of the largest and trendiest shopping districts in Taipei. It is often compared to Harajuku and Myeong-dong; it is a very youthful and vibrant district with a nice blend of history.
Today is the second day of Lunar New Year and I thought I’d bring my sister out for dinner. I wanted to try some shops in Ximending that were highly recommended online, but the moment I stepped out of the house was the moment I made my biggest mistake of the week (thank god it’s already Sunday).
If you’re coming to Taipei, then I know Ximending will be somewhere on your travel itinerary. I’m not one to rain on someone’s parade, but I’m going to be brutally honest on why Ximending really isn’t IT.
Chaotic Tourist Crowds
In hindsight, it was kinda my fault for going on Lunar New Year and complaining about the crowd. I mean, what did I expect? But regardless, Ximending is filled with tourists most of the times, and maybe I’m getting old, but why would anyone want be trapped amongst a sea of people? Honestly there’s nothing in Ximending that’s worth this amount of anxiety.
So if you really, really must come here, be sure to come on a weekday, and definitely not on a national holiday!
Way Overpriced Food
Because Ximending is such a popular tourist destination, it only makes sense that they charge you a hundred times more than regular prices. 80NTD for a danbing? Aw c’mon, you can get better food elsewhere. Most of the street snacks in Ximending that you see travel guides recommending really aren’t that good anyway.
Honestly, Kinda Dirty…
People make mess. A lot of people make a lot of mess. I think this is a very duh statement, but I was very surprised to see how dirty Ximending has become when I visited this time. It’s not my first time in Ximending, but the dirty streets here surely make me wish it was the last time!
Overrated Tourist Attractions
Hold up here, most of the “tourist attractions” I see on travel guides I really wouldn’t even have guessed they were attractions. And as a Taiwanese having visited Ximending multiple times, I still don’t get how many of them are considered attractions. Like, what’s so attractive about a dusty Starbucks with ten million people in there at once? Granted, the building and the interior is aesthetic and historic and stuff, but suffocating for an instagram photo doesn’t sound very attractive to me!
And this is the story of my disappointing night out in Ximending. If you stayed this long, thanks for listening and I will see you in my next post!
Until next time,
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