Shopping districts and night markets are not only tourist magnets. They also provide an added personality and an extra charm to a city. We’re talking about Harajuku in Tokyo, Mong-kok in Hong Kong and Myeong-dong in Seoul. Taiwan has its own shining, loud and exciting shopping paradise too – Ximending.
Nestled in the middle of a quiet residential area surprisingly is Ximending. It can be confused with the name of the train station where it’s closest too, the Ximen MRT. For the curious, it is actually pronounced as “shi-men” and not “semen”. But you can make that joke here while travelling with your friends. The locals would not mind. Take the train from wherever you are in Taipei and come out from exit 6 of Ximen Station and you’re already in the most vibrant side of the Taiwanese capital.
I spent one Monday night in Ximending. I literally reserved 5 hours just to roam around and do a little shopping. You see, I was not able to pack properly for this random trip. The clothes that I brought with me are, so to speak, not Taipei-ready. (haha!) Good thing Ximending is near my hotel.
Extra good news for the shopaholics, this shopping district offers a wide variety of fashion finds, from unbranded, locally made clothes to low-end and high-end brands.Your haggling skills can also be maximized here so haggle away! If in case you’ll get tired, the area is filled with international fastfood, local restaurants, and the yummiest street food!
For this blog entry, I won’t be sharing to you the items that I got from shopping. I will be telling you about how the street looks like on a Monday night and the weirdest dining experience I ever had so far, eating at Modern Toilet!
