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From Staff and Wire Reports Tulsa International Airport (TUL) saw its passenger numbers over the Memorial Day weekend jump 15{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} over the previous year. A total of 24,662 people went through the airport’s checkpoint Thursday through Monday, according to Andrew Pierini, TUL’s executive vice president …

 
 
 Higher gas rates are proven in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Might 24, 2022. To push, or not to push? This Memorial Working day weekend, with surging fuel price ranges that are redefining ache at the pump, that is the issue for many People …
The Midwest faces the possibility of holiday tornadoes. And Hurricane Agatha, the season’s first, headed for a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday amid warnings of dangerous storm surge.
Evan Vucci – staff, AP
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit a memorial at Robb Elementary School to pay their respects to the victims of the mass shooting, Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
President Joe Biden grieved with the shattered community of Uvalde on Sunday, meeting for three hours with anguished families left behind when a gunman killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers.
The president was met with chants of “do something” as he departed a church service and responded, “we will.” Biden and his wife, Jill, visited a memorial to those who were slain at Robb Elementary School and attended Mass at a Catholic church. Biden met privately with first responders before flying back to his home in Delaware.
The Justice Department says it’ll review the law enforcement response to the Texas school shooting. It’s an unusual federal look back that’s been prompted by questions about the shifting and at times contradictory information from authorities that have enraged a community in shock and sorrow.
Natacha Pisarenko – staff, AP
A boy holds a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed Russian tank placed as a symbol of war during Kyiv Day celebrations in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Ukraine’s capital celebrates the anniversary of its foundation every last Sunday of May.
Ukraine, Russia battle in the east as Zelenskyy visits front
Russian and Ukrainian troops are trading blows in fierce close-quarter combat in an eastern Ukraine city. Local officials reported Russian forces “storming” the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday, a situation that the Ukrainian president described as “indescribably difficult.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 90{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} of the buildings in Sievierodonetsk have been damaged. The city has emerged as an epicenter of Russia’s quest to conquer Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up efforts to take nearby Lysychansk, where constant shelling was reported. Zelenskyy himself made a rare frontline visit to soldiers in Kharkiv. He declared “I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom.”
It’s been another holiday weekend of gas price sticker shocks and flight cancellations. U.S. gas prices in 2022 have reached their highest prices in history. Explore the map above based on AAA data.
Meanwhile, hundreds of flights worldwide were canceled by Sunday evening, adding to the mounting number of scrubbed flights during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend in the U.S.
HONS
This handout photograph released by Fishtail Air, shows the wreckage of a plane in a gorge in Sanosware in Mustang district close to the mountain town of Jomsom, west of Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 30, 2022. The wreckage of a plane carrying 22 people that disappeared in Nepal’s mountains was found Monday scattered on a mountainside, the army said. There was no word on survivors. (Fishtail Air via AP)
The wreckage of a plane that crashed in Nepal’s mountains has been found, and the bodies of 14 of the 22 people on board have been recovered.
The search of the mountainside crash site was continuing, and there was no word on survivors.
The Tara Air turboprop lost contact with the airport tower Sunday while flying through an area of deep river gorges and mountaintops. It crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district close to the mountain town of Jomsom where it was heading after taking off from the resort town of Pokhara, west of Kathmandu.
The plane’s destination is popular with foreign hikers who trek the mountain trails and with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple.
Kevin Wolf – freelancer, FR33460 AP
FILE – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband, Paul Pelosi, pose on the red carpet at the Medallion Ceremony for the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at the Library of Congress in Washington. Authorities say Paul Pelosi was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Northern California, late Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Napa County. He could face charges including driving under the influence. Bail was set at $5,000.
Pelosi’s husband arrested on suspicion of DUI in California
Police records show Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, has been arrested on suspicion of DUI in Northern California.
An online booking report shows Paul Pelosi was taken into custody late Saturday in Napa County. He could face charges including driving under the influence. Bail was set at $5,000. A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi says she will not be commenting on this private matter. The House Speaker was in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday, where she delivered the commencement address at Brown University. Paul and Nancy Pelosi have been married since 1963.
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Editor’s Be aware — Indication up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly e-newsletter. Get news about places opening and closing, inspiration for long term adventures, additionally the hottest in aviation, foodstuff and consume, exactly where to remain and other vacation developments. (CNN) — This …
Editor’s Be aware — Signal up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly publication. Get news about places opening and closing, inspiration for upcoming adventures, as well as the most recent in aviation, food and drink, wherever to stay and other journey developments. (CNN) — …
Planning to fly from Singapore to Taipei soon? Here’s a comprehensive guide we put together for you on how to plan and budget for your Taipei trip.
Find out when’s the best time to get cheap flights to Taipei, which Taipei hotel to stay in, where to download the Taipei MRT map, and most importantly…. which Taipei night markets are most worth visiting.
Everyone always talks about how nice Taipei is, how delicious the bubble tea is, how pretty the Taiwanese meimeis are… but no one really prepares you for what Taipei weather can be like.
In the summer, Taipei’s temperature can actually be higher than Singapore’s. In a city like Taipei, there’s absolutely no respite from the heat… unless it’s a typhoon, which also happens in summer. Therefore, avoid the summer months, ideally late May to early October.
The best time to visit Taipei is the end of the year. Taipei weather in November is pleasant (18 deg C to 24 deg C). You’ll be comfy in regular T-shirts and pants, but bring a hoodie or sweater along for evenings.
Taipei weather in December is slightly chillier (15 deg C to 21 deg C ) so bring warmer clothes if you’re scared of the cold like me.
Even though Taipei winters are very mild, it really sucks when it rains, especially since the night markets are not sheltered. I recommend carrying a small umbrella and wearing water-repellent shoes no matter what Taipei weather forecast says.
If you want to book cheap flights to Taipei from Singapore, take a look at this calendar with approximate return airfares for budget airlines pre Covid-19:
| Taipei travel season | Months | SIN-TPE return airfare |
| Peak | Nov to Feb | $380 to $500 |
| Shoulder | Sept to early Nov | $260 to $350 |
| Off-peak | March to July | $230 to $350 |
How are Singapore to Taipei prices these days with Covid-19? Of course, a lot more expensive. Here’s a quick comparison of flight prices for the incoming June 2022 school holidays:
If you’re flexible with travel dates, try going in March, April, October or early November instead. These months offer the best compromise – historically cheaper flights, but still pleasant weather.
Scoot, Jetstar, EVA Air, China Airlines and Singapore Airlines all operate direct flights from Singapore to Taipei. In case you don’t remember, Singapore to Taipei direct flights last for 4.5 hours.
By the way, the international Taipei airport is Taoyuan Airport (TPE), and it’s in the outskirts of Taipei city. (Inside Taipei city, there another airport called Taipei Songshan Airport. But it only serves domestic flights and mainland China.)
When you touch down, there’s no need to adjust to Taipei time because Taiwan is in the same time zone as Singapore.
Now that you’ve sorted out your flights, the next thing to do is to book your Taipei hotel. Here’s a summary table of your Taipei accommodation options:
| Taipei accommodation | Approx. price per night |
| Hotel near Taipei Main Station | $52 to $560 (two pax) |
| Airbnb near Taipei Main Station | $50 to $120 (for two people) |
| Hotel near Ximending | $43 to $141 (for two people) |
| Backpacker hostel near Taipei Main Station | $20 to $64 (per person) |
For first-time visitors, I recommend looking only at hotels near Taipei Main Station. This is the interchange for most MRT lines, so if you stay here you won’t need to change MRT to get somewhere. Some of the most popular hotels near Taipei Main Station are:
Most Taipei hotels range from $85 to $100/night after adding in all the miscellaneous expenses, and fare about the same: small and basic but very clean and tidy, often with thoughtful amenities like free cup noodles.
Cosmos Hotel Taipei is an exception. It’s easily the biggest and most eye-catching hotel in the area, and the decor is super obiang (Chinese-style buffet breakfast included), but it’s sure to please parents and grandparents.
If you find these hotel prices a bit steep, here are a few alternatives to consider…
Find an Airbnb near Taipei Main Station: You can find an Airbnb in the vicinity for about $50/night for a two-person studio. If the listing is in Chinese, it’s probably cheaper. However, communication with the host can be an issue.
Find a Taipei Ximending hotel: Ximending (a.k.a. Taipei’s Harajuku) is about a 20-minute walk from Taipei Main Station – still central but not quite as convenient. It has a lot of boutique budget hotels aimed at the student crowd, so you can find a cheaper deal here at $43 to $141/night.
Go to a backpacker hostel: If you’re travelling alone, a hostel is your cheapest option at about $25/night for accommodation near Taipei Main Station. Hostels may have a bad rep elsewhere, but I’ve found the ones in Taiwan incredibly clean, civilised and beautifully designed.
Can pay more? Check yourself in to the famous Grand Hyatt Taipei next to Taipei 101. After you check in, Google “Grand Hyatt Taipei Haunted” to freak yourself out.
The number 1 absolute must-do in Taiwan is going to a Taipei night market. There are tons to choose from, but here are the 5 most famous ones:
Each night market has a different selling points. Shilin Night Market, Raohe Night Market and Ningxia Night Market are famous for traditional food, while Ximending Night Market and Shida Night Market are more for shopping and experiencing Taiwanese youth culture.
You can find similar types of street food sold at most places – stinky tofu, oyster omelette, fried taro, papaya milk. Many items range from 20 to 100 NTD (S$0.90 to S$4) each but you can easily go wild trying everything, so bring lots of cash.
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Most tourists also make it a point to visit Taipei 101, a 101-storey high skyscraper with an observation deck on top. You need to pay an entrance fee of NTD600 to go up Taipei 101 Observatory, but you can pre-book for a bit cheaper on websites like Klook.
Still wondering what to do in Taipei? Other affordable things to do in Taipei to add to your itinerary are…
The main form of public transport here is the Taipei MRT, which should be no problem for most Singaporeans to figure out. Here’s a quick link to the Taipei MRT map from the official website.
To get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Main Station, just hop on the MRT which runs from 6am to 11pm. Taipei Metro runs two trains on this line: purple Express trains and blue Commuter trains. You can take either one but the purple train is faster (35 minutes).
The fare from airport to city centre costs 150 NTD. Just like in Singapore, you tap in and out of the MRT with an Easycard, i.e. Taipei’s version of the EZ-Link card.
You can pick this up at any 7-11 or FamilyMart convenience store at the airport. The card costs 100 NTD and does not come with any stored value. So, if you hand the cashier 500 NTD, the card will come back with 400 NTD value (which is refundable).
If you’re planning to do day trips from Taipei or travel elsewhere in Taiwan, I highly recommend taking the Taiwan Railway (TRA) instead of a bus or car. Here are some common routes.
Taipei to Jiufen: Take any express train (Tze Chiang, Chu Kuang, Puyuma) to Ruifang station, about a 35 to 45 min ride. Fare is 59 NTD to 76 NTD. Then take a bus from Ruifang station.
Taipei to Taichung: The fastest trains (Puyuma) bring you straight to Taichung city centre well under two hours. The fare is 375 NTD.
Taipei to Hualien (Taroko Gorge): The fastest trains (Puyuma, Taroko) take just a bit over two hours to get to Hualien. Fare is 440 NTD.
Plenty of trains run these routes and you can get tickets on the spot. As long as you choose an express train, the Taiwan Railwayis an extremely comfortable way to travel. They’re spacious, comfortable, have bathrooms, and you can even buy bento boxes and snacks to eat.
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Now that you’ve got your itinerary all planned out, the next step is to buy some Taiwan currency (i.e. your bubble tea money).
The SGD to NTD exchange rate is usually around 1 SGD = 21.42 NTD. It’s pretty easy to calculate how much something costs in Taiwan. I usually think of 100 NTD as $5 and 200 NTD as $10.
You can check out money changer rates in real time on sites like CashChanger or simply head to one of our top money changers in Singapore.
How much money to change? Everyone is different, but I spent about $30 a day on food, sightseeing and transport. I mainly ate cheap local food and visited to free attractions.
You’d want to bring more if you plan to do shopping or cafe hopping. Western-style coffee is really expensive in Taipei, sometimes costing as much as 200 NTD (almost $9.34!) for a cup. My budget coffee hack is to buy drip coffee at 7-11 or FamilyMart – cheap and good.
Note that Taiwan’s economy is still very much cash-based, and many restaurants and businesses, including budget hotels/guesthouses, don’t accept credit cards.
I’d suggest taking along some extra SGD (US dollars are even better). If you run out of NTD, you can easily pop down to any big bank in Taipei and get it changed.
It’s super worth it to pick up a Taiwan SIM card for tourists at the airport, because the tourist SIM cards usually come with unlimited 4G data.
They’re pretty affordable too. You pick the package based on the number of days you’re staying in Taiwan. A Klook five-day SIM card costs about 300 NTD while a ChungHwa Telco seven-day SIM card is around 500 NTD.
Note that the kiosks selling Taiwan SIM cards are located before immigration. Look for Emome (Chunghwa Telecom) or FarEasTone because these can be topped up at convenience stores.
If you missed buying your SIM card at the airport, you need to look for a telco store but they may not offer the tourist SIM card.
You can opt to buy an Ibon Mobile SIM card at 7-11 instead. Pricing is about the same, but it’s for 3G data. If you want 4G, you need to pay more.
If you don’t want to buy a Taiwan SIM card, here’s a couple of other options…
Rent a Wifi router: If you’re travelling in a group, renting a Wifi router to share makes sense. But I hate carrying around another device and making sure everyone is within range.
Use your telco’s roaming service: Convenient but expensive – M1 charges $12 to use your data overseas, Starhub $15/2GB or $20/3GB, and Singtel $5/GB (used to be infamously $20/GB). But this may be your best option if you need to remain contactable via the same phone number during your Taipei trip.
ALSO READ: The best shopping districts in Taipei, Taiwan