Taiwan may not be the most famous destination in Asia, but if you meet ANYONE who’s been there they will tell you that it is an amazing place to visit and one that you should DEFINITELY not miss.
Not only does it have AMAZING scenery, food and sights but the atmosphere and people were just incredible.
Scenery
The first day we were in Taipei it was cold. And wet. It was still a great day, but I was more than a little worried that we were going to spend our time in Hualien trekking in the rain, not really seeing anything (Hualien is a city on the east coast that’s known for the awesome landscapes like the Taroko Gorge). Luckily the weather was Perfect with a capital P. We got a car for the day and drove down, past rice paddies and fruit trees to the gorge. We kept getting off and doing short hikes all around the area so we got to see everything. In some areas the water was SO clear that you could see minnows swimming in it from the path on the hill. You’re not allowed to swim in it which is a bummer, not that we’d thought to bring bathing suits, but they didn’t say no wading so we figured that was allowed. There were temples in the mountains where you could light incense and streams where you could drink the water. In one area they made you wear helmets because tourists had been hurt from falling rocks…but what’s life without a little excitement.
The next day we took another car down the coast to see all the beaches and mountains. I had no idea how nice it was going to be outside so didn’t think I would need sun block. BIG mistake. HUGE. I need to remember that I need to wear sunblock when the moon is out, never mind the sun. Ah well. The water was worth looking like a walking tomato. There were normal beaches with sand, but my favourite was this rocky beach because the water would spray between the rocks and there were pool that formed in the rocks where fish swam and coral was growing. We’d stopped earlier and got bread thanks to our AWESOME driver and could feed the fish, but I couldn’t lure any into my hands.
Food
The food in Taiwan was the best I’ve tasted. We ate mostly street food and it was to die for! And cheap!
Some of my favourites:
* It was french toast but not sweet and then they would but it open and put meat in lovely sauces inside then close it back up. Like the most juicy, tasty sandwich ever for less than $2.
* Tiger Eating Pig ( In Chinese it sounds like: GWA BOW). It’s a wrap (that looks like a Tiger apparently) with pork in it and all this other stuff. It tasted like pad thai in wrap form. DROOL.
* Passion fruit juices/smoothies that would cost over $4 in cad for around a dollar in Taiwan. homnomnom
The People
The people in Taiwan were the friendliest I’d ever met in my life. Everyone not only spoke english (which meant they could actually help us) but they would just go out of their way to be nice and come and talk to you. All you had to do was look confused and in a minute there’d be someone there for you. It was one of the nicest things about the country, because it made you feel so safe and comfortable. So many of them were also really good looking! And really nicely dressed. The clothes in Taiwan were amazing. You felt underdressed everywhere you go because they all look so good!
Definitely a place I would go to again, especially because there are so many areas we didn’t get to explore. In the summer it’s the migration season for hammerhead sharks. First feeding fish- next up something bigger!