I seem to be warming to these types of posts. I am starting to understand the concept of top 5 things: nice, quick and concise information, and you know what you are getting. I guess the content is in the title, the five things I loved about Taiwan.
I want to come back to Taiwan and spend more time, but on a scooter so I can have more freedom of movement and see more of Taiwan that is not possible on public transport.
People
I love the people I met in Taiwan, and I would happily live there if it weren’t for the mosquitoes. Every single person I encountered was extremely kind, assisted me with my poor levels of Chinese, and would go out of their way to help me. I felt that Taiwan was an open country that welcomed all types of people with open arms. I never felt unsafe and never felt I had to be extremely vigilant because of the people. I felt at ease. There were times when I would meet a person who made me feel a bit uncomfortable; not so uncomfortable that I felt unsafe, more that, I did not want to be around the person.
To every single Taiwanese person, I met, thank you for welcoming me into your country and making me feel safe and welcome, I can’t wait to return.
Food
Taiwan has an abundance of night markets and local restaurants. You will never be short for food there. But be warned it is easy to spend a lot of money in the food markets as you want to try many types of food, or even the same food from multiple vendors. Take, for example, fried chicken on a stick: I found a nice stall selling fried chicken, and hands down this was the best I had tasted, but then I went to a different stall, and it was not the same, it lacked the right amount of spices, and the crust was not crusty enough.
Taiwanese hot dog (hot dogs with rice as buns)
Chicken wings stuffed with rice
Cycle-friendly
Taiwan is extremely cycle-friendly, I didn’t use a bicycle while I was there, but I did observe that cyclists were safe and car users respected them on the road. I now wish I had hired a bike, but we live and learn. It is an excellent place to cycle around as there are lots of cycle paths. I would recommend cycling around Kaohsiung City; there are countless paths and in particular, if you can, cycle along Lovers River, taking the opportunity to watch the street performers and see the night light up.
Things to do
I don’t even know where to begin—there are so many facets to Taiwan. If you love moving from one place to another, I would recommend hiring a scooter and travelling around Taiwan. Spend time in Kenting Park, ride around Kaohsiung City and go through as many national parks as possible.
Safety
Taiwan is one of the safest countries I have been to in Asia so far. As a solo female traveller, I never felt unsafe, and I never felt I had to watch every side of me, or that I had to be wary of every person whom I came into contact with. No matter where you are in the world and how safe a country is, be vigilant, and take the same precautions as you would at home. However, you will feel safe in Taiwan, so enjoy it.
5 Things I Love About Taiwan I seem to be warming to these types of posts. I am starting to understand the concept of top 5 things: nice, quick and concise information, and you know what you are getting.
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