Okay, just one more country (and two posts) to write up from my 2023 trip in Asia. Let’s talk about Taiwan.
I suppose the main reason I decided to visit Taiwan was because I was essentially already in the neighbourhood; I had only been 125 miles from Taiwan’s eastern shore when I was in Hateruma a few weeks prior. Taiwan is also a beacon for LGBT+ rights as it was the first Asian nation to legalise same sex marriage back in 2019, so I was very interested to see what the gay scene was like here. I landed in Taipei at the beginning of August – which was my first mistake. The weather in Taiwan at this time of year is punishingly hot – the real feel according to my weather app was 52°C… I was legitimately worried about going outside in that heat. I avoided the sun like a vampire, dropped in to air-conditioned cafe’s as often as I could, and drank many delicious iced milk teas. I’m pleased to say I survived and enjoyed my stay despite constantly sporting huge sweat patches (not a cute look).
Taipei is another huge metropolis, the likes of which I was pretty comfortable navigating by now, so there was a lot to explore. Incredible architecture modern and old, amazing museums, bustling night markets, lively shopping areas and even some places for hiking meant I was very busy rushing around taking it all in. Taipei has it all and I was struck by it being quite a modern and liveable place. I was constantly questioning why it’s seldom talked about by people in the West, as it really has it all. It feels like a undiscovered gem from a British perspective (I mean, there are millions of people here so it’s hardly hidden) and the expats I met here seemed very smug about it, even to the point where they felt the need to trash talk London, which is something I can’t abide sorry! It seemed to me that Taiwan is only ever mentioned in the media here in relation to the threat it faces from China. But all the local Taiwanese I met seemed extremely unbothered by the prospect of an invasion, which definitely gave me pause for thought.
There were many traditional sites I visited, the Confucian temples being some of my favourites. The incredibly intricate sculptures, design and artwork really blew me away. I don’t know if my photos do it justice but I spent several happy hours in these temples appreciating the sublime craftsmanship and attempting to find the best angles for photos. I also enjoyed the botanical gardens and parks for a slight reprieve from the chaos of the city streets. Taipei isn’t eminently walkable and the heat didn’t help, so resting in the shade of a giant palm tree was very welcome after a few hours of wandering.
I took the bus out to visit the National Palace Museum, which I would definitely rate as one of the most impressive museums I’ve ever visited. The artifacts they have in their collection were pretty much some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. It felt like I was really looking at treasure, it all must have been completely priceless. A lot of it comes from the Beijing Palace Museum and was relocated here when the government of the republic retreated to Taiwan. The craftsmanship and intricacy of some of the pieces was staggering, it’s almost unbelievable that people created these things… hundreds of years ago! I was constantly amazed and cannot recommend the place enough!
You can see in the picture above what I think was the most incredible cityscape I spotted on my entire trip. It’s the view from Elephant Mountain, with the Taipei 101 skyscraper standing tall that just blew me away. 101 was the tallest building on the planet for 6 years (now 11th tallest) and its design inspired by bamboo and pagodas is really stunning. The district around the tower is hyper modern and where all the young and stylish people hang out. The shopping in Taiwan really was second to none and the whole time here I spent thinking that I need to return one day with an empty suitcase so that I can buy… everything! There were lots of stores selling ingenious designs for everything from clothes and bags to tech and desktop accessories; I was really impressed by the country’s drive for creativity and innovation. And, typically, none of these brands ship to the UK yet. So it was definitely a lot of fun finding lots of new favourites.
I found that the Taiwanese people were very warm and friendly, which was a welcome discovery, especially having received a relatively frosty reception in South Korea. I made friends with some locals who showed me round different parts of the city (the best way to see a place of course). I visited night markets and courageously sampled many of the local cuisines thanks to these supportive new friends. Plus, I got to go on a night out or two in the gay district, which was obviously a lot of fun. I also took a trip up to the Tamsui district to check out the shopping street and Fort San Domingo, a fort built by the Spanish that changed hands multiple times throughout history as various powers vied for control of the island (yes, the British were one of them…).
I overall spent a week in the city and was left very impressed. Taipei really has everything, and on top of all that is great value, full of friendly people and is a fascinating blend of old and new. It’s a city I will certainly revisit in the future and to be honest I can’t wait. It’ll be very interesting to see how it develops in the coming years and how quickly people in the West cotton on to how great it is. From Taipei, I was heading south; it only seemed fair to explore the rest of the country a little bit while I was here. So in my next post I’ll be writing about my visits to Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Try saying all that with a mouthful of chicken feet!
Checkpoint Charlie 