Travelling in Taiwan

 

Photo by Andrew Haimerl (Pexels)

The last stop on my free from Uni summertime trip is my hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. I just cannot express how happy to be back even though I didn´t have much of an itinerary when coming here, I am just glad I have the opportunity to be back.

Since the trip itself was mainly visiting family and friends, I will try not to get into details about that but rather try and write about what I felt when I was back again. And since the trip has been a few weeks ago, I will try to be as detailed as possible.

First thing when we landed, I felt a sense of home again. Even though I no longer live there, it still felt like home. In other words, familiar and welcoming. Somewhat nostalgic and new at the same time.

Feeling at home is when you can go through a city blindfolded and still know exactly where you are. When you just feel secure and happy to be back. A place where plenty of happy memories come flooding back when you think about it.

I guess, it is just a feeling I have been missing the whole time I was not there. This whole time in Germany, no matter where I was, there was no sense of being home. There was just the knowledge that you live in a house.

Since the flight was pretty late, the first thing I did when I greeted the family at home, was to take a shower and go to sleep since no matter how far I travel, whether it is just for an hour or a day, I will always be exhausted so sleep or some kind of rest was high on my priority list.

The following month, I just did all the things I wanted to do when I should go back. Visit some familiar places and visit some friends and family. There wasn’t much to write about since visits of any kind are boring to write about and out of context for the people who don’t know.

The highlight was obviously the food in Taiwan. I don’t quite know why but whenever I try the same dish in a different country it just doesn't taste so good, especially seafood. It is just better and I don’t know why. It is probably just fresher which makes all the difference.

Since I am such a huge foodie when I get back, I always prepare a list of things I want to eat when I get back. To be honest, it is much of a list of food on paper, it is just the food I want to eat if I see it on the streets.

One place I would always recommend if you want to try all the food but don’t quite want to eat a lot and go to many places, is to go to the night markets in Taiwan. There are plenty of those and each is different than the last.

If I go to night markets, I always could eat a dish literally translated as small intestine wrapped in big intestine but I swear it is not as disgusting as it sounds. Basically, it is a hot dog but instead of a hot dog bun, you have a sticky rice replacement bun. The spices make the dish delicious.

Otherwise, a must is bubble tea since you cannot leave the birthplace of bubble tea without trying at least one bubble tea. Bubble tea stores in Taiwan are incentivising customers to bring their own straws and cups with discounts since it is better for the environment.

For dessert, I always loved some crushed ice. All stores always provide a huge variety of toppings to add. Some are familiar like peanuts or strawberry sauce but there are also red or green bean and Taro toppings. My suggestion is to try new things but that choice is at the end of the day yours.

Besides the food, I really like to shop in Taiwan since there is just so much to see and so many things to buy for so cheap and when you have a foreign passport you can get a tax refund which always feels great even if it is not much.

What I like to visit most are the stationary stores since the stationary in Taiwan is just hundreds of times better than the stationary in Germany. The variety of stationery is just huge. Whatever you may like, they have it.

Disney fan? They have Disney-themed notebooks and pens. Anime fan? They have plenty of accessories for your favourite anime. Need something for the children? They have a toy selection. Just like to browse? They have enough interesting products for you to browse through.

For example, I have a friend who liked a specific character in an anime. Without much effort, I was able to find the characters as key chains, folders, pens and notebooks within minutes and most of it doesn’t cost a lot so with just a little money, you can bring your friends plenty of joy.

I guess having so much for so small prices, leads to a serious case of buying things you don’t quite need. As an example, I bought dim sum stress balls in a dim sum steamer. It is cute but do I need it every day? Probably not. Did I buy it anyway? Of course.

Another thing I love to buy in Taiwan is clothes since the clothes are so cute, fashionable, and more to my taste. I also love the accessories you can buy there since there are plenty of accessories to choose from.

Plenty of my past-favourite stores closed due to Corona which was really sad. You go there your whole life and now it is gone. It is a weird feeling but luckily for me, there were still plenty of similar stores for me to visit and shop around.

What I love about shopping in Taiwan is that you can bargain. Not at the shopping mall or supermarkets but at small individual stores. You can try your best against the best negotiators to have the price reduced and it always feels amazing to have the price reduced even by a little bit.

Not only are things cheaper than in Germany, but many services are also too. So that means hair stylist appointments to have the hair taken care of. If I regularly did my nails, I would have had that done as well but I didn’t so I didn’t get my nails done.

Things involving technology, are also cheaper. If you like to have your computer fixed, you will get it back within a week in top condition. If you need to have your phone screen replaced, it will be done within mere minutes (sometimes hours). I just like the convenience in Taiwan.

However beware, to be able to enjoy a shopping trip in Taiwan you must have some self-restraint otherwise, it is going to be pretty easy to spend a lot on things you don’t quite need at the end of the day. But you are on a trip so do remember to indulge yourself.

However, the most important thing is the place. Taiwan has a range of different places to visit. If you like mountains, you would like to visit the centre of Taiwan. If you like the city, go to million metropole Taipei. If you like the beach, just go to the coast.

If you like culture, there are plenty of museums for you to visit. If you like to learn about Taiwan´s past, there are plenty of attractions which preserve the cultural heritage in a fun museum like place to visit with foods and games from the past. 

There is a bit for everyone and that is what I like about Taiwan so much. Not only is it my birthplace and home but it is also so compact. It has so much to offer and most of it is not so far from Taipei and is reachable by public transport.

In Taiwan, I love to visit the ocean since it is just a nice change of pace to the city and the beaches in cold Germany. I just love to snorkel along the reefs and see the small fish and sea creatures inhabiting the ocean. It is always amazing to see.

What I also adore are the people. Most of them are always very kind and helpful. And that just makes the community feel stronger and more connected. The friendliness in Taiwan makes you feel welcome while in Germany the everyone for themselves mentality makes you feel isolated.

So with amazing food, a variety of shopping, magnificent places and friendly people, what are the downsides? And I only have one thing to say, the weather. Taiwan is a tornado-prone country with earthquakes hitting frequently.

In the summer months, it can get pretty hot. Unbearable even without proper protection. So if you choose to visit Taiwan in the summer months, bring sunscreen and get a fan of some sort. Wear light clothes and try to stay in the shade if possible.

All shopping malls and metro stations are air-conditioned to a certain extent so if you feel faint do try to go inside. And remember to drink plenty of water. Bring a bottle since there are plenty of water stations to fill up your bottle across the country.

When the time comes to leave family and the country behind, you are always filled with some kind of sorrow and sadness. Leaving is always the hardest part of travelling since it means going back to reality and after vacations you most likely don’t want to do that.

A few weeks after I went back to Germany, I would often spend many nights in bed crying since after going back to reality, I realized I was at the lack of a real home. Not just a house you live in but a real home where you would feel at home as well.

The feeling I had in Taiwan, I was missing in Germany, and I was really sad about it for some reason. Even though I still miss Taiwan now, I am not spending hours feeling sorry for myself. It takes perspective to see things clearly.

It took a few days to realize that things were not as convenient or cheap. It also took a few days to realize that I was not on vacation anymore. There were a few days necessary for readjustment but very unlucky for me, I didn’t have that.

The second day after setting foot back in Germany again, Uni began and I had to rush back to my dorm, and have everything unpacked and sorted, repacked and organized within 24 hours. It was stressful as hell, but I survived. Next time I know better than to come back a few days prior to uni start.

 All in all, I am glad that I could travel 9,246.62 km back to my hometown. It was great to be back to see so many things and visit so many people. However, it was also sad to see how many things have changed for the worse.

Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of new and interesting stores to visit but most of them just shut down due to lack of business due to the rise of internet shopping. Many stands at night markets closed due to bankruptcy. It is just sad to see the hard-working people having to shut down their stores.

However, Taiwan is still filled with adventure for everyone. There is plenty of good food for you to try, plenty of magnificent places for you to explore, and plenty of stores for you to shop to your heart's content. There is a little bit of everything for everyone which makes Taiwan great for travel.

This is the last of my travel series this year. I am not sure where next year will take me but I guess we just have to wait and see what adventure awaits me next year since if you asked me at the start of the year where I would be going this year, I certainly wouldn’t have said 4 different countries. So until next year…