Taiwan is a country that surprised me a lot. I first really heard about Taiwan as a tourist destination while reading an article from the New York Times about Taipei when I first arrived in Korea in 2011. I’d been trying to plan a trip over a long weekend ever since then and was very happy when I found myself with a spare week off this past January.

A lot of people asked me why I wanted to visit Taiwan. I’d always mention that article and something about beaches, mountains, and food. But it wasn’t until I got there that I realized that Taiwan is much more than that. Taiwan is a place with a rich culture and complicated history that has led it to become the most liberal country in east Asia. Taipei is a smaller scale, greener version of the Asian megacities I’ve come to know. Taiwan was a place where I instantly felt comfortable. I thought my 10 days there might be my only time exploring the country, but now I know I want to go back!

Days spent here: 10

Places visited: Taipei, Alishan, Kaohsiung

Average daily expenditures: I did a horrible job tracking my expenses here and because of my constantly changing plans spent a little more than expected. That being said you could EASILY get by on US$50 a day and could probably do US$30 if you budgeted well and didn’t do a lot of intercity travel.

Weather: I don’t know if I can give a fair assessment of the weather because compared to frigid Korea, Taiwan in January was a complete paradise. The first day in Taipei it was sunny with temperatures in the low 70s (Fahrenheit, obviously) but when I returned it was cloudy and cooler, between 40-60 F, depending on the day. In Alishan, it was noticeably cooler because of the elevation (in the 40s) and very clear. Kaohsiung has a more tropical climate with temperatures in the 80s and sunshine.

Language: Mandarin is spoken in Taiwan and even though I only knew about 3 butchered words of the language I got around fine. I found that a lot of Taiwanese people, especially in Taipei, speak English incredibly well. Those who don’t speak English were perfectly happy to help with gestures. Most everything you would need to read (street signs, public transportation, a lot of stands at the night markets) have the words written in English or Romanized. Though, be careful, the Romanizations can very greatly so the street you’re looking for could have 3 or 4 different spellings. With nothing else, a ni hao (hello), xie xie (thank you, pronounced a little like shay shay), and a smile will get you a long way in Taiwan!

Street art in Kaohsiung.

People: I can’t say it enough- the people of Taiwan are amazing. People went of their way to help me numerous times without expecting anything in return. Also, they weren’t creepy. I had someone walk me to my hostel from the airport bus the first night I was there, two different people lead me through Taipei Main Station, and was driven to my hostel in Alishan by a random man. Unlike Koreans, the Taiwanese didn’t stare and were kind and helpful even if they didn’t speak English.

Transportation: Taipei and Kaohsiung both have subways systems (called the MRT) that are inexpensive and easy to use. You can purchase a transit card or buy individual tickets. You are charged by distance traveled and the average fare is US$1. All signage is clearly labeled in English and the stops are announced in English as well. The busses are somewhat trickier to use, but I managed fine by myself a couple of times in Kaohsiung. Busses are even cheaper with fares running around 50 cents. You pay when you get off.

Trains are the easiest way to get around the country. There are two main options: Taiwan Rail Association and High Speed Rail. The TRA trains are slower, stop more frequently, and are relatively cheap. A ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs about US$17. The HSR is fast, modern, and costs significantly more. A ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs around US$44. Also, many of the HSR stations are located a fair bit outside of the city.

Accommodation: There are a wide array of accommodation options available in Taiwan. The average dorm bed costs around US$15-20 a night. I stayed at two hostels in Taipei which were very different from each other. I loved Travel Talk Taipei. It’s a smaller hostel with a really great atmosphere. The owner was extremely nice and helped me plan my day in Taipei and called to book my hostel in Alishan. Travel Talk Taipei is fairly new and all the rooms were very clean. In Kaohsiung I stayed at 99 House and also loved it. Once again, it was very clean and the owner was really helpful. They also have free bikes to use.

Internet and phone service: I bought a SIM card for for unlocked iPhone at Far Eastone in Taipei Main Station. They also have a booth at the airport, but I arrived after they closed. It was very easy to buy, you just need your passport and another form of identification (I used my US driver’s license). I purchased 5 days of unlimited 3G data for NT$350 (around US$12). You can also purchase 1 day or 3 day plans. Topping up or adding days is very easy and there is an English speaking customer service number.

Because I had data on my phone I didn’t need WiFi in public places, but I’ve heard they had good coverage. The hostels I stayed at in Kaohsiung and Taipei all had free WiFi with decent speeds.

Food: Eating in Taiwan is a fun experience because you can find many different types of mainland Chinese cuisines, as well as mainland Chinese cuisine with a Taiwanese twist and Taiwanese indigenous food. Also, food in Taiwan is CHEAP. My meal at the original Din Tai Fung was less than US$10 and dishes at the night markets cost about US$1-3. Beef noodle soup is a very common and popular dish in Taiwan. Personally, I tried to eat as many dumplings as possible.

Nightlife and Alcohol: I didn’t really go out a lot in Taiwan. It was low season and a lot of my hostels were empty. Also, I’m old. A tall boy of Taipei Beer (I’m classy) cost a little more than US$1 at a convenience store. It’s also delicious. Especially when compared to the beer in Korea. A simple cocktail at a bar will run you around US$5.

Taiwan Wrap Up is a post from: Farsickness

I love street food.

I love cheap food.

Thus, it should be no surprise that the many night markets of Taiwan were my favorite part of the country.

Night markets started in the large cities of Taiwan, usually near temples, as a place to gather with neighbors, eat, and buy things such as handicrafts and traditional Chinese medicines. Today, night markets serve a similar purpose. Vendors line the street selling their xiaochi, or small eats, and knockoff purses from carts or small storefronts while what seems like people from every cross section of life in Taipei- senior citizens, families with small children, groups of teenagers and young adults- mill about. Most dishes run from about $1-$3 US, usually at the lower end of the spectrum, which means you can have a whole meal for well under $10 US.

I visited five night markets in Taiwan, four in Taipei and one in Kaohsiung, and sampled a variety of cheap, street eats.

1. Ningxia Night Market

Ningxia Night Market, a smaller, traditional market in an older part of Taipei, was the first night market I visited in Taiwan. On my first night in the country I met up with one of my friends from Seoul, Marty, and his Taiwanese friend, Barry for a tour around this food only night market and an introduction to Taiwanese cuisine. Our first stop was at one of the small restaurants behind the street carts for oyster omelettes and liver soup, two of the must try dishes at Ningxia.

The oyster omelettes were a delicious combination of eggs, starch, and small oysters, fried, and topped with a chili sauce. And the liver soup? Well, it was large pieces of liver in broth and between this dish and others I tried in Taiwan, I discovered I actually like liver. A lot.

Next up we sampled what is probably Taiwan’s most infamous dish- stinky tofu. Stinky tofu has been fermented and the smell is, well, stinky. Not only does it have the aroma of dirty gym shoes combined with body odor, but the smell travels far and lingers for a long time. Surprisingly, you get used to it pretty quickly. And when the tofu is fried and smothered in spicy sauce in cabbage it actually tastes pretty good!

The last thing we tried at Ningxia Night Market was a savory rice pudding made from rice paste, mushrooms, and pork. It is steamed until it is the consistency of a rice cake and topped with a gravy like sauce. It was good, but the chewy texture of rice cakes isn’t really my thing.

How to get there: Take the Tamsui (Red) Line to Zhongshan Station. Go out Exit 2 and walk for 5-10 minutes.

2. Huaxi Street Night Market

After a few drinks, Marty, Barry, and I ventured on over to Huaxi Street Night Market, better known as Snake Alley. This market sells a lot of the common night market eats but is most famous for the wide variety of more interesting delicacies available, including snake.

We had come here for one reason: snake shots.

We ordered a set that included three shots- one each of snake blood, snake bile, and snake venom- and a bowl of snake soup. Not entirely confident about what we were getting ourselves into, we decided to each choose one and take only that. I won a game of rock, scissor, paper and chose the snake venom shot. It was the smallest and, unlike the blood shot, did not contain a strange capsule floating on top.

The shot tasted mostly like Chinese whisky and I washed it down with a slurp of the cinnamon flavored soup.

We decided to follow this up with a taste of zhuxie gao, coagulated pig’s blood. On a stick! The blood is combined with rice cake, steamed, and then rolled in peanut powder. Again, the taste was fine but the texture of rice cake is too chewy for me.

How to get there: Take the blue line to Longshan Temple Station. Walk to the temple and turn left. When you reach Guangzhou Night Market turn right and you will see Huaxi Street.

3. Raohe Street Night Market

Raohe Street Night Market is one of the most famous in Taipei and was conveniently located near the hostel I stayed at after my return to the city. I checked out this market along with two girls I met at my hostel after a long day of sightseeing. Before I even passed through the entrance I saw a stand that caught my eye, a stand selling baked potatoes smothered in fake, orange cheese. If I have one weakness in life it is creamy, neon nacho cheese.

After that I decided to try something sweet and completely new- fried milk. The vendor took what looked like gelatinous ball of sweet milk custard and dropped it into hot oil. The golden brown balls popped when bit into, releasing a creamy, sweet custard. I’m not a sweet tooth and this was one of my favorites.

I can never pass up a good dumpling when I saw a stand selling large dumplings filled with glass noodles and green onion I was first in line. I slathered on a good amount of hot sauce and devoured it while walking to find my next snack.

The last dish I tried at Raohe Street Night Market was actually not Taiwanese or Chinese, but Japanese. Okonomiyaki was one of my favorite dishes in Tokyo and the cart selling these Japanese pancakes had a long line with cooks who made cooking a show.

How to get there: Take a train (not the MRT) to Songshan Station and follow signs to the temple.

4. Liuhe Night Market

Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung is one of the oldest night markets in the entire country. Being as Kaohsiung is a city on the ocean, this night market is particularly famous for its seafood offerings.

The most famous thing, by far, to try at this night market is the papaya milk. Sweet and creamy, this drink is a great treat on a hot night and is famous with celebrities and politicians from all around Asia. The line might be a little long, but it is definitely worth it. I wanted to go back to get a second but was embarrassed of being judged.

I was ready for some food and wanted to try something from the sea. The grilled shrimp looked appetizing but there were no tables available and I’m not great at shelling shrimp one handed while balancing a purse and camera in the other. Then I saw a cart selling cheese covered scallops and I was sold.

I wandered around a little more but ended back at a dumpling stand near the entrance for a tray of xiao long bao, my beloved soup dumplings. The woman who owned the stand was very sweet and a woman at the next table who spoke perfect English was very interested in my travels. It was a nice end to my solo trip to the night market in Kaohsiung.

How to get there: Take either MRT line to Formose Boulevard Station. Go out exit 11 and the night market will be immediately on your left.

5. Shenkeng Old Street

Not really a stereotypical night market, I still think Shenkeng Old Street deserves a mention here. James and Yina, who I met in Maokong earlier that day, took me to this city in the New Taipei that is famous for its production of stinky tofu. The old street was beautiful with its brick buildings and red Chinese lanterns. We stopped by a cart near the entrance to get our taste of the famous Shenkeng stinky tofu. Covered in a spicy sauce and topped with different types of fermented cabbage (almost like a Chinese kimchi) and lightly pickled cucumbers, this version was even more delicious than the type I’d tried in Taipei. I do believe I’m a stinky tofu convert!

Besides my new favorite food, this street is filled with shops selling other goodies like rice cakes and traditional candies and snacks.

How to get there: Take a Taipiei Bus on the Pingxi Line to Yongding Elementary School.

The night markets in Taiwan provided a great way to sample new food and experience Taiwanese life.

What food looks the best to you? What looks the worst?

Street Eats: Night Markets in Taiwan is a post from: Farsickness

Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city after Taipei, is the country’s industrial capital. Shipbuilding, refining, and manufacturing don’t exactly conjure up images of beauty so I wasn’t really expecting much. Just a place to sleep for the night, and maybe a good meal.

But just like Taipei surprised me, so did Kaohsiung. The city has done a lot to clean up their image and promote itself as a tourism hub of southern Taiwan. The city implemented the first urban bike sharing program in the country and it is one of the most bike friendly cities in Asia. Kaohsiung is also promoting their tourist attractions and beaches located right in the city. Immediately after dropping my bags at my hostel, I rented a bike from the city’s bike share program and pedaled on over to one of the most popular attractions in Kaohsiung- Lotus Pond. I first read about this group of temples on Lauren’s blog and after seeing her photos and realizing they were far from the Asian temple norm, I knew this was one thing I needed to see. I rode my bike from Ecological District Station to the Lotus Pond, about a fifteen to twenty minute ride (maybe shorter if you don’t get lost like I did), and because I’d been on the bike for less than an hour, it was free. The Lotus Pond is a large man made body of water and the temples are clustered around one side of the lake. The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas were the first buildings I visited. These colorful towers were mesmerizing and I was really in awe that this was actually a religious building. Legend says you must enter through the dragon and exit through the tiger to have good luck. The Spring and Autumn Pavilions were next as I walked clockwise around the lake. The highlight of these pavilions was being able to walk into a dragon’s mouth. Next up was the Wuli Pavilion, a small building at the end of a very long, narrow bridge. Besides the spectacular architecture, I visited the Lotus Pond at the perfect time of day. I caught the sun at its most perfect “golden hour” and the tour groups had already departed leaving the temples nearly completely empty. The last temple I visited was the Beiji Xuantian Shang Di Pavilion most noticeable because of its large statue of  the Emperor of the Dark Heaven. By this time I left the sun had sunk below the horizon and it was time to head to one of the city’s night markets.

The next day I had a few hours to kill before my bus to Kenting so I went to check out the Former British Consulate at Takao. This building was built in 1865 and rented by the British government in 1867 as they opened one of the first foreign consulates on the island. The building sits on a hill looking over Sizihwan Bay and the Kaohsiung Port.

The former consulate is like a little piece of Britain in Taiwan with Union Jack trash bins, Union Jack gates, and the iconic red mail boxes. After touring the building, I had a tea at the cafe while enjoying the view.

As I walked back down the stairs I noticed a lot of posters hanging on the walls near the bottom. It turns out that the former consulate is now a popular area for protests against the Beijing government and in favor of Falun Gong, which is somewhat amusing considering that most of the tourists visiting the site are from mainland China.

If you’re visiting Taiwan don’t be dissuaded by Kaohsiung’s industrial past. This almost tropical city is definitely worth a visit. Probably one that is even longer than 24 hours.

What is your favorite photo from the Lotus Pond temples?

Crazy Temples and Union Jacks: 24 Hours in Kaohsiung is a post from: Farsickness

I took a TRA train (slow and cheap) from Taipei Main Station to Chiayi, a city about 250 km south of Taipei. You also have the option of taking a high speed train t0 Chiayi, but there are fewer bus options to Alishan from the HSR station. Additionally, the slow train (about 3.5 hours) was clean and comfortable. Oh, and the ticket only cost about NT$350, a blessing for a budget traveler.

Almost immediately after disembarking the train an older woman started motioning me to follow her to the bus terminal in order to catch a bus to Alishan. I was convinced she was part of some scam to get white tourists on a more expensive private bus but in actuality, like pretty much every other person in Taiwan, she was just trying to be helpful.

I bought my ticket from the counter for NT$221 and waited about fifteen minutes for my bus. Buses from Chiayi run every hour at ten after the after and the last bus to Alishan leaves at 2:10 pm. The nearly two and a half hour bus ride was, for me, terrifying. Others might consider it beautiful, winding up higher and higher into the mountains of central Taiwan while passing through three different climate zones, but my fear of cliffside roads in vehicles of questionable maintenance had my stomach in knots and fingers grasping for anything solid.

We arrived safely, 2216 meters above safely, in a rather large parking lot flanked by a 7-11 and some particularly touristy looking restaurants. With a backpack strapped to both my front and back I began the search for my hostel. I wandered around the parking lot for a while with my guidebook in hand trying to decipher the lackluster directions to the Catholic Hostel I’d had my Chinese speaking hostel owner in Taipei book for me, when a woman came up trying to sell me on her hotel. I tried to politely motion that I already had a place and continued to look very lost.

A few minutes later, just as I was going to try to the call the hostel, she walked back over to me and made some sort of international signal for can I help you. I pointed to the Chinese translation of Catholic Hostel. She pointed me up a hill and started listing off a lot of directions. When she realized I had absolutely no clue what she was saying, she motioned over to an older gentleman, her husband I’m assuming, on a motorbike and began speaking to him.

He pointed to the back of his motorbike.

I pointed to my front and back packs.

He pointed to the floor (is there a floor on a motorbike?).

I placed by daypack between his feet, hopped on the back, and was soon enough at the front door of my hostel.

Taiwanese people are the nicest.

After checking into the basic but clean Catholic Hostel, I ventured back out into town. I bought my train ticket for the sunrise viewing so I could avoid having to wake up any earlier than necessary the next day and slurped down some stir fried beef noodles before heading back to my hostel to spend the night watching Californication reruns and eating Kinder chocolate. The Alishan crowd is decidedly Chinese. And much older.

The next morning my alarm rang at 5:15. I quickly bundled up and walked through the darkness toward Alishan Rail Station. The line for tickets was long but since I had bought mine the night before I headed straight to the boarding line upstairs. The Alishan Forest Railway is one of only three narrow gauge railways in the world and as I waited for the 6:30 departure time I was getting more and more eager to get a glimpse of the famous train.

It finally arrived and we began the short 30 minute climb toward Zhushan Station, the highest in Taiwan at 2451 meters above sea level.

When arrived it was already light and I sprinted off the train to get a spot at the front of the viewing platform. I stood shivering and listening to competing Chinese tour leaders screaming into megaphones for nearly 20 minutes waiting for the sun to rise over the peak in front of me.

Suddenly a small glowing orb became visible over the mountain and the entire crowd shrieked with delight (this is Asia after all). Unfortunately missing this day? The sea of clouds that Alishan is so famous for. I was apparently there on one of the few cloud or mist free days of the year. The one time when clear weather is a detriment while traveling…

Even without the sea of clouds, the sunrise was beautiful. After I’d snapped enough photos I walked over to the food stands and purchased a dan bing for breakfast.The greasy egg pancake straight off the grill warmed me up as I began the walk down the mountain.

Yes. I decided to walk down. I was one of the few people who did this and at times during the nearly 5 kilometer descent I was the only person for a long time. I was convinced I was going to be abducted or bitten by a rabid dog.

Unsurprisingly, neither happened and I made it back to Alishan in time to catch the first bus back to Chiayi as I continued to work my way down the island.

Have you ever woken up at some godforsaken hour to see a sunrise? Was it worth it?

Getting High: Sunrise in Alishan is a post from: Farsickness

Maokong is located  about 500 meters above Taipei on Getou Mountain and is easily accessible by public transportation. First take, the Wenshu (brown) line to Taipei Zoo, the terminal station. From there you can follow the signs to the Maokong Gondola, about 400 meters away.

The nearly 30 minute, 4.7 kilometer ride costs NT$50 each way. There are two types of gondolas, glass bottomed and regular, and both are the same price. The wait, though, for the glass bottomed car was significantly longer and since I felt no real need to see how far I was dangling in the air, I chose the regular one. I spent the ride reading up on the area and snapping photos of a hazy Taipei through the dirty windows.

As we got closer to Maokong, the area below us became more lush and terraced tea fields started to replace forest. Outside the station in Maokong there is a huge sign posting with directions to all the different tea houses. I had no real set plans, took a left, and began walking up the hill. About halfway up I met a Taiwanese-American guy, James, and his Taiwanese friend, Yina. They invited me to join them for tea and after a few days of not interacting with anyone (one of the downsides of traveling during low season- the hostels are empty!), I happily accepted.

My new friends and I.

We ordered some milk teas from Cat’s Got Nothing To Do Cafe (seriously, that’s the name) and found a table perched on a patio jutting out from the side of the mountain. There are more traditional tea houses in Maokong, with floor seating, beautiful pots filled with oolong, and tea based cuisine but the view at this cafe is sublime. Well, on a clearer day it would have been sublime, but the clouds were rather thick that day and Taipei 101 was barely visible.

If you squint, you can see Taipei 101.

Oh, well. The weather was warm and it was nice to sit outside in January, something unthinkable in Seoul. It was also nice to chat about Taiwan with some people who had first hand knowledge of the place. Or to chat with people in general.

After finishing our teas we walked around the area a bit more. There’s a temple a few kilmeters away, a traditional Chinese cemetery, a pond, and some more tea fields. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s calm, cool, and quiet.

After exploring enough of the area, I boarded the gondola back down to the city happy with the day I’d just had after the past few.

Have you ever been to or heard of Maokong? What are your favorite ways to escape the city?

Gondolas and Green Tea: An Afternoon in Maokong is a post from: Farsickness

Then I spent a day in Taipei and realized I was wrong. Very wrong.

Taipei has tons of green space. Everyone is friendly and helpful. The food is delicious and cheap. There is interesting architecture. It is big enough to be interesting, but small enough to be less in your face than Tokyo or Seoul.

So when things went to shit, going back to Taipei was an easy and welcome decision. I did end up spending more than two days in the city, but cooking class and day trip aside, this is what I would do if I had 48 hours in Taipei.

Day 1

Longshan Temple was my first stop in Taipei. And I’m glad it was. Colorful and ornate, Longshan, like most temples in Taiwan, worships a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities. When I arrived on a Saturday morning the complex was filled with worshippers chanting and incense burning. It was a magical experience and I almost felt like an intruder.

Next visit the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall which pays tribute to Nationalist leader and former president of Taiwan. This is considered to be one of the most important sites in Taipei. In addition to the memorial, there is a large park on the site, one of the many green spaces in the city.

For lunch head over to Din Tai Fung for dumplings. I’ve recently become a bit obsessed with their soup dumplings and I was eager to visit the original restaurant on Xinyi Road to see how it compared to the branches in Seoul. The lines can get long so I arrived not long after they opened at 10 am and was immediately seated. I had an order of the famous xiaolongbao. Known in English as soup dumplings, they are filled with pork and a thick, savory soup that pours into the spoon when poked with a chopstick. I also, upon recommendation from my friendly server, tried to the shrimp and pork wontons in a spicy sauce. The wonton wrappers were soft and delicate and the sauce had a lot of great chili flavor to go along with the heat. The total for the meal came out to less than $6, not bad for a restaurant that has had been recognized by Michelin, and much less than I pay in Seoul!

After lunch check out the National Martyrs Shrine built to honor those who have died fighting for the Republic of China. The real highlight here is to catch the hourly changing of the guard. The soldiers march from the gate to the main hall and the ceremony lasts about half an hour.

For six years Taipei 101 stood as the tallest building in the world and even though it was usurped by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2010, Taipei 101 remains an impressive structure. The design of Taipei 101 has been compared to many things including a pagoda, bamboo stalk, and lotus flowers but to me it most resembles a stack of Chinese takeout containers. Not a bad thing.

Visiting Taipei 101 can be a time consuming effort. The first time I tried to visit the wait was almost two hours just to get on the elevator. I went back on a weeknight and had better luck- only a 30 minute wait after buying the NT$400 ticket. The view from the top isn’t really anything special, but the elevator is the fastest in the world at almost 38 mph and the visible damper that helps protect the building from high winds, typhoons, and earthquakes is interesting.

For a cheaper alternative, you can enter Taipei 101 through the business entrance (not the mall) and tell the security guards you are going to Starbucks. You will be given a temporary security card and can access the Starbucks on the 35th floor. Sure, you won’t be all the way up on the 91st floor, but it won’t cost you nearly $15. Word of warning, Starbucks closes at 6 pm on weekdays.

End your first day at one of Taipei’s many night markets. I’m going to write an entire post dedicated to night markets but just know this is a place to try weird foods, indulge in your street food favorites, shop for knockoff goods, and get cheap foot massages. The most famous night markets in Taipei are Shillin and Roahe.

Day 2

Start your second day with a breakfast picnic at the 228 Peace Memorial Park. Grab a danbing (Taiwanese egg pancake) and wander around the urban park dedicated to those who were massacred during an anti-government uprising on February 28, 1947. I enjoyed sitting under the pagodas and watching kids and families play in this oasis in the city.

The memorial for those who died on 228

Next, take a stroll though the Dihua Street Market. This market originally sold traditional Chinese medicine but now sells a variety of things including candy, dried fruit, nuts, dried fish, and dried meat. This market is very popular with people shopping for supplies for Chinese New Year and because I was there during the weeks leading up the holiday, it was packed. The vendors were eager to pass about samples and the mood was exciting and happy. This is also a good place to pick up souvenirs- I got two red Chinese lanterns.

The National Palace Museum holds the largest collection of Asian art in the world and is considered the number one tourist attraction in Taipei. Honestly, I didn’t go because ancient art really isn’t my thing, but if it interests you at all set aside an afternoon to meander through the supposedly beautiful museum.

End your 48 hours in Taipei with something cultural- a show at NK 101. Called Formosa Fantasy: The Amazing Night of Taiwan and held in a converted film studio, the show combines traditional martial arts, modern dance, and comedy to tell the story of Taiwan and its people. The warehouse provides a quirky background and unlimited tea is served during the performance. There are English subtitles for the speaking parts which made it easy to follow along.

What would you do if you had a couple days to spend in Taipei?

48 Hours in Taipei is a post from: Farsickness