Night markets and mountain temples in Taiwan

Taiwan exceeded every expectation. I’d heard it was good, but I wasn’t prepared for just how good. The food, the efficiency, the friendliness, the nature - everything worked.

Taipei is one of the most livable cities I’ve visited. The metro is spotless and efficient. People are polite. The night markets are legendary. I made it my mission to visit as many as possible. Shilin Night Market was the biggest, a maze of food stalls selling everything from stinky tofu to oyster omelets to giant fried chicken cutlets. Raohe Street Night Market was more local, less touristy, and the food was just as good.

The food in Taiwan is serious business. Beef noodle soup is the unofficial national dish, and every restaurant has their own version. I ate it at least a dozen times, each bowl different - some spicy, some mild, some with clear broth, others dark and rich. Din Tai Fung’s xiaolongbao, soup dumplings, were perfectly crafted. And the breakfast scene - dan bing (egg crepes), soy milk, you tiao (fried dough) - was incredible.

I took the high-speed rail to Taichung and then a bus into the mountains to visit Sun Moon Lake. The lake is beautiful, surrounded by green mountains, and you can cycle around it. I visited Wenwu Temple on the shore, an elaborate temple complex with dragon carvings and views across the water.

Tainan, in the south, is Taiwan’s oldest city and the food capital. Every street has historic temples and excellent restaurants. I ate everything I could find: danzai noodles, coffin bread (yes, really), shrimp rolls, oyster vermicelli. The pace here is slower than Taipei, more traditional.

But the highlight was Taroko Gorge, a marble canyon on the east coast. I spent two days hiking there. The Shakadang Trail follows a turquoise river through the gorge, the water so clear and blue it doesn’t look real. The Zhuilu Old Trail, which requires a permit, is more challenging - narrow paths cut into cliff faces, with sheer drops and incredible views.

I stayed in Hualien, the nearest city to Taroko, and rented a scooter to explore the coast. The east coast of Taiwan is less developed than the west, with dramatic cliffs dropping to the Pacific. I stopped at random beaches, ate at small restaurants where I was the only foreigner, and felt like I’d found a version of Taiwan that most tourists miss.

What struck me most was how friendly everyone was. People would go out of their way to help, even with the language barrier. Strangers gave me directions, restaurant staff recommended their favorite dishes, locals chatted with me at temples and markets.

Taiwan is a place I could easily return to multiple times and still discover new things. It has everything you want from travel - great food, beautiful nature, fascinating culture - but it’s also just easy. Things work, it’s safe, people are kind. Sometimes that combination is exactly what you need.