Seven Reasons Why You WANT To Go To Taiwan...

On the 91st floor of Taipei 101

1) It's a very nice city. I mean, I'm not that big of a fan of urban spaces - especially not in Asia - but wow. Taiwan is surprisingly clean, with wide boulevards and low buildings (okay, except for Taipei 101 - which is a damn tall building). There are mountains around it, a river that snakes through, and no feeling of over-crowdedness at all. Given that the population of Taiwan is more than the population of Canada, in about 1 billionth of the landmass, it's quite surprising!

A peaceful place to sit

Old men playing a game in the flower market

2) There are glorious old trees and green space everywhere. Due to the extreme humidity, the trees have roots that spring right out of their branches.... it's just gorgeous. We were able to go from city centre to a mountain top in just a few minutes on the subway.

Nina, me, Christa on the 91st floor of Taipei 101

The seaside walk at Danshui

3) It's a blend of Asian cultures... which is so different from Korea. Both Taiwan and Korea have been occupied by/invaded by/colonized by/influenced by China and Japan but to different degrees and with different results. Korea claims racial purity, that everything wonderful about it is "Korean", and ignores the influence (for better or for worse and in better or worse situations) of these other two Asian super-powers. Taiwan, on the other hand, takes a bit of what makes China delicious, a bit of what makes Japan fun, and blends them beautifully together. The Taiwanese are fashionistas and dandies to the nth degree - with shaggy layered hair everywhere, and enough eye-candy for even the most hardened people watcher. And, unlike Korea, Taiwanese style is all about originality.

Famous arches - entryway to CKS Memorial (which was under renovations - grrr)

4) Oh, the shopping. Oh yes... yes.. well. I left with a mostly-empty backpack, came back with a bulging backpack and two carrier bags. From the jade market (the size of two football fields) to the night market to the boutiques to the GIFT SHOPS.... it was mostly low-pressure shopping. This was not like Beijing where you had to haggle for 15 minutes over a t-shirt, this was fun, pleasant, happy.... and cheap.

5) Besides shopping, I have also been known to enjoy eating. The best thing about traveling, I think, is being able to taste ridiculously delicious things that you never knew existed before. Taiwan is full of Chinese-influenced food. The street meat ranges from candied strawberries to grilled tofu (YUM) to tentacles on sticks (um, no thanks). The grocery store has a tank full of frogs. The idea of "I'll fry this and make it even more delicious" is alive and well, thank god, and yet it all seems healthier than it sounds.

6) Speaking of health, we managed to get a few health treatments done too. My "relaxing acupressure foot massage" (aka the most painful experience in my life to date) was pretty amazing, um, after the fact. Actually, it was kind of neat because each bit of your foot corresponds to an organ or some other part of your body. So, if it hurts, it means that there may be a problem there. As the 400 year old Chinese lady was pummeling and squeezing my poor little feet, I was able to scream out "Ohhhh - that's my sinuses!" or "Aggggggg - watch the parietal lobe!". Gentle, they are not.

A much better idea was going up to Xinbeitou (a part of Taipei) to the natural sulfur steam baths. If you can think of a better way to spend the afternoon besides lolling around in a hot bathtub filled with naked Chinese ladies, I'd like to hear it. No, but seriously, our spa boasted semi-outdoor baths, meaning that we could gaze up at tree branches framing the blue sky while we soaked our troubles away in the bath.

View from the top of the Miramar Ferris Wheel

My foot and Taipei 101 (in the background) from the top of the Miramar Ferris Wheel

7) Taipei is FUN. The Night Market was like a carnival, one of the main tourist attractions is a HUGE ferris wheel, and Chiang Kai Shek's memorial is full of break-dancing teens. So far, and of course only judging from a few days' visit, it's the happiest place I've visited in Asia so far.

But... the best part of Taipei, besides having an expert (Nina) to show us around, was that you don't get "White Man's Burden" from being there. There was nothing that we did that the average Taiwanese couldn't also have also done (maybe they couldn't have done it all in 5 days, but then I couldn't afford to visit Niagara Falls for 5 days either). This was pleasure without the guilt, without feeling like my presence was being grudgingly accepted because of the dollars in my pocket, or that anyone was being exploited so that I could have a good time.

Many scooters - simply everywhere - and covered sidewalks (against the rain)

Fishing