A Late Taiwan Update

I'm currently on a 2.5-hour plane ride from Hokkaido to Fukuoka. While sifting through some photos, I found myself debating whether or not to share my experiences from Taiwan and Japan. I've never been a big fan of sharing on social media — I have some pre-baked biases, associating posting with a lack of authenticity. Not every post feels that way, and I get that curating photos with a fun caption is part of the experience. But I always find myself wanting more context behind what's being shared.

Despite this, I do like the concept of social media—it's just the way most platforms execute it that doesn't resonate with me. I love the idea of seeing what the people in my life are up to. In fact, when it's done thoughtfully, sharing your experiences can be really meaningful, like how people used to send letters to loved ones (with intention). So, in light of that realization, I wanted to start sharing what I've been up to over the past three months. Hopefully, this post will be the start of our reconnecting. :)

At the time, I hadn't done much research on Taiwan. All I knew about Taiwan were these three things:

1. Taiwan considers itself independent from China, China does not
2. Japanese imperialism in Taiwan happened from the 1900s till the end of WW2
3. Din Tai Fung & boba tea birthplace

When I first experienced Taipei, I was fascinated by the mix of cultures. Visiting Southeast Asia for the first time introduced me to what I can only describe as a more "raw" way of living. Life in California and Tokyo (both places I know well) is shaped by countless rules and regulations. In contrast, as I walked through the streets of Taipei, I felt a similar rawness of Vietnam, though it was more filtered. I imagine this might be due to the lingering influence of Japan from its colonial past, softening the edges of that Southeast Asian vibrancy.

Week one in Taiwan was filled with a bunch of firsts. First Night Market, MRT, stinky tofu, wax apple, pig blood stick, and more I can't remember. So many bubble teas. The whole stay was extremely comfortable since we were always surrounded by family.

The second week was filled with meeting Ashley's mom's side's extended family. Some of the members I was introduced included the 阿嬷 (ā mà) (grandma), 大舅舅 (dà jiùjiu) (big uncle), 小舅舅 (xiǎo jiùjiu) (little uncle), 大阿姨 (dà āyí) (big aunt), and 小阿姨 (xiǎo āyí) (little aunt). Just so many names to remember LOL. Coincidentally, the month we were in Taiwan coincided with the summer vacation of one of Ashley's relatives who lives in Paris. In total, I think there were around 18 new members of the family that I interacted with throughout the trip. It was also interesting because some of the older relatives knew how to speak Japanese, so it was fun to bridge the language barrier unexpectedly.

Most days in Taipei were spent shopping, going around sites, and eating. I got to eat the original Din Tai Fung, which was much better than the one in the US. 春水堂 (chūn shuǐ táng) was also such a good place to eat that we ate it around 5-6 times while we were in Taiwan.

One week, the parents planned a road trip along Taiwan's west coast, visiting the cities of Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan, and ending at Kenting National Park at the southern tip of the island. Although Kenting is known for its beautiful beaches and snorkeling spots, Typhoon Gaemi caught us by surprise, and we spent two days indoors, enjoying a copious amount of instant ramen and snacks from 7-11. On that trip, I often spent time with Dia Dia, one of Ashley's relatives' husbands from France, who spoke a little English. Despite the complications from the weather, it was a lot of fun to be with family and experience the different vibes of Taiwan's cities.

Soon after returning to Taipei, Ashley and I set off on a new adventure of our own. With just a couple of days to plan, we decided to head to Taiwan's East Coast, specifically Green Island (Lyudao), drawn by its favorable weather compared to the heavy rain on the main island. We were excited to explore somewhere a little off the beaten path and embrace the adventure ahead.

Lyudao was a paradise island. We rented a scooter and spent five days exploring the island, hopping from beach to beach and snorkeling in some of the most stunning coral reefs I've ever seen. If you ever visit Taiwan, I can't recommend Lyudao enough, but make sure you have access to a scooter to fully experience everything the island has to offer.

After a great time in Lyudao, we traveled by train to Taitung, Chishang, and Luye. We biked around the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree in Chishang and attended the Luye Highlands Hot Air Balloon Festival. Although it was really cool to do these things, at this point, we were getting really tired of moving around every 2-3 days. It was exhausting to pack our bags and figure out where our next stay would be. All we wanted to do was settle down and chill.

So after Luye, that's what we did! We went back to Taipei and spent some pretty slow days. We got food poisoning eating Indian butter chicken along the way, but all that was just another excuse for us to take a break.

Spending six and a half weeks in Taiwan was nothing short of incredible. It was a different kind of adventure compared to my biking experiences, but it was still a breath of fresh air of learning a new culture and meeting new people. I made so many observations about the world, and it feels exciting to finally understand Taiwan a little better.

Next up will be a post about Japan, and I'm planning on writing on guide on traveling there since some of you guys always ask me about things to do in Japan (even though I'm barely qualified). Stay on the lookout for that.

It's been a beautiful few months. Thanks for reading and I hope you guys have a great day. :)

(more photo dumps below)