Last weekend I spent a couple of nights in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. I'd never been there before, and despite the cold, rainy weather, I loved it.
Taipei is a large, sprawling city where everybody seems to live in old high-rise apartment blocks, but it's also a city full of beautiful trees and parks and surrounded by mountains covered with forest. It's a very picturesque town on rainy days when the low mist shrouds the mountains and tall buildings.
Of course, one of the fun things about travelling is trying the local food, and Taipei certainly doesn't disappoint in that area. Taiwan is famous for beef noodles, spicy hotpots and top-quality Chinese and Japanese food of various types. To my pleasant surprise, I found that it's also famous for really great coffee.
Taipei has a great, comprehensive subway system, so it's a really easy city to get around in. It's also a nice city for walking, since there are wide footpaths (that motorcycles don't ride on), plenty of trees and roads that can be crossed without fear of being run over by cars that refuse to stop at pedestrian crossings. There's a great mix of street markets and sidewalk food stalls, as well as small local shops and restaurants. There also seems to be a pleasing lack of huge, soulless shopping malls.
Unfortunately my trip was too short to do much exploring, and I didn't make it out to the countryside, which is famous for great walks, trekking and cycling trails. I would definitely love to go back and spend some time checking out more of Taipei and other parts of Taiwan.
The only other Chinese city I've been to is Beijing, so it was interesting to compare it with Taipei, which felt much more laid-back and friendly. Taiwan has a complex history which has led to a cosmopolitan mix of cultures, creating an interesting and unique island.
The only bad part about travelling is having to get back to "normal" life after the trip. But at least thinking about the next trip can give us something to look forward to!
Ben Edwards
Editor
[email protected]
