Melo Villareal
Top 8 Things I love about Taiwan.
Taiwan is an island nation of nearly 24 million people. It is bounded to the northeast by Japan, the West by China, and the South by the Philippines. Taiwan currently does not belong to the United Nations and is the largest economy and most populous nation in the world not to belong to that global organization.
Taiwan is a special place for many reasons. Thousands of people troop to the island nation every year to have a feel and taste of what the people have to offer. These are the eight amazing things I cannot stop talking about in Taiwan:
Street Food
Feasting in the streets is a major phenomenon in Taiwan. Known as Taiwan Xiaochi or ‘small eats,’ your journey cannot be complete if you do not enjoy one of the tasty meals served on the streets of Taiwan. You can move from stall to stall to ensure you get the best food at a moderate price and, if nothing else, for the fun of adventure. Some meals sold on the streets are iron eggs, seafood, stuffed meatballs, scallion pancakes, pearl tea, and shrimp monkeys, to mention just a few. If you love to explore Taiwan’s wide variety of street foods, you can visit Yongkang St, Ximending, and Shilin night market.
Taiwan is also the origin of the famous Din Tai Fung. With branches in Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, Thailand, and Dubai, experience one of the world’s best-selling xiaolongbao where it came from.
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Affordable Flights from Manila
You can get some cheap fares for flights from Manila, Philippines, to Taipei, Taiwan. Flights are available for as low as $80 from Manila to Taipei, a journey that lasts for just over two hours. The good news is that the world’s famous low-cost airline, AirAsia, has launched flights from Manila and Cebu in the Philippines to Taipei. This guarantees cheap fares on the route every day of the week.
AirAsia Flight Schedule for Manila (MNL) to Taipei (TPE)
| Flight Number | From | To | Departure | Arrival | Frequency |
| Z2 128 | MNL | TPE | 23:05 | 01:10 | Daily |
| Z2 129 | TPE | MNL | 01:35 | 03.45 | Daily |
AirAsia Flight Schedule for Cebu (CEB) to Taipei (TPE)
| Flight Number | From | To | Departure | Arrival | Frequency |
| Z2 7124 | CEB | TPE | 06:35 | 09:25 | Wednesday |
| CEB | TPE | 06:10 | 09:05 | Friday and Sunday | |
| Z2 7125 | TPE | CEB | 10:20 | 13:10 | Wednesday |
| TPE | CEB | 10:10 | 13:00 | Friday | |
| TPE | CEB | 10:30 | 13:20 | Sunday |
The People
It is usually said that a place is as great as the friendliness of its people. This is one of the main reasons why Taiwan should be on your bucket list. The people are known to be very hospitable and accommodating to visitors.
They show a sense of excitement and happiness toward you by saying, “we are excited and happy to see you.” Rather than the usual prodding of tourists to buy souvenirs, Taiwanese would greet with a friendly smile and look for ways to help if they look confused. And if you run into trouble, they would willingly offer help though some of them do not speak English. They would instead pass the phone to someone else who speaks English to sort you out.
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Night Market
This is one thing most Asian countries are known for – night markets. Such markets are usually bustling and filled with people, from food to souvenirs and anything that can be sold. Even if you are not in the mood to shop, hanging out there and meeting hundreds of people can turn a boring night into a blast.
Some of the night markets you can visit in Taipei are Raohe Street Market, Shida Night Market, Tonghua Night Market, and Shilin Night Market.
Temples
Taiwanese are very religious people. Most people there practice Buddhism and Taoism, while there are pockets of Christians and other religious groups here and there. Dotted around Taipei’s landscape are temples that are such magnificent sights to behold.
Some of the temples are steeped in the history of Taiwan and have cultural connections too. You can stop to see temples in Taipei: Mengjia Longshan Temple, Baoan Temple, Qingshan Temple, Confucius Temple, and Ciyou Temple. A tour around any of the temples would expose you to information about the rich cultural heritage of the people of Taiwan.
Dragons
Dragons are everywhere in Taiwan, either on the rooftops of temples or just another colorful sight.
This is particularly the case because temples are everywhere. The dragons are colorful; they are beautiful and absolutely amazing. Some of them are carved in stone, making incredible scenery for the pictures, which you can use to set your social media pages on fire.
Free Wi-Fi
Taiwan has a free Wi-Fi network that covers the length and breadth of the cities. So citizens can log on to iTaiwan and enjoy the benefit of a free internet connection. It is one of the first places in the world to have successfully launched a free Wi-Fi network on such a massive scale.
Visitors to Taiwan can enjoy the service too by signing up with their international passport at the Taiwan Tourism Bureau centers and offices at transportation stations. If you prefer to buy a Sim card to access unlimited 3g internet using your mobile phone, you can buy a sim card for only $6 with 4 days of unlimited 3g access.
Effective Transportation System
Taiwan operates a very cheap and effective transportation system. The metro system is very clean and absolutely amazing.
It has ten lines running from Taipei to New Taipei City. The metro system has relieved Taipei of much of its chronic traffic congestion issues, carrying more than two million passengers per day as at early 2016. Due to its connections with existing railway lines, it has facilitated tourist traffic to many towns outside Taipei.
Conclusion
Taiwan stands recommended as one of the best places in Asia to visit because of its tourist attractions, good food, and friendly people. I will definitely go back very, very soon 🙂
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How about you? What do you love about Taiwan?
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Read:
- Tours in Taipei: Exploring the Northeast Coast of Taiwan
- Ultimate List of the Best Hotels in Taipei, Taiwan
