Taipei City is known for its lively night markets and street food scene, but is it layover worthy? In my seventh letter to my son, I wrote about the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things about Taiwan’s capital.
Dear Kid,
In the year before you were born, the world lost one of its most influential travel trailblazers, Anthony Bourdain.
Through his books and television shows, Bourdain explored international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdain was loved by many because of his charismatically cool, no-bullshit demeanor. He kept it real.
In his Travel Channel show The Layover, Bourdain killed time for 24 to 48 hours in locations around the world. In contrast to Bourdain’s other shows, there was an added sense of urgency to his step because of the time factor. Bourdain demonstrated that it’s possible to get to know a location in a limited amount of time through connecting with locals and engaging in unique experiences.
Urgency is the key factor that distinguishes a layover from any other trip. That urgency, along with Bourdain’s fearless demeanor, inspires me to step outside of my comfort zone and experience as much as I can when traveling, especially while on a layover or short trip.
Case in point, back in 2015, I spent two jam-packed days in Taipei City, Taiwan. I had traveled to Taiwan for my first international business trip. I was lucky to have a free weekend to escape industrial Taiwan and roam the metropolis of Taipei.
In this letter, I break down the good and the bad of Taiwan’s capital, with special consideration given to whether I think Taipei is layover worthy.
THE GOOD
There’s a lot of bomb, cheap food
According to EatingChina.com, although Japanese cuisine has had a big influence in Taiwan (due to Japan’s 50-year occupation of the island state in the early 20th century), Taiwanese cuisine “…clearly belongs to the Chinese food tradition.” Due to an immigration wave from China in the late 1940s, “…you can find a great range of regional foods from all over China, many of which have been adapted to suit local tastes.”
When I think back on my two days in Taipei, the first thing that comes to mind is the food. The food in Taiwan is like food in Tennessee in that it’s devilishly bomb. If my goal in life was to become morbidly obese, I would consider moving to Taiwan due to the widespread availability of mouthwatering, fried carbs (though I could probably get the job done just as well in the United States).
If you recall from my New Zealand letter, ambiance is another critical criterion in my judgment of a dining scene. Whereas I enjoyed New Zealand for its modern, posh restaurant ambiances, I enjoyed Taipei for its bustling, outdoor night markets.
I’m a big night market guy. Some of my favorite travel memories involve hanging out outside alongside a few strangers while watching my food being cooked, then scarfing it down immediately. There’s something about being able to eat while standing up in an open-aired setting and not having to worry [as much] about dropping food on the ground, or dealing with pesky waitstaff, that fills me with glee.
I had a blast at Taipei’s lively Shilin Night Market because vendors served up a large assortment of cheap, delicious (and sometimes bizarre) foods. I remember spending a buck or two on most items at the market, taking one bite, and thinking, “Are you kidding me; how is this bomb ass food so cheap??” If only there were a few Taipei night market stands at Emeryville station!
As an adventurous eater (your Opa, Auntie, and I ate a freaking guinea pig in Peru), I reveled in the selection of bizarre foods for sale throughout the markets. Stinky tofu was the highlight for me; I actually didn’t think that the rotten-smelling delicacy tasted that bad (at least compared to Andrew Zimmern; see link below).
Speaking of bizarre foods, as much as I’m inspired by Anthony Bourdain, I have always been more of an Andrew Zimmern guy (another Travel Channel personality and host of the show Bizarre Foods) because of his goofily expressive nature. For the record, your mom prefers Bourdain to Zimmern. Opposites attract, I suppose!
The city is easily traversed by Metro
In my previous letter, I lambasted non-train public transportation as I described why I enjoy my five-hour super commute. Surprisingly, I only have good things to say about Taipei’s Metro.
At least during my weekend in Taipei, the Metro was everything that Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART) is not: clean, orderly, and comfortable. Granted, I didn’t get the “weekday commute hours Taipei Metro” experience, but I still came away very impressed.
Despite the fact that Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Taiwan, I navigated Taipei’s Metro system with ease thanks to clearly-written English instructions, easy-to-follow maps, and an intuitive layout throughout the stations.
Most of Taipei’s worthwhile attractions are accessible by Metro as long as you’re willing to walk a handful of blocks. I didn’t take a single taxi while in Taipei. Five years later, I’m still enthusiastically grateful that I was able to explore the city conveniently and affordably thanks to Taipei’s well-laid-out, competently-run Metro system. BART could learn a thing or two ten from the Taipei Metro.
There is a lot to see and do
Food was the highlight of my time in Taipei, but there were plenty of fun things to see and do throughout the city.
I’m not a huge shopper (prioritize experiences over belongings, kid!), but I had a great time galavanting about at Ximending, a major shopping district in Taipei. I didn’t buy anything, but I was thoroughly entertained by browsing quirky stores and people-watching amidst throngs of shoppers. At night, Taipei’s shopping districts are brimming with people and lit up by big, gaudy signs and advertisements.
When traveling to a city for the first time, if there is a “really tall tower that offers 360 degree views of the city” attraction (e.g. the Space Needle in Seattle, the Sky Tower in Auckland, Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City), I make time to check it out. What I find really cool about these towers is that they’re essentially the same (really big towers that rake in that tourism cash flow), but also different (views, architecture, and overall feel). Taipei 101 is distinct compared to other towers in that it contains a mall at the bottom and an observable, tuned mass damper (which prevents the tower from toppling during an earthquake and is featured on the damper baby magnet on our fridge that I’m sure you’re very familiar with) at the top.
In addition to tall towers, I also seek out prominent religious structures throughout my travels. From the Masjid in Delhi (India), to the Golden Temple in Kyoto (Japan), to the Seven Mosques in Bani (Burkina Faso), I have always gotten a kick out of how different religions style their places of worship (e.g. layout, decor, ambiance) The temples across Taipei caught my attention because of their distinct architecture, colorful accents, and solemn worship environments.
A key prerequisite to being layover worthy is that the location needs at least one quality museum experience. For me, a “quality museum experience” entails captivating exhibits that are unique to that location. The National Palace Museum in Taipei did not disappoint. The museum showcases Chinese artifacts that encompass 8,000 years of Chinese history. Highlights for me included intricate calligraphy displays, culturally-insightful paintings, and two highly-acclaimed carvings that resemble a cabbage head and piece of pork (both are heavily-marketed across promotional materials and gift shop souvenirs). I also appreciate that the museum’s history includes a period in which the Chinese government claimed that the museum’s collection was stolen and belonged in mainland China. Way to stick to your guns, Taiwan!
A bunch of other good stuff
- The city radiates weird – Whoever came up with the slogan “Keep Portland weird” hasn’t been to Taipei. In Taipei, the art is offbeat, indoor shrimping is a thing, and there are multiple TOILET-themed restaurants. Game, set, match, Portland.
- Cute cartoons run rampant – As is in much of Japan, cute cartoons are everywhere you turn in Taipei. Whether you’re looking at a sign or menu, chances are that an adorably-drawn cartoon (i.e. human, animal, or object with exaggeratingly-big eyes) will be looking back at you. Why cute cartoons aren’t prominent in other regions around the world, I will never understand. All they do is warm the heart!
- The tea scene is superb – As a result of my trip to Taipei, I became a fan of Oolong tea. Just as Yerba mate is ingrained in Argentine culture, tea is ingrained in Taiwanese culture. As if the drink quality itself wasn’t enough, there are some killer tea-sipping settings around Taipei. I took a gondola up to Maokong, a suburb that sits on the Taipei basin. In this small village, numerous establishments treat guests to tea and gorgeous nighttime views of the city below.
- The city is so fresh and so clean – No, I didn’t list this bullet just so that I could reference my favorite Outkast song (actually, this might actually be my favorite). In contrast to your Indias of the world where many locals nonchalantly throw trash out of their car windows (more on this in a future letter), Taipei locals consider it their duty to keep their city clean. I was impressed by the cleanliness, and the Points Guy (see # 6) confirms my sentiment.
- The city is safe – According to multiple sites that rate safety (Numbeo, Travel Safe Abroad), Taipei is rated as one of the safest cities in the world. As I mentioned in my New Zealand letter, feeling safe is just as important to me as any statistics, and I felt comfortable throughout my entire stay in Taipei (what can I say; the only Chinese people that intimidate me are Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and Yao Ming).
THE BAD
Communication can be a challenge if you don’t speak Mandarin
Thanks to smartphones, any language barrier can be conquered with the tap of a button (I see you, Google Translate), but it’s a hell of a lot easier to explore a city when the locals speak a language that you comprehend. From clarifying a menu option to finding out how to get to the nearest bathroom, seamless communication [or lack thereof] plays a major role in determining the amount of effort required to make the most out of your trip.
At least from my experience, as a percentage of the population, not many people in Taipei spoke English (at least relative to many other countries that I’ve traveled to). Sure, obvious tourist attractions (e.g. Taipei 101) were staffed with English-speakers here and there. Otherwise, I didn’t have much luck communicating with locals in retail shops, restaurants, or street food carts.
Hell, even my waitresses at the original Din Tai Fung restaurant, which I assume gets a lot of tourist traffic, didn’t speak any English. Due to the language barrier, I ordered food that I didn’t intend to (I wanted that signature xiaolongbao aka soup dumplings!). A few bites into the meal, I realized my error (my dumplings weren’t bursting with broth!), so I ordered more food. This wouldn’t have happened if I spoke Mandarin (not that I’m complaining; the food did not go to waste!).
I wasn’t surprised that a handful of middle-aged locals responded to my communication attempts with an apologetic, “No English,” or silent head shake indicating that they couldn’t understand me. I was surprised that just as many youngish locals weren’t able to understand me either. For example, while at a department store, I asked a young sales associate for directions to a nearby bookstore. The sales associate didn’t speak any English, so congregated with two other millennial-looking associates to see if they could help me. They could not, because none of them spoke English!
The language barrier also hindered my attempts to connect with locals. During my second day in Taipei, I met up with a grad school friend that hails from Taiwan. Along with answering my various “What is that?” food questions, she helped me chat it up with locals here and there. Without her, the extent of my exchanges with locals were extremely limited (e.g. “Oh United States, like New York!” and [while nodding their head at me, probably having no clue what I’m saying] “Yes, yes!”)
A bunch of other bad stuff
- The city isn’t beautiful – I really don’t have anything legitimately bad to say about Taipei, so these bullets are basically just nitpicks. Taipei 101 looks cool towering over the cityscape, and the nearby mountains are nice, but in my opinion, that’s pretty much all there is in terms of eye candy. Taipei isn’t ugly; but it’s no bombshell like your Rio de Janeiros or Venices of the world.
- The air quality could be better – To my naked eye, the air just looked dirty. Also, a lot of locals wore masks over their mouths / noses. Perhaps many of the mask wearers just really wanted to protect themselves from getting sick. However, I confirmed with my coworker (a Taipei local) that Taiwan is sometimes subject to high winds blowing in highly-polluted air from mainland China. If I was mainland China’s neighbor, I would rock a mask too.
- The competition in the region is fierce – The following cities are located within East Asia: Hong Kong, Macau, Okinawa, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul. I haven’t been to any of these cities, but from what I’ve heard, each is badass in their own right. It’s very possible that, in terms of badass-ness, Taipei ranks relatively low; in which case Taipei would arguably not be layover worthy!
THE BOTTOM LINE
For a multitude of reasons, Anthony Bourdain was an inspiration to countless globe trotters. Through his eclectic travel experiences showcased across various outlets, he inspired me to travel with a “put yourself out there, connect with the locals, and jam pack your itinerary with cool experiences” mentality that much more. This mindset drives all of my travel planning, but especially so for layovers and short trips because of the time crunch.
Taipei has everything that I want in a layover. The food is bomb and affordable, the hot spots are easily accessible by public transportation, and there is no shortage of unique (and weird) things to see and do.
At the same time, communication can be a challenge for non-Mandarin speakers, and the competition in the greater region for “badass layovers” consists of some juggernauts that may relegate Taipei to merely a “go there only if you haven’t already been to [insert name of East Asia juggernaut city]” layover suggestion.
Of the cities outside of the United States that I’ve been to, here are my layover-worthiness power rankings:
1. Buenos Aires, Argentina – killer food, wine, nightlife
2. Jaipur, India – the subject of a future letter, this place is damn magical!
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – hit the jackpot with that natural landscape and tropical weather
4. Paris, France – Buenos Aires is rightfully referred to as the “Paris of South America”
5. Taipei, Taiwan – ranking justified by this letter
Honorable Mentions: Kyoto, Japan (bomb food and temples galore), Cape Town, South Africa (had to get my TIA reference in), Wellington, New Zealand (underrated)
When you find yourself planning a trip around East Asia (and assuming Asia [or the entire world], hasn’t been leveled by the Coronavirus), I hope that this letter helps you decide whether to build Taipei into your itinerary as a layover.
Love,
Dad
P.S. I worked on this letter as I began the second half of my paternity leave! As I write this, you’re sleeping with your head nested into a corner of your crib. These days, thanks to your impressive core strength, you roll over at will, monkeying around your crib like a circus ape. It’s really a joy to watch.