Taipei – My Introduction to East Asia

Manic, Gay, and Restless – these are the words that reflect my state of mind visiting the Taiwanese capital of Taipei last month. This introductory trip to East Asia came exactly a year after my overstimulating and jolting trip to India. Taipei came to feel like the antithesis to that India trip – it was also overstimulating, but for very different reasons. It engaged me in ways I’ve needed in my travels.

The first few days centered around my first ever couch-surfing experience. I’d sent out a bunch of requests ahead of my travels, hoping to avoid the strangely higher weekend hostel prices in Taipei. I’d had a couch surfing account for 10 years but had never actually “surfed”, and so you can imagine my surprise when I got an immediate acceptance from a host in Taipei named Leo. The initial complication was that Leo had a tendency to either not see, or more likely forget to reply to messages – this was most concerning when, as I boarded my flight, I still did not have an address to head to upon arrival. As a safeguard, I went ahead and booked the first night in a hostel.

That hostel happened to be in one of the most popular areas of Taipei, known as Ximen (pronounced “she-men”). The 20 minute walk over there from Taipei’s labyrinthian Main Station mesmerized me. I peeked in at little boba tea shops. I noticed how pedestrians devoutly refrained from jay-walking. I also loved the brightly lit neon shop signs, which hung off of otherwise bland high rises. Maybe it was that it was late in the evening on a Thursday, but the streets seemed hushed compared to what I’d known in South, and South East Asia. As for the hostel – I was glad to have booked it, because I still hadn’t heard from Leo.

That night I couldn’t discern whether I was tired or fully awake. I walked out into the Ximen night market, which sent my flight-wrecked brain into sensory overdrive. There I saw many things – more bright lights, images of cutesy anime characters, long lines at popular tea spots, and street food that I didn’t yet have an appetite for. After a while I went into a 7-Eleven shop, which are ubiquitous in East Asia. An employee helped me use an on-site microwave to heat one of the delicious (and cheap) pre-packaged meals. On each container there is a number that instructs you on which time setting to select on the microwave. Smart! Unlike any 7-Eleven I’d been to in America there was a table to stand and eat at, however I chose to sit outside on a ledge. Young people flocked into the store as if it were a bar or club, this gave me a solid first impression of how interwoven 7-Elevens are to the cultural fabric. That first meal of diced chicken, veggies, and rice was a very fitting and positively low energy activity for my first night in the capital.

The next day happened to be the National Day of Taiwan. That morning, fully awake from jet-lag, I ventured into the streets at 6:00 AM to find a park with calisthenics equipment (I was going on three months of consistent workouts, and Taipei wasn’t going to break me of that!) The large 228 park, home to the National Museum of Taiwan, was impossible to reach, as a military parade had set up on the surrounding roads. People had just begun to gather, though I went off in a different direction to try another park. It didn’t take long to find one, as parks in Taipei are almost as numerable as the 7-Elevens, and they typically have basic gym equipment. There I did my chin-ups alongside a small group of elderly locals who were in the midst of their own morning stretches. Afterwards I got my breakfast and a perfectly fine coffee from 7-Eleven. As the days went on I came to rely on the quick, healthy, and inexpensive meals available here for post-workout fuel.

Overnight Leo had miraculously gotten back to me, and what’a you know, he’d sent over his address! So later that morning, after checking out of my hostel, I walked north to his place near to Dihua Street and its popular local market. What Leo hadn’t divulged in our rather minimal text exchanges was that he also lived with his twin brother Johnny. Their space was small but tidy, and was filled with artwork that Leo had collected on his own world travels. We initially connected over both of our recent trips to Paraguay, a country not many travelers have shared experiences of. As a gift I brought him a copy of one of my favorite photographs I’d taken on a trip to the country of Georgia in 2021 (he’d mentioned on his couch-surfing profile that he wanted to meet someone who’s been there). It hadn’t occurred to me that the Taiwanese passport is difficult to use in many countries, and due to political sensitivities Taiwanese people cannot get a visa for Georgia.

That afternoon Leo invited me along with him and his brother for a trip to a nearby city to visit a historical site and to sample local foods. Nothing on our itinerary was ever very articulated, and I went through it on auto-pilot, never sure of what was coming next or even what mode of transit we’d take to get there. We started on a public bus out to the western fringes of nearby Taoyuan City, and from there got on city bikes (known here as U-Bikes) and rode down to the town of Lunggang. As we cycled on two lane streets void of bike lanes and alongside moderate traffic I wondered, why was Leo cycling sooo fast ahead of me? It felt like a race, but to what end? It turned out that your first 30 minutes on a U-Bike are free, for each ride.

The most mind-boggling thing about my time with the brothers was the contrast between their lack of communication, and a warm hospitality and desire to show the best of their culture. They covered our lunch that afternoon, and later a casual dessert stop a 7-Eleven (as you do). This was just the start of many generous outings I’d have with local people. At a point that evening I followed them into what was some sort of military building, the second floor of which had an official military outfitting store. The brothers, having not even mentioned we were stopping there, left me feeling like I had walked into the twilight zone. I kept wondering about the lady working the shop counter, and I imagined her thinking “what is this foreign tourist doing here?”

Later back in Taipei I went with Johnny to a political presentation screened over the façade of the president’s palace. A couple hundred people had set up with folding chairs, or were sitting in the grass to watch the show, most of which flew over my head seeing as I don’t speak Chinese. From there we ended up meeting a couple of their friends in Ximen for a night of fried chicken and seafood, drinks, good conversation, and Polaroid photos. Interestingly, we happened to sit next to a group of four young people at a bar who were all from Paraguay. A coincidence?

On my third day, before leaving my couch-surfing accommodation for another hostel, Leo invited me out on his motorcycle for what became a full day’s sight-seeing outing in the mountains to the east. The air was so incredibly fresh as we gained elevation, the mountains themselves smelled like a botanical garden. I thought the beautiful Thousand Island Lake would be our only stop, but with Leo I’d learned there was always something else on the agenda. Continuing on, we went to a scenic hillside restaurant for homemade noodles, then to a hidden waterfall, and later to another, larger waterfall outside of the touristy village of Shifen. Through the hillsides I could see lanterns floating by, destined crash deep into the forests. “Who picks those up” I wondered.

I never said no to anything we did that day, because spending all that time out on a motorcycle was an adrenaline rush that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. For dinner Leo took me to a popular local market outside of Taipei to sample Stinky Tofu. I did my best with this, although nearing the end I explained that I couldn’t bear its pungency anymore – with a slight language barrier I don’t think he understood, and so I finished it anyway. All night I smelled of stinky tofu, and I couldn’t wait to shower!

After moving to a new hostel near Taipei’s main station I found a little more wiggle room, so to speak, and with that began the mania of my trip. The bulk of this revolved around my experience with the gay community here, which had been touted as the most welcoming in East Asia. Personally, I found it incredibly easy to navigate the apps and to meet people. As the days went on I centered my energy around dating the city – and in doing so I became addicted to seeing it this way. In the west, and in most places I travel I’m used to a challenging and often flaky dating scene, and in conservative countries I otherwise avoid my gay identity entirely. But in Taipei I seemed to be people’s type, and it felt really good to be seen. There was a point in the middle of the trip where I went to the same night market near the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper for three nights in a row with three different people. I took a particular bus route across the city so often that it became routine. Amidst all this stimulation I never settled into a proper sleep schedule, and when I tried to sleep I’d find myself unable to wind down. “Is this what it’s like to live in a major city and actually go on dates?” I kept asking myself.

While my afternoons and evenings were usually spent catching up on sleep or going out, I reserved my mornings for other things – hiking, coffee shops, journaling, and museums. Taipei experienced above average heat during my stay, and so despite the damage I’d inflict on my sleep, there were many mornings that I woke up at 5 AM to head out on a trail. I even started going to a gym, as the outdoor calisthenics equipment became too slippery in the humidity (one gym offered an hour pass for $1.50!) Between everything I was doing, my brain felt more on than in perhaps any city I’ve been to, usually for the better, and in moments where I tried to rest I’d still feel a push to be out somewhere, or with someone.

A favorite morning activity was to cycle along the Tamsui River, catching the view of New Taipei City across the way. If I rode far enough north I’d be rewarded with phenomenal distant views of Taipei 101 on the return. These riverfront paths felt like a really local experience. With the U-Bikes, I’d never seen such an extended bicycle network, and it was always easy to find a spot to pick up or drop off a bike. The only challenge was to remember to tap my transit card to end the session, although most of my rides were within the 30 minute period at no cost. There were a couple occasions where I cycled across the city past midnight after a night out, this was always pleasant and safe.

On the subject of food, I enjoyed most of what I ate in Taipei but didn’t come out of it with a sudden love for Taiwanese food. This may’ve been because half my meals were had at 7-Eleven, but the rest were also at pretty budget friendly spots. On multiple occasions I sampled the famous beef noodles and various dumplings, but I came to find the cheaper local foods weren’t as healthy as I would’ve liked. Much of what you’d find at the night markets was fried, so I avoided trying a lot of things. If I had been willing to spend more, I would’ve explored the Michelin restaurant scene. In retrospect, I feel it was actually quite a local experience to eat at the 7-Elevens and noodle stalls. As for Boba Tea, I saw locals drinking it all day long, dangling their cups in specially made fabric holders with a handheld strap (these were sold everywhere). As indulgent as certain aspects of this trip were for me, I was very controlled in my boba tea consumption – maybe I shouldn’t have been!

My time here stood in the shadow of a big life decision I’m working through – whether or not I’d like to find a semi-permanent base in Vietnam. During the trip however there were moments where I thought “should I just move to Taipei instead?” After-all, the city checked a lot of boxes for me – the transit was top notch, the food scene was diverse, dating felt like a reality instead of an impossibility, people were friendly, enjoyable hikes abounded, and I felt safer than in any metropolis I’d been to.

But Taipei, as I learned on my nights out, isn’t perfect, and it’s experiencing a similar cost of living crisis and lack of housing to many places in the west. Pondering things a bit, I felt that if I did move to Taipei I’d never be able to concentrate. I also didn’t feel there was a very noticeable global community, something Vietnam does have. But for what it’s worth, Taipei felt like a very under the radar gem, to the point that the sight of a western tourist would surprise me. I would’ve stayed longer had it not been for some work obligations that came up back home, but I look forward to eventually doing more travels in this corner of Asia!