Top ten things to do, see and eat in Taiwan

Taipei is home to a bustling array of night markets: from the old alleyways of Tonghua, to the raucous stalls of Shilin, to the hip clothes shops of Shida. Food, it should be said, bulges from each.

The greatest pleasure of these markets is their experience. Nothing need be bought to come away with a traveller’s excitement. The heat, noise and colour of the spectacle is sufficient.

Taiwan cuisine is renowned. Certainly Din Tai Fung’s dumplings might stand tall, but the food of the place must be savoured in more ways than one. Late night stalls on the street-side sell deep fried green beans, topped with a chilli garnish. In the morning, omelettes, though not of the French manner, are fried on the street corner. Instead, they consist of a flaky, circular base of dough over which an egg is cooked. And then there is stinky tofu. This is perhaps less enticing — its name is an accurate description. I haven’t tried it… yet.

Yes. Taking a boat. In the days of yore, boat travel was a far more common form of travel. Now, however, it is a rarity, a talking piece, something which elicits surprised looks. To be sure, it is slow and often expensive. A day at sea is romantic, weeks in the swell is daunting. But Taiwan offers a solution.

When I came to the country, I came on a boat. It was an overnight ferry from mainland China (departing from Xiamen). On the deck a friend and myself watched the night fishermen plumb the depths, their boats topped with bright lights to attract their catch. The view was a dark sea and horizon punctuated by these bright, undulating flares. The trip, taken with the Cosco Star liners, cost only around AU$100.

Why? Because Australia has nothing even close. It might not seem like a strange thing to do as a tourist, but travelling at hundreds of kilometres an hour while still firmly planted to the ground is itself an experience. Anyway, it is not so much a case of taking the train for its own sake. More, when you leave Taipei for a surf in the south, the High Speed Rail (often shortened to the acronym “HSR” at stations) is a quick, comfortable means of moving about. It’s also, and I’ll say this again, incredible.

The Taiwanese are a friendly population. They are often well travelled, well studied, playful and relaxed. In bars you stumble upon old hands who speak passionately of the last 50 years of history. When lost, you get directions. If you ask for travel suggestions, you get an entire itinerary. Taipei 101 is nice; Taipei’s people are better.

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