Since I watched Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover, I wanted all the incredible street food and hair treatments that Taipei has to offer. Erwan Heussaff confirmed this feeling with his Overnight Guide, so there was no question that my first stop would be: Taiwan.

If you are a first-time traveller to Asia, don’t choose Taipei. The main reason is that Chinese people have a particular biosphere (= public transport), and if you are not used to this mass rhythm, you can be easily shocked.

I also had a funny discovery: they don’t have a sense of direction. Everyone is on their phone, but most are not playing or texting.. they are looking at maps and local PT apps. I was always on GPS, of course, but I was surprised that we had this in common. The fun part of the story was when I naively asked for direction.. we were both lost, but at least they tried.

Taiwanese people are mostly kind and helpful.. they just don’t really speak English. The majority got embarrassed when I appeared from nowhere (a tall white female in the crowd) and started talking to them. It was kinda sweet, especially after they realized that all I wanted was food.

For me, the main tourist attractions are never a must, I still had my bucket list – like relaxing in the Beitou Hot Spring, drinking coffee at the highest Starbucks in the world, and watching the Zombie run. But this is why travelling alone is so great: I can change my mind anytime. This solo travel thing is still new for me, but I’m loving it.. probably because I’m an introvert traveller. I don’t feel the pressure to talk to people or feel bad about missing the parties and casual stories; when I’m interested, I’m in, but otherwise, it’s just so good to be on my own and enjoy where I am.

Two days in Taipei are enough for tourists; there are not too many attractions, you can easily walk around the trendy areas, and food is everywhere. Several museums offer insight into classic and contemporary art, and thanks to POW! WOW! Taiwan, you can catch some awesome walls. This time, I was more lazy to hunt all the coolness, rather just enjoyed the walks and my personal Taipei music:

I like to check the map before every new destination to localize what I want and need; this is how I put my base in the Zhongzheng district (close to Ximen). I stayed in the Space Inn hostel and can highly recommend it: perfect location, clean areas, comfy bathroom, and most importantly, the beds have privacy curtains (if you stay in hostels, you know the difference a curtain means).

Zhongzheng is in the central, so many popular areas are within walking distance. My first walk led to the Wanhua district with the Lungshan temple. Lungshan is a really nice and busy place; I just sat down and watched the school groups in their jogging uniforms, people praying with incense and offerings, and my favourite: how they asked for answers with Jiaobei blocks. Jiaobei is like the 8 Ball – it works with yes-no questions, and according to the number of people and the clatter of the wooden blocks, Taiwanese genuinely believe in this kind of divination.

Ximending, with all the local shops, cafés and colourful-crowded-loud streets (less busy on weekdays and before sunset), is the nightlife area of the capital, where young people spend most of their time.

The famous Dihua Street (in Datong district) is the old market street with those awesome Chinese grocery and medicine stores. I seriously adore them with the stifling smell and weird-looking things while imagining the ancient secret witchcraft behind them. In reality, it’s usually just some sea cucumber or dried fish maw.. but who knows?!

Songshan (hipster & fancy art) and Da’an (business & shopping) districts are a bit further from Zhongzheng, but the Taipei MRT is pretty good, and I used it a lot.

From the airport (Taoyuan Intl.) to the city, there is no need to spend extra time and money on a taxi. It’s easy by public transport, and if you don’t know which bus to take, the kiosk staff will help you. The buses stop at the main metro stations, from where everything is easily accessible.

I have a thing for public transport when I’m abroad, especially in Southeast Asia: the Metro (subway) is usually clean, fast, and organized, but the buses and local trains have a unique charm, too. It helps if you know where you want to go, but the GPS and mobile data work much better in Asia than anywhere else.

Before, I was a kind of checklist tourist: I wanted to see and experience as much as possible, with time pressure and the frustration of untaken photos. I’m pleased with my personal growth, which lets me focus on simple things, enjoy the easy walks, and not push myself into a rush. Of course, I’ve scrolled through blogs and travel sites to get an idea about Taipei, but then I just picked my highlights.

From the original list, I dropped the Beitou Hot Spring, but I got a Taiwanese hair wash. I definitely wanted to try that fantastic hair treatment and head massage everyone raves about. I chose the In% Hair Cafe and spent 2,5 hours and 1600TWD. The salon has good ratings, and at least I had my first 3D latte art ever (an awesome cute panda with banana taste), but the head massage and washing didn’t give me that WOW feeling. I liked my fresh and shiny hair, but considering it was my most expensive hair wash, I can’t say it was worth it.

Taipei’s No.1 tourist spot is definitely Taipei 101. I love skyscrapers, so it was a must-have even for me. I recommend booking your ticket online or at your hotel/hostel (they usually have some discount) to avoid queuing – it only took me 10 minutes to get to the elevator!

The building, the view, and everything.. isn’t so mesmerizing. I mean, really nothing special, and so trite (e.g. the Petronas are way more impressive). I spent in the observatory about 15 minutes then left due to lack of interest. Oh, and the highest Starbucks in the world (on the 35th floor)? Beforehand, I tried to figure out how to get there but got the impression that it was just another overhyped catch, so I didn’t want to have it anymore.

After these bittersweet visits, I made a really cool switch. First, I planned to watch a sunset from Maokong but changed it to Xiangshan, better known as the Elephant Mountain. A hiking trail leads up to the big rocks, from where you have a beautiful view. Obviously, you have to climb some stairs, still it’s totally worth it (if you are confused about where to start from the Xiangshan station, just follow the people straight ahead). The best time to go is late afternoon to enjoy the entire sunset. I was a bit late and arrived already in the evening, but it was no problem as the trail was lit, and the neon city looked awesome.

I guess Taipei is another city where it’s better to live but has not much to offer for tourists. My fault that I was prepared for a Lucy experience. My feelings and first impressions are mixed.. maybe I should come back another time with another mindset to decide whether I like it or not. Now it’s just: good, good, where to next?