We have all experienced something strangely nostalgic. For me, it’s the Taiwan garbage truck music that is played during garbage collection hours. Thinking about it always brings me back to my childhood days of visiting Taiwan with my parents. Over the years, Taiwan has become a second home for me outside the States. I’ve been all over the island —from the southernmost point in Cape Eluanbi to the village of Jiufen. Taiwan is a beautiful place full of culture, good eats, and warm-hearted locals.

Summer is here so it means one thing: traveling! Since I’m starting work soon, I don’t have an internship this summer. Perfect time to get out of the States (get me out pls). There are many countries I haven’t visited before but somehow Taiwan seemed to have called to me once again.

I always stuck to my parents or relatives when I visited Taiwan as a child. I spent most of my time entertaining my grandparents, eating meals with my uncles and aunts, or playing with my cousins. As such, my perspective of Taiwan was relatively limited to the experiences of older generations.

Now as I’m in my early 20s, I desire to explore the cities for myself, hop on local trends, and hang out with friends my age. I took my first steps last winter when I solo traveled for a week in Taipei; making new friends, visiting trending cafes, and grabbing drinks at bars. My mindset when traveling in Asia is to experience life there as a local and not as a tourist. Instead of visiting attractions (which I’ve been to before in Taiwan), I wanted to engage in more typical activities such as going to a cafe to read, taking photos with friends, shopping at small stores, and enjoying the nightlife. AKA what I would do after classes if I was studying abroad in that country. With this in mind, I proceeded to enjoy my life in Taiwan to the fullest.

I spent the first week in Taiwan in Taichung with my relatives. I’ve never been much of a family person and it is something I’m trying to work on. My past few trips to Taiwan has helped me keep in contact with my relatives and I enjoy living the retired lifestyle with them. Taichung feels slower paced compared to Taipei and I don’t really go anywhere by myself. Taichung’s transportation system also isn’t as convenient as Taipei.

As such, I got around mostly either by car or scooter. I love how common scooters are in Taiwan and how affordable it is compared to owning a car. I really enjoy being on two wheels so I jumped at any opportunity to ride a scooter around.

A new mall recently opened in Taichung called Lalaport. It featured a large variety of restaurants, luxury stores, and clothing stores. My uncle knows I love shopping so this was one of the first places he took me to.

Perhaps one of its most unique features is the large screen that stretches above the bridge connecting the 2 buildings of the mall.

The view from the balcony on the upper floors was also quite amazing. I love parks in the middle of cities. A perfect blend of natural greenery and the concreteness of the city. I’ve come to appreciate nature as a way to relax and calm the mind. I’ll be sure to do picnics at the various parks in NYC in the future!

I didn’t take many photos inside but wrapped up my visit with some light shopping at Uniqlo and GU and browsed some higher-end stores. Although I would love to splurge on new clothes, I should sell some of my old ones first 🥲.

Later that week, I attended my cousin’s high school graduation with my uncle. I used to be close to my cousin as a child but we kinda drifted apart as we got older and I visited Taiwan less. I wanted to show my support as he begins the next chapter of his life. I was also curious as to how graduation differs between the U.S. and Taiwan.

Instead of caps and gowns, the students here wore simple polo shirts and graduation pins. Students are also called up super fast for their 1 second of fame 😅.

With most time being spent with family, I didn’t go out that much in Taichung except for food. So here are some pics!

As I get older and have more things on my plate, it becomes harder to find time for family. Especially since I’m moving across the U.S. for work, it takes more effort to stay connected. Trips like these serve as a reminder for me that time with family is limited and should be cherished and remembered.

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I met up with my friend Hansen in Taipei for the second half of the vacation. I spend my time in Taipei more akin to how I would in NYC. I go out a lot and explore the city. I feel like that one TikTok sound that goes like “dressing up nice, and trying new restaurants, is my type of fun” was definitely my energy in Taipei 😎.

I went to several cafes for brunch, coffee (or matcha), and dessert. The cafe scene in Taipei is insane and you can easily find ones that match your aesthetic on TikTok or Instagram. Here are the highlights!

^ Melange Cafe for brunch. Really tasty waffles and a great selection of coffee 😍. It’s like a typical asian mom hangout place.

^ Hoto Cafe is your typical aesthetic shop that sells coffee and desserts. I loved the local neighborhood cafe vibe. I got a hazelnut latte and matcha cake roll (which were both really good and not overwhelmingly sweet).

^ modern. minimalist. What else do I need to say? Blivin Bakery is a vegan bakery cafe that offers a variety of toasts, pastries, tea, and coffee. This was my favorite cafe this trip and I was so glad I found it.

A bit of a fashion aside. The outfit for this summer has been the tank top and collared shirt combo with a nice pair of trousers. Or a buttoned-up camp collar. These outfits are so simple yet feel more elevated than t-shirts and pants. I found this to be pretty comfortable in the hot and humid Taiwan weather.

Taiwan has a large culture of night markets filled with cheap eats, games, clothing, and more. Behold the night market food gallery.

^ Shilin Night Market / Ximending

^ Raohe Night Market

^ Ningxia Night Market

Of all the night markets, my favorite was Ningxia. While it is the smallest of the night markets that I went to, it was very dense in vendors and had a good variety of food. The fried scallion pancakes there are a must-try!

I spent a lot of my time roaming around in Zhongshan. Near the Zhongshan Station is a neighborhood full of small local coffee shops, hair salons, clothing stores, and restaurants. Here you can find vintage clothes, film cameras, local eats, and a bunch of aesthetic cafes.

I visited several vintage clothing stores. Quite pricey but had interesting inventory.

Also visited some cafes and shops 😎. Was peer pressured to buy a bag.

I went to a hair salon here to dye my hair but I ended up not doing it since I recently used box dye. They told me I had to grow out my hair before I can dye it again 😭 (about 6 months). Much regrets.

While we only had one weekend in Taipei, Hansen and I visited some bars and a club. It isn’t really a graduation trip without drinking.

^ Layers of Under Construction. We went on a weekday so it was empty. The drinks were also just okay. Not sure if I’ll go again.

^ Geography Bar. A tea-inspired bar where you can tell the bartender what kind of tea you liked and they would make a cocktail based on it for you. I quite liked this place and the drinks were well crafted. Would recommend!

Lastly, we hit up Ruff Taipei, a popular club, with some other friends. I didn’t get any drinks in the club but went across the street to a 7-Eleven for some soju and beer. Much more cost-effective 😅.

And if you are more into the nature side of Taiwan, here are some photos Hansen took in Taipei and Hualien.

Before I knew it, my 2 weeks in Taiwan came to an end. I have done a lot of what I wanted to do. Went to cafes, explored local shops, met up with friends, and connected with family. Not knowing when I’ll be in Taiwan again is a bit sad but I truly cherished the time I was able to spend there. But if I ever get a chance to, I’ll be sure to go again (ok maybe Japan next time).

Thanks for reading and see you next month!