And Good-Bye Again – from Taiwan | Explore. Dream. Discover

And again, two weeks have passed, and I am on the move – and a bit sad, that I can’t stay here a bit longer.

Taiwan is a beautiful country, with really friendly people, especially to the rare Westerners. People are happy to help a confused looking stranger, be it on the street, in a restaurant, in the subway… really nice. I felt good in the country and my little apartment, met nice people, have gained at least two kilos in two weeks (so perhaps it’s good that I am leaving!), and would recommend to anybody coming to this part of the world to stop by Taiwan – the land is special.

Liuqiu – a famous rock on a tiny island in the South

And even the clouds have similar shapes…

And a special tip – do take an international driving license, rent a car, and drive up and down Taiwan. I don’t have one, so I took many trains on my journey around the island, which is also nice, but not as flexible as a car, and there were quite a few sights I couldn’t see; the pictures taken from the train windows were also not great, so I can’t really show the beauty of the country, but trust me – it really is beautiful.

Down South

One of the many beaches

It is also very hot here, the only thing I was struggling with, but you get used to it. And there are always the hot springs you can jump into – after 40 degrees centigrade hot water, an air temperature of 34 degrees feels quite balmy…

Hot Springs in Ruisui

And the night markets are the best of all – after the heat of the day, really everybody is coming to the markets, for food, to shop, to spend a nice relaxed time with friends… I could go to a night market every night.

Fresh mango on ice cream with yoghurt, from the night market – mmmhmmmm

And one extra tip and a bit of marketing – the relatively new Café Vergissmeinnicht – normally, you would never see me in a “German-style” restaurant anywhere in the world (outside Germany, I guess), but I met the owners (nice people), and the Café is really special too – all furniture and accessories have been sourced from Berlin, from the 50s and 60s, everything is for sale, and there are often little concerts, and it feels like you are having a private party with friends – recommended!