Written by Tashi Sherpa (Middlebury College), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Spring 2023
Here are some photos that capture my first 3 weeks in Taiwan!
My first night in Taiwan, my local roommate took my housemates and I around to grab noodles from a food stand near our apartment. Then we also got an order of stinky tofu around the corner to try it. Initially, I thought I would like the taste of stinky tofu because of its fried exterior, but after having one bite I realized it is just not for me.
We then walked around Ximending, which is very lively and has a beautiful night scene. I love Ximen so much, it’s the combination of being a shopping district, having a bunch of temples, museums, delicious food, and more!
The biodiversity in Taipei has really surprised me. I love how there are so many green spaces both on and out of the campus. So far, my favorite space in National Taiwan University (NTU) has been the walk towards the NTU Farm. The NTU Farm visitor center has an amazing café space where you can work and overlooks the various farm beds. The café is a little on the pricier side in comparison to others.
The convenience and accessibility of being able to go places, get food, buy things in Taipei is so nice. Our student ID is also an Easy Card that we can use for public transportation. Within Taipei City we have unlimited use of MRTs, buses, and 30 min of YouBike which I want to really take advantage of during my time here. The public transportation here is almost/always on time however, what really surprised me is how the buses and trains go out of service at 12 am.
On the second weekend, my housemate and I went on a morning run/ hike near our apartment. We went to Fuhoushan Park and encountered the longest flights of stairs I have ever seen in my life. Climbing up and down those stairs of flight was totally worth it for the beautiful skyline view of Taipei.
During the third weekend, the Friday right after our class that ends at 3pm, a couple of my friends and I decided to take a trip to Hualien to stay for a night. We took the train from Taipei Station to Hualien. That night we made our way to Dongdamen Night Market. While I have only been to like 3-night markets in Taiwan, I think Dongdamen Night Market is by far my favorite one I have been to. Mainly because it was not as crowded as the ones in Taipei and has so many various vendors. Out of everything we had, the fried potato shrimp was my favorite. Like look at that!
The next day, we woke up at 7:30 am and decided to head up to Taroko National Park and Qixingtan Beach. Both Taroko and Qixingtan were breathtaking. Hualien is somewhere I am hoping to go back again and stay a little longer for.