8 Reasons Why Studying Abroad In Taipei Ruins You For Life

Going through a major case of #wanderlust and #takemeback. Three months was definitely not enough. Note: This list is in no way comprehensive.

1. The People are Among the Nicest in the World

eng.taiwan.net.tw / Via share543.com

This actually applies to the whole country. Ask any visitor of the country and they will tell you: Taiwanese people are kind. And no, this doesn't apply to just sales people working on commission. Lost? Ask anyone on the street and they will do their best to point you in the right direction. People don't even lock their mopeds or bikes here. Faint on the subway? Someone will press the emergency button to get help. If this happened in NYC nobody would bat an eye.

2. Convenience Stores Open 24/7

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Choose between three convenience store chains: 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Hi-Life. Chances are, you won't have to choose because there will be at least two of the three on every block no matter where you go. It's common to see two 7-Elevens within fifty meters of each other. Regardless, where else could you go and grab a full-course hot meal, a rain poncho, a bottle of grapefruit iced tea and some toothpaste at 3 a.m.?

3. THE FOOD

Ashley Lee

Yes, this item's headline deserves to be in all-capitals. There's no limit to the food and places you can get it. From night market stalls to convenience stores to bougie restaurants, from traditional Taiwanese to Japanese curry to American brunch, Taipei has it. But especially, the night market stalls are what ruined me. But that's for the next item on this list. I'm talking about beef noodle soup (牛肉麵), braised pork rice (魯肉飯), shaved snow and other things Taiwan is known for. There's nothing like a hot, steaming bowl of beef noodle soup on a chilly day.

4. The Night Markets

Ashley Lee

Taipei by itself has roughly twelve night markets. The most well-known to foreigners is Shilin, but it is actually getting crowded and over-priced. There's ShiDa (師大), Gongguan (公館), Raohe (饒河), Ningxia (寧夏), Tonghua or Linjiang (通化/臨江) and other night markets. While content is more or less the same eating, drinking and shopping-wise, each is or was famous for something in particular at one point (e.g. Shilin for the Hot Star Fried Chicken). Food-wise, the night markets thoroughly spoiled me. You've got mango shaved snow, scallion pancake, grilled sweet corn, and the freshest seafood snacks--fried cuttlefish, and of course, oyster omelette. I could go on, but night market food deserves its own separate post. Shopping-wise, don't forget to bargain. Drink-wise, you've got your pick of bubble milk tea, "frog eggs" drink, fruity teas, etc. Speaking of which...

5. Tea Drinks

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Growing up in LA and the OC, I've gone to a number of boba (aka bubble or pearl) milk tea (珍珠奶茶) chains, but I've never gone somewhere where a 16-ounce cup was under $3 (if anyone knows, please let me know ASAP). When I got to Taipei? The average price of a boba milk tea was about $1 USD. Mind. Blown. You can get green tea, black tea, fruit tea, or milk tea and combine it with grass jelly, coconut jelly, red beans, tea jelly, regular bubbles, brown sugar bubbles...the combinations are endless! Also, much like convenience stores, you'll be able to find a plethora of tea drink places anywhere you go.

6. The Great Outdoors

Ashley Lee

Need to take a breather from the city? Go on a day hike. The most popular one is Xiangshan, or Elephant Mountain, which is at the end of the Red Line. You get rewarded with the best view of the 101. Be prepared for a lot of stairs anywhere you hike. There's also Damsui for walking along the wharf and gazing at the sunset, on the other terminus of the Red Line.

If you want to spend some more quality time with Mother Nature, you can travel north for about an hour and get to Yangmingshan (陽明山國家公園). Or go east of Taipei for about an hour and head to the waterfalls of Sandiaoling (三貂嶺). Want to go surfing? Head to Yilan, south of Keelung on the East Coast. Or go see some river gorges at Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園). There's also Alishan (阿里山) in Central Taiwan. And if you want to kick back on the beach, there's Kenting (墾丁) which is also a national park.

7. Transportation

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In Taipei, the subway is called the MRT (捷運). It's the most efficient way to get around the city. Fare is measured in kilometers, so most places you'll go to require only about 20-30 NTD (about 66 cents or 1 USD). If you're in Taiwan for more than a week, get an Easy Card (悠遊卡). You get a 20% discount when traveling with the card, as opposed to using single-fare tokens. The Easy Card can also be used on buses, at convenience stores and grocery stores, paying for parking, taking the TRA, etc. Oh and if you have a student ID of any kind, get a student Easy Card; you'll get $3 NTD off on buses, which is only about 10 cents USD but it can add up. Seniors also get a heavy discount on base fares.

In addition to the MRT in Taipei, traveling anywhere in Taiwan is a breeze. You can take the TRA (台鐵) or the HSR (高鐵). While the TRA operates at a max speed of 81 mph, the HSR goes as fast as 187 mph.

8. The Nightlife

Via taipeitrends.com.tw

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't forget about the clubs. In the ATT4Fun Building alone there's four clubs: Myst, Spark, Halo and Hive. A few meters away is the NEO19 Building, which houses Room 18, Lava, and LMNT. Next to Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT there's Luxy. Wednesday is always Ladies' Night, so the ladies get in for free all night. Gentlemen can get in for free some places before 11 p.m. But let's be real: nobody shows up to the club until after midnight. Prices go up Friday and Saturday nights; however many times, admission fees include at least one drink ticket. At many clubs you get a mix of foreigners and locals. Young Taiwanese spend their nights clubbing until 4 a.m., hopping over to KTV until 8 a.m. and then hitting up their favorite breakfast place for fantuan and doujiang. Not that I'd know from personal experience.