You think New York is the only city that never sleeps? Think again. From $1 boba to 24 hour 7-Eleven convenient stores, these are only a few of the reasons why I love Taiwan.
1. 24/7 7-Elevens
Not only 7-Elevens in Taiwan are opened practically everyday and at every hour, you can buy anything from hot dogs, concert tickets, receive your online shopping packages, and even pay your electricity bills! Talk about a real convenience store.
2. Very Hipster Cafes
Taipei boasts one of the most prolific coffee shops in bean quality, interior design, and of course, level of hipster-ity. In fact, BBC has named Taipei as one of the world’s best coffee cities. Each café you find has its own distinct personality. Most cafes are located by university campuses so generally the cafes are opened by recent graduates.
3. FREE wifi EVERYWHERE
Never have to pay for wifi again? YAAAAS. Through iTaiwan, Taiwan’s free wifi network, residents or even tourists can register for an account and have access to complimentary wifi everywhere and anywhere.
4. Soy Milk and Chinese Doughnuts are life
If you’ve never had Taiwanese breakfast, you’re missing out big time. For as low as a few cents, you can get a variety of sweet/savory soy milk, Taiwanese fried pancake or doughnuts, fried dough sticks, egg crepes, etc. (the list goes on)
5. Waking up to a View like This…..
6. Boba For Life
What’s more ubiquitous than 7-Elevens? Boba shops. In fact, boba, also known as bubble tea, was invented in Taiwan in the 1980’s. Since its creation, boba has unofficially been recognized as the national drink. Innovation with boba has also been widespread throughout the last couple of years, with additional texture you can add to your drink (i.e. coconut jelly, red bean, taro balls, sago, egg pudding).
7. Crazy Fruit You Can’t Get Anywhere Else?
Ever heard of starfruit, pink guava, wax apples, or even "Budda's head??" Nope, me too, until I started living on the island. There's a reason why Taiwan is known as the Kingdom of Fruits.
8. Hikes and Nature Walks Are Only a Bus Ride Away
If you want to get away from the bustling city of Taipei, there are hikes such as Yang Ming Shan National Park, which is only a short 30~40 minute bus ride away. The hike itself isn’t so hard but the view makes everything worth it.
