Why Be A Tourist in Taiwan?

Why did I choose Taiwan for my travels?

1. It’s the first country to legalize same sex marriage in Asia

2. Pride is at the end of the month

3. The only Asian countries I’ve been to so far are China and Japan and I figured it would be a great gateway to The Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries

4. I have been to over 30 countries, many of which have been Latin American countries, which have been in my relative comfort zone as a fluent Spanish speaker, so I felt it was time to get out of my comfort zone

5. I wanted to learn at least a bit of a completely new language. I’m learning how grammatically simple Chinese is but tone is EVERYTHING

6. No snow. I like to look at snow in pictures but I don’t like being in places where the air hurts my face. Being a tourist in Taiwan with its mild winter weather is a ideal for me.

7. The history fascinates me. I read the book “Green Island” when COVID started and I hadn’t really known much about the Japanese occupation and Taiwan’s relationship to China before reading this book.

8. I like being in countries with things like universal healthcare that remind me that so many other countries actually give a f*ck more about their citizens that the U.S. Coming from the bay area where there are so many neglected homeless people, to here, is a culture shock.

9. Easy 90 day visa for U.S. citizens (I also travel with my Mexican passport but used the American one this time)

First impressions:

1. Everyone wears masks everywhere. They barely started letting foreigners in without hotel quarantining in October so that makes it easier to be a tourist in Taiwan.

2. It’s SO freaking clean and safe.

3. Taipei is a big city but it’s so quiet. There’s no loud ass dogs on the roofs or inconsiderate neighbors blasting their music at 3 am. I haven’t felt the need to use my noise cancelling headphones here so it’s a great place for me as a highly sensitive person.

4. It’s been rainy AF so I haven’t been able to see much, but it’s okay because I’m still resting from the 12 hour time difference, jet lag, and my brain is getting used to hearing a different language everywhere.

5. There are hella cute babies like Ella that make my normally dormant ovaries tingle with joy. 🥰

See my entire Taiwan Solo Itinerary here!