Among My Souvenirs

The City Guide Taipei gives you an in-depth look at Taiwan’s riveting capital city! When it comes to mapping out Asian trip itineraries, Taipei tends to fly under the radar. But hidden underneath an industrial, mute facade is a vibrant metropolis where the synergy between food, people, and architecture has created a colorful cultural landscape. Taipei is a city of superlatives, boasting the world’s highest Starbucks and mailbox. It’s a place where food hawkers reign supreme, with legions of loyal subjects coming out in droves for a nightly spectacle of pop-up markets; where “hot spring hotels” help beat the winter blues; and where nursing a good read at a 24-hour bookstore is just as good as nursing a pint at a Taiwanese re chao 熱炒   beer house. Special thanks to my cousin Zayra and my friends Cait and Trang for their travel tips! ✱  TAIPEI 101 Travel up the world’s second fastest elevator to the Observation Deck, located on the 89th ...

Some of my best travel experiences have been completely unexpected experiences where I’ve ended up in an amazing place by complete chance, mostly due to my terrible sense of direction. After spending over a week in Taipei, I’d seen everything I wanted to and so decided to go to the nearest subway station and pick a random stop to get off at to see what I could find. Having not yet visited a temple in Asia, I decided to go with Longshan Temple and hope there was actually a temple close to the station… Fortunately it was right by the station. Unlike most of Taipei, there were quaint cobbled streets lining the crowded and chaotic roads. As you head towards the temple elderly street vendors call out to passersby trying to convince them to buy an assortment of fruits, flowers, incense sticks and prayer beads. Seeing a temple for the very first time was an experience that I’ll never forget. As soon as you enter the temple to your immediate right is the waterf...