When we sat down to choose places for this massive trip we had lots of different strategies. Of course we wanted to hit places that we’d always wanted to go (Greece!). Places we had always felt needed large amounts of time dedicated to them (Japan!). Koko was really focused on making sure we didn’t just hit all the big, well known cities. And I liked the idea of picking places we might never go on a solo vacation. Which brings us to Taiwan. Geographically it was a hit. And it was definitely on a wish list or two. And you know, we knew there would be amazing things to eat (there was). Plus, our love affair with Asia will probably never end. But mainland China kicked our asses about ten years ago and we were a little afraid. We knew it was different and we knew that Taiwanese people really wanted you to know that they in fact are not the same. When we showed up to Taiwan we really didn’t know what to expect. It was warm, and raining. Taiwan is incredibly lush, but Taipei is modern and young. And they are doing pretty damn well. They can live and eat for fairly cheap but still make some decent dough. There’s a thriving tech scene here too. The difference between mainland China and Taiwan was extremely apparent. Was it the capitalism? Maybe. I can’t quite put it into words. But what I did take away is that Taiwan is wonderful.

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