My time was largely spent seeing family and eating. I'll spare you all the family photos, but instead post on just the more applicable food and transportation options.

My itinerary would have me in Taipei for a night, then down on the High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung for a couple nights before coming back up for three more nights. Unfortunately no hotels for me as I would be staying in my family's Taipei apartment or with family.

I would say the best part of Taiwan is the food. Some examples:

Potstickers


Popcorn chicken


Yellow watermelon! I love yellow watermelon and can't seem to find it here. Tastes almost identical to red watermelon except maybe a bit sweeter.


Taiwan beer


I also discovered this amazing fruit called Dragon fruit for the first time. It comes in two main varieties, demonstrated below. Be warned that the red version causes your urine to become red, so don't be considered if it looks like you have hematuria!


Fried pork chop


Beef noodle soup. Wasn't blown away by it, but not bad.


I took the high speed rail from Taipei down to Kaohsiung. If you haven’t ridden it before, it’s super fast and affordable. A 2 hour train ride from the north to south costing about US$30.
286 km/hr or 177 mph


Despite all the other good food, what I truly enjoy in Taiwan (aside from spending time with the family) is the boba milk tea. Whereas a small cup (approx. 16 oz) in the US is around $3, you can get a large (~24 oz) cup for less than $1. Always tastes better with higher quality boba too. Some people are wine/champagne connoisseurs, I’m a boba milk tea connoisseur (though I do enjoy a good glass of wine or champagne too).

First cup of boba milk tea, in Kaohsiung.


Second cup in Kaohsiung


Third cup, in Taipei (Danshui). I have to add that this was the absolute best cup of boba milk tea in my life. The milk tea was made absolutely perfect while the boba was just the right consistency. I discovered that this chain has some branches in the US, including one just a few miles from my house, but it was not even close to as good.


And a final one, because I was desperate the day before I left. The worst cup I had in Taiwan, but still much better than the stuff in the SF Bay Area.


After seeing family and gaining five pounds from all the food, it was time to leave. I soon found myself back at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport on my way home.