歡迎光臨，謝謝，再見！- 10 reasons why you'll love Taiwan

A friend of mine is leaving indefinitely for Taiwan in a few days. I decided to write him a farewell card but instead of the usual goodbyes and take care's, I wrote him a list of things he should look forward to in Taiwan, aka the things I love and miss about the little island. On panda-themed stationary.

It's not that I'm happy he's leaving, it's putting the same situation in a positive light and looking at it in another perspective. If you can't change it, then change your attitude towards it, right?

With his permission, I'm posting my own top 10 reasons why he/you/anyone will love Taiwan:

1. Of course the food. I would describe it as... OMGWTFBBQ. 青蛙撞奶，割包，玉米燙，魯肉飯，（小的，也有吃到飽的）火鍋，一之生的麵包跟芋頭酥，很常見的台灣式意大利麵，連他們的珍珠奶茶都特別好喝. All sorts of cuisines, all sorts of flavours.







2. 24 hour Eslite Bookstore. x2. Enough said.


3. Easy, affordable and fun trips around the island. With so many little towns and cities, it's literally an adventure every weekend.



4. Celebrity promotional events and concerts that seem to occur every weekend or so. With that many famous/indie artists and bands in Taipei, meeting/seeing your favourite artist is no longer a far-fetched dream.







5. Night markets. The food, the shopping, and most importantly, the atmosphere is unlike anything I've experienced. My personal favourite is 師大夜市 but I have yet to go to all of Taiwan's night markets. Always remember to haggle. Oh and the vendors are very pretty girls too.




6. 7-11. The way the workers at 7 say 歡迎光臨！, it really can't be found anywhere else in Asia or around the world. And somehow, it's comforting. When you enter a 7, no matter how far away the employee is, you'll hear a Taiwanese accented "歡迎光臨" welcoming you. And it's always nice to be welcomed.

7. The people. 很熱情，很會幫你。

8. Board game cafes. My friend is an avid Taboo lover, so I knew he'll be happy to know there are many board game cafes in Asia (not to mention cat cafes!). Perfect for weekend nights with friends.




9. The prices. CAD => TWD, you win!

10. I know he'll be back someday so have fun and enjoy it while you can!


Goodbye Alan, have a safe flight and hope you meet your dream girl at the Eslite Bookstore soon ;) 再見！