Thanks for starting this thread Musasa.
I love the night markets. There’s nothing like them in the US. I can get anything my heart desires at 1/2 the cost and I can eat all sorts of things I never knew existed. It’s like a huge party that goes on 'til late in the night that everyone is invited to.
I love the bus only lanes on Tun Hua, Ren Ai, Hsin Yi and other roads in Taipei. It’s a brilliant way to make sure that public transport is faster than cars, especially during rush hour, and that’s good for the environment.
I love the fact that everyone has plants everywhere. I walk down any street in Taiwan, and the all the windows and porches and rooftops look like they’re miniature tropical jungles that are just about ready to explode onto the sidewalk. And I love how many trees there are in the city (take a look at Ren Ai Road and Tun Hua Road), as compared to most of the other major Asian cities: Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Jakarta.
I can’t say enough about the [Chinese] food. Gastronomic bliss on a pauper’s penny.
I love that even the rudest person in Taiwan is about 1/2 as rude as the least rude person in Mainland China.
I love that Taipei is a real city, not like the fake wannabes like Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, or even Seattle and Los Angeles. People live where they work, work where they shop, shop where they go to school, go to school where they eat. I don’t HAVE to drive an hour to get home (though I know that there are those here who chose to - I’m just saying that I don’t HAVE to).
I love the generosity of the people I’ve met in Taiwan. I’ve known people who have (1) helped me get a plane ticket during a major holiday and didn’t even ask to be reimbursed, (2) helped me translate all sorts of confusing documents when I couldn’t read Chinese, (3) taken me to neat, out of the way places in Taiwan that I would never be able to reach on my own, (4) offered me their time, money, home when I have so little to give in return.
I love that things always seem to be changing for the better here: despite what people say, this city is getting prettier by the day. Take a look at: Ta-An Park, the park by the Formosa on Lin Sen North Road, the Far Eastern building, the Hong Kuo building, the Fu Bon building on Ren Ai, the China Securities building across from Warners.
I could go on forever, but this is a GRRRRREAT Place!