Asia's Most Underrated Country? | My First Time in TAIWAN

After months of adventuring in Pakistan, I found myself in a completely different world. One where ancient temples stand in the shadow of modern skyscrapers, where endless streams of scooters fill up the streets, and where oddly enough, claw machine arcades are on literally every corner. This is Taiwan. And trust me, it's nothing like what you'd expect. Over the next four weeks, I'm taking you on a journey through an island that the world seems to have forgotten about, starting in the capital of Taipei. I can't believe I'm here. It's so crazy. It's such a culture shock after being in Pakistan for such a long time. It's just so clean, and organized, and structured, and calm, and everyone listens to the traffic rules. It fascinates me so much. And it's also the thing I love about traveling, just realizing that we're all the same, right? We're all people, we're all humans, yet we live in such different ways, with such different norms, and values, and customs. And honestly, I can't wait to find out more about Taiwan's way of doing life. So we are currently staying in a hostel, and it's been a while. We're staying in a double pod right now, and it's so much cheaper than booking a private room here. Taiwan is a little bit more of an expensive country, which is completely fine, because there's still a lot of ways to make your travels here more budget-friendly, which staying in hostels is one of them. And honestly, the hostels here are great. They're super clean, they have so many facilities, they're quiet. Like normally hostels are like not quiet, especially not at night, but here just everyone's so polite, sticks to the rules, and I love it. Also, I just need to show you guys the toilet in the hostel. It's insane, I've never seen anything like it. Look at this, look at the buttons. I want to press them all. Okay, so one of the many things that made me already fall in love with Taipei was the public transport system. Not only does it run like clockwork and takes you literally anywhere in the city, but it even manages to be adorable. Yeah, that sound you hear? That's the sound you get when you press the stop button on the bus. And the best part is that all you need is this. It's called an easy cart. It's your ticket to the entire city. Buses, trains, metros, you name it. Overall, it's a very cheap way of getting around Taipei. Of course, we had to start exploring somewhere. And what better way to dive into Taiwan than with some culture? Okay, so we are starting off our trip by visiting one of the most famous temples in not just Taipei, but probably the entirety of Taiwan. And it's called the Longshan Temple. Literally translated, it means dragon mountain temple. This ancient temple has influences mainly from Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion. I think it dates back all the way to 1738. I do think it has undergone several restorations since then because there's been so many earthquakes here, so many floods. Obviously, it's Taiwan. I think it was even also bombed in World War II. But yeah, despite all that, it's still beautiful. As it happened, when we were there, there was some sort of ceremony going on. These women started chanting ancient prayers, and then almost mysteriously, a monk appeared. So the really cool thing about this temple is that obviously, it's a tourist place. It's very popular among tourists. But besides that, it's also actually still an active place of worship. So besides all the people making selfies, you still also see a lot of Taiwanese people that are praying, and worshiping, and basically asking the gods to make their dreams come true. People here pray by making offerings in the form of fruits, or flowers, or even snacks. It's a way of showing respect to the gods. Another important ritual involves these moon blocks, or jiao bai. You ask a question, toss them on the ground, and the way they land reveals the god's response. It's a meaningful way to seek reassurance in life's decisions. Flora from the future here. I have actually just landed in a new country. So here is a little sneak peek of what's coming next. I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank BetterHelp for being the paid partner of this video, and making adventures like this possible. With 2025 around the corner, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on this past year. And for me personally, there have been so many amazing highs, like exploring Taipei and its beautiful temples. But there have also been some lows that don't always get to make it into these videos. But that's life, right? Consists of ups and downs, I'm sure you can relate to that. 2025 feels like a blank page, a fresh start. However, as exciting as new beginnings can be, they're not always easy. They can feel overwhelming and terrifying, and come with this huge pressure to make these drastic immediate life changes. For me personally, this new year comes with a lot of anxiety, and having to let go of certain things in my life. Luckily, we don't have to do it all alone. Therapy has been such a valuable tool in my life, and BetterHelp makes it so easy to find someone that fits your needs. To get started, you just answer a couple questions on their website, and they'll match you with a credentialed therapist in as little as a couple days. And then you can start communicating with them, whether that's via phone call, or video call, or messaging, whichever way feels most comfortable to you. And since it's completely online, you can literally do it from anywhere, whether that's in a cafe in Taipei, or somewhere in the tropics. So whether you are feeling the pressure of new beginnings, or you just need someone to talk to, there is no better time to start investing in yourself than right now. You can either click the link in my description, or just go to betterhelp.com slash flora gunning, which will also give you a 10% discount on your first month of therapy. Okay, back to time. Okay, so we are currently in Ximending. I'm probably pronouncing that wrong, but it's this kind of walking district that is really, really popular. There's just lots of shopping around, and just quirky little shops, and all of that. Ximending seemed like the perfect place to check off a classic Taiwanese bucket list item, trying bubble tea. Fun fact, this drink that is now everywhere across the globe, was actually born right here in Taiwan. And somehow, I'd never had one before. Until now. Do you also get something here? Like marshmallow bubble tea? That's the bubble. That's the bubble in the bubble tea. I don't like slimy chunks in my drink. It's interesting. I just want to drink more, I want to eat. I don't want to drink and eat at the same time. Very slimy. In addition to taking the public transport, we also just walk a lot. Because it's free of charge, it's good exercise, and in my opinion, it's the best way to explore a city. Because like that, you're gonna like end up in places that, you know, you normally wouldn't end up in, if you would just take like a cab to your end destination. Taipei is truly one of those cities where the real magic happens when you just let yourself get lost. Around every corner, there is another market bustling with life. Or a tiny temple tucked between buildings. Or another hidden alley waiting to be explored. Trust me, you'll never know what you'll stumble upon in this place. Also, can somebody tell me what is up with all the like the claw machine shops things? Like you see them everywhere here. And I don't really get the hype. Help me, I'm stuck in here. Can I give it a 10? Do it, do it. Come on. Bullshit, he's stuck. I saw that, he's stuck. Well, now I'm like... Do you want to do it again? Yeah, now I'm like gambling. I want to try that one. Yeah, I guess now I know why they're so popular. Because it's freaking addictive. You just want to keep trying and keep trying. Bullshit, he's stuck. Okay, so right behind me, that building over there, that's called the Taipei 101. And it's the former tallest building in the entire world. So it's not anymore. It used to be from 2004 to 2009. However, they still claim to be the tallest green building in the world, where green means environmentally friendly. So basically, it's the tallest building in the world with the lowest CO2 output and the lowest electric usage. Anyway, tallest building or not, I think it's still freaking tall. And pretty cool. Instead of paying around 25 euros to go up to Taipei 101, we opted for a different and, in my opinion, even better vantage point. This is Elephant Hill. It is very busy right now. This is one of the most popular things to do in Taipei, so makes sense. It's quite a steep track, but nothing too strenuous. And trust me, in return, you'll get the best view, not just over Taipei 101, but over the entire city. After grabbing some delicious dinner at a local restaurant, it was time to squeeze in one more stop before nightfall. Okay, so I just arrived at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Again, I'm probably butchering that name. I'm sorry in advance. But this is beautiful. This grand monument is dedicated to the former leader of the Republic of China, symbolizing Taiwan's complex history. Just the amount of little details that they thought about. For example, the staircase towards the building has 89 steps, which is also the age in which the president died. Apparently, back in 2007, the square in front of the hall was renamed to Liberty Square, to kind of represent the road to democracy of Taiwan. I think something's happening. Oh, they're gonna lower the flag. And then, as night fell, the entire place transformed, and the temple became even more magical. Beautifully lit up. Six, seven, eight, nine. You're right. It's true. The next day, it was time to leave the big city behind and move towards the coast, towards Chufen, a place considered to be a very popular day trip from Taipei. Okay, so I just got to one of Taiwan's probably most iconic and historic town. Of course, it's like raining. Yeah, so one of my probably biggest tips for when you come to Taiwan is get yourself an umbrella because it tends to rain non-stop, at least this time of year. Just don't be like me. Okay, first impression is it is extremely touristy, which normally isn't really my thing, so let's see. Walking through the narrow lantern-lit streets with all its cozy tea houses and food stalls felt like stepping into a movie scene. And that's not such a surprise, as Chufen is actually said to have inspired the magical world of the movie Spirited Away. Yeah, unfortunately, the weather isn't great today. It's very cloudy and rainy, but who knows, maybe, maybe it will clear up. And I guess if it does, it's gonna be a pretty amazing view from here. So far, I see a lot of food places, especially, and a lot of funny-looking food things. We decided to embrace the street food scene and try some local dishes. Wanna try jellyfish? Since we had no idea what most of it was, we picked a stall that looked popular. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly turn out the way we hoped. You wanna try this? You get a green one. I took eyes. I don't know if that's gonna be good or bad. So slimy. What is it? It has no taste. It's just slimy. I feel like I got the bubble tea again, Sorry, Taiwan. It's not my thing. Okay, I'll go with that one. What did we just order? Apparently, I ordered fish. I don't want that. I regret my decision. Yeah, that's a big surprise for you. Well, she recommended this one. I didn't know what to choose. You have to take your risks sometimes. Yep. Eventually, we opted for a savor choice. I mean, you can never go wrong with chocolate ice cream waffles. After filling our bellies with food, there was one last nearby stop to make. Okay, so we just arrived in Shifen. Like Jiufen, Shifen is an iconic, charming little town. But real magic here happens with its sky lantern tradition. People write down their hopes and dreams on colorful paper lanterns and release them into the sky, hoping they'll come true. I feel like A because that's more like meta. Let's go for A. Don't do that. What? What happened? As you're grabbing it on the back. Why am I like this? I don't think you're lucky. You're just like, you're just clumsy. Success. Well, that's obvious. You too. Yes. Let's do this. Well, think about your wishes. Ready? Let's go. Wash your hands. And the craziest thing is that we pay 20 euros a night for two people. So 10 euros a person and you get this. So I think I'm going to end the video here. We are going to continue traveling across Taiwan for the next four weeks. We are going to do an entire loop around the island. So we're going to cover all the places here and it's going to be filled with a lot of adventure stuff, especially because as you know, that's what I love most. Although I loved exploring Taipei and exploring these places. For me, like this again confirmed that I just am more of like a nature person and I like doing non-touristy stuff. Things that are a little bit more off the beaten path, let's say. I'm just excited for what's to come. So I hope you'll follow along the next couple weeks and thank you for watching and I'll see you next week.