Nearly three years ago, I left Taiwan for a one month trip to visit family in the UK. Then Covid blew up, everyone was thrown into a different world and I was stranded back home in the UK. Last month, I finally returned back to Taiwan. Only 34 months later than originally planned. Boy, is it good to be back, even if I have to mask up indoors.
For those who've got to know me in the past three years, my handle Living-UK-Taiwan represents me from the UK but living in Taiwan since 2015 since I started blogging. Taiwan is like my second home and returning back here is such a delight. It's so good to see small things which are an integral part of Taiwan life again, like I've never left before. Let me show you some snapshots of every day life in Taiwan.
Convenience stores such as 7-11 are an important part of life in Taiwan and you can find one every few streets. I love going into their shops and browse the products. Simple things like drinks are my favourite. There is such a wide variety.
7-11 often do a lot of special edition cross over products with other brands. I came across this cross over shop with Snoopy the other day, apparently it only opened just before Christmas. Perfect for Snoopy fans. I hear there's a new cross over store with Sanrio ie Hello Kitty in town as well, I'm going to hunt that down soon 😄
Scooters are another integral part of life here. There are 8m cars in Taiwan, but 14m scooters for 24m population!! And yes, the driver is going to ride this scooter with these two gas tanks like this 😁
Temples can be found all over Taiwan. In some places like the rural areas their presence is even more frequent than 7-11 convenience stores! There is no requirement to wear masks outdoor but many people are so used to wearing them so continue to do so.
Art installations can be found at many tourist locations because Taiwanese love to take photos. Sometimes they're a bit random, you just have to get used to it 😊
Nightmarket probably the most famous must go place when you visit Taiwan. You'll find at least one in every city with lots of yummy local snacks.
This bowl of beef noodle is from a well known stall in Taipei. The beef was very tender and succulent, and the noodle had the perfect bite. The soup base was extremely flavoursome and you can enhance the flavour with the orange stuff on top. You want to know what it is? It might give you a heart attack both physically and literally!! It's beef fat - yummy and delicious 😈 😋 ! And the best thing, this bowl only cost USD4!!!!
This is just a quick snapshot to share some every day life in Taiwan with you. Will be back with more content very soon!!
February HPUD Guessing Contest - Where am I going?
This month there was a good turn out to my HPUD Guessing Contest to guess where I'm going. There were lot of interesting answers including Atlantis - where's that? 🙃, England - where I was actually leaving, Austria - not on my Pinmapple map, plus many countries where I always enjoying going. By now, of course you will know where I am and the answer is Taiwan.
Congrats to the 7 people who guessed correctly, you will share the 20 HBD prize pool and each of you will get 3 HBD. In addition, 4 of you also powered up at least 20HP on HPUD day so you will get the double bonus. Thanks to everyone who took part and look forward to you in the March HPUD!!!
| Hiver | Answer | HPUD at least |
|---|---|---|
| @deanliu | Atlantis | - |
| @cetb2008 | Austria | - |
| @sofibofi | Austria | - |
| @micheal87 | America | - |
| @nicklewis | America | - |
| @sayee | America | - |
| @nanixxx | Belgium | - |
| @dewabrata | Belgium | - |
| @ace108 | Belgium | - |
| @gems.and.cookies | Belgium | - |
| @davidke20 | Denmark | - |
| @grindle | Denmark | - |
| @voidd | Denmark | - |
| @mayt | Denmark | - |
| @jenthoughts | England | - |
| @mipiano | Germany | - |
| @hoosie | Germany | - |
| @idksamad78699 | Italy | - |
| @jane1289 | Japan | - |
| @florecitamejias | Japan | - |
| @elteamgordo | Japan | - |
| @phortun | Norway | - |
| @emeka4 | Philippines | - |
| @nkemakonam89 | Philippines | - |
| @pinkchic | Philippines | - |
| @littlebee4 | Spain | - |
| @leaky20 | Spain | - |
| @incublus | Spain | - |
| @adedayoolumide | Spain | - |
| @fantom22 | Taiwan | no |
| @nathen007 | Taiwan | yes |
| @trangbaby | Taiwan | yes |
| @coquicoin | Taiwan | yes |
| @soyunasantacruz | Taiwan | no |
| @lizelle | Taiwan | no |
| @p1k4ppa10 | Taiwan | yes |
Hi @livinguktaiwan,
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Orange coloured beef fat!
It does look delicious, the night market looks awesome too. Have a wonderful time back in Taiwan.
Thanks. Not sure why it's orange,it has a hint of spice in it, and one friend told me it's not 100% pure beef fat. Either way it added depth to the broth, and since I don't have it all the time, I'm not too bothered 🙃
If it is tasty, then that is all that matters in my book😁
you are bad!!!!
That has been said before, right enough 🤣
i never eat octopus, tell me about taste
The milk cartons are so colorful, this is not normal in the West, here things have a single or neutral color
Asian products are always very colorful, great marketing their. As to the octopus, this was grilled and it was fresh, so very nice!!!
Wow! Congrats to the 7 persons who guessed it right.
I'm happy for you that you're back to the place you like. Taiwan is a good place based on what you have shared.
Yes, Taiwan is a very nice place, popular with Filipinos as well as the two countries are so near. There are some islands in the Philippines that are even nearer to Taiwan than Manila!
Wow! Really? I am in the island of Mindanao and I haven't been to Luzon and Visayas island..
I hear there are over 700 islands in the Philippines, lot's of island hopping for one to do!!!
Oh I see, so convenience stores in Taiwan are about the same as in Japan. Interesting! Many of my Japanese friends say Taiwan is a great place to visit. It's on my list to go to one of these days. Those noodles you picture—they look like Japanese udon. Are they similar?
Glad to hear you finally made it back to your second home!
Taiwan used to be under Japanese rule for 50 years so many things are still heavily influenced by Japan, plus nowadays Japan culture is well received in many Asian countries.
The noodles are local Taiwanese ones, they do taste a bit like udon, but I guess many noodles in Asia look and taste quite similar as the recipe is pretty basic. We're not that far away from Japan, come on over when you have time. Taiwan has lots natural beauty and mountains, if that's your thing 😃
Well received as long as we don't talk about the war, anyway. lol
I think I have to wait for the kids to grow up first. They currently suck up all my time and money. But I will visit eventually. If you are still there whenever that happens, we can do a mini Hive meetup!
The octopus looks yummy 🤤
It was in deed!
Thank you very much indeed! I felt you were going to Taiwam, I guessed it from the suitcases, too big for a short trip heh heh!
A hug!
Well done on guessing the correct country!
A thousand thanks!
And thank you for all these beautiful photos too, I hope to see more, I like Taiwan, I would like to come there someday!
Yeah! That feeling when you are back to your hometown. Haven't tried Beef fat flavor before but that sure taste good. we have 7/11 here in Philippines too like after every few streets, really convenient for when it comes to snacks on the go. Glad your back in Taiwan, have a great time!
I think 7-11 is pretty popular all over Asian countries, I wish we had that in UK, I love going there for their snacks and exclusive products!
Have a great time over there 😊
Congratulations to the winners 🏆
Thanks !! You were near,the Philippines is only next door
The username says it all but I wanted to answer PH assuming that you could be here once more my dear friend, Living UK. Heheh. I always enjoy your Guessing game every HPUD. Congrats to the winners
Philippines is a long over due trip, I went there when I was a child with my family, and then for business when I started working, both a long time ago
Woow delicious 😋
I'm so glad you're enjoying being back in Taiwan, it could be the only destination after reading a previous post, thank you for exciting guessing games, and the Hive as well😉
That orange fat on top is what I normally scrape off the top of the gravy when I have leftover beef stews that's been in the fridge for a couple of hours, the fat rises to the top and hardens when cold. But... I don't like fat at all so always put it in a container in the freezer. Our housekeeper sometimes takes it home to use for cooking, she must know that it tastes good, but I cringe!
Have a great week @livinguktaiwan 🤗
We always say tasty food is never healthy, and I'm sure a scoop of that adds a bit to my cholesterol and blood pressure 😬 I figured once in a while will be ok as I'm not back here for good. My waist line has grown and I've only been back a week. Going to pig out whilst I'm here and exercise hard when I go home💪
嗯。回到去就好了👍
都是短暫回來，下個月就回英國了
你又要回去呀？
要不要找lydia出來玩呢？她和Arron的女兒都好大了。
叫她帶女兒出來
Actually.. My answer was Japan and Taiwan.. But I omitted Taiwan 😂😂 so it was the right answer lol.. For sure you enjoyed the Chinese New Year there..
ha ha!! Nice try!!
I came back after the New Year, figured no point coming back during the long holiday when a lot of places were closed
The 7-11 and the scooters are also very common in the Philippines. Glad that you are back maam!
My sister works in Taiwan.
The scooters are so scary even after living here for four years previously, but I can see how convenient they are when public transport isn't the best.
Where does your sister work in Taiwan? Taipei?
Very scary but, fear is already part of their lives.
That's cool, and I love hearing about Taiwan, as I know nothing about it. It looks like a great place !
And well done to the winners !
!ALIVE
@livinguktaiwan! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @hoosie. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
I used to post a lot of Taiwan stuff, but that was before you joined, you can be sure you'll be hearing a lot about it from me during my stay here!!
Have an amazing time in Taiwan. One of my colleagues lived and works there for our company VIXIO, he’s an Australian compliance and legal journalist. I met him for the first time last month in London, when all of our colleagues came over for our annual conference. He was telling us how much he loves his adopted country.
It takes a while for westerners to get used to Taiwan as the culture is quite unique and English is not widely spoken unless one lives in Taipei which I imagined your colleague does.
Just googled your company, interesting company, that's really niche!
its been ages since I had my last Grilled Squid... they look very tasty
That squid was so fresh and lovely!!!
That grilled squid is huge! I look forward to more of your adventure in Taiwain. Are you planning to try crispy chicken snack too? for all I know Taiwan has yummy street snacks 😁
I'm gonna have all the great food that I missed in the past three years, plan to binge eat for a whole month😄
Thank you so much for showing us daily life in Taiwan and for giving us a tour of Taiwan. I used to find 7-11 very convenient because almost everything for daily life or urgent things can be found there. The night market is very nice but is it often crowded like this? Those scooters reminded me of Bangkok, I saw enormous scooters there :D
That evening was the Sunday and the last day of the Lunar New Year long holiday so it was busier than normal. Usually the markets are pretty busy over weekends and some are always so crowded like you see in the photo.
That’s sooooo wonderful you made it finally back after such a longggg time. Do enjoy it all. (I haven’t been able to go back to the Netherlands since the pandemic to see family and friends)
Great to have all around again and the shops and food.
I can imagine such a night market.
Have fun 🤩 looking forward to seeing much more photographs 😎
I'm sure once you settle down you can always go back to see your family and friends. The good thing with Europe is that most places are just a few hours away by flight and you can always do a long weekend break.
Yes, it will happen 🤓😉
Indeed… Europe isn’t far apart, so it makes traveling easier. When it would be 8 plus hours, it takes a lot more planning.
Have a great week 👋🏻😊
!PIZZA
Oh why I didn’t know you were stranded in UK. I thought it was the opposite. Good thing you had family in the UK otherwise getting stranded would be really scary😓
I was living in Taiwan before Covid, so I guess I could have been stranded in worse places, even Taiwan where I have no residency. At least UK is home and I have my family there and access to medical which was quite important during those years of uncertainty. I remember at the back end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, Covid had already started in China and Asian countries were all aware of it. Taiwan had started to ration facial masks and with me being a foreigner could not get any. I never wore masks back then, but it was the thought of the uncertainty that made me feel uneasy. So things could have been worse had I been stranded in Taiwan these few years
It must feel great to be back in Taiwan after such a long time. Enjoy as much as you can, even those few pounds you will gain from that meal. There will be time to lose them when you get back to the UK, hehe.
The night market is something I would enjoy being there.
I look forward to reading your posts while there in Taiwan.
Thank you for the HBD:) Enjoy your trip! 🤗
I'm just not going to look at myself in the mirror and wear loose clothes all the time so I don't have to worry about eating too much food 😂
Thanks so much for joining my HPUD Guessing Contest all the time!!!
Greetings congratulations to all the winners
What a fascinating place. Everyone's wearing the same disguise.
Yup! Great for anonymity on Hive 😷
I originally had everyone looks the same but that could've been received terribly. = }
I was sure I had the right answer, but I didn't have enough hives to power 20.
I'm so glad you are back home, there are lots of things to enjoy in Taiwan.
Beef fat!!! I had a heart attack!!!! 💔🤣 That's interesting to know.
Enjoy your stay very much.
You did well to guess correct！ It's the taking part that matters, and it's great to see you join in every month
Thank you very much, for the fun and the HBd's may they be multiplied by millions. @livinguktaiwan 😘
Awww thank you but so much more important is you're finally back in your happy place and I'm absolutely made up for you.
Best wishes to you both :-)
PS I love 7/11...any chance of you starting a 7/11 community on Hive ? :-)
I wish 7-11 were more popular in Europe. I've only seen them in Copenhagen last year. If there were more, they definitely deserve their own community, they are a culture of their own
Yay this is so exciting. Oh all those little things. When I saw your night market shot it brought back the memories of the smells of the night market. I guess you could say that about the temples. funny how your pictures had such a olfactory response for me. Enjoy!!!
So glad it bought back nice memories for you Sara, luckily most places don't change that much here, so it's very nice to be back
Whaattt? Pooh milk tea and Snoopy store! OMG I want that! hahahhahah
Snoopy fan? This is inside the Snoppy 7-11 store 🙂
Actually, Taiwan is on my bucket list to visit soon. Hopefully, I could afford traveling out of the country.
I hope you can make it to Taiwan one day, we're neighbours!!!
I was halfway across the world off on my answer 😂
But that's okay. Will try again next month.
A friend who visited Taiwan can't get over the food over there and how budget friendly they are. If only for that he will definitely visit again. I must include this in my must-see places when Hive moons 🤞🤞🤞😊
Budget is certainly a big word in Taiwan,and the great thing is that it still maintains its quality when things are affordable
So Taiwan it was, nice! :) Enjoy your time over there and then safe trip back to the UK!
I should have known.
Enjoy your trip. Food looks good. Even the squid look interesting
😁
Pretty much all the food is great here, really missed it the past few years. Sounds like you're not a fan of squid?
No I like squid. I phrased that a little odd haha. I'll eat pretty much anything really.
Boahhh that soup..that squid <3
Yummmmiiee
Wow Milestones on getting back there you have! Must be super cool to be back. So..are you intending on staying long or what should we call home atm;)
Enjoy to the fullest and make lots of stories and snaps
Home is going to be UK now, will be back here in Taiwan for a month or so, plenty of time to enjoy myself
Nice...! Want to know more about Taiwan so following mucho
welcome back
Thanks, it's great to be back!!
Cool! !LUV that you made it back to Taiwan (finally!) and that you shared some of the country and its culture with us.
And... did you find out where Atlantis is (was)?
@livinguktaiwan, @consciouscat(3/5) sent you LUV. | tools | discord | community | HiveWiki |
NFT | <>< daily
I think Atlintis was a joke 😁 I met the Hiver when I came back to Taiwan and asked him not to reveal my whereabouts till I made this post
Hehehe. !LUV it! It's a great joke 😄
I'm so happy that you made it back. It's been a long time. Seeing the squid and all the street food reminds me of our rainy night in Taipei at the night market. It was amazing even with my soggy sneakers. I'd love to go back there sometime. It would be nice to see some teahouses, or coffee farms while you're there.
It's a bit far now that you left Philippines. Maybe your next long visit?
oh.. bummer! I thought finally I can know someone who had been to Atlantis... 😒 keep looking... 😂
The lost city under the sea? I can't swim, no wonder I can't find it.....
Welcome back "home". Enjoy your stay 🤗
Thanks!!!!
I gifted $PIZZA slices here:
@littlebee4(1/5) tipped @livinguktaiwan (x1)
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Wow you made it back home! 😃 I can’t wait to see Taiwan through your posts! It is somewhere I have never been but would love to explore one day
Taiwan is so under rated and not the first Asian destination for most people, and many people still think of Thailand when we say Taiwan 😄
fantastic, really hope you enjoy
Am having a great time so far. Just saw my diary is pretty full for the next couple of weeks and we will be leaving soon after that!!!
are you coming back to the uk?
In a month's time 😃
😂🤣👍
Taiwan looks colorful and buzzing with life. The food looks tasty - even the orange fat. The octopus looks tasty too. yummy It must be nice to be at your second home. Enjoy!!
Am having a great time indulging in all the food here, have been eating non stop!!
😀 I can imagine. Enjoy every morsel while we live vicariously via your posts.