Expect the unexpected – this is what I promised myself before leaving the Philippines. It was almost as if I knew what a wonderful experience Taiwan would have in stock for me.

If there’s one place that competes with Taiwan in people’s unbelievable friendliness, it is Uzbekistan. But Taiwan has its particular charm…and people here too. From your travels or experiences back home, you might think that people from the country side are friendlier than the ones living in big cities like Taipei. But you will be proven wrong. I was proven wrong. Not even 5 minutes after I got out of the bus in Taipei, I was approached by a Taiwanese girl who sacrificed precious minutes from lunch with her mother (on Mother’s Day) to help me find a locker for my luggage and share with me some tips for the city. I would have felt bad, had it not been for that big smile, recurrent thoughout the country and a sign of happiness and excitement at meeting a foreign traveller. That’s how my first day in Taiwan started…and it would continue on the same note.

A reminder of my times in Japan (where I started my first solo trip outside Europe), Taipei is anything but boring. Allow yourself some time to wander on its streets and you’ll indulge in little pleasures. Your appetite will grow bigger and bigger as you discover the hidden food stalls, bakeries and bubble tea shops, the latter almost omnipresent. Remember that diet you committed to? Time to forget about it. And you should truly forget about it, as Taiwan’s amazing scenery will make you lose many calories.

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You can start off by cycling the streets of Taipei (if you’re brave enough to sneak through its corners) or by giving your feet a walk (= soreness) to remember. You will keep that soreness for a while as you continue hiking some of the most breathtaking trails that you’ve probably seen. And it is here where you’ll rediscover the pleasure of hiking,  barely controlling your desire to stop and take a few photographs of nature’s spectacle that unfolds before your eyes. It is also here where your senses are fully awaken and that almost forgotten childhood taste revives, when you’ve rewarded yourself with a few slices of fresh watermelon bought from a friendly elderly lady.

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Childhood – we all look back at it with a certain nostalgia, but this nostalgia  doesn’t come without some sparks of joy and colour. A trip to Shifen, a little town near Jiufen, will take you back in time, when as a kid you were playing in the pouring rain, not worrying about a thing and giving your parents a hard time trying to figure out your whereabouts. A few years later you find yourself doing the same thing, only this time your parents will not have to worry about where to find you (you’d hope). Firing a lantern that you  proudly painted yourself while marvelling at the “talent” that you’ve been hiding for so many years and wiping the rain from your face – that’s the child coming out and laughing at you, the adult you…or better said, the older you. And it is the same older you that will giggle after taking a ton of silly selfies in Taichung’s colourful heart – the Rainbow village. The place is filled with pure joy and contagious smiles that will make your day even more memorable and emotional than it already was.

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Memorable – this is how you’d define a day at the Sun Moon Lake where in a few instants you went from crazy excitement from that cycling by yourself to a pack of nerves from getting completely soaked. Nature’s wonders…and moody behaviour. A few days later you would have laughed at it, if it hadn’t been for that smell that the heavy downpour left in your shoes – what better souvenir could you have wished for? But you’ll soon forget about this, as you make space for some other unplanned souvenirs. You were prepared to leave Taiwan with a bouquet of wonderful memories, but – almost as if it knew that you’d be gone soon and perhaps wanting you to come back – this tiny Asian jewel sparked some emotions that you haven’t felt in a while. Your last day would be special: you would listen to your Taiwanese host’s flatmate beautifully playing the guitar, you would hike around waterfalls and wouldn’t stop marvelling at the nature’ display in this part of the world, you would be hugged (twice) by a lady at a random shop in Wulai and you’d be picked up by the same bus driver that dropped you off when you set foot in the country (what were the odds?).

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The taste of childhood in three slices of watermelon and scallion pancakes, the forgotten warmth in unexpected hugs from complete strangers, the joy in being always welcomed with genuine smiles and curiosity and the perpetual colour – Taiwan, how you touched me.