Arriving in Taiwan

Sitting on the plane

As I switched my phone to flight mode before my plane departed, the thoughts in my head started racing. So much had transpired right before my departure – goodbyes, visa hiccups, and encounters with fellow travelers on the plane, all embarking on the same adventure. Now, I found myself seated on a plane bound for Taipei, a non-stop twelve-hour flight, with no distractions from my phone in sight. My mind was busy with “what-ifs.” What if I didn’t find Taipei to my liking? What if my connections back home started to wither? How will my new friendships in Taiwan be? Of course, these questions could only be answered by time. Occasionally, I’d gaze out of the plane window, contrasting the view with the plane’s onboard screen displaying our flight’s progress. As we soared over Turkey, I realized that I had never ventured so far east. Iran appeared on the horizon, followed by India. Finally, we crossed into China, and as we neared Hong Kong, I knew we had almost arrived. The sun began to rise, and shortly after breakfast, the plane began its descent into Taipei. Arriving in Taiwan was imminent. We touched down during the enchanting morning golden hour.

Arriving in Taipei

The arrival process in Taipei went remarkably smoothly. We breezed through immigration, retrieved our luggage, and acquired Taiwanese SIM cards without a hitch. Taking the metro from the airport to the heart of the city proved just as effortless. Within a mere couple of hours after touching down in Asia for the first time in my life, I found myself standing before the entrance of my hostel. Even though I hadn’t managed to catch any sleep during the flight, my eagerness to explore the vicinity of my hostel in Ximen (西門) overcame my exhaustion. I roamed the neighborhood, experiencing Taiwan’s hot and humid weather for the first time. The combination of sleep deprivation and the weather occasionally forced me to take short breaks in the cool sanctuary of my air-conditioned hostel. Eventually, I went to sleep in the early evening.

First days in Ximen

In my initial days after arriving in Taiwan, I continued to explore Ximen. During that period I visited one of the most famous sights in Taipei: the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Soon, I decided to meet up with other exchange students. Together, we embarked on a delightful adventure exploring the Lungshan Temple and Huaxi Night Market. It was my first visit to such a vibrant night market, where I had the pleasure of trying incredibly delicious dumplings. Following our culinary exploits, we went to a local bar. After three nights at the hostel, it was time to bid adieu and make the move to my dormitory.