Overall Thoughts on Taiwan

 We both loved Taiwan so much and definitely want to go back the next time we are in that part of the world. I think my favorite thing about Taiwan was the culture/atmosphere. Locals were very laid back and the vibe was very relaxed. We were met with so much kindness and friendliness 

A LOT of people have asked: did you feel the tensions with China while you were there?

And to that, I would say a few things:

I will not speak for locals and also was not able to hear their perspectives due to the language barrier. We did get to chat with a girl who was practicing English at her family’s restaurant but I wasn’t about to be like “so how do you feel about China?”

I think there is a misconception that political/international tensions, economic issues, human rights issues are always visible or noticeable from the perspective of a foreigner. It can be really difficult for a tourist to see and feel these things when observing daily life, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist or that their impact is necessarily less severe for locals.

For example (not comparable to Taiwan/China tensions at all), there is/was a lot of political tension/turmoil in the US this summer and fall and most of us probably felt that in various ways. We probably had conversations with family or friends about our concerns. But someone visiting the US might not hear those conversations and would probably not pick up on those tensions from their own direct observations outside of the news. They might see opposing election campaign signs in people’s yards but probably wouldn’t witness people screaming at each other over politics on the street. The only indication of the tensions with China that we were able to pick up on was a bunch of fighter jets doing drills at a military base near Taitung while we were eating breakfast.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it can be difficult to pick up on these things as a tourist unless you have a guide pointing things out to you or you’re able to have really in-depth conversations with locals. Also, we have to remember that if western media is our main source of information, the reality of local attitudes and life could be (and probably is) different. Lastly, even if we can’t directly see/feel something somewhere as tourists doesn’t mean it’s not there or that it’s any less of a concern for locals.

Anyways, Taiwan is emerging as a big nature destination in Asia and for good reason! The scenery there is so underrated and there’s so much to be explored!