The Night Markets

If there is one thing and one place you must visit during your stay in Taiwan is the night Market. Let’s get something straight, something that everybody kept telling me and I kept reading in blogs and articles and refused to believe myself, but it is very true; Taiwanese Night Markets are a lot to take in for the newcomer. What can I tell you, they are busy, packed, noisy and in a simple explanation a fucking overload for all your senses. You will immediately notice the amount of people, the brightness and colorfulness of all the stalls, the pungent smells (both good and bad), music and people shouting, and the lack of personal space. But come on, you came here to experience everything, so, now that you have overcome the smells and personal space issue (which in my case were the hardest thing, because noise and lights are alright in my book), take a deep fucking breath and just dive in this fantastic ocean of new things and possibilities.

The parking lot of a Night Market 

There are a lot of Night Markets around the Island, ranging in sizes, types and vibes; but in general, they will be divided into two sections food and shenanigans (basically not food, could be anything from clothing to electronics and fashion accessories, you name it!).


As you can imagine by now, my favorite part of the markets is the food. You can find the biggest variety of food at the most amazing prices, seriously, you will never pay more than one or two euros for any of the dishes you can find here. In fact, I have spent hour long eating sprees in the night markets without spending more than 5 euros, which let me tell you, rocks! Amazing food at amazing prices, you cannot beat that. And the variety, my god! You can find anything from Stinky Tofu (see my post about it here), Japanese Takoyaki and even Spanish Paella (which to be honest I didn't even try out of respect for all my Spanish friends).

Stinky Tofu

Takoyaki

Taiwanese Paella

You might be a bit intimidated by the ocean of people and the fact that you probably don't speak or read any Chinese, but let me tell you something: Don't! People here are extremely friendly and will do anything they can to try to understand you. So, what you want to do is walk around the stalls check for anything that looks appealing, tasty or just plain interesting and just go for it; put on you puppy face, your awesome smile point to whatever you want make the gesture for the number one and pay, easy as fuck.

People waiting for their food.

Once you have popped your 'Night Market Cherry' you are ready to continue exploring the possibilities.

Grilled Goodies

And in the spirit of exploring, how about some penis cakes?

Penis cakes

I will continue talking about the food in future posts, but right now I have to continue this tour to the other side of the night markets. These places offer you anything from clothing, accessories, electronics, luggage, cellphones and all sorts of crazy shit.

Around the Market.

People in the market

There is not much else I can tell you about this, it's pretty straight forward, you see something you buy it. However, there is a big tip, and it actually is a matter of pride and respect around the night markets: Never accept the first price they give you! You are looking for a bargain you want to haggle, so don't be discouraged by your lack of Chinese, locate the nearest calculator and type down your price, and go low, chances are, you will get a nice discount.

Never take the first price.

Get some things you 'need'

After a couple of hours rumbling around, stuffing your face in delicious food, getting some nice cheap electronics and a bunch of different things you didn't know you needed, you feel happy, full and ready to go home. So find the exit (if there is no English letters, worry not, the Chinese character looks like a dude walking towards a door). And don't say good bye, say so long or I'll see you later, because your know, deep in your heart, that you will keep coming back; it has taken a piece of your heart.

Don't say good bye, say so long.