Back in 2014, I flew to Taiwan for a friend’s wedding, not knowing it would turn into one of those quiet solo adventures that stay with you for quite a long time.
It began with celebrations. The pre-wedding dinner was at a seafood restaurant, I can’t recall the name now (it was 2014, and I wasn’t thinking about capturing details back then). What I do remember is how divine everything tasted. I didn’t always know what I was eating, but my friend’s family made me feel right at home, and I soaked in every bite.
The wedding day was another feast — a beautiful, joy-filled 12-course banquet where each dish felt symbolic and meaningful. By course ten, I was full to the brim, but I just kept tasting — everything was too good not to.
After the wedding, I lingered a bit longer. One evening, I caught the high-speed train from Taipei to Kaohsiung — my first bullet-train ride. I remember sitting in an aisle seat with a coffee on the tray in front of me. The train glided so smoothly that my coffee didn’t even ripple. Outside, the world blurred into streaks of countryside and city lights.
In Kaohsiung, I explored the night markets, and honestly, I had so much fun. The air buzzed with music, chatter, and the smell of food grilling. I tried everything — mushrooms on skewers, chicken brushed with sauce, and whatever else looked irresistible. One morning, I grabbed egg pancakes from a street vendor — soft, savoury, and slightly crisp on the edges. Simple food that somehow felt special.
While there, I took a short trip to Tainan — a slower, charming city that hums with history. Through my friend’s former professor, I met a few lovely ladies who took me around and introduced me to a Vietnamese-spiced noodle soup, my first taste of Vietnamese food, unexpectedly in Taiwan.
Back in Taipei, I reconnected with my wedding friend and others who took me around the city and just outside of it. That’s where I tried street corn roasted under small black stones, brushed with a sweet and savoury glaze that had a good balance — smoky, sticky, and full of flavour. They also introduced me to beef noodle soup, one of Taiwan’s most beloved dishes, it’s a comforting bowl of rich broth and tender noodles I can still taste in memory, wish I had a photo of it, but my tastebuds remembers.
I later met up with another friend — Taiwanese by birth but raised in South Africa. He showed me around Taipei and introduced me to the famous oyster omelet — chewy, silky, and coated with a sweet, glossy sauce. I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved it.
Looking back, that trip was before solo travel became a hashtag. No plans, no itinerary it was just curiosity, connection, and the joy of discovering a place one bite at a time.
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