I still have vivid memories of my first plane ride, and that was a flight to Taipei 10 years ago. I had just turned 18 then, my father bought me cup noodles from the in-flight menu and that was my birthday gift. And that's my first memory of the Taiwan.
I've always had a good impression of Taiwan because a big part of my teenage life was spent watching Taiwanese variety shows, dramas, and listening to mandopop. But I remember the first trip to Taiwan being pretty mediocre, and I left not remembering much of the place and how it made me felt.
I've always had a good impression of Taiwan because a big part of my teenage life was spent watching Taiwanese variety shows, dramas, and listening to mandopop. But I remember the first trip to Taiwan being pretty mediocre, and I left not remembering much of the place and how it made me felt.
I'm sitting comfortably on the upper floor of a 2-storey homestay nestled in the heart of Taipei, it's been an incredibly exhausting day because of the amount of walking I had done — but my heart is full.
This trip started in 台中 (Taichung), a part of Taiwan that is new to me but not to my family. This is their 7th time in the country, and the bulk of the trip so far has been anchored around them revisiting spots that they enjoyed before.
This trip started in 台中 (Taichung), a part of Taiwan that is new to me but not to my family. This is their 7th time in the country, and the bulk of the trip so far has been anchored around them revisiting spots that they enjoyed before.
Taichung felt like a breath of fresh air, we were greeted with golden light the moment we came out of the airport gates,
I wish I had more time to photograph that warm greeting but we had to leave right at the get-go.
The family made a quick stop at 桃园 (Taoyuan) and treated ourselves to a simple yet warm meal.
The 蛋餅 (Pancakes) and 豆浆 (Soy Bean Drink) is still my favourite meal to date, probably because it was the first meal we had and we were having it while brimming with excitement for the days to come.
We left the breakfast place with a smile, and headed on to a local farm.
I wish I had more time to photograph that warm greeting but we had to leave right at the get-go.
The family made a quick stop at 桃园 (Taoyuan) and treated ourselves to a simple yet warm meal.
The 蛋餅 (Pancakes) and 豆浆 (Soy Bean Drink) is still my favourite meal to date, probably because it was the first meal we had and we were having it while brimming with excitement for the days to come.
We left the breakfast place with a smile, and headed on to a local farm.
We spent the rest of our stay in Taichung filling our bellies with night-market finds, exchanging bills for coins in Claw Machine shops, and visiting 高美湿地 (Gaomei Wetlands) at not-so-golden-hour in hopes of catching good light.
I'm always dancing between the lines of being in the moment and capturing the moment.
There are many moments I wish to eternalise, but also pockets of time where I want to be fully immersed in things that are happening around me — to be present.
The 4 days in Taichung felt like a teaser for what could've been a longer stay, maybe sometime in the near future.
See you again, Taichung.
There are many moments I wish to eternalise, but also pockets of time where I want to be fully immersed in things that are happening around me — to be present.
The 4 days in Taichung felt like a teaser for what could've been a longer stay, maybe sometime in the near future.
See you again, Taichung.
