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  • - [William] We're going on another adventure.

  • - [Woman] And you're good to go.

  • (upbeat music)

  • - So we made it on.

  • Didn't expect to be catching a flight

  • from Toronto to Vancouver but,

  • you know, due to some mix-up,

  • we kinda got things worked out.

  • But travel's serendipitous like that.

  • You never know what's gonna happen.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited

  • but I am just really really tired right now.

  • 12 more hours to go

  • and then we land in Taipei and hit the ground running.

  • Free tea?

  • We're doin' it!

  • (upbeat music)

  • In December, we had the opportunity

  • to travel to Taiwan with my wife, Chantelle.

  • We explored the country from top to bottom.

  • We learned about something called Taiwanese "Re Qing"

  • and came out of it with that much more of an appreciation

  • for the people, the culture,

  • the landscapes and very full and satisfied tummies.

  • I don't know if we pushed ourselves to the limit

  • as much as we have on this trip,

  • but that's kind of what travel is all about.

  • This was one awesome trip that I'll never forget.

  • (static buzzing)

  • Last time I only stayed here a couple days

  • but didn't give Taiwan the attention it deserved.

  • Only stayed in Taipei,

  • got hit with the typhoon,

  • didn't really get to see a whole lot.

  • So this time, I'm back.

  • I'm going to live like a local in Taiwan

  • and truly see Taiwan for everything that

  • most people don't really know about.

  • Hey, they said it.

  • It's Time for Taiwan.

  • Well, it's an early start.

  • I got my bags

  • and I guess we're heading out.

  • Looks like who it is.

  • We're on the cab, we got picked up by Kevin of Avis

  • and there's wifi on board.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Let's check it out.

  • Looks like you need to put this in.

  • And we have light.

  • Hello, lights?

  • (button clacking)

  • Lights on.

  • Maybe.

  • Okay, I can't figure it out.

  • It's right here, this is how you turn it on,

  • not on the inside.

  • There are more lights here.

  • I don't know what they do.

  • (water running)

  • (razor buzzing)

  • (yawning)

  • All right, so just

  • back from a bit of a nap.

  • I feel like a bit more like a normal person.

  • I'm still exhausted.

  • So, gonna check out a few food places today.

  • Not sure what it's gonna bring me

  • but I got a few recommendations.

  • Tummy's growlin'.

  • Thank goodness for pocket wifi.

  • Hey, 7-Eleven.

  • Yes, the tea egg.

  • Whoa, so many different EasyCards.

  • The only character I recognize from here

  • is Bad Badtz-Maru.

  • Now I didn't know it at the time,

  • but I actually bought the wrong card.

  • It wasn't an EasyCard.

  • It was something called an icash 2.0.

  • Okay, that was a slight detour.

  • Oh, so right across the street over there

  • is the original Din Tai Fung.

  • I've been there before.

  • There's quite a bit of a line.

  • I'm not gonna go this time,

  • but this definitely brings back memories.

  • I gotta say the weather here feels amazing.

  • It's not humid here at all.

  • It's overcast, so not sunny.

  • (horn beeping)

  • Think we're down this street.

  • Oh shit, I guess I'm here.

  • Check out the line.

  • Hopefully this line isn't too long,

  • but I guess I made it here for the wait.

  • (speaking in Mandarin)

  • We got a couple things right here

  • that I want to try out,

  • so the first thing is

  • we got the non-spicy version of

  • the beef noodles.

  • This is good.

  • This is good stuff, man, look at that.

  • So I don't know how I'm gonna top this but,

  • I'm probably gonna have more

  • throughout this whole trip.

  • We've got these pork ribs

  • in a bit of spicy rice.

  • Hopefully I'll be okay

  • but man, this looks delicious.

  • That's some good pork rib.

  • I can't even read the signs here.

  • It's all in Chinese but I just told them what I wanted.

  • I wanted beef noodles,

  • I wanted this

  • and that was it, so that's kinda how it goes.

  • A little thirsty now,

  • so I think it's time for a drink.

  • (upbeat music)

  • (speaking in a foreign language)

  • I dedicate today to food.

  • So we're on the famous Yong Kang Street right now.

  • On to more food.

  • Guys, made it to Smoothie House.

  • So many choices.

  • I got this behemoth right here.

  • I don't know how I'm gonna finish this by myself.

  • We got, guys, we got like mango, shave ice,

  • panna cotta, this is good.

  • This is not like

  • your Icee back home.

  • It's something different.

  • I'd almost call it a shaved snow.

  • It kinda just melts in your mouth.

  • Brain freeze.

  • I mean, so I'd totally eat more,

  • but I am so full right now.

  • Wish I had two stomachs though.

  • (bell dinging)

  • That would be really good.

  • Last time I was here, they used token.

  • What?

  • No token?

  • So what you notice here in Taiwan

  • is just how clean the subways are,

  • whether it's on the platform or on the train.

  • Big difference.

  • So, in a turn of events,

  • it's a bit rainy right now,

  • but we're at the start of the trail of the Xiangshan climb,

  • which is where you get those views of Taipei 101.

  • So we're gonna attempt it, see what we get,

  • and hopefully the rain doesn't come down on us.

  • Now this is the vertical climb

  • that you're facing.

  • (exhales) You see this?

  • You see this, this is bonusfide sweat.

  • Ooh, it's hot.

  • Well guys, this is what we came for.

  • And eventually,

  • guys, I made it to the top.

  • All right, so behind me, we've got the six giant rocks.

  • We've got a ton of people lining up

  • for those epic views of Taipei 101 from Elephant Mountain

  • and let me tell you, it was definitely worth the climb.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Oh shit, think I pushed it too hard on the stairs.

  • So I'm like literally stuck here.

  • Can't move (groans).

  • Crap.

  • That was a bit of a scary moment.

  • Legs totally spazzed out.

  • The knee basically locks down and

  • you can't move.

  • It's just locking on to your legs.

  • Man, had to sit down for a bit.

  • I'm on the move again, I'm mobile! I'm mobile!

  • I'm good now.

  • All right, so we're at the Jing Mei Night Market.

  • I'm here with my friend.

  • Yes, it is the local place only.

  • I'm here with Joshua.

  • He's an expert in Taiwan.

  • - I wrote the Lonely Planet Guide

  • and now I work for MyTaiwanTour

  • and when I tell you

  • this is the best grilled octopus on a stick

  • that you will ever find, believe me.

  • - This is it.

  • We got the octopus.

  • - Tell me what you do is you basically hold that out.

  • - Okay.

  • - Put stuff in it.

  • It's gonna be cheaper than you think it's gonna be.

  • (speaking in Mandarin)

  • - That's how you do octopus.

  • This is legit octopus right here.

  • - [Joshua] Thing that I like about this market is that

  • it tends to be cheaper, they have better stuff here.

  • - And was there a lot to choose from and discover.

  • Okay, so we're moving on

  • to a different part of the night market.

  • - [Joshua] Never seen this at this market.

  • But basically a bread

  • and then they're gonna wrap in this case,

  • I think it's gonna be. - Taiwan hamburger.

  • - Taiwan hamburger, exactly.

  • Oh man, what is this?

  • (speaking in a foreign language)

  • It's some sort of fried cake.

  • Hello, ni hao.

  • (speaking in a foreign language)

  • - [William] Whoa.

  • - [Joshua] He's doing something.

  • - [William] Oh, he's doing the flipping.

  • See, this is how.

  • He's getting his workout right now.

  • - [Joshua] Yeah yeah.

  • - On to the next place.

  • - So she's making spaghetti.

  • What they're gonna do

  • is they're gonna put that on one of those sizzling plates

  • and then they're gonna throw a,

  • and it's always a very cheap cut of beef.

  • You know, it's $100 NT. That's 3 bucks.

  • You're gonna get that,

  • some just grease on it, boom,

  • and then, 'cause that's not enough for you,

  • they're gonna crack a raw egg on top.

  • - Man, so many options.

  • - And this, by the way, is considered

  • a small night market.

  • - And then we passed by this oyster omelet place

  • and I knew I just had to try it.

  • - I wouldn't know how to judge like

  • what a bad one would be.

  • 'Cause it's always been like very gummy and chewy.

  • - So after all that food, we were pretty thirsty

  • and we passed by this juicing shop

  • and they just so happened to have really fresh bitter melon.

  • This is my first time trying it raw

  • and ooh, yeah, hm.

  • Got a drink and it wasn't, it wasn't not that bad.

  • Now one of my night market favorites

  • turned out to be this.

  • These are basically made out of sweet potato

  • and they are just balls of deliciousness.

  • - [Joshua] So it puffs up, so it's crispy.

  • It's not greasy.

  • - Just wrapped up the night market here.

  • Joshua's been an amazing host.

  • - Thank you.

  • - A real true local experience.

  • I'm pretty full.

  • We're gonna head back now,

  • and I do have one more surprise for you.

  • (lock beeping)

  • Yes.

  • Sleeping already?

  • - Hello.

  • - [William] Well, surprise!

  • Morning and welcome.

  • You made it to Taiwan. - Hello, I did.

  • - [William] So yesterday I came in

  • and you were totally sleeping.

  • - Yes. - Did you not

  • hear my door knock?

  • - [Chantelle] No, I didn't. - The doorbell.

  • - I was really tired.

  • I slept nine hours, at least, straight.

  • - So we're at the Sonnien Hotel.

  • I have quite the Asian cuisine for breakfast

  • this morning, minus the nuggets.

  • But I made everything from the fried rice

  • to the red bean buns.

  • Dim sum, soy bean milk.

  • We got congee.

  • Quite the assortment here.

  • And then something called nato,

  • which I think, I have no idea what it is.

  • And, look at that.

  • I think it is like some, oh,

  • oh my god, you got it on the mic.

  • Oh, doesn't look pleasant.

  • Oh, that aftertaste

  • with the fermentedness is blegh.

  • Closing it up. (laughs)

  • So for a second day in Taiwan,

  • we actually joined a tour company

  • called MyTaiwanTour

  • because we wanted to see Juifen

  • and do our own sky lanterns, and as well.

  • So right now we're at the top of the refinery.

  • Again, the Japanese-occupied mining operation

  • that was here.

  • Essentially to dig out different precious metal.

  • Gold, silver, copper as well.

  • This is, we're pretty much at the top of it.

  • And this is a building where they, I think,

  • extracted or, you know, did some processing with the metals.

  • We saw a tunnel earlier.

  • There are about nine tunnels here in total.

  • And in back there, we also saw a chimney

  • that basically pushed all of the poisonous chemicals,

  • exhaust, out into the mountain,

  • elsewhere away from the town.

  • Apparently, before the Japanese left,

  • when they lost the war, World War II,

  • there's a whole bunch of gold

  • that they couldn't bring back to Japan,

  • so it's somewhere here.

  • We don't know where it is.

  • It's still around.

  • Nobody's found it yet.

  • There are treasure hunters that come here,

  • so I don't know, if you're looking for gold,

  • this might be the place to come.

  • Check out them gold waterfalls.

  • (water rushing)

  • Okay, so this is an old funicular

  • that they used to transport materials.

  • It's pretty cool, they've put it together.

  • It's not running of course,

  • but it goes all the way back down

  • to where we just were at the beginning.

  • Cool.

  • So we explored a few more tunnels

  • before we head up to Jiufen.

  • And Jiufen is a popular place for tourists.

  • It's usually packed.

  • The day we went was pretty rainy,

  • but what it's best known for

  • is Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

  • This was the sight of inspiration for him

  • and so a lot of people come here

  • as bit of a pilgrimage

  • but also a great place

  • to find Taiwan sweet potato tea house.

  • From the tea houses to the souvenir shops,

  • where you could buy knickknacks,

  • and of course, lots of food,

  • it was a great place to explore for sure.

  • The eating must begin.

  • (speaking Mandarin)

  • 50 Taiwan dollars.

  • - Mm.

  • - Had a green one.

  • Yellow one's probably yam.

  • It's like a red bean soup

  • but like other beans as well.

  • White ones, taro ones.

  • So many balls.

  • (laughing)

  • Chantelle's on a mission

  • for her smelly tofu, stinky tofu.

  • (speaking in a foreign language)

  • How stinky is the tofu?

  • - Mm.

  • - Uh, we're in another shop now.

  • I think they specialize in balls.

  • I'm having a lot of balls today.

  • I think this is like, we got beef balls

  • and fish balls, all the balls.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Ooh, tea eggs, check it out.

  • Do not try to eat these.

  • Don't eat it, it's real coal.

  • Now another thing we really wanted to try

  • was this thing called the A Zhu Peanut Ice Cream Roll.

  • And it definitely lived up to our expectations.

  • Ooh.

  • It's pork, pork chops.

  • It's in a bit of glutinous cake.

  • You got like bamboo shoots.

  • Mm, it's really tasty.

  • And last but not least,

  • sticky rice on a stick.

  • So we just got to Pingxi,

  • and we're doing the lanterns.

  • We're gonna set them up,

  • up into the sky.

  • Oh no, it's coming back down.

  • No.

  • Hopefully, ours goes up to the top.

  • Oh, so the story behind it

  • is that what they used to do

  • is that through a lot of burglars in this town.

  • Burglars, thieves, and so when they were here,

  • they actually got the kids and the parents

  • to go up into the mountains.

  • So in order to let them know

  • that the burglars were gone,

  • they basically put up these sky lanterns.

  • That's how they did it.

  • To tell them it's safe. - Tell them it's safe

  • to come back home. - Safe to come back, yeah.

  • As you can see,

  • there's a lot of sky lantern action happening right now.

  • This street is pretty much filled with sky lantern shops

  • where you can make your own

  • and we're gonna do that in a moment.

  • But behind us, you'll see them flying up into the sky.

  • Now the crazy thing is that this is a live train track,

  • so a train actually comes through once in a while

  • and everyone has to get off in a rush,

  • but yeah, we're excited to do this.

  • Let's make our own sky lantern.

  • So MyTaiwanTour actually had a store reserved for us

  • and with the master in front of us,

  • he showed us exactly what we needed to do

  • to build our very own lantern from scratch,

  • with nothing more than just paper,

  • glue and the metal ring to finish it all off.

  • And then it was off to making our very own

  • and it was, it was a bit challenging

  • but we got it done

  • and the final step was to write our wishes

  • on each side of the lantern.

  • He inspected our lantern

  • to make sure we didn't screw up in any way,

  • gave us the go ahead

  • and then we were off onto the train tracks.

  • (laughing)

  • (speaking in Mandarin)

  • 3, 2, 1!

  • And just like that,

  • our lantern was in the sky

  • and even though we don't know if our wishes came true,

  • it was still pretty damn cool.

  • At the end of the night, we were dropped off

  • at Shilin Night Market.

  • And as the largest night market in Taiwan,

  • we shopped around and, of course,

  • we ate a lot more food.

  • Got our first goods.

  • Think a lot more food to come tonight.

  • You know, when you're in Taiwan,

  • you gotta have wild boar sausage.

  • Really good.

  • - Matcha milk tea.

  • - Now we're gonna engage in one of Taiwanese people's

  • favorite past times, The Claw!!

  • Few seconds.

  • - [Chantelle] Oh.

  • Oh no.

  • - [William] No.

  • - I didn't get it.

  • - Oh.

  • Oh, close.

  • Okay, fourth time is a charm.

  • We're gonna get this bad boy.

  • Oh, so close.

  • And how could you resist

  • giant soy honey-glazed octopus?

  • (laughing)

  • So one of the quirky things

  • about Taiwanese night markets

  • are the homemade carnival games

  • that you'll find everywhere

  • and Shilin Night Market is no exception,

  • which has a giant collection of games.

  • So we're just walking around, exploring,

  • seeing what was up,

  • and then we finally decided,

  • maybe it's our time to play.

  • One of the things you gotta do here

  • is play the games that they have here

  • and there are ton of them.

  • I don't like balloons but I do like balls

  • so we're gonna try this out.

  • How it works is that you get nine balls,

  • it's 100 and essentially,

  • try to hit as many targets as you can.

  • There are nine targets.

  • Six will get you a win.

  • Seven, eight, nine will get you bigger and bigger prizes.

  • So, here we go.

  • Probably a lot harder than (indistinct).

  • Oh man.

  • Oh, I only got four.

  • - [Chantelle] Nice try.

  • - I only got four.

  • Next time on Twelve Days in Taiwan.

  • So Professor William here...

  • Why?

  • Brr, Marco.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Full of surprises.

- [William] We're going on another adventure.

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