After few months in India and another few in Africa it is time to change the scenery to the East Asia. Taiwan is our next destination, and, on the way, we have spent a couple of weeks in Thailand for an indulging massage.
Krabi - Thailand
October 24, 2025
Thailand! Beaches, blue sea, massages… It turns out there’s a festival in Krabi. We love festivals. It’s called the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. We love vegetarians.
On the surface, according to the perception of a reasonable person, a festival with such a name would include dancing, flowers, white clothes and lots of smiles and joy… We love dancing and flowers…
Indeed, the clothes are white, but… the idea is to purify the physical body, and this is achieved by beating yourself until you bleed, piercing your face with skewers and swords, and walking on hot coals 
. We don’t like blood.
After a few minutes of watching the procession (which lasts all afternoon with thousands of people and hundreds of them are bloody), some of us couldn’t stand it and had to leave 
. By the way, guess which part of us 
(hint, it’s not what you think).
Koh Lanta - Thailand
November 8, 2025
We are addicted to massages. Here, we said it. Wherever we go in the world, we will check out the offerings and always compare them to Thai massage.
Since we have been getting massages here twice a day for two weeks, the differences between us are obvious: Ira devours the menu offered, tries a different type of massage each time (from Thai massage to aromatherapy, she doesn’t care who the masseur is, as long as he wrinkles her up, takes her apart and then puts her back together. I, on the other hand, specialize in one type of massage (feet), experiment with several masseuses, choose the gentlest one and stick with her forever.
And of course, it helps that a 60-minute massage here costs 30 NIS.
Tattoo, Koh Lanta - Thailand
November 10, 2025
We’ve been talking about getting tattoos for almost ten years. We’ve come close to it dozens of times but in the end, we didn’t do it, each time for our own reasons. And finally, we did it.
The tattoo is tiny, marginally insignificant, but we’re tattooed and probably won’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Three conclusions:
1. It hurts more than expected and as mentioned we have got a small one, we can only imagine how much a big one hurts.
2. It’s expensive and we didn’t go to an international artist or anything. On the contrary, we got it done in Thailand where everything is cheap, as mentioned our tattoo is tiny, it seems like a tattoo on the whole body would require a small fortune.
3. The treatment in the weeks after is like a stump after an amputation…
In conclusion, we now really appreciate every person who comes across us with a tattoo on their whole body.
And for those curious, each of us tattooed his partner’s name, in Thai, on the leg near the ankle.
Taipei - Taiwan
November 12, 2025
After more than a year in third world countries in India and Africa, we finally arrived in civilization… The sidewalks are without holes, there are no tangled telephone lines, pedestrians stop on red and cars only drive on green and of course there are no cows or goats on the street.
We arrived in Taipei, Taiwan.
Initial impressions, a great city, young, vibrant with many centers and not too many tourists. Everything is colorful with a strong Japanese influence.
And the most interesting thing is the unreasonable amount of food stalls (we realized that Taiwanese don’t eat at home). So, we rolled up our sleeves, and we tasted everything that walked, crawled, swam or grew. But in the end, between sushi and dim sum, we are OK.
National Dr.Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall - Taiwan
November 15, 2025
You enter a huge, magnificent lobby in red and gold, in front of the entrance is a golden Buddha statue, and to the side are the receptionists who greet you with a kind smile. In the background, elevator music is played, and everything transmits calmness and respectability that would not shame a luxurious hotel in Las Vegas. You take the elevator to the 13th floor and there you discover an endless city. 7-story houses, with balconies facing the street, behind the balcony you can peek into a living room decorated with various objects that are in every house.
There are all kinds of cemeteries in the world, but nothing prepared us for this. A huge building on a hill that can be seen from afar, and in which you can buy anything from a small alcove with a small sign to an apartment the size of a dollhouse that you can decorate with miniatures related to the deceased. You can also buy a family home and decorate each room accordingly. The style varies from floor to floor (17 floors in total), for example a floor for Christians, a floor for families, and so on.
Undoubtedly a beautiful use of real estate.
Yangmingshan National Park - Taiwan
November 16, 2025
It seems that Taiwanese people love to have fun on their weekends.
Here are some signs:
Hotel prices double on the night between Saturday and Sunday and sometimes even quadruple, a hotel that would cost 65 euros on all other days of the week will jump to 450 euros on that holy day and return to normal the next day.
The roads in the mountains are full of cyclists, on steep climbs that are not necessarily fit for traveling by motorcycle. The entrance to parking lots in parks is filled with traffic jams, on hiking trails you will meet hikers no matter how remote the path is, and people sit in groups on mats at family picnics, drinking tea and playing baseball.
You might say it’s the season, but it’s not like that, last week a typhoon hit the area, and every few days it drizzles.
In short, it seems that on the weekend it’s better to sleep here in a tent on top of a remote mountain.
Ju Ming Museum - Taiwan
November 17, 2025
The man had lived for about 80 years, during which he had created sculptures, mainly of people, from copper, wood or steel, but most of them appear to be made of wood. All the sculptures are at least life-size, and some are large to enormous (10 meters high) size.
How many sculptures can be made in 60 years of creation? Well, Ju Ming made thousands of them. He was obsessed and had worked with a small team 24/7 his entire life.
We don’t usually talk about museums, but the museum dedicated to this single artist and covering a vast area in mountainous nature full of his sculptures is very special.
About an hour’s drive from Taipei, in the mountains, you come to a huge park, where you can get lost for a few hours without returning to a single path. Lakes, a ship, battalions of soldiers (many soldiers), gymnasts (mainly Tai Chi), scientists and just people.
And the pictures will testify to this.
It’s definitely worth a visit.
Jiufen, Yehliu Geopark - Taiwan
November 18, 2025
The meaning of old street is a street of small shops next to each other that sell everything, mainly food. (Reminds us of the Old City in Jerusalem).
It took us a while to understand why sometimes it really stinks in a certain area of the street. Well, it turns out that there is a dish called ‘stinky tofu’ and they say it is a delight… we didn’t taste it.
At most of the stalls, a person stands and hands out tastings. But… suddenly there is a shop in front of which a long line stretches out, waiting patiently. We don’t know why. When we stood in line and bought the product (drink or food), it didn’t seem special to us, especially since two stalls ahead sell the same product at the same price without a line.
Speaking of lines. There is a park here where nature created special shapes in the rocks. The park is called ‘Queen’s Head’ because one of the rocks looks like that. There is a huge line in front of the rock, at least an hour’s wait to take a picture with the rock. Considering that the park is large and has endless rocks in cool shapes, what sets Queen’s Head apart from the rest is that the rock has a name, so we decided to give the rocks names (see below), ‘Girl with a Braid’, ‘Whale’s Tail’ or ‘The Cobra’ and we were going to take pictures without a queue. By the way, the park is cool and worth a visit.
Instructions (Taichung - Painted Animation Lane, Rainbow village) - Taiwan
November 22, 2025
Taiwan has been a true democracy for 40 years, but apparently human nature doesn’t change in forty years.
Everywhere you go, there’s a set of instructions as if you work for them. It can be cute, like the man at the traffic light who not only tells you whether to stand or to walk but also speeds up his walking pace to a sprint as the light progresses. It can be less cute when in a restaurant you’re told where to sit and what you have to order.
You enter the lobby of a hotel or a restaurant or even an elevator and there will always be eye-catching signs about what is allowed and what is not. Luckily, most of them are in Chinese so they go over our heads. Sometimes you’ll even get a sheet of instructions, for example, ‘eating instructions’ in a restaurant, and it says things like, you should eat quietly.
The roads are not exempt from instructions either. Long instructions are printed on the road and on the sides of the roads (in addition to road signs). We have no idea what they say because we’re driving.
Maybe it’s the Chinese language that translates into orders and we don’t read the instructions in the right tone. It’s important to note that none of this has anything to do with the level of niceness of the people, who are generally very gentle, considerate, and willing to help.
(the pictures are from Taichung, Rainbow village)
Ita Thao Village, Sunmoon Lake - Taiwan
November 24, 2025
Taiwan is a little larger than Israel (1.5 times) and with 2.5 times the population (23 million), and it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. So how can you explain that there are almost no traffic jams in cities?
The standard of living in Taiwan is similar to Israel, and the number of cars per capita is similar. On the other hand, the cost of maintaining a car here is ridiculous (the cost of a car is less than half, fuel is 3 shekels per liter, parking in the city is 2 shekels per hour…).
Let’s say public transportation – Taipei has a subway. And that’s it, we didn’t see anything special in other cities.
The only thing we saw that was different was that the traffic lights here are very long. Interesting.
Now let’s assume that they take away our traffic jams in the morning and evening, when we listen to podcasts.
Apart from that, apparently when people have time, they choose to stand in long lines, no matter why.
Alishan National Forest - Taiwan
November 26, 2025
Let’s talk about the ‘road maintenance paradox.’
In Africa and India, the condition of the roads is terrible, huge holes, non-existent shoulders and so on, but every few kilometers there is a crew repairing the road, closed lanes, and diversions to alternative roads. One would expect that if they work so hard, the roads will eventually be in order, but that’s not the case.
In Taiwan, on the other hand, even though it’s very rainy here, there are almost no crews repairing the roads, and there are no checkpoints, but the roads are in great condition. Taiwan is a mountainous country, so most of the time we drive on winding roads, Himalayan style. The road is always in good condition and without holes, the shoulders are painted, the ditches on the sides of the road are clean, and most importantly, there is a large mirror on each curve to see the vehicles in front. And even the mirrors are clean.
Indeed a paradox.
Tainan - Taiwan
November 28, 2025
The Taiwanese eat all the time, the number of stalls and restaurants is simply unbelievable, in every city, village or crossroads, one next to the other. They are all full all the time, and some even have queues dozens of meters long.
Almost all restaurants serve local food, with large portions, and a very rich menu, at a reasonable price and very little food from the world (Italian, Thai…).
Most restaurants serve set menus, meaning many different dishes in a variety of colors and types.
There is only one problem with Taiwanese food, the seasoning is very subtle to the point of not being noticeable. The food mostly has a taste that resembles flavor but not really. If we put India at one end, with food rich in spices and… hot, and put Israel in the middle, then Taiwanese food is at the other end.
So, what’s the problem, a little salt and pepper solve the problem… It’s that there is almost no salt and pepper available. You can ask for soy sauce, or chili and usually they will be in the kitchen, but that’s not typical.
Therefore, we have soy poisoning and probably won’t gain weight on this trip, despite the selection and quantities.
Plus, most of the food here contains meat, and most of the meat food is pork-based. So, if you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish and seafood, you’re in real trouble. And if you’re strict about kosher, then… good luck surviving here 
.
And another point, if you like tea, then you’ve come to heaven!
Shitiping - Taiwan
December 6, 2025
We were very surprised in Africa that everyone speaks English. In almost every country in southern Africa, from the parking attendant to the hotel manager, everyone will speak good English, without exception. Which is exactly the opposite of the situation in Taiwan. It is rare to find English speakers here.
Those who said that our children should learn Chinese were probably right… Everything here is in Chinese, even Google Maps speaks mainly Chinese: names of roads, restaurants and hotels. To find the location of the hotel you want, first enter the address into Google Maps, look for a hotel icon nearby and then compare the photos that appear on Booking to make sure that it is indeed the same place.
Even after arriving at the room, the ordeals are not over, we start by walking around the room with the Google Translate camera to understand what shampoo is and what soap is, how to turn on the air conditioner, how to turn on the lights and what is written on the TV remote – because everything is indeed well marked… in Chinese!
On the roads, most important signs will also be in English, but it turns out that the Taiwanese like to write signs, so for every sign that has some English, there are many more signs that are written only in Chinese, and you’ll not know what you’re missing. For example, road signs that are an international language will usually be accompanied by an addition in Chinese, and you won’t know when it says speed limit 25 km/h whether the accompanying sign says, ‘trucks only’ or ‘during fog’.
Except on the roads, Google Translate works wonderfully and if we add that most Taiwanese are nice and want to help, we can say that we get along easily. And in general, we suspect that they know more English than they seem but are afraid to even listen.
Taiwan - Summary
December 12, 2025
We arrived two weeks ago and stayed for over a month. Which says a lot about the place.
Let’s start from the end, it’s been quite a while since we enjoyed a country like Taiwan.
We usually prefer mountains to cities. Here it’s reversed and not because the nature here isn’t amazing… but the cities and villages are really fun. A country without traffic jams, very convenient for traveling and very safe (half of the mopeds have keys in the lock and the helmet on the seat).
Food is a thing in Taiwan, going into any store, restaurant, garage you will always catch the workers there eating. Even though they eat all the time, there are almost no overweight people here. The number of restaurants and food stalls is simply unreasonable (and despite this, there are long lines at some of the stalls). Unfortunately, we didn’t find Taiwanese food that we enjoyed, but we found a lot of Korean, Japanese and Thai food that we really liked… Drinking is also a part of it, if you’re craving a drink, you better like tea, because that’s what comes in all shapes, sizes and flavours.
7-Eleven (the store) is a phenomenon that is not unique to the East, but here they took it to the extreme. They can be found almost on every corner and there is everything there, from toilets and an ATM to hard-boiled eggs. With so much food, you would expect at least one trash can in the city, but there is none, which does not prevent the country from being incredibly clean. We are not sure where the garbage goes. We used the public toilets that are on every corner and have trash cans.
The country is recommended for a motorcycle trip because the number of winding roads here is astronomical that are great to drive and the nature is amazing.
We have not yet talked about the local people. Most of them do not speak English at all, those who do are happy to brush it up and will try to help whether you want to or not. But the great thing is that even those who do not speak English or Hebrew would be really nice and with the help of Google Translate would try their best for you.
Cats and dogs are a thing… On every corner you’ll find a shop or cafe dedicated to cats, there’s even a tourist site where the main attraction is stray cats… but you can’t compare the cats to the dogs, who are transported in luxury carriages and dressed in fancy suits.
In short – a great country that has not been yet discovered by Israelis.
After almost 3 months abroad (Greece, Thailand and Taiwan) we returned home but are already planning the next trip to the East. Philippines? Vietnam? Japan? Myanmar? There’s no shortage of options…
HE 
