Already 2 weeks Taiwan

As you all know, we have been in Taiwan for a good 2 weeks, specifically in Hsinchu. It is located in northern Taiwan and is about half an hour away from Taipei by high-speed train. Here we are staying with Thomas' brother Matthias, who recently got an apartment in the East District. With 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms, we have plenty of space here.

So far, we have mostly been exploring Hsinchu and the surrounding area and plan to visit Taipei soon, as there is also a lot to see there. I will summarize here what we have done so far.

We landed in Taoyuan. From there, we took the high-speed train and the regional train to Hsinchu. From the train station to the apartment, it was about a 20-minute walk.

Matthias took time off work specifically for us to show us around. So the days were a mix of sightseeing, delicious food, and plenty of relaxation.

Right around the corner, there is a big street with a huge selection of shops and restaurants. Here, for example, is the Nunu & Nigels N², a small pub with a cool atmosphere. The chef, a Brit named Nigel, was one of the world's best chefs and has cooked for the Queen and George W. Bush Sr., among others. Since the Science Park is right around the corner, you always meet foreign engineers here, and Nigel is always great to talk to because he always has something to say. Apart from good food, however, there are no special attractions in the immediate vicinity of our accommodation.

You have to go to the city center for that. Here, for example, is the Hsinchu City God Temple, which is surrounded by a market. There are also several shops, a large mall, and a few other attractions, such as the zoo, but we haven't been there yet. In general, Hsinchu is not the best place for tourists, but I also find it interesting to experience how the 'normal' population lives here.

We also took advantage of Matthias having a car and visited the Neiwan Old Street. It was a bit outside of the city, and there was especially a lot of delicious food. Then we went further into the mountains and enjoyed a hot spring.

Then Matthias took us to a Hash Run and we visited the Taroko Gorge together. I will write a separate article about both of them.

Otherwise, our life here is very relaxed. We spend a lot of time chilling at home and occasionally go on small trips somewhere. Fortunately, English gets you quite far in Taiwan, and the landscape is very beautiful, as a large part of the island consists of mountains, some of which are up to 4000m high.
However, we also get a little bit of the virus here. You can notice it primarily by the queues in front of some stores where masks are available. We also heard from some pub owners that they have significantly fewer guests, mainly because many students from mainland China are not allowed to return and people in general are going out less.