Taiwan speaks a mix of Mandarin (with several vernacular and colloquial differences to the way Mandarin is spoken in mainland China), Hokkien, Hakka, and over a dozen Austronesian languages (also known as Formosan indigenous languages). Much of the local population here can also speak some English, especially in the urban areas in the north.
We use the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD), which converts to about 3 cents (1 USD = 32-33 NTD). In general, the cost of living in Taiwan very cheap. This makes buying meals, groceries and other everyday items very affordable.
I usually don’t buy bottles of the water directly from the store, since I often use an in-unit water filter. However, I once purchased a two or three gallon jug of water from the convenience store for about $1.50 ($50 NTD), which I felt was a great deal!
It’s challenging to rank the “best” meal I’ve had this week for two main reasons: first, everything here tastes amazing. Second, I’ve already settled into a few favorite food stalls and restaurants that I find myself returning to almost exclusively.
