Shilin Night Market

The Taipei Night Markets (台北夜市) are worth a visit for the variety of products and people you can find. After a day of seeing the sights and a little rest at the hotel, you can head to the markets which pop up at dusk and stay open until well after midnight (they close around 2am).

In these markets you can find everything: clothes, food, paintings, toys, videogames, antiques, acupuncture, and massages. It reminded me of a flea market, but at night. There are different types of stands: those which are essentially stores which they drag out onto the sidewalk and those which occupy the spaces between (they're technically illegal, but the police seem to give them the blind eye).

There are tons of night markets to choose from, but the big dog is Shilin. The Taiwanese gather there until the wee hours to do all kinds of shopping and eating in the "restaurants," which, as you can see by the photos, are not the same hygienic affairs you can find elsewhere, but are an authentic experience. You can even catch your own fish to eat!

I opted for rice with grilled squid and vegetables, everything very flavorful and a bit spicy (but good), miso soup, and Taiwan Beer, a brew mainly for tourists as the locals don't seem to drink much.

Milk snowflakes at Shilin Night Market

Milktea is yummy and can't compre it with the other milktea.