Take a Walk on the Wild Side of Taipei
There is something exciting at every corner in Taipei! Something new, something cool, something you may want to try or something you may want to keep distance from it.
Get lost at night wandering through night markets, snake alleys and massage parlours. Try a snake soup or enjoy a dinner in a toilet restaurant! 8 strange and cool Taipei experiences.
“What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.” – Juliette Binoche
The Snake Alley
Dare to venture to the “Snake Alley” for some snake blood or snake meat, or even deer penis wine?!
The “Snake Alley” or the Huaxi Street Night Market is located near the Longshan Temple in the oldest district of Taipei, Wanhua.
The snake restaurants are aligned on both sides of the alley. There are more snakes than customers. The live snakes, small and big – including cobras and pythons – are inside glass or wire cages. Bottles of snake wine are displayed on shelves.
Snake Alley
Snakes ready to be cooked as requested
Python head
After a second visit to the area, I decided to try something “snakey”. The only affordable choice in the menu was the snake soup. What kind of snake? I don‘t know. The owner of the restaurant wasn’t too welcoming. “Shut up and eat.” And I eat.
The snake restaurant I visited
Snake wines and other “healthy” drinks
Snake soup
How the snake tastes? Not bad at all! More like chicken with many small bones.
Turtle restaurant
Note: taking photos of the snake restaurants is not normally permitted. A small point and shoot camera, such as Ricoh GR helps a lot in going unoticed.
The Toilet Restaurant
Eating out of a bathroom toilet may not be your fine dining dream, but for sure it is one of a kind experience.
Modern Toilet Restaurant, Taipei
Ice cream “poop”
The Phallic Waffles
Naughty souvenirs: fresh baked penis-shaped waffles! Found at Shilin Night Market and Ximending area.
Phallic waffles ad, Ximending
One-of-a-kind waffle
Gayke = Gay + Cake
Frog Eggs Drinks
These drinks are called “Wow Frog Eggs”. Are the drinks really made from frog eggs? Hmm, let it be a surprise!
“Wow Frog Eggs” drink
Sexy Soya Milk Bottles
At Shilin Night Market I found these man and woman body shaped containers of soya milk.
Sexy soya milk bottles
Dining with Teddy Bears
Big teddy bears can be found in many places in Taipei, sitting alone or in pairs at a table in a restaurant or bar.
Teddy bears dinner
Come in! I am lonely.
Naked Frogs & Other Strange Food
Easy to photograph, hard to touch and unthinkable to eat!
Naked frogs
“Fashionable” frogs
Strange creatures
Know Your Toilet Status
Cool use of technology! An electronic display of the availability of the toilet seats, both for men and women washrooms: ‘in use’, ‘not in use’, ‘not available’ and ‘investigation alert’.
Taipei toilet status
Other Stories from Taipei