Returning to Taiwan after 11 years, after more than 30 hours of travel, felt surreal. I hadn't been back in over a decade - the longest gap for me, since I used to visit almost every year. When I was little, I even went multiple times a year with my mom while she had art exhibits throughout Taiwan.
I only had three weeks there. I know, 'three weeks' actually sounds like a lot but if you're traveling to literally the other side of the world it makes sense because just travel and jet lagging alone can be like a week before you are completely on 'Taiwan time'.
My flight this time was from Atlanta (home for me) to Los Angeles (LAX) then to Hong Kong and the finally to my destination Kaohsiung (KHH) Taiwan where my sister and family lives.
Los Angeles Airport (LAX)
Los Angeles had a lot of food to eat, but I had a very specific craving... it was around brunch time and I was craving a Bloody Mary! I did try various places but they were all super busy, and one place the bartender was flat out rude, so I decided I needed somewhere with good service and a nice sit down area so I can hang out before the second leg.
PF Chang's it is. I realize how hilarious this was. I was seriously trying to avoid eating Asian food as I knew I was about to be in Taiwan where ALL the authentic delicious Asian food I will have! However, I was also okay with the idea because 1 - PF Chang's in LAX has a nice bar area and is located upstairs kind of away from all the crowds, and 2 - pretty sure I was not going to get any PF Chang's American Chinese style food in Taiwan.
So I got my Sichuan Bloody Mary and then the Chicken Lettuce Wraps as my brunch. I do have to say I almost never go to PF Chang's normally. I did really enjoy the lettuce wrap it wasn't way too much food and not too heavy and was tasty at the same time. The Sichuan Bloody Mary - it wasn't what I was expecting... It had soy sauce or something in it that perhaps had too much of it, because it was kind of super salty for me.
Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
After about 13 hours of flight I finally landed in Hong Kong and I have to say this is where I started getting really excited. 1 - I was finally in Asian, 2 - I've never set foot in Hong Kong before (yes I know it was just a layover but it still counts!), and 3 - I was much much closer now to my destination of Taiwan!!
Food wise I knew I could get something good here. I wasn't even very hungry because they did feed me one too many times on the plane ride here but I couldn't turn down eating at a new place!
I ended up having analysis paralysis while I was trying to figure out where to eat - there were so many options and they all looked SO GOOD. I ended up getting this delicious seafood noodle soup from Putien. It was delish.
Kaohsiung, Taiwan (KHH)
Finally I reached Taiwan! My sister came to pick me up at KHH, and I believe on the plane ride from Hong Kong to Taiwan they fed me... again! As it was about midnight and I have probably eaten like 5 meals at this point I was ready to just shower and get some rest, so I did NOT eat when I got there (which is what I normally do haha). My mom always wanted to hop off the plane and immediately have Taiwanese Oyster Vermicelli Noodle Soup back in the day.
Me arriving after 30+ hours of travel:
This trip will include plenty of food experiences, which I'll be sharing in my Taiwan Travel + Eats series.
Got questions or comments? Drop them below!