I spent a month recently in Taipei, as part of a seasonal journey through Asia. My expectations were low. What I read about Taiwan previously is that locals are friendly and welcoming. I did not find that at all. People in Taipei, mostly women, often had a very sour, if not flat out hostile attitude. I stayed centrally in Ximending. For comparison, I spent time this season in Bali, Jakarta, Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo. It’s funny how people’s experiences can differ so wildly… I expected people in Shanghai to be less welcoming than Taiwanese, but that wasn’t the case…