- [Woman] And you're good to go.

(upbeat music)

- So we made it on.

Didn't expect to be catching a flight

from Toronto to Vancouver but,

you know, due to some mix-up,

we kinda got things worked out.

But travel's serendipitous like that.

You never know what's gonna happen.

(upbeat music)

Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited

but I am just really really tired right now.

12 more hours to go

and then we land in Taipei and hit the ground running.

Free tea?

We're doin' it!

(upbeat music)

In December, we had the opportunity

to travel to Taiwan with my wife, Chantelle.

We explored the country from top to bottom.

We learned about something called Taiwanese "Re Qing"

and came out of it with that much more of an appreciation

for the people, the culture,

the landscapes and very full and satisfied tummies.

I don't know if we pushed ourselves to the limit

as much as we have on this trip,

but that's kind of what travel is all about.

This was one awesome trip that I'll never forget.

(static buzzing)

Last time I only stayed here a couple days

but didn't give Taiwan the attention it deserved.

Only stayed in Taipei,

got hit with the typhoon,

didn't really get to see a whole lot.

So this time, I'm back.

I'm going to live like a local in Taiwan

and truly see Taiwan for everything that

most people don't really know about.

Hey, they said it.

It's Time for Taiwan.

Well, it's an early start.

I got my bags

and I guess we're heading out.

Looks like who it is.

We're on the cab, we got picked up by Kevin of Avis

and there's wifi on board.

(upbeat music)

Let's check it out.

Looks like you need to put this in.

And we have light.

Hello, lights?

(button clacking)

Lights on.

Maybe.

Okay, I can't figure it out.

It's right here, this is how you turn it on,

not on the inside.

There are more lights here.

I don't know what they do.

(water running)

(razor buzzing)

(yawning)

All right, so just

back from a bit of a nap.

I feel like a bit more like a normal person.

I'm still exhausted.

So, gonna check out a few food places today.

Not sure what it's gonna bring me

but I got a few recommendations.

Tummy's growlin'.

Thank goodness for pocket wifi.

Hey, 7-Eleven.

Yes, the tea egg.

Whoa, so many different EasyCards.

The only character I recognize from here

is Bad Badtz-Maru.

Now I didn't know it at the time,

but I actually bought the wrong card.

It wasn't an EasyCard.

It was something called an icash 2.0.

Okay, that was a slight detour.

Oh, so right across the street over there

is the original Din Tai Fung.

I've been there before.

There's quite a bit of a line.

I'm not gonna go this time,

but this definitely brings back memories.

I gotta say the weather here feels amazing.

It's not humid here at all.

It's overcast, so not sunny.

(horn beeping)

Think we're down this street.

Oh shit, I guess I'm here.

Check out the line.

Hopefully this line isn't too long,

but I guess I made it here for the wait.

(speaking in Mandarin)

We got a couple things right here

that I want to try out,

so the first thing is

we got the non-spicy version of

the beef noodles.

This is good.

This is good stuff, man, look at that.

So I don't know how I'm gonna top this but,

I'm probably gonna have more

throughout this whole trip.

We've got these pork ribs

in a bit of spicy rice.

Hopefully I'll be okay

but man, this looks delicious.

That's some good pork rib.

I can't even read the signs here.

It's all in Chinese but I just told them what I wanted.

I wanted beef noodles,

I wanted this

and that was it, so that's kinda how it goes.

A little thirsty now,

so I think it's time for a drink.

(upbeat music)

(speaking in a foreign language)

I dedicate today to food.

So we're on the famous Yong Kang Street right now.

On to more food.

Guys, made it to Smoothie House.

So many choices.

I got this behemoth right here.

I don't know how I'm gonna finish this by myself.

We got, guys, we got like mango, shave ice,

panna cotta, this is good.

This is not like

your Icee back home.

It's something different.

I'd almost call it a shaved snow.

It kinda just melts in your mouth.

Brain freeze.

I mean, so I'd totally eat more,

but I am so full right now.

Wish I had two stomachs though.

(bell dinging)

That would be really good.

Last time I was here, they used token.

What?

No token?

So what you notice here in Taiwan

is just how clean the subways are,

whether it's on the platform or on the train.

Big difference.

So, in a turn of events,

it's a bit rainy right now,

but we're at the start of the trail of the Xiangshan climb,

which is where you get those views of Taipei 101.

So we're gonna attempt it, see what we get,

and hopefully the rain doesn't come down on us.

Now this is the vertical climb

that you're facing.

(exhales) You see this?

You see this, this is bonusfide sweat.

Ooh, it's hot.

Well guys, this is what we came for.

And eventually,

guys, I made it to the top.

All right, so behind me, we've got the six giant rocks.

We've got a ton of people lining up

for those epic views of Taipei 101 from Elephant Mountain

and let me tell you, it was definitely worth the climb.

(upbeat music)

Oh shit, think I pushed it too hard on the stairs.

So I'm like literally stuck here.

Can't move (groans).

Crap.

That was a bit of a scary moment.

Legs totally spazzed out.

The knee basically locks down and