We're in Taiwan now (at a hot springs resort 😍 in Yangmingshan National Park, outside of Taipei).
Not really any major culture shocks yet, aside from people being very polite. It's my first time in Taiwan, and I can speak a bit of Mandarin. It's been enough to get by so far. No one has tried to talk to us in English yet despite Harris' white presence 😂
I wanted to share this cute anecdote...we arranged for an airport pickup through our hotel, and our driver Matt pointed out some sights as we drove from TPE to the hotel (~1.5h drive). He asked me how many times we'd been to Taiwan before, and I told him it was our first time. At some point during the ride he pulled over and told us to wait for a bit. I figured he might have been using the bathroom or getting lunch (since he was probably driving/waiting at the airport for awhile), but when he got back he gave Harris and me each a Taiwanese sandwich and said "welcome to Taiwan" 🥹 it was really good btw
It's weird how everyone here looks at me and knows/assumes that I can speak Mandarin. But it feels a lot better than all the people in Nepal asking me where I'm "really" from... The air quality and harmony with nature here are also especially refreshing coming off of our time in Nepal. I'm glad I can use tap water to brush my teeth again.