Jamie's Favorites: Night Markets

Something about being up at all hours of the night shopping for bargains is just so appealing to me. What's amazing is, I'm not the only one that feels that way - Taiwan night markets are bustling all through the night.

Let me paint you a picture...

Small street or alleyway, so crowded you're getting to know the people you're squeezing by a little too well, noisy, cheap goods, hawkers shouting out deals and trying to get your attention, loud dance music blairing on giant speakers, the smell of all kinds of fried delights is overwhelming...and it's 3 a.m.

Imagine being in the middle of a purchase and in a blink of an eye, your vendor is packed up and outta there - all that's left is the wheel marks from their little cart. The cause of this fun part of night markets? Rumor of cops roaming around. Don't worry, they come back and unpack within a couple minutes and you can continue your bartering. This applies only to the little illegal "booths" in the middle of the night market strips.

Imagine getting full on some delicious Taiwanese treats - spending MAYBE about $3 (U.S.)! (I've posted pictures of food options below - this is just a taste of what's available.)

Yep...I love every bit of it.

I vividly remember multiple times growing up when our aunts would be gabbing through the night, laughing, shouting over each other, the usual - all wanting to be heard. My cousins and I would be woken up by their chatter (that's a nice way of putting it) and we'd want to be up too - so we'd hit the night markets. What a blast!

You can get some cheap clothes, cds, blankets, sneakers, jewelry (lots of jewelry), souvenirs, whatever your heart desires!

Here are some pictures I've found that help me to flash back to the fun - though I'm sure you'll be seeing my first-hand pictures not long after I arrive in Taiwan hehe.

One of my favorites - delish fried chicken (usually it's cut up into little chunks).

You can get almost anything on a stick - read the signs.

Another favorite of mine - candied fruit (on a stick of course) - YUM!

Fresh fruit galore - heck yeah!

Stinky tofu - it's on our bucket list this year haha.

ANOTHER favorite - mango shaved ice! There are a TON of topping options for this yummy late night dessert.