Before we decided to move to Taiwan, we did as much research as we could about what to expect. The summertime weather always manages to make the list. I remember one person describing it as a soul-sucking heat, and that is not far off the mark. It is hot and humid here in the summer. Sometimes there are strong winds, but the rain never helps. What does help are some of the proven ways to find some needed relief from the muggy, crushing heat on the street.
1. Have you noticed that there are drink shops EVERYWHERE here? Now you know why!
Sometimes you just have to ask for full ice. There are so many drink shops in the cities that you would swear that people live solely off of cold tea. Taiwan isn’t the first muggy place to rely on the refreshing properties of sweet cold tea. But they have, arguably, raised that pursuit to an art form. The list of available drinks and things that you can add to them literally stretches on and on, and includes blended fruit smoothies and iced coffee drinks if tea isn’t your thing. Nothing like dealing with the heat on the outside by drinking something tasty and cool.
2. Why not indulge in a cold sweet treat too?!
Tasty cold drinks aren’t the only option. Shaved ice is also a thing, but this is not your typical snow cone. Taiwan takes its shaved ice seriously. Solid blocks of ice shaved so thin that it becomes fluffy soft. Or pure ice crushed so fine that it instantly takes on the flavor of whatever fruit or syrup or …. other things that you put on top. Served in “single” serving sizes that are as big as your head, this is a way to instantly shave a few degrees off of your temperature.
Dohua (or tofu pudding) is another refreshing local remedy for the heat in the form of a tasty treat. It can also come with all sorts of interesting toppings (some of which may take some getting used to for us westerners, liked boiled peanuts, barley, or of course red bean). Pauline still hasn’t quite warmed up to all the toppings, but she is addicted to plain dohua in a cold fresh squeezed lemon juice/syrup. And it’s served conveniently at a place just a few blocks from our work (check it out yourself, if you’re in the area! Its right here next to the Dazhi MRT station).
Many of the 7-11s and Family Marts also has soft-serve ice cream, and sometimes they have some really fun seasonal flavors – like cantaloupe or green tea!
3. When’s the last time you went ice skating?
Taipei arena has an ice-skating rink that is open every day. For a few dollars, you can get a two hour ticket. Gear rental is just a few dollars more. Then again, if ice skating is really outside of your skill set and you just need to get some serious cooling off time, there is a spectator ticket that is good for hours for just a dollar. Or if you’re really feeling more like playing in the water then playing on ice, there’s a great public pool at Dahu Park!
4. Think indoor attractions are just for rainy days? Think again!
One of the shocking things about Taiwan isn’t just how terribly hot it is outside, but how incredibly cold it can be inside. A lot of public spaces have the AC cranked up all the way. So a movie, especially discount theaters, a museum, or any indoor public space will be refreshingly cool. Next on our list of indoor activities to try is Laser Tag, and we just recently tried Funlocks Escape room and loved it! You may also consider going out for afternoon tea (very popular with the locals) or any of other indoor activities we listed in our Rainy Day Taipei post! You just have to find the right mix of entrance price to entertainment factor. People are all about getting out of the sun here, and there are a lot of options available. Speaking of which, locals here are also big on using umbrellas as parasols. They even sell many styles of umbrellas that are especially suited for blocking the sun. And they do come in handy for the occasional summer thunderstorms that roll in.
5. You know its cooler when the sun’s down, right?
Well, ok. Maybe not COOL but at least COOLER, always! Even nights can be hot and muggy here sometimes. But at least you don’t have the sun beating down on you as well! We love taking night time bike rides along the well lit (and SUPER safe) riverfront parks in Taipei. This is an especially good activity because you create your own cooling breeze as you ride! Plus you get some exercise while taking in some great views Taipei’s beautiful bridges and maybe Taipei 101 too.
Of course night markets are another popular summer evening activity. Or you may also want to try going on a night time hike – say up to Elephant mountain! Early morning hikes and bike rides are also a great option – although that does require waking up.
A few final Tips!
Of course you may decide to brave the summer heat for a butterfly hike or day out on the beach (Fulong’s Sand sculptures are definitely worth suffering some sun to see). But if you do go out, take a few lessons from the locals. Wear a sun hat! Use a UV protecting umbrella. AND get a hold of some cooling armbands! For the entire first year I was here, I scoffed at all the people wearing these – assuming they were just the locals’ attempts to avoid getting tan. But that’s only part of it. Thankfully a friend made me try hers on and I was blown away by their immediate cooling effect. You can buy them at lots of stores in Taipei – such as the everything store off of The MRT Brown Line’s Technology Station.