A visit from Frans: Epic nights & dreadfull days

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of having one of my very good friends from back home as a guest here in Taipei. The last time I saw Frans was when we were both still living in Bangkok but that was still more than a year ago I guess. Anyway, after spending some time working in Thailand, he surprised me with the question if it would suit me if he’d pay me a visit.
Living in Bangkok and Manila there was much more of a probability of people stopping by, whether it was just for me or because they just happened to be in the neighbourhood. When I moved to Taipei, I never thought that anyone would purposely come to Taiwan to pay little old me a visit.

The added benefit of having Frans coming to visit me was that not only could I get some updates from the Netherlands but I was also able to find out what was happening in Bangkok. After picking him up from the airport we furiously exchanged stories about what had transpired in the passing time since we last saw each other. It was good to talk to a close friend again who knows your dirty little secrets and can call you out on your bullshit, ha ha.
As he arrived on a Saturday night it was only fitting that after a quick sample of a Taiwanese night market we continued our cultural exploration with tasting some Taiwanese beers. In our conversations we learned that we had both been very busy and that we hadn’t spent much time clubbing or bar hopping, so naturally we vowed to do something about that.

To be honest I’m not quite sure what I have previously written about the nightlife, but the club scene here is unexpectedly vibrant. We headed down to Luxy and fell into a familiar setting from back in the good old days. Many a beverage was enjoyed and as our judgement got clouded we decided to visit another club but forgot that we didn’t have the right ID with us which potentially saved us from a humongous hangover the next day.

Prior to his arrival, I had made some plans of what to do but all of those plans were good weather related. On Sunday the sun wasn’t willing to play along with those plans and left us to explore Taipei with an umbrella in hand. We nonetheless enjoyed ourselves with simply strolling around town and visiting some of the more familiar sights in Taipei. We even got to partake in an epic 4g experience, well that’s how they sold it to us at least.
After a few hours of wandering about we returned home to rest up a bit and try some more of the local cuisine and more importantly to get ready for a next night of fun. The club we had opted for had an open bar night and upon arrival it seemed we were not the only ones who knew about it. Normally I would never even think about standing in line for any amount of time to get into a club but since the options were scarce on a Sunday we endured the queue. The club was very busy and steamy from the jam-packed dance floor, needless to say we happily joined in after an adequate amount of drinks.

The next night, after a long and painful day of work, I was hoping for a somewhat quiet night but had forgotten that the Dutch team had to play in the world cup. Minutes away from my front door there is a sports bar where watching football would already have been a good option, but this particular bar is also the local waterhole of the KLM staff that is housed in a hotel nearby. In other words the bar was taken over by the Dutch and orange was the colour of choice. Now I don’t remember much from the game but I rarely do, the important thing is that the Dutch won so we had a good night.

Yet another unpleasant day for me at work made me realise that it would probably be for the best if we could manage one night without coming home in the wee hours of the morning. A visit to the king of all night markets in Taipei was an ideal substitute. In Shilin night market we made a commendable attempt at trying as much as we could to take in from the Taiwanese cuisine, including favourites such as stinky tofu, beef noodle soup, oyster omelettes and some fried crabs thrown in for good measure. Despite best intentions we did end up in a bar again but at least made it home in time for me to catch a few hours of sleep before the next gruelling day at work.

Wednesday was our last night together in Taipei and with having some more sleep in the previous night I had no excuses to go big on our last night. Another tasty meal was had, but this time we veered away from local cuisine and had some rather nice fish and chips complemented by a showing of a classic movie on a big screen above us.
The idea had been to visit some new bars that I hadn’t been before but as it turned out all of the bars were showing the world cup and did not satisfy as pleasant atmosphere to enjoy some drinks. Once again we headed down the 101 area to have a look at another club. Time was already working against me at this point but what the heck right, we’d just have a few and then call it a night. A few were had followed by a few more and resulting in a classic night that got slightly out of control.
The next morning we were trying to fill in the gaps in our memories and said our dazed goodbyes, both not fully awake nor sober I fear…

It was absolutely fantastic to see my mate again and have so many good times in such a short period. However I could not deny that my body was relieved to not have to go out again on a weekday. I guess it’s fair to say that the fun I had at night was only equalled by the pain I felt during the day at work, but it was more than worth it.
Frans thank you very much for stopping by here in Taipei.
Now I know it’s not fair to say this but so far Frans has managed to see me every year at least once since I moved to Asia, so he on top on the leader board for most visits, but the second spot is a tight race. So for anyone who is thinking of stopping by in Taipei, please do, you are most welcome and you might just nab that second spot after Frans, ha ha.