Get lost on your travels and find a gem

Surely not, you say breathlessly, clutching your handy tourist guide to your chest while making sure the Google Map app is loaded on your phone. But what if that app suddenly stops working in the middle of Taichung while you’re on the hunt for a local pub?

My advice? Do yourself a favour and meander aimlessly through the quiet streets and eerily clean alleys of the western Taiwanese city. You might just be lucky enough to end up outside a Japanese self-service bar.

Yes, you heard right. A self-service bar.

Find a seat near the fridge, open the door and pull out one of the large bottles to share among the group. Don’t be distracted by the small beer mugs. They more than do the trick and are probably more dangerous than a traditional Western beer mug.

Don’t be fooled by these small beer glasses. They pack a punch if you’re not careful. Picture: Kate Henry

And expect the usual jokes. “If this was back home the beer would all be stolen” – and that not from a South African…

Then get into tasting the local Asian beers, from Taiwan Beer to Kirin or Asahai, and reminisce about your experiences as the crowd piles into the small venue. You may have to manoeuvre your stool to allow everyone else access to the fridge – you have to share – or crouch low as a game of darts takes place over your head, but this just adds to the atmosphere.

DISCOVERY. Get lost and find yourself a gem like this little bar in Taichung. Pictures: Kate Henry.

Feeling peckish? Take a quick trip to the outer section of the bar, point at the menu or the food in the display fridge and soon you’ll have your nibbles. So what’s the name of this little gem I discovered? I’m not telling.

Go get lost in Taichung and find one for yourself.

Find out more about travelling in Taiwan here.