Taiwan

Taiwan is the trip food lovers whisper about. Night markets are a national sport here, and Taipei's are the major leagues: oyster omelettes, flame-torched beef cubes, bubble tea from the city that invented it, all for pocket change. But the island keeps surprising beyond the table. Taroko Gorge carves marble canyons you can walk through. The mountains of Alishan float above a sea of clouds at sunrise, reached by a century-old forest railway. Hot spring towns steam in the hills an hour from the capital. Temples burst with colour and incense between glass towers. Add the world's most efficient rail network and a population that treats visitors like honoured guests, and Taiwan becomes the easiest adventurous week in Asia. Arrive hungry. Leave planning the return.