I was having coffee just near my hotel. It was early morning in Taipei. I arrived on a red eye in the wee hours and had slept only a few hours. I was reading up on Taiwan, drinking my coffee. I had just opened the map provided by my hotel when almost immediately someone asked me if I needed directions somewhere. This wasn't a scam. You will find that the Taiwanese are especially friendly towards foreigners visiting their little island. This same thing happened again and again. People would just ask me if I needed help every time I opened a map. In this trip, I would soon find out about one of the best and friendliest places on earth. Taiwan was suppose to be a short trip before going to Japan, but ever since I've returned there almost every year; if nothing else, but for the friendliness of its people. It's one of the few places where I feel safe, calm, and simply content.