"Snakes? You want snakes?" Roused from my sleep at 35,000ft, why would I want snakes?

"Oh, you mean snacks."

Lovely as the air steward was, with a contented tummy already full of EVA Air's finest Din Tai Fung braised beef noodles, I didn't quite fancy snacks - or snakes for that matter.

Fast forward 24 hours and I'm in Taipei's Snake Alley. Tourists and locals come here to enjoy the many food stalls and shop for goods, such as CDs, bags, foot massages and jewellery.

More famously, visitors come from far and wide to view the snake shows' where snakes are turned into snake dishes, a process which is not for the squeamish.

Snake blood is also available to sip here, which is deemed by Asian people to be a great aphrodisiac and virility-booster.

There are a lot of pre- (and often mis-) conceptions about Taiwan. Granted, in recent years, there has been a lot of manufacturing in Taiwan and it's likely that both your saucepan and oven have been made on this small island off China.

Yet, what's really interesting are the things that most people don't know about Taiwan.

Firstly, it's about the size of Wales, so seeing the best bits aren't going to take you long to cover. Within only 10 days or so, you can wonder at paddy fields, meet traditional aboriginal tribes and stay at a monastery.

Take the night markets in Taipei and every other town and city in Taiwan. One of the best ways to sample both the country's food and its social scene is to head to the local night market.

This is where everyone - old and young - hangs out. Having just arrived that night, I decided to grab the bull by the horns and take a hop in a taxi to Shilin Night Market.

There, I found streets teeming with trainers, huddled with handbags, crammed with cameras, inundated with jewellery.

In one street, I came across no fewer than 12 shops next to each other all selling the latest Converse baseball trainers - none of which were yet available in the UK - plus, they were selling for half the price they do over here.

Having stocked up on memory sticks, as well as the latest Sony digital camera, we then headed to the food market.

Food is one thing that this small country does well. Were you aware, for instance, that there is said to be a snack shop every three steps and a restaurant every five in Taiwan?

Here, we did as the locals did. I shadowed a young Taiwanese couple and confidently ordered what they were having - only asking for the dishes' names and ingredients afterwards.

I tasted delicious oyster omelettes cooked in front of me on a steaming grill. We gorged on the ubiquitous and infamous stinky tofu - which tasted more like a ripe Camembert than old rubber boots, as its name might suggest.

To wash it all down, we drank pearl tea, which is milky tea with large chewy tapioca balls in the bottom - a drink to which I got strangely addicted during my stay in Taiwan, even if it is non-alcoholic.

Throughout my travels in Taiwan, we had plenty of fresh seafood and shellfish, from boiled abalone and stir-fried chilli shrimp to freshwater mussels with vermicelli.

Another must is a foot massage parlour, to where we hot-footed it after our night market dinner.

Qualified foot masseurs can be found all over Taiwan night markets, chain stores and even five-star hotels. The Taiwanese revere foot massage as a popular way to release stress, as it stimulates reflex areas that are linked to every organ and gland of the body.

It can promote blood flow and metabolism and is ideal for travellers who are on their feet much of the time.

This was the hype and not short of the reality, but a Taiwanese foot massage can be somewhat painful to endure!

The masseurs often speak little English and, instead, you are presented with a small card with a diagram of your left and right feet on it.

This diagram divides the sections of your feet into separate reflexology areas, which are numbered.

The masseur will then knead and prod your feet and when you yelp in pain, they shout out the number, which corresponds to your diagram, therefore telling you whether you have problems with your heart, lungs or other vital bits, as I did. It's a little like bunion bingo.

Time to rest our weary heads from our first night in Taipei before taking in some culture the next day.

Our first full day in Taipei was a culture vulture's dream. Up early, we caught the MRT Danshui Line to Shilin Station, before jumping on the bus R30 (Red 30) to the National Palace Museum.

Fascinatingly, a lot of China's most precious pieces of art were shipped here during the Cultural Revolution on the mainland, meaning that the museum is home to some of the best Chinese art in the world.

It's no surprise that the National Palace Museum has been voted one of the top four museums in the world.

After lunch, we headed to Taipei 101, which at more than 508 metres is the world's tallest building. Built to resemble a large stalk of bamboo, its first few floors are home to some swanky shops, including Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino, and a food court.

Views from the tower showed Taipei's nearby tea plantations, all of which are still planted and harvested for the country's famous oolong tea.

The next day, we headed out to Taroko Gorge, where marble cliffs reached dizzingly up towards the sky and rushing rivers ran beneath.

Here was our opportunity to hike and walk one of the trails, visiting Swallow Grotto, the Tunnel of Nine Turns and Eternal Spring shrine.

Trekking opportunities are both plentiful and exciting here; ranging from short picturesque nature walks to longer, more rugged paths for the more adventure-seeking.

In just a half-day self-guided tour, we hiked past lofty mountains, deep canyons, head-spinning precipices, elegant waterfalls and wild rapids.

A trip to Taiwan is not complete without a visit to the mystical Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's largest freshwater body.

The lake is considered sacred by the local aboriginal people and encircling the lake are numerous temples and picturesque pavilions, gardens and pagodas, each offering a unique perspective on the waters below.

At sun Moon Lake, we stayed at what is widely considered the best leisure hotel in Taiwan - and rightly so.

The Lalu was designed in 2002 by Australian architect Kerry Hill, who has won numerous design awards. With all rooms overlooking the lake and the longest swimming pool in Taiwan, which also serves as an infinity pool with its waters seeming to spill straight into the lake, The Lalu certainly has the wow factor'.

During our tour of Taiwan, we made two more stops and stayed with two very different types of Taiwanese communities.

The first of these was an overnight homestay visit with members of the Rukai aboriginal tribe in the southern part of the central mountain range.

And lastly, we were lucky enough to stay at the Fo Guang Shan Monastery just outside Kaoshiung. Here, we followed around literally hundreds of monks and nuns, who had all made their home at the monastery.

In the evening, we joined in their prayers and meditation, while in the morning, we rose at dawn for t'ai chi outside the main Buddhist temple, followed by breakfast in silence and calligraphy classes - not as easy as it may look.

Taiwan is not what you expect. Its capital, Taipei, is modern and forward thinking, its people kind and welcoming, shy and endearing.

The island is everything you would associate with Asia and conversely, nothing like the rest of the continent.

FACTFILE

  • Flights were booked with EVA Air at www.evaair.com and return prices from London to Taipei in 2008 start from about £823 for an adult in economy class
  • Hotel accommodation at The Lalu was booked online at www.thelalu.com.tw. As of January 2008, prices start at £323 for a double bedroom based on a B&B basis.
  • For further information about Taiwan, please visit www.taiwan.net.tw