Snake Alley

Snake Alley is definitely one of the strangest places I’ve been to. Also known as Huaxi Night Market (or Huaxi Jie to locals), it’s a fascinating mix of the weird and macabre. This nightmarket isn’t for the faint-hearted. In addition to shopping, there are loads of ‘interesting’ food stands if you’re looking for a strange evening snack. I couldn’t help being utterly fascinated by this lively nightmarket, even though some parts of it were disgusting. The big attraction here is the opportunity to see live snakes, such as cobras and boa constrictors being played with by fearless snake handlers. If you’re for animal rights, this isn’t the place for you. After handlers demonstrate their considerable skills at hypnotising cobras, the snakes are slit open from end to end and bled into cups. You can have a cup of fresh snake blood or snake bile, or you can try snake gallbladder or snake penis – all of which are considered healthy foods by the Taiwanese. Snake meat is also considered an aphrodisiac, so there are loads of sex shops and ‘professional ladies’ within the area. This area used to be a hot spot for brothels, although they have all been shut down. Whatever your reason for visiting, I’m sure you’ll be entertained and somewhat queasy after your visit to Snake Alley.