‘Fun Taiwan’ culture-friendly for TV tilt winners

Zahra (left) and Yusuf

Malaysian siblings Zahra and Yusuf, who were chosen to appear in the travel series “Fun Taiwan First Timer,” are elated to have toured their dream destination for free. In the process, they were able to get an informative glimpse of the hit cable reality show’s creation.

“Fun Taiwan First Timer,” airing on TLC (Tuesdays, 8:05 p.m.), will feature the brother-sister duo in a coming episode this season.

‘Dream come true’

“This is a dream come true and was beyond my imagination,” Zahra told the Inquirer via e-mail. “I still cannot believe we had this opportunity,” said Yusuf, who was thankful for the “fun and enjoyable” visit. “The experience helped me see the world from a new point of view,” he added.

Getting chosen for the show was a surprise, Zahra related: “I dreamed of [visiting] it and prayed hard to God to make it happen. So when I saw the ‘Fun Taiwan First Timer’ contest, I immediately decided to participate.”

The siblings were able to go to famous attractions as well as other “fun” places that they did not plan for. Their episode’s theme was “train trip,” which meant that they were brought to their destinations by locomotive. “I never thought to travel via train,” Zahra said. “I realized that it was very convenient—we could [visit] the whole [of] Taiwan via train.”

The touring experience was exemplary, thanks to people who were “very nice” to them.

New friends

Zahra recounted, “We made a lot of new friends…We got lost, and started asking people for directions…I learned that the Hakka people in Taiwan serve lei cha (tea) to their guests. This is the same in Malay culture where we are taught to show respect to our guests. Malaysia is a multicultural country; we have Malay, Chinese, Indian and other [people], so I have seen Chinese culture in my own country.”

Yusuf added, “Since we are Muslim, we have restrictions and can only eat halal meals and need to do daily prayers. Halal food can be found. Some of the top attractions also have Muslim prayer rooms.”

Initially unsettling

Nine crew members, including the show’s host Patty Lee, followed them around. Only two cameramen filmed the show, which was initially unsettling.

On the entertainment value of the show, Zahra said, “Anyone can enjoy watching the show—it’s simple and pretty laid-back.”

Yusuf agreed, saying, “You don’t need to be a traveler…the show doesn’t only talk about traveling, it also covers culture and food. It can be watched and enjoyed with the family.”