If there is any lesson I wish to impart to travelers to Taiwan, it is this: “Abandon all preconceived notions you have of this country, leave your expectations at the door as you will be pleasantly surprised.” For instance, I Initially thought that the food will be generic Chinese/Asian fare, something that would already be passé with gastronomic adventurers & world weary travelers such as myself, but Taiwanese cuisine was uniquely its own & surprisingly rustic. I also assumed that all the sites/activities would be expensive since this was of course a 1st world country, but the food as amazingly affordable given its quality (a standard meal was on average 50NT only, 1 New Taiwan Dollar = 1.54 PHP give or take) & lodging was of comparable in terms of cost here in Manila, albeit a bit cramped :). Lastly I assumed that the people would have a hard/rough quality to them, as people from such economically advanced countries normally take on a stern, direct-to-the-point attitude, but the Taiwanese were warm & helpful, giving directions to stranded tourists despite the language barrier.
Day One
Ximending
We spent the first day getting our bearings of the city by walking around Ximending (which is where our hotel was located). A useful tip I shall give to backpackers is to find a hotel near here since it is close to a metro station, has a lot of food stalls ranging from restos to hawkers, the accommodations are reasonably priced & there is sufficient entertainment options available because of the street performers.
Wulai Park
Our next destination was Wulai Park. A quick MRT ride then a short bus trip later brought us to the square. Wulai is home to the Atayal people, an indigenous tribe in Taiwan. As such, it is not surprising to have an Atayal Tribal Museum at Wulai. Opened in 2005, the facility displays the relics & culture of the Taiwanese aboriginal people, so this is a must see for those who want to get to know more about the native population. The park also sports a cable car with an excellent view of the waterfalls & a log cart originally used to haul raw materials during the Japanese occupation. The food is excellent as well as we had our siesta, engorging ourselves in my favorite, roasted pigeon :).
Day Two
Yehliu Geopark
The next day we spent some time outside of Taipei by visiting Yehliu Geopark. The park is located along the sea shore, as such, the natural limestone in the park has been eroded for centuries thus creating some of the most amazing rock formations ever seen. Aside from the honey combed rocks & sea-eroded caves, the main attraction of the park is the iconic ‘Queen’s Head’, a mushroom type formation which from the side looks like the silhouette of an elegant lady. Arguably the figurehead akin to our ‘Sarimanok’ or Singapore’s ‘Merlion’, it was certainly the highlight of the day.
Cho Fen
A slight detour to Cho Fen awarded us with the experience of creating our own sky lantern. We were informed that it is customary to decorate all sides of the lantern with our wishes/hopes/dreams before setting it alight so that it will come true. The whole thing oozes ‘touristy’, but once in awhile it’s nice to indulge oneself :).
Shilin Night Market
Later that night we returned to Taipei proper & decided to explore the country’s culinary offerings at Shilin’s Night Market. Probably the most famous night market in the city, the food it offered was an explosion of flavors, ranging from Taiwan’s trademark sausage to the oyster omelet.
Day Three
On the 3rd day we decided to decelerate our pace & what better place to wind down & relax than a hot spring. This being a new experience for me, I may have misunderstood some of the norms expected. A tip from one traveler to another, a hot spring isn’t the same as your bathtub so do not try to wash your pits or hair 🙂 as other people also submerge themselves in the communal water.
Lungshan Temple
After this episode, we visited Lungshan temple. We arrived in the middle of prayers but we were allowed to observe. The temple had several booths that sell fruits & various other foodstuffs to be used as offerings. This gave the place the aura of a well oiled machine for business with the austerity of a church. My companions & myself burnt some incense to pay our respects. Seeing the mixture of Buddhists & Taoists chanting their prayers in such precise unison & devotion amidst the 300 year old majesty of the architecture, one cannot help but be awed at these hallowed halls.
Taipei 101
Before the day ended, we visited Taiwan’s most iconic structure, Taipei 101. The immense building contains a mall & several Michelin star restaurants. For 500 Taiwan dollars, they will give a guided tour to the summit, which includes a museum featuring the world famous Taiwan black jade jewelry & world’s largest tuned mass damped (anti earthquake device).
Day Four
Maokong Park
Day 4 was our Maokong visit. The park was similar in style & theme to Wulai, and it even had its own gondola ride, with the added excitement of the gondola floor being made of transparent glass! Called the ‘Crystal Cabins’, it is a major plus for adventure seekers, but a stress inducer for acrophobes.
Tien Kuan-Yin and Pao-Chong Tea Research & Promotion Center of Taipei
Having being exhausted with traveling all week, we decided to take it slow by spending out time at the Tieh Kuan-Yin & Pao-Chong Tea Research & Promotion Center of Taipei. The research center has a movie house to show documentary films about the Taiwanese obsession with Tea, their various breeds & blends, & how it is prepared. The tea harvesting & making process is meticulously explained through a series of tableaus of their machinery. Free all you can drink tea is provided to all guests, which makes the visit as enlightening as it is calming as the tea they grow.
Day Five
Our last day was a mixture of joy & sadness, having been quite attached to such a warm country in such a short amount of time. My companions & I decided to split up to visit the places we wanted to go but couldn’t decide which ones to go to first.
Taiwan National Museum
Being a child of history & science, I decided that my venue would be the Taiwan National Museum. Surprisingly smaller than our own “Museong Pambansa”, its exhibits are fascinating nonetheless. The displays currently running are about the different types of crustaceans & jade ornamentations. The permanent exhibits feature the history of Taiwan along with science displays.
CKS Memorial Hall
The climax of day was the CKS Memorial Hall (Imagine Luneta but on a larger scale). To the north & south is the National Theater & National Concert Hall, a veritable cornucopia of the performing arts. The memorial itself inspires awe thru its sheer size, & elegance with its blue tiled roofing. Inside the main entrance is a statue of a seated Chiang Kai-Shek, adding to the grandiosity of the structure. Beneath the enormous statue is a museum depicting the life & times of Chiang Kai-Shek himself, his rise to prominence in China, his split with the communist party, & his retreat to Taiwan.
I have an unspoken rule, wherein in order to maximize the countries that I get to visit, I should never go to the same place twice until I have checked off all the nations in my bucket list first. Taiwan is such a progressive, beautiful country, very modern yet in touch with its past, with warm, colorful, hospitable people, that I am seriously considering breaking this self made rule :).