On his third time travelling on chinese territory, our stoked traveler finds himself in Taiwan - the birthplace of F4 and other TV drama that Filipinos are so fond of. He was picked up at the airport by a chauffeur driving a Lexus! Yihee! The 45-minute Lexus ride from the airport to the hotel was nothing but luxury. Nothing beats driving down the highway and looking at the road-side scenery while riding a Lexus J
Our traveler and his companion were booked at Howard International House. They would’ve been able to stay at a 5-star hotel, Fullerton Hotel, if only it weren’t fully-booked at the time due to the Computex-Taiwan Expo.
Computex is nothing much…It just happens to be the 2nd largest IT exposition in the world! It definitely was a pleasant bonus to our travelers in this Taipei trip
This was a business trip. Our traveler was there to have meetings and some meet-and-greet sessions with his foreign counterparts while his companion was there to attend trainings and do the same. Both loved traveling, naturally, they took the time to go around Taipei and make the most out of the trip.
During the day they would go to the office but late in the afternoon till late at night they would go about taking the MTR to nearby and not so far-off areas of the city.
The MTR rail system was very convenient. The stations themselves were very well maintained and the shops on each station were very enticing. It was tiring to do a lot of walking but very liberating to have a DIY tour of the city. They could spend as much time as they wanted on a certain area. They didn’t take a cab because it would be expensive and complicated when it comes to directions.
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
This hall was recently renamed Taiwan National Democracy Memorial Hall, however, most of the maps still show its old name and besides Chiang Kai-Shek sounds more historic J From afar the building looks small but as you get closer you realize the door alone is about 19 meters! Unfortunately the travelers weren’t able to get in because it was already closed by the time they arrive L
Lungshan Temple
Longshan (lungshan) Temple is a famous old temple in Taiwan. The layout is square and quite serene. The doors, beams, and poles are beautifully decorated. There is a pair of bronze dragon poles in the front hall, four pairs of dragon poles in the middle hall. The sculptures are intricate. There is a large Buddha statue at the main hall of this temple were a lot of worshippers offer incense for prayers. More than just sightseeing, there is a touch of literature visiting this temple as there a lot of Chinese poems and verses. If only our stoked traveler could read Chinese J
Hwashi Night Market
Our travelers arrived there by foot a little too early. It wasn’t exactly part of the itinerary but having walked the area around lunghsan temple and read the street signs for some time, they found themselves in Hwashi Night Market. It pretty much contains some unusual stuff like turtle flesh and snakes. A few side-street food shops and some souvenirs can also be found.
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| They claim that this is the world's largest albino phyton |
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. The secret to this is through the use of a giant pendulum-like wind damper that sways to offset the movements in the building caused by strong gusts. It is the largest mass damper sphere in the world. There are two other tuned mass dampers at the tip of the spire.
Shilin night market
The Shilin Night Market is a market in the Shilin District of Taipei and is often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in the city. Our traveler and his companion rode the MTR to the Shilin station and walked around the area at night.
Amongst the items of interest were bargain clothes, decors and of course Food! They bought some caramelized fruits for tasting. His companion could speak a little Chinese and offered to order milk tea. After all the waiting, he ended up getting ‘mango juice’ instead. L Up to this day, he still doesn't understand why his companion ordered the regular mango juice instead of the pearl milk tea. His companion claimed that she really wanted juice (though our stoked traveler doubts that was the case). For dinner he remembers buying oyster omelet and stinky tofu while his friend bought deep-fried chicken fillet. Open-market dining has its down-side, you have to be extra careful not to upset your stomach. This of course, was something our travelers had to learn firsthand.
Our travelers had a weekend to spend in Taiwan so they took the chance to go on a tour to the remote areas of northern Taiwan
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| Stinky Tofu is a must try to complete the night market experience in Shilin |
The first half-day tour they took was the Chiufen Village & Northeast Coast Tour. It cost NT$1100 each and lasted for 4 hours. The tour would pick them up at the hotel, bring them around the locations and send them back to the hotel. Pretty much worry-free and was decent enough for first time travelers.
Pitouchiao (pitou cape)
There is really nothing much to see but cave holes and platforms on top of green hills. Still, it was a good breather from the long trip coming from Taipei.
Nanya Rock Formations
This one particularly looked awesome on the brochure. Our traveler imagined it looking like the one in the Grand Canyon. When they arrive on the spot, it was a real let down. Maybe because they had high expectations of the place. It looked nice and unique but because they weren't as massive as they looked on the photos – they only ended up looking cute.
The rock formations were made of sandstone and oxidated iron ore that had unique patterns. One of which looked like a chocolate bar. More than the rock formations, our traveler appreciated the cool sea breeze better.
It is interesting to know that somewhere in our own country, up in Ilocos, DOT is now campaigning a similar rock formation when one travels up north.
Bay of Two colors
This is one of those stopovers of the tour that didn’t interest our travelers too much. It was supposed to be blue and green because of the mineral deposits. However, it was only dark blue (maybe gray) and brown which was typical. Probably due to the weather that day.
Chiufen Village (Jiufen)
It was further uphill to get to this stop of the tour. Chiufen village was once the gold mining center of Taiwan. The tour guide told the traveler and his companions that they used to be able mine gold the size of a pumpkin in that area. The gold is now gone but the village still offers enchanting scenery and glimpses into the lifestyles of Taiwan’s past. Jiufen means "gold" in the local language.
It was further uphill to get to this stop of the tour. Chiufen village was once the gold mining center of Taiwan. The tour guide told the traveler and his companions that they used to be able mine gold the size of a pumpkin in that area. The gold is now gone but the village still offers enchanting scenery and glimpses into the lifestyles of Taiwan’s past. Jiufen means "gold" in the local language.
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| The tourists in old china town |
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| Enjoying bubble tea while walking the streets and striking a pose |
The second half-day tour they took was the Northern coast tour. It was a day tour because they were scheduled to fly back to the Philippines sometime in the afternoon. It cost NT$1000 each and had the same arrangement as the previous tour
Yehliu Scenery (wan-li, Taipei county)
This has got to be the best stop of the 2nd half-day tour we took. Our travelers have never been to a place like this ever. The wild-looking landscape makes it easy to imagine what it would be like stepping on another planet.
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As with the other spots, this area is again very breezy as it is near the shore. The surroundings and the weather makes it very relaxing while the travelers marvel at the rock formations. Now this place really blew our traveler away. His heart was like a kid filled with enthusiasm and excitement. He wanted to stay there longer just to preserve the place in his memory.
One can see different formations, some looked like honey combs, candles, mushrooms, shoes, map of Taiwan and chicken drumstick. But the main attraction is a rock formation that kind of looks like Queen Cleopatra’s head – the Queen’s head. There are actually two of them, the more intricate one they moved somewhere less prone to weathering to preserve the form.
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| Queen's head 1 |
There is also a marine world in Yeliou. Unfortunately, it isn’t part of the tour. Our travelers only had to imagine that it kind of looks like Hongkong’s Atoll Reef.
Buddha statue
It was raining again when our travelers reached this part of the tour. It’s main attraction was the Statue of the goddess of mercy. It is the biggest goddess status in Southeast Asia. The tour guide said that this was also called the seafarers’ goddess. The area overlooking from this spot was the Keelung harbor and it was prone to strong winds. That’s why seafarers would pray to the goddess of mercy to keep them safe while at sea.
Keelung City Keelung Harbor
The tour didn’t really take the travelers to the harbor itself. Instead, they were asked to gaze at it from a distance. It had a Hollywood like sign on a nearby hill that read ‘KEELUNG’. Our stoked traveler has never seen the Hollywood sign but he is thankful to see one that is almost of the same effect.
Both tours were great except for the last stop which would bring the tourists to a souvenir shop with outrageous prices! Best to skip this tourist trap and buy souvenirs during the earlier stops.
Other places to visit in Taiwan
There are still a lot to Taiwan that has to be seen. Unlike the Philippines, travel to tourist destinations is a more conducive because of the topography of the country. A train or a bus ride will take travelers to places. Here’s a list of places our stoked traveler wishes to see someday.
- East coast & Taroko (Marble) Gorge
- Kenting Park
- Kaoshiung
- Yangminghsan National Park
- Sun Moon Lake
- National Palace Museum
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