Entry #13 Taiwan: July 9 - July 14, 2019
Taiwan ... So Much to See... So Little Time!
We are approaching the final stretch of our 6 month adventure. It’s beginning to feel like a race against time and we are only too aware that there are limits to what we can do in the remaining weeks. We can no longer linger lazily for a month in every country we’d like to see. That is why we only allotted 5 days for Taiwan. We expected it would be a great way to peak in and get a taste for this island nation. The truth is, we had so much fun in 5 days, and had such a variety of experiences, that it feels more like it was weeks of travel and months worth of memories.
Landing in Taipei is like being dropped in an Asian Times Square. This city is as alive as it is illuminated. The view down most streets is a collage of neon signs featuring bright blocks of Chinese characters, which to our eyes appear to be portraits of cool geometric symbols.
For the first few days we took full advantage of the extensive web of public transportation and rode the metro in every direction.
We visited crowded night markets serving up delectable deep fried...everything.
We wandered through the city’s maze of streets to go check out temples.
To end off a day of exploring, we hiked the many steps up Elephant Mountain for an impressive lookout over the city at sunset.
We made the best of a rainy day and went on safari in the Taipei Zoo.
While it’s always fun to get a close look at the animals…
...there was another particularly entertaining spectacle in the giant aviary. It seems like locals come here to convince themselves they are the most rugged of nature photographers. Equipped with lenses fit for National Geographic, these photographers aim to capture the perfect shot of the captive birds that perch incredibly close the the paparazzi madly clicking away.
After the rain cleared we took a trip up to tea country up in the mountains overlooking Taipei. Surrounded by rolling green hills, we took a break in a beautiful tea house, pretending we knew how to differentiate between the great variety of teas offered on the menu.
The best view was from the gondola, which whisked us back down just as the setting sun painted the sky over the distant skyscrapers of the city.
Since the scorching temperatures made it difficult to be active outside during the day, we got used to extending playtime well into the night. (The kids were going to bed around midnight and sleeping in in the mornings to optimize the more comfortable hours of the day.) We were extremely lucky to meet a wonderful family of American travellers, whose children were as excited to play in the park, in the dark, as ours were. We had a wonderful time getting to know, Shaun, Jen, and their awesome kiddos, Madelyn and Jocelyn.
Even though we only had 5 days in Taiwan, we wanted to see more than just the capital city. Jumping on a train we were able to zip over to the countryside for a quick visit to the town of Hualien, which is the gateway to the Taroko Gorge. It’s here that we got a true understanding of Taiwanese hospitality.
Meet Lee Chin. He is the owner of the Lishin Hotel where we stayed. From the moment we met, he showed us the most incredible kindness and generosity, treating us more like family than anything else.
Lee personally gave us a tour of the more notable sights in Hualien. On the day we checked in, he spent a whole afternoon and evening with us taking us to a nature park with carefully manicured landscaping and a variety of cool animals. Lee also made sure to take us to a tourist bus stop favourite - a Starbucks, cleverly built out of shipping containers.
During our short stint in Hualien we spent some memorable quality time with Lee and his family. After showing us the attractions at a new modern mall, we couldn’t say no to letting the kids have some bouncy castle fun. Lee’s little guys joined in. We were overwhelmed with Lee’s desire to treat us, guide us, and help us. We are deeply grateful to have such a warm-hearted new friend in this part of the world.
In contrast to the electric buzz of Taipei’s city streets was the quiet grandeur of the Toroko Gorge. This is a twisty-turny-dressed-in-jungle-marble-walled-sapphire-streamed-19 kilometre long -Taiwanese-Grand-Canyon.
Here, we followed trails carved out of limestone cliffs, dipped into refreshing rivers, craned our necks up at white marble mountains, crept through dark cave corridors, and even walked under the torrential downpour of a mighty waterfall breaking through the roof of a tunnel.
Our pictures fail miserably at capturing the scale of the jaw-dropping beauty of the gorge, but trust us… this place is phenomenal!
Taiwan surprised us in many ways. For example, we were shocked to discover a "Roots" store in the main shopping district. Apparently this Canadian brand is quite popular in Taiwan, as we constantly saw people decked out in "Roots" gear.
Another surprise appeared at our Hualien hotel. This high tech toilet’s buttons were labelled in Chinese (we think)… so it’s effects were certainly unexpected.
After a while we were no longer surprised at the consistent show of kindness and thoughtfulness from Taiwanese people.
On a crowded subway, people would insist on giving us their seats. Waiting on a train platform, strangers gifted us with cold drinks. A staff at a hotel, who struggled with her English, opted to walk us to a restaurant when she couldn’t translate her recommendation. And then there was the totally out-of-this-world generosity from our new friend, Lee.
Our visit was brief, but we are so happy that this short stay has left us wanting more. We would be extremely excited to return again one day and keep exploring the many delights of Taiwan.
We are approaching the final stretch of our 6 month adventure. It’s beginning to feel like a race against time and we are only too aware that there are limits to what we can do in the remaining weeks. We can no longer linger lazily for a month in every country we’d like to see. That is why we only allotted 5 days for Taiwan. We expected it would be a great way to peak in and get a taste for this island nation. The truth is, we had so much fun in 5 days, and had such a variety of experiences, that it feels more like it was weeks of travel and months worth of memories.
Landing in Taipei is like being dropped in an Asian Times Square. This city is as alive as it is illuminated. The view down most streets is a collage of neon signs featuring bright blocks of Chinese characters, which to our eyes appear to be portraits of cool geometric symbols.
For the first few days we took full advantage of the extensive web of public transportation and rode the metro in every direction.
We visited crowded night markets serving up delectable deep fried...everything.
And there are endless goodies to be tempted by...
We wandered through the city’s maze of streets to go check out temples.
To end off a day of exploring, we hiked the many steps up Elephant Mountain for an impressive lookout over the city at sunset.
We made the best of a rainy day and went on safari in the Taipei Zoo.
While it’s always fun to get a close look at the animals…
...there was another particularly entertaining spectacle in the giant aviary. It seems like locals come here to convince themselves they are the most rugged of nature photographers. Equipped with lenses fit for National Geographic, these photographers aim to capture the perfect shot of the captive birds that perch incredibly close the the paparazzi madly clicking away.
After the rain cleared we took a trip up to tea country up in the mountains overlooking Taipei. Surrounded by rolling green hills, we took a break in a beautiful tea house, pretending we knew how to differentiate between the great variety of teas offered on the menu.
Since the scorching temperatures made it difficult to be active outside during the day, we got used to extending playtime well into the night. (The kids were going to bed around midnight and sleeping in in the mornings to optimize the more comfortable hours of the day.) We were extremely lucky to meet a wonderful family of American travellers, whose children were as excited to play in the park, in the dark, as ours were. We had a wonderful time getting to know, Shaun, Jen, and their awesome kiddos, Madelyn and Jocelyn.
Even though we only had 5 days in Taiwan, we wanted to see more than just the capital city. Jumping on a train we were able to zip over to the countryside for a quick visit to the town of Hualien, which is the gateway to the Taroko Gorge. It’s here that we got a true understanding of Taiwanese hospitality.
Meet Lee Chin. He is the owner of the Lishin Hotel where we stayed. From the moment we met, he showed us the most incredible kindness and generosity, treating us more like family than anything else.
Lee personally gave us a tour of the more notable sights in Hualien. On the day we checked in, he spent a whole afternoon and evening with us taking us to a nature park with carefully manicured landscaping and a variety of cool animals. Lee also made sure to take us to a tourist bus stop favourite - a Starbucks, cleverly built out of shipping containers.
During our short stint in Hualien we spent some memorable quality time with Lee and his family. After showing us the attractions at a new modern mall, we couldn’t say no to letting the kids have some bouncy castle fun. Lee’s little guys joined in. We were overwhelmed with Lee’s desire to treat us, guide us, and help us. We are deeply grateful to have such a warm-hearted new friend in this part of the world.
In contrast to the electric buzz of Taipei’s city streets was the quiet grandeur of the Toroko Gorge. This is a twisty-turny-dressed-in-jungle-marble-walled-sapphire-streamed-19 kilometre long -Taiwanese-Grand-Canyon.
Here, we followed trails carved out of limestone cliffs, dipped into refreshing rivers, craned our necks up at white marble mountains, crept through dark cave corridors, and even walked under the torrential downpour of a mighty waterfall breaking through the roof of a tunnel.
Our pictures fail miserably at capturing the scale of the jaw-dropping beauty of the gorge, but trust us… this place is phenomenal!
Taiwan surprised us in many ways. For example, we were shocked to discover a "Roots" store in the main shopping district. Apparently this Canadian brand is quite popular in Taiwan, as we constantly saw people decked out in "Roots" gear.
Another surprise appeared at our Hualien hotel. This high tech toilet’s buttons were labelled in Chinese (we think)… so it’s effects were certainly unexpected.
After a while we were no longer surprised at the consistent show of kindness and thoughtfulness from Taiwanese people.
On a crowded subway, people would insist on giving us their seats. Waiting on a train platform, strangers gifted us with cold drinks. A staff at a hotel, who struggled with her English, opted to walk us to a restaurant when she couldn’t translate her recommendation. And then there was the totally out-of-this-world generosity from our new friend, Lee.
Our visit was brief, but we are so happy that this short stay has left us wanting more. We would be extremely excited to return again one day and keep exploring the many delights of Taiwan.
Who knew Lee's chin had a life of its own... a secret family even... Who was that Asian guy you met?
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