Taiwan Episode 1

In this episode of the travel bug I’m starting my exploration of the colourful and chaotic Taiwan. It might only be a tiny island, but there’s no shortage of amazing sites, fun and excitement to be had. I’m going to all the major attractions in Taipei, before heading into the countryside to get a taste of rural life.

Pretty much everyone that travels to Taiwan will start their adventure in the capital.  It’s a massive city that’s alive with activity. The noise of traffic is constant and the air is thick with exhaust fumes. But what else would you expect in a metropolis of almost 7 million people!

Despite there being numerous beautiful temples in Taipei, it’s Taipei 101, a modern, landmark skyscraper that stands out as the most visually spectacular building in the city. Not only for the sheer size of it, by the way there are 101 floors, but also for the grand design of the facade.  Taipei 101 is also full of engineering innovations, starting right at the bottom by having the world’s fastest elevators.

After getting lost in the train station I made my way to the political heart of Taiwan, the Chiang Kai-shek memorial. It’s a spectacular monument with a huge temple-like building at one end and massive, ornate gates at the entry. It’s an impressive setting, fit for the person many regard as the founder of modern day Taiwan.

Next stop was The National Palace Museum. It has a permanent collection of over 600,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of Chinese history and most of the pieces were collected by China’s ancient emperors. This priceless collection was shipped to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War to prevent it falling into the hands of the Communists.

One of the most prized possessions of the museum is the Jadeite Cabbage. It’s a small sculpture that was carved from a single piece of half-white, half-green jadeite that contained numerous imperfections such as cracks and discolored blotches. These flaws were incorporated into the sculpture and became the veins in the cabbage’s stalks and leaves.

Amidst the chaos of Taipei is the Hsing Tian Kong temple. Now if you’ve watched other episodes of The Travel Bug you probably would have noticed I like to learn a bit about the religions of the countries I visit. In this instance I discovered that the people of Taiwan follow a variety of faiths, including Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. And this temple embraces all of them, acting as a place of worship where locals can pray and make offerings to the gods. Many of those that come here do so during their lunch breaks at work, but it’s on the weekends that it comes alive as thousands pass through the gates.

Back into the streets and I was confronted by another example of the local religion – Chinese New Year celebrations! Throughout the period of mid January to late February there are constant, seemingly ad hoc parades and parties, each of them featuring howling music, amazing performances by guys dressed as various gods and deities and the customary use of fireworks. These little snapshots of the local culture are the sorts of experiences I tend to remember most fondly.

Not far from the temple is another uniquely Asian experience, fortune telling. I expected it to be dark and mysterious, but it’s a common practice here and people take it very seriously. I walked away with my future mapped out for me on a piece of paper, and headed across town to Din Tai Fung. It’s the most famous dumpling restaurant in the country. It has a bit of a celebrity status about it and packs out with hungry locals every lunchtime.

As far as dumplings go, here you’re spoilt for choice, with every type of these tasty packets of flavour made fresh on site. Luckily for me I had the chance to try my hand at making my own dumpling. It turned out pretty good too!

While roaming the streets in search of my hotel I came across a massage parlour and figured what better way to recover from the long days on my legs than by having a massage. Little did I know that Taiwanese massages are a bit on the firm side.

After a few days in the city it was time to get some respite in the countryside. So, I hit the road to the mountainous area on the outskirts of Yilan, about two hours from Taipei.  The drive took me from the seemingly endless high rises of the big smoke and into the parts of the country where the urban sprawl is gradually encroaching on what was once the breadbasket of Taiwan.

It was really fascinating to see all the industrial developments and low rise buildings surrounded by rice paddies with people tending to them in a traditional manner that has been handed down through generations of farmers.

Embracing the life of a farmer, I had an early start to the day. The place I had found my way to is called Shangri La Leisure Farm. It’s a piece of traditional rural life that has been maintained as a slice of the old world where city folk and international visitors can discover what life is like for those that live on the land. Think of it as a bit of a recreation area for city dwellers.

A highlight of staying here is the opportunity to take a tour of the property and get hands on experience of farming. Even though a lot of tourists come here, it’s still a real working property, so for a genuine slice of Taiwan it is definitely worth a visit.

After recharging my batteries in the quiet mountains of the countryside, it was back to the chaos and neon lights of Taipei for another unique experience – Peking Opera. I went to a performance called Taipei Eye. It’s one of the best places in the city to experience Chinese performing arts at their colourful and exotic best. Here I had my face painted as the cheeky opera character known as the Monkey King.

Night time in Taipei is when things really start to hum. Everyone seems to emerge from the office buildings and homes and take to the streets. And all roads lead to the Shilin Night Markets. It’s a major attraction for locals and tourists alike, and it’s the busiest of the many night markets you can find in Taiwan.

As far as cuisine goes, you’re spoilt for choice. There’s everything from noodles and soups, to sweets and dim sims. The hard part is choosing what to eat. I had heard from the locals that the legendary oyster omelet is a must, so after some stinky tofu I tried one of these unconventional omelets.

The following morning I made my way to the central train station to catch a bullet train out of Taipei. It’s the quickest and most inexpensive way for a solo traveller to head down the west coast. They say it’s not until you leave Taipei and explore the rest of the island that the real Taiwan starts to fully unfold and you get a true appreciation for how unique a place it is.

So, with that in mind it was time to relax and read a few pages of my book, write a postcard for mum and then kick back for a bit of a nap.