TAIPEI, ROOTED IN CHINESE CULTURE

From Towering Plazas to Taoist Temples, Taipei has much to offer to visitors of all stripes – from those seeking ultra-modern gadgets to those seeking a respite from the bustle of modern life.

If you’re looking for the juxtaposition of old and new then you won’t want to miss out on Taipei’s many temples, where ancient ways live on beneath the shadows of skyscrapers. If the pursuit of the latest high-tech gadget is your cup of Oolong tea, then a visit to the Kuanghua Computer Market or indeed any one of the many computer markets that are popping up like mushrooms in the city may well be in order. Whether you’re shopping for the latest fashion or just looking to see and be seen, then a trip to the ultra-fashionable Hsimending will be necessary.

From high-tech shopping areas to low-tech night markets to traditional Chinese art, music and culture, today’s Taipei has a lot to offer visitors of all stripes. And being a modern metropolis surrounded on all sides by natural beauty, getting out of Taipei is as simple as catching a bus or train heading in nearly any direction.

Taipei is easy to get around, either by foot, bus or subway. A walking tour of the downtown area is a good place to start. At a loss of which direction to head? Try the observation deck of the Landmark Taipei Shingong Tower for a bird’s-eye view of the city and pick a direction to walk, it’s right across from Taipei Main Station. Heading west from there takes you into Hsimending where the young and beautiful shop. There are restaurants for all tastes in Hsimending, from coffee shops and steak houses to sushi bars of the cheap and expensive variety. There are 24-hour dim sum restaurants where you can get stewed chicken feet and other Cantonese delicacies at any hour. Not surprisingly, Hsimending’s main cash trade is in the field of corporeal beautification, boasting at least one outlet of every trendy clothing place found in Taiwan, as well as hundreds of smaller stores. While you might not find them along the main drag, the smaller alleys boast no fewer than six storefront tattoo parlours, if jewellery just isn’t permanent enough for you.

Lovers of Qing dynasty architecture won’t want to miss Hsiao Nanmen, a beautiful old square fort with a northern Chinese “palace” style roof. A quick subway ride north will bring you to the Confucius Temple and the Taipei Fine Art Museum. Close to Shilin MRT Station you’ll find Chishan Park, which has a genuine Song dynasty style garden, complete with pavilions, ponds and arched bridges.

If you’d like to skip the culture and shipping in favor of just chilling out, head to Ta-an Forest Park on Xin-yi Road Section Two, a great place to play frisbee, read or just relax. If you really want to relax, head up to Yangming Shan, easily one of the most awe-inspiring parks to be located close to a major metropolitan area. From the southern slope of the mountain one can easily look over the whole of Taipei, all the while being surrounded by beautiful foliage as sulphuric volcanic steam rises from the ground around you. The park is loaded with plenty of trails, several hot springs resorts, temples, shrines, and other objects of Chinese beauty. It’s easy to forget that you’re anywhere near a major city from way up on Yangming Shan.

When night falls, head back down into the city and to the Shihlin Night Market, where traditional Taiwanese snacks can be bought. The Huashi Street Night Market, otherwise known as Snake Alley is perhaps the most famous tourist street in Taipei. In addition to snake meat soup and strong liquor infused with snake bile (said to be an aphrodisiac), the area is noted for its fortune tellers, traditional Chinese herbalists and of course, excellent food. It’s also a good place to buy small religious items, ornaments and other stuff to impress the folks back home.

For those who really want to stay up all night, the area around Fushing and Chunghsiao Road is well known for its many bars and clubs. After partying the night away, hungry night owls with a hankering for after-hours cuisine know to head south on Fushing to a stretch known collectively as “breakfast row,” where excellent traditional Taiwanese eats like dumplings, fried fish and that surefire hangover cure – sweet potato rice porridge – can be bought 24/7. Just look for the lights and the people eating.

For a hot night at the hot springs, the area directly around the New Peitou station is loaded with hotels and guesthouses that pipe sulfurous hot-spring water up from underneath the mountains. If you want to spend less, there are public hot springs located across from the oddly named “Anti-Calamity Park.” Wulai also is renowned for its hot-spring resorts, though it’s a bit harder to get to, requiring a subway ride to Hsintien Station and a 35-minute bus up to the mountain town of Wulai (signs from the subway station are clearly marked in English). Hotels will set you back NT $600 for three hours and considerably more for the night, but the public hot-springs charge a paltry admission fee of between NT $50 and 100.

TAIWAN‘S RUGGED NORTHEAST

When most people think of Taiwan, they think of endless factories churning out textiles and computers and crowded streets filled with business-suit types rushing from business meeting to business meeting. While this may be true of the cities, the picture over in the northeast – Taiwan’s vacation paradise, is far different and a whole lot prettier.

Being a small island, you don’t have to travel too far from the heart of Taipei to find yourself feeling as if you’re a thousand miles away from the big city. The last stop on Taipei’s MRT line is the old town of Tamshui, where the river of the same name meets the ocean. Here you can revisit the Qing dynasty on Chongjian Street, where narrow lanes and unevenly paved stones harkens back to ancient times, or Yinshan Temple, a house of worship that was built in 1822 with strict adherence to the principles of fengshui.

Whether you go by bike, motorcycle or bus, a drive along the north coast of Taiwan will tell you quickly why so many Taipei city dwellers head north on the weekends. Carved by the ocean from an underwater rock, Shimen Cave (the name means stone gate) is a popular spot for exploration, fishing or ocean gazing. Another popular spot is the Yeliou Scenic Area, where visitors can check out strange rock formations like the famous “Queens Head” rock (really does look like an Egyptian Queen in profile) or reel in excellent fish meals at the nearby Yeliou Harbor. If you’re interested in hang gliding, the hills nearby Feicueiwan, a 1.5km long beach of white sand is popular. The beach itself is beautiful and great for swimming, sailing and windsurfing in all but the coldest months. You’ll easily be able to find places to rent all needed equipment once you get there, so don’t bother trying to put your windsurfing board in your carry-on.

The most famous of north Taiwan’s “Old Towns” is the hillside village of Jiufen, where the three main streets have been designated historical landmarks. Jishan Street is the best place for traditional snacks and many tea shops are clustered along the stone steps of Shuci Road. Of course, Jiufen is also a good place for souvenir shopping.

Bitou Cape is a well maintained trail running along the edges of a small finger of land jutting out into the sea. The tip of the cape has a lighthouse, which is open to the public. Just south of the cape lies the Taoyuan Valley Trail which brings hikers to a gently sloping carpet of green grass from which a 360 degree view of the pacific can be had. This area also offers other hiking opportunities, so comfortable footwear is a must.

Heading south along Route 2, you’ll have the mountains to your right and the ocean to your left. In most spots, the ocean is pretty rocky and rough. Yanliao Beach, Fulong Beach and Honeymoon Bay are all popular with people who dig the beach, Fulong Beach is the spot of many all night parties on the weekend and all three places see some surfing action – apparently the best waves are right before the typhoons hit.

South of Honeymoon bay is the Lion’s Kingdom Museum / Leo Club, a museum that doubles as a hotel (or is it vice-versa). Aside from being a stunningly beautiful resort, the owner, Mr. Kao, is a man with a powerful affinity for stone lions. This obsession has resulted in his owning the largest collection of stone lions in the world, 6,000 pieces and rising – definitely worth a visit for fans of lions, sculpture or both.  Just next door is the Beiguan Tidal Park, a series of trails that lead over the rocks and along the beach. There’s a set of excellent food stalls next to the park where you can eat seafood caught fresh from the sea, or just hang out and snack on apple soda and peanut candy.

Until recently, Kueishan Island was off limits to the public. It’s now possible to get a permit to visit, but it’s still a bit of a hassle. However, the sunrise over the island is beautiful and for those who want to see the island closer or see the superheated water of underwater hot springs turn the ocean at the head of the island a strange shade of green, there are several boat tours leaving every day from nearby Wushih Harbor.

Even if the island doesn’t interest you – it looks like a turtle, complete with a stony face and a long sandy tail, the boat trip is well worth it, as the ocean east of the island is rich with opportunities for dolphin and whale watching.

Though the entire road down the east coast is amazing and loaded with sightseeing opportunities, this brief narrative is concerned only with the North East, and thus must end at the town of Jiaosi, just north of the city of Ilan. Jiaosi is best known as hot spring resort and all of the hotels boast having superheated water – reputed to cure a number of physical illnesses, pumped into their rooms.