REPUBLISHED: Taiwan Preview

EDIT: I don't know how the following post written April 2009 got into my unpublished drafts but here it is re-published for your reading pleasure.

wild cherries on Alishan in full bloom, in mid-march
While I continue to work on the final leg of the South East China tour, I'll let you take a look at beautiful Taiwan! (did you know that the Portuguese name of Taiwan "Formosa" actually translates to "beautiful" island? Got that from Wikipedia, I will have to confirm w/ a Portuguese friend later). The following is the full draft for my article for the student Standard (marketed towards highschool students) to be published on April 30. Sneak peek, yay! Don't worry I will provide a detailed entry and photos for each spot in subsequent posts. :) And travel tips too, should you wish to make your own trip to Taiwan. I found this 4-day itinerary to be extremely worth my money, even though extremely exhausting but I got to see as much as I could in the little time that I had in Taiwan. Compliments to my uncle!

Touring Taiwan, from North to South and to the Highest Point.

Raise your hands. Have you ever explored a country outside of the big city in a few short days? I had the pleasure of exploring the island of Taiwan with the goal of visiting the county’s most northern and southern points as well as its highest point. Follow me as I journey through tropical climates, mountains, rural towns and villages and finally to the big city of Taipei.

The Southern-most Point: Eluanbi

The quest to reach the Southern most point of Taiwan brings me to Cape Eluanbi within the Kenting National Park. Once inside the park, easy hiking trails take you through rich and abundant landscapes with the most stunning views of Taiwan’s south coast. Following the trail, you will be taken through forests, hills and caves. The coastline of Cape Eluanbi consists of rugged coral terrain covered with lush green vegetation and clear blue sea water. This is the exact location of the southern most point of Taiwan. Eluanbi is also home to the Eluanbi lighthouse. At 21.4 metres high, it is the brightest lighthouse in Asia and often referred to as the “Light of East Asia”. Within the town of Kenting, the streets are lined with hotels and resorts, restaurants as well as the night market with stalls selling food, souvenirs and other items.

The Highest Point: Alishan

Alishan is a range of mountains and national park located in Chiayi County, a small town in Southern Taiwan. Alishan is a popular tourist spot and is a landmark of Taiwan. By bus or private car, it is about a 2 hour ride up the mountain but if you have the time, I would recommend taking the famous Alishan Forest Railway. Although the train ride takes a total of 3.5 hours to reach the top, it is extremely worthwhile as you can view the scenery from cliffs and mountains to scenic villages and tea plantations. Other things of interest on Alishan include hiking trails through the forests, resorts, waterfalls and a variety of interesting flora and fauna. Be sure to check out the wild cherry blossoms at full bloom in springtime!

The Northern-most point: Fuguei Cape

The Fuguei Cape lighthouse located north of Taipei marks the northern most tip of Taiwan. Be careful of the strong winds though, as waves from the East China Sea, crash violently against the coast.

Taipei

A trip to Taiwan is not complete without a visit to the capital, Taipei. There are many attractions within the city. The most popular is Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper in the world. The observatory on the 89^th floor offers a 360 degree view of the city and the open air deck on the 91st floor allows you to experience standing atop of the world’s tallest building. Another popular attraction in Taipei is the National Palace Museum. It contains a collection of ancient Chinese artifacts taken from Forbidden City in Beijing, which once belonged to China’s ancient Emperors. For shopping and food lovers, there are various night markets in Taipei. The largest and most famous is the Shilin night market selling Taiwanese street food and snacks as well as non-food items and games. Don’t forget to make a visit to Ximending, a very popular shopping district in Taipei for more shopping or going to the movies.