Discovering Taiwan: Expecting the Unexpected

My family traveled to Taipei, Taiwan with no expectations. Perhaps we ended up underestimating it too much just because it was near the Philippines and relatively small compared to our country. But, it proved us wrong.

We took a visit last July 2018 where we once again traveled for 6 days outside the country during the summer. Surely, it was hot and humid, but the joy of seeing new places and experiencing new activities were incomparable.

It was quite difficult to communicate because of the language barrier. Unlike any other countries, Taiwanese people barely spoke in English, which was really a big challenge for us. It may look similar to our country, but undeniably, it is better in terms of cleanliness, timeliness, and discipline.

Here’s what you can do in Taipei, Taiwan:

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

This is the most prominent historical landmark in Taiwan as it is a memorial for Taiwan’s first president, Chiang Kai-shek. Going to the place is through the subway station where you can see that it is impressively decorated specifically for the memorial itself. It is where a tourist would understand the culture and colorful history of Taiwan. With an air-conditioned museum inside, you could focus your attention to appreciating authentic records, historical photos, and old items used by the former President. Just beside it is the national concert theater where you would see groups of school kids practicing their dance moves and playing music. It is without doubt that it’s a good place for a family visit.

Yehliu Geopark

It is home to a number of unique geological formations including the iconic “Queen’s Head.” Although it was extremely hot during summer, it was a nice experience to discover a landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea. Considered as one of the most important scenic spots in northern Taiwan, we get to push our imagination at its limit with its natural yet realistic carved stone statues.

Jiufen Old Street

Are you a fan of the classic anime, Spirited Away? If you do, then this is the place for a real-life Miyazaki experience. Jiufen is a small village in the mountains that is an hour away from Taipei. It is allegedly the village that inspired Miyazaki’s most popular anime movie because of the red lanterns and long staircases. Not to mention that it is home to variety of unique and tasty restaurants. So, if you’re looking for a sort of a food trip, then it would be nice to take a visit.

Shifen Old Street

If Jiufen was situated on the mountains, then Shifen is its counterpart as its located along the Shifen railway station where a collection of lanes and alleys are found. Shifen is the popular destination in Taiwan for sky lanterns. While there are festivities like Sky Lantern festival during the month of January, you can always release a sky lantern, along with your hopes and dreams, into the sky!

The 40 meter tall Shifen Waterfall is also near the vicinity. Renowned as the most scenic spot in Taiwan, it offers a curtain style cascading waterfall with all of its surroundings well-kept and clean.

Taipei is the only country that I’ve been to that offers two eye-catching and impressive ways of viewing the entire city. Forget about the fatigue, but we went to the mountain in the morning and the skyscraper in the evening. We were looking at the same place, but they felt strikingly different. That’s the best of both worlds, indeed.

Elephant Mountain

Looking for a place to hike amidst the city? Well, Taiwan offers you a free hiking experience to the Elephant Mountain. It came as a surprise that Taipei is not just a metropolitan city filled with skyscrapers. Elephant Mountain proves that there is still a place to escape from the bustling urban area and breathe fresh air. Not well-known to many tourists, my family highly recommends this trekking trail as it offers nature, adventure and unparalleled view of Taipei and suburbs. It was actually named “Elephant” because of its shape. Where can we view Taipei 101 if not at the Elephant Mountain. Truly, this is a tiring yet fulfilling experience because of its remarkable view the city.

Taipei 101

Once hailed as the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101 is still considered the world’s tallest green building for its energy-saving design. Not to mention that it was built resistant to earthquakes and typhoons that are common in the country. What’s even more stunning is that it would only take you 37 seconds to reach the top! That’s surely a great record, but what’s more important is that you won’t regret getting a glimpse to a bird’s eye view of the city.

That’s it for our Taiwan trip!

Enjoying so far? Don’t worry there are a lot more family trips to come. If you have any questions, please share your thoughts!

This has been Jaica, and I’ll share my travel experiences with you again soon!

*All photos included are taken by me and my family.

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