Our new episode is dedicated to our hometown Taiwan, an island formerly known as Formosa in the 17th century and remains largely
undiscovered by Western travelers. But for those who make it here. They are in for a real treat
Taiwan display a wealth of culture with an eclectic mix of Chinese,
Western, Japanese, and indigenous influences. And the biggest surprise is Taiwan's nature
Through our story, we would like to share the highlights of the new "Made in Taiwan."
Taipei earned its fame when Taipei 101 held the tallest skyscraper title in the world in 2004.
With almost 3 million populations, this densely inhabited city is full with skyscrapers,
vibrant streets and local markets
It is worth exploring the old districts of Taipei. We started with Bangka and Dihua Street District
that are packed with traditional grocery shops and cultural boutiques.
The prestigious Longshan Temple, long standing since 1738, is the best introduction to the country’s religious traditions.
Next, we came to Wanhua and Bopiliao Historic areas, that are homes to Taipei’s trading history and early 18th-century architecture,
before we vanished into the city jungle.
Speaking about Taiwanese traditional entertainment
the Hand Puppet Show surely has its spot.
The Puppet Art came from Fujian Province in the mid-Ching Dynasty.
Puppet masters utilize their unique one-man-multiple-voice talent, brought to life each puppet character.
We were invited to the Pili Fantasy World exhibition to celebrate the 30 years of Pili TV Series.
Thanks to CGI and modern technology, this tradition has found a new platform and continued evolving with new generations.
The exhibit also invited Taiwanese designers such as Wang Li Ling, Alexander King Chen,
Gioia Pan etc, to re-imagine the costumes for the main characters.
Later on, we drove out to Jiufen, a mountain town that is just outside of Taipei.
It is known for the narrow alleyways, packed with poetic teahouses,
street food stands and souvenir shops
The old town holds a strong cultural value since its establishment in the late 1800s as a mining hub
and became huge during the Japanese-era gold rush.
It is now a popular destination for a day trip or weekend getaway.
After the beautiful tea time
we followed the gold mining history to the surrounding areas and
fell in love with the Golden Waterfall and the scenic mountain views of Jinguashi.
It was quite a surreal feeling while being up and down the hills and peaks in between the clouds.
Traveling across Taiwan from North to South is quite easy via the High Speed Rail.
We arrived in Tainan, the former capital and oldest city in Taiwan.
At Fort Provintia, a magnificent site with great architectural and artistic significance
it has library of dictionaries that document the Siraya language spoken by the natives during Dutch rule.
We came to Taiwan Confucian Temple,
built in 1666, in Anping Old Distict. It was the first Confucius Temple in Taiwan, and the highest official institute of education back then.
After we admired the Chinese calligraphy by the famous calligrapher Mr. Chu,
we stopped by the iconic Old Tait & Co Merchant House that was established by the British.
Next door is the fascinating Anping Tree House, a former warehouse with living banyan roots and branches that cover the building.
The famous Fort Zeelandia was initially established by the Dutch in the 17th century as an important business center
when many Europeans sailed to Asia to develop trade.
Then we passed through The Eternal Golden Castle, built by famous Qing official Shen Baozhen in order to defend Japanese invasions.
In the beautiful afternoon, we came to Jingzaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields.
It is the oldest salt field in Taiwan, started in 1818 by local salt farmers.
The site was originally a desert, later procured by Taiwan Salt Company.
At sunset,
the lights went on at Hayashi Department Store in Tainan. It was opened in 1932 during Japanese rule
and was one of first buildings in Taiwan with features of elevators.
After we cruised through the charming Shennong Street, lined with quaint, cultural shops & historic homes.
We ended the night at Bar TCRC,
a hip speakeasy bar inside an old house that offers cocktails infused with rare local ingredients and flavors.
It is a must visit as the bar is nominated as one of the top 50 bars in Asia.
Just a little outside of the Tainan city center, we did a little cityscape to Yu Guan Island, a popular destination for leisure activities.
We stayed at the modern and one-of-a- kind Mao Yu Villa that is designed and constructed via fair-faced concrete technique.
The interior is a perfect blend between Industrial Influence and Traditional Chinese elements.
You can feel the vision, passion and the hospitality from every detail among the house and it is truly a cultural
and architectural retreat
Although Taiwan is an island, the boating culture is still relatively new to the locals due to the restrictions in the past.
Many people may not notice
Taiwan is known for manufacturing top line luxury yachts
We stopped by the port city Kaohsiung to visit Johnson Yachts and their boat yard to see how they utilize the craftsmanship
and innovative designs to realize each yacht owner’s dream.
It was mesmerizing to learn how much work, time and energy required for building a house on the sea.
Besides the diverse history and development on the island, one of the most endearing things about Taiwan is the food culture.
We have invited our dear friend Yi Lee,
a local Celebrity & TV host, known for his popular iWalker show, to share his knowledge about the special street food culture by the temples..
Indeed, every dish tasted extra delicious after Yi’s insightful information.
Another important food culture that we can’t miss is the Night Market.
We treated ourselves at the famous Keelung Miaokou Night Market in Northen Taiwan,
Tainan Ta-Tung Night Market in the South
and Hualien Dongdamen Night Market on the East Coast.
We almost lost tracked on how many dishes and type of food we actually ate,
from sticky riice,
crab soup with Chinese vermicelli,
meat skewers
mango shaved ice
local fruits
hot-pot to stinky tofu and many more.It was like a non-stop marathon feast wherever we go.
Thank God we got some workouts done by playing the childhood games after we filled the stomach with our favorite street food.
Starting from the beautiful Sicao Green Tunnel,
we are moving towards Taiwan’s wilderness, which offers some of Asia’s most amazing nature and adventure possibilities.
While heading further South, we made a stop at the old town, Hengchun, to experience ruins and the tension of defense from the old days.
The special high platform next to the castle wall is for the event called "Qiang Gu", which means "race for the oblation",
happens each year during the Ghost month.
While waking up at this gorgeous Hotel de Plus, with the ocean and blue sky ready to spoil us,
we started our staycation in Kenting, where is famous for its coral reef, sandy beaches and tropical setting.
Followed by a simple bike ride, we came to the open Longzipu Grassland to enjoy the magical moment under the clouds.
Then we arrived at the beautiful Eluanbi Lighthouse, The Light of East Asia, located at the southernmost point of Taiwan.
There are also many other beautiful landscapes and beaches such as Longpan Park,
Jialeshuei, and White Sand Beach, that make you feel you are in a true paradise.
We followed the road onto the East Coast arrived in
Luye, Taitung for the Taiwan Balloon Festival which takes place every summer.
The opening started the night before our hot air balloon ride at the sunrise,
that came with an amazing view of the lush HuaTung Valley and its dreamy landscape.
After our landing, we joined the local tea expert at the tea terrace to discover the rare Red Oolong tea
that is from the region exclusively.
We also had the privilege to witness the entire tea making process at Bee Lou Tea Company,
from drying, roasting, rubbing and finishing.
Finally, we got to try the Red Oolong tea that offers a rich smooth and long-lasting taste.
We ended the productive morning in our hot spring pool as Taiwan is known for its unique environment that produces wonderful geothermal springs
Moving on, we continued our road trip and explored along the East Coast.
We listened to the ocean and admired the whimsical coastline at the mysterious Sansiantai island,
which is connected to the coast with an arch bridge.
Then we drove through the QingShiu Cliff that rises
hundreds and thousands meters straight from the Pacific Ocean before we entered the famous marble gorge in Taroko National Park.
It is a world-famous destination with breathtaking scenery,
incredible peaks and hikes
It took LiWu River millions of years to carve through these marble rocks and created those
unique formations and sites along the gorge.
Here, you would truly respect the power and the magic of the nature.
Within and around the national park, you could also spot the traditional crafts and culture from indigenous tribe
and enjoy their authentic homemade tribal dishes that could only be found locally.
It is a completely different dining experience from the city life.
Right before we wrapped up the Taiwan tour, we settled in a private luxury villa in Toucheng,
to relax and enjoy the view of the Turtle Island and the Yilan Plain.
There are just too many highlights from the island and each region offers unique cultures and characters.
With no doubt,
Taiwan is one of the most welcoming places on earth, as we encountered numerous acts of generosity and kindness throughout the journey.
We hope this hidden paradise will attract more adventurous travelers from the rest of the world.