Taiwan, the Island Beauty
4 min readFrom 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.
The bright lights of Taiwan’s vibrant nightlife 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 onfrin fashion or just looking to see and be seen, then a trip to the ultra-fashionable Hsimending will be necessary.
From shopping areas to low-tech night markets to traditional Chinese art, music and culture, today’s Taipei has a lot of enticements. Still, this is a modern metropolis sur by natural beauty, an getting out of town is as simple as catching bus or train heading in nearly any direction. er by foot, bus or subway. A walking tour of the downtown area is a gooe to start. Unsure 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 wal across from Taipei Main Station. Heading west from there ung and beautiful shop. There are restaurants for alops and steak houses to sushi bars of both the cheap There are 24-hour dim sum restaurants where you can get stewed main cash tranis ther Cantonese delicacies at any hour. Not surprisingly, Hsimending chicken feet Taiwan, as well as hundreds of smaller stores. indya 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. rchitecture won’t want to miss Hsiao Nanmen, a beautiful old square fort with a north Chinese “palace” style roof. A quick subway ride north will bring you to the mple and the Taipei Fine Art Museum. Close to Shilin MRT Station you 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 shopping in favor of just chilling out, head 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 located close to a major metropolitan area. From the southern slope one can easily look over the whole of Taipei, all the while beingul foliage as sulfuric volcanic steam rises from the ground around with plenty of trails, several hot springs resorts, temples,bjects of Chinese beauty. It’s easy to forget that you’re anywhere near 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 oted for its fortune tellers, traditional Chinese herbalists and of course, excellent food.It 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 lent traditional Taiwanese eats like dumplings, fried fish and sweet potato rice porridge that surefire hangover cure can be bought 24/7. Just look for the lights and the people eating.
Taipei Square is a major center in Taipei.
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 namedAnti-Calamity- Park.” Wulai also is renowned for its hot-spring- resorts, though it’s a bit harder to get to, requiring 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.
