TAIWAN TEASER - Taipei, Hualien April 2018

TAIWAN TEASER

Taipei, Hualien April 2018

Taipei 101 is towering

After a busy itinerary in Japan we arrived in Taipei looking forward to what we heard was a place with great night markets. Exploring a new city is one of our favorite activities and Taipei has so much to explore.

A Grand Esplanade

Our Airbnb apartment was small but recently renovated with creative mini-home touches. The loft bed was really comfortable and the downstairs had a desk, perfect for restarting our online English classes.

It had been almost a month since we last taught so both of us were eager to get back to it. Internet was super fast making for some great class time.

Let's go to the Night Market!

All over Asia, 7-Eleven is the place everyone goes for almost anything. It turns out we could even claim our previously booked Taiwan Rail train tickets at a kiosk there. Our Airbnb host said it’s where locals in Taipei go to get things done, including paying their utility bill.

What to eat?

Literally right around the corner from our apartment was one of the night markets. It was a treat to roam past so many interesting food choices adapted from all over the world. Dessert crepes, sweet potato balls, dumplings and every kind of food grilled/served on a stick. And smelly Durian fruit was everywhere, stinking up the street!

Ancient beauty

Taipei, like Tokyo and Seoul, has an extensive metro system. We were able to easily get everywhere we wanted to go, especially when navigating to/from the airports. Surprisingly it was never crowded even during what should have been a busy weekday rush hour. Taipei is a modern urban city with a nice mix of old and new.

One of our must-go places was the National Palace Museum which houses the most valuable Chinese historical artifacts. 

Majestic

The collection was transported to Taiwan by Chiang Kai-shek to prevent possible destruction during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Only 1% of the collection is on display at a time and refreshed every 3 months. It is now considered a shared collection with the mainland. Everything we saw was amazing, the jade pieces were particularly impressive.

HUALIEN

Oyster omelet for Eileen!

Hard at work

After taking the train to Hualien we settled into a nice homestay whose family spoke little English. We managed to communicate fairly well for the basics (what time is breakfast?) and also had the help from one of her neighbors.  

It was in a quiet neighborhood outside of town, a nice spot to relax after constantly being on the move for three weeks. There was a fun Saturday Night Market only a couple blocks away.

Shrine in the mountains

Toroko Gorge beauty

The highlight was visiting nearby Toroko National Park with its soaring cliffs and waterfalls. The access highway was the first to cross the island connecting the east and west coasts. It's an impressive engineering feat with numerous tunnels and roadways cut into the cliffs.