Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to Taiwan
With its all-round adventure landscape, heritage-rich capital,
diverse folk traditions and feted night market scene, Taiwan
offers a continent-sized travel list for one green island.
The Beautiful Isle
Famed for centuries as Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Isle), this is a land with more faces than
the 11-headed Guanyin. Towering sea cliffs, marble-walled gorges and tropical forests are
just the start of your journey, which could take you as far as Yushan, Taiwan's 3952m
alpine roof.
In Taiwan you can criss-cross mountains on colonial-era hiking trails or cycle a lone
highway with the blue Pacific on one side and green volcanic arcs on the other. And if you
simply want a classic landscape to enjoy, you'll find them around every corner.
Have You Eaten?
The words are used as a greeting here, and the answer is always 'yes', as there's just too
much nibbling to do. Taiwan offers the gamut of Chinese cuisines, as well as the best
Japanese outside Tokyo, and a full-house of local specialities from Hakka stir-fries and
Taipei beef noodles to aboriginal-style barbecued wild boar. Night markets around the is-
land serve endless feasts of snacks including stinky tofu, steamed dumplings, oyster om-
elettes, shrimp rolls and shaved ice. And when you're thirsty you can look forward to
fresh local juices, outstanding Taiwan teas and, in a surprising twist, Asia's best gourmet
coffee.
Asian Values on Their Terms
Defying those who said it wasn't in their DNA, the Taiwanese have created Asia's most
vibrant democracy, and liberal society, with a raucous free press, gender equality and re-
spect for human rights and increasingly animal rights as well. The ancestors are still wor-
shipped, and mum and dad still get their dues, but woe befall the politician who thinks it's
the people who must pander, and not him. If you want to catch a glimpse of the people's
passion for protest, check out Taipei Main Station on most weekends, or just follow the
local news.
