My Trip Souvenirs
| The Land of Hot Springs offers : |
a) Taipei 101 👍
b) Hot Springs: Beitou, Wulai 👍
c) Electronic Shopping 🛒
d) Shilin Night Market 🛒
|
e) Lungshan Temple
f) Flower Parks
g) Alishan - Sakura 👍
h) Sunrise at Jade
|
i) Yehliu Geopark 👍
j) Sky Lanterns
k) Yingge Market 👍 🛒
|
Taiwan might not be a bucket list destination for many travellers, but this small country has scenic locations, big cities, sprawling national parks and thermal springs, volcanoes etc. The main itineraries during our Taiwan visit was to experience the cherry blossoms, which we couldnt make in Japan, and to do a period-destress relaxation in the thermal springs. Though our visit to this country was towards the end of the Sakura season, we found ourselves lucky to experience the beauty of the blossom at the Alishan National Park. We spent our time experiencing the Taipei City and the sights it has to offer like National Museum, Chiang Kai-shek memorial etc, and then headed to Alishan in a bullet train, followed by a bus trip for 2 hours. Alishan park is way too beautiful with plenty of trees and variety of flowers, and the long trip from Taipei City is worth it. We got our picture perfect moments with the Sakura blossom all around in Pinks and Whites. Local delicacies are our favourite choices wherever we go, and in this trip, the hot soup Sabu-Sabu helped us to stand the chilly weather. Luckily the hotel we stayed in had inbuilt heating system within the mattress that kept us warm throughout. Next day early morning, we took a short train journey within the park to arrive at the Jade mountains to view the sun rise, pictures below speak for themselves. Sun rise and sun sets are nothing new for any of us, but doesnt it feel so refreshing and promising every time we view and get immersed in its golden glow and beauty?
We headed back to Taipei to continue to visit the city attractions and a few day trips near from Taipei. The next main target for us was the hot spring experience at Beitou and Wulai, where we chose indoor hot spring facilities in the hotels. After a good relaxed time, we tried the bamboo cooked rice, which unfortunately didnt conquer our taste buds. The next in the to-do list was electronics gadget shopping; the childhood nostalgia of 'Made in Taiwan' electronic goods tempted us to experience the same as a grown ups and gift a gadget for our Son. By the way, the items are found to be cheaper than anywhere else. The evenings were spent on shopping in the night markets and foot massages done, which is again our favourite! The next day was to Yehliu Geo Park to view the geo formations which are very unique in its shape and appearance; the most famous one being the formation that resembled the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. On the way back, we had a unique experience of sending all our wishes to heaven through a sky lantern at Shifen, with hopes for all of it to come true :). Jiufen is a beautiful laid back town with tea houses and view of the sea, and is a nice place to stroll around.
No visitor to Taipei will miss the Taipei 101, which was the tallest building once upon a time. Longshan temple is serene and peaceful and lies right in the heart of the city, we can experience the traditional Chinese religious customs and rituals. The last day of our trip was dedicated to shopping, and we visited Yingge to shop the famous Chinese ceramic vases, crockery, tea sets etc. and add a few to our unique collection. Not to forget the Mango Snowflakes, which is a yummy dessert and quite filling , a must try during Taiwan trip.