Alishan (阿里山), or Mount Ali, is one of Taiwan’s most renowned tourist destinations. It’s not Taiwan’s only mountain (Taiwan is full of mountains), and it’s not the highest (that’s Yushan, or Jade Mountain), but it’s the most accessible, and arguably the most beautiful. Hence, I made Alishan my first stop when touring Taiwan, with a pit stop in Chiayi, the nearest major city, before venturing to visit this beautiful mountain.
Tag Archives: Taiwan
Taiwan, the Republic of China
Travelogue: Chiayi
Chiayi (嘉義) is mostly known for being the closest major city to Alishan (阿里山) national park, but I found it well worth my time to spend a day or so exploring Chiayi, especially after recovering from my climb up Alishan. It’s a modestly sized city, large enough to have its own points of interest, but not large enough to merit more than a day or two of exploration. A view from my hostel:
On a side note, Chiayi was the first stop on my loop of Taiwan – I visited Taiwan during the off season (read: the rainy season), and Chiayi / Alishan were the only places not raining when I decided to set off on an island-wide tour.
Travelogue: Night Markets of Taiwan
Taiwan’s night markets are world famous – there are many night markets and bazaars around the world, but as famous as in Taiwan. Just as how France equates wine and England equates crappy weather, Taiwan equates night markets. So I had to visit two of the most famous of Taipei – Shilin (士林) night market and Miaokou (廟口) night market located at Keelung (基隆).
Travelogue: Taipei 101
The Taipei 101 is a one of a kind building. For a couple of years, it was the tallest building in the world – until Dubai finished the Burj Khalifa in 2010. But it’s not really special for its height, but for its design – like the nodes of a bamboo pole. Or, for the more crude, Chinese takeout containers stacked on top of each other.
It took me quite some time visit the Taipei 101, since I waited for the perfect weather, so I could see far into the distance from the observation tower. But it was totally worth it.
Travelogue: Taipei
Taipei (臺北 / 台北)! In some countries (e.g. Australia, New Zealand), the capital is simply the administrative center, not the biggest or most important city. Not so with Taipei! Taipei is not only the administrative capital of Taiwan, but also the largest city, the arts and culture center, and clearly the most important. So I was lucky to spent quite some time living with relatives in Taishan – part of New Taipei City, which in turn is basically the suburbs of Taipei City. From here, I visited the many cultural and historical sites and Taiwan!
Travelogue: New Years in Taipei, 2013-2014
I spent New Years 2014 in Taipei, watching the fireworks at the Taipei 101. There were a lot of other events going on for New Years – concerts, parties, and clubs – but I simply wanted to enjoy the fireworks. And they did not disappoint!
Travelogue: National Day 2013 in Taiwan
October 10 (10/10) is National Day in Taiwan, celebrating the birth of the Republic of China in 1911 and the overthrow of the Qing dynasty (end history lesson, that’s about all I know), so I expected a huge celebration. Parades! Fireworks! Festivities! Expecting a grand old time, I took an early morning trip to Taipei, where I discovered that the capital was under martial law:
Travelogue: Shrimp Fishing in Taiwan
Indoor shrimp fishing is an entertainment industry that is unique to Taiwan. It’s a pretty simple business: you’ve got a warehouse in an industrial area, small concrete pools in the warehouse, and these cool special clawed shrimp in the pools. Whenever you’re bored, you can go to one of these businesses, spend NT600 (~$20), and fish for three hours, keeping whatever you catch.
I discovered very quickly that I do not have a hidden talent for shrimp fishing.
Reflection: Returning to Taiwan
It’s odd, finally coming (back?) to Taiwan. Yes, I’m ethnically Taiwanese (I’ve got seven generations of ancestry in Taiwan), but I was born and raised in the USA. I spent my second grade in elementary school here in Taiwan, as well as countless summer breaks, but I haven’t been back here in almost 10 years now. And so it’s odd feeling, visiting Taiwan, my ancestral home – especially since my Chinese listening/speaking is conversational at best, my reading/writing is basic, and my Taiwanese language skills are basically nonexistent.
Coming to Taiwan after being absent for ten years, everything is the same, but everything is different.
Reflection: Taking a Break from Traveling
After I leave Jakarta and Indonesia, I’m going to Taiwan and taking a break from traveling. Because I’m tired of backpacking, tired of traveling. I’ve been going strong for six months now, but now I need a breather. It might seem odd, to say that you’re tired of backpacking and traveling; after all, isn’t it just one long vacation? How is that possible, getting tired of being on vacation? Have I simply run out of money?
Firstly, no, I have not run out of money. Checking my finances, I’m actually in amazing shape; I have traveled longer and spent less than I had originally planned (details in a follow-up post). But just like you can get tired of eating bacon for every meal (admittedly, it might take a very long time), you can get tired of constant travel. And as outlined in an earlier post, the problem with traveling Southeast Asia is never knowing who or what to trust. So right now, what I really want to do is to find somewhere quiet, somewhere I can settle into a routine, somewhere I can let my guard down and not think about if I’m getting ripped off.
Secondly, half a year and a lifetime ago, I put together a travel manifesto, on why I’m traveling the world. In short, I wanted to challenge myself, and now is the best time. Of course, things have certainly gone differently than I had originally planned. Instead of traveling through 10 countries in three months, I’ve gone through 6 countries in six months. Instead of circumnavigating around the world, I’ve only visited countries in Southeast Asia. No plan survives first contact with reality. But I’ve completed my original challenge to myself. So it’s time to move on to the next challenge.
Finally, I need to think about getting on with my life. Originally, I had planned on travelling for three months going back to making money – either rejoining the labor force and getting a job, or striking out on my own. After traveling and intermittently reflecting on my life for six months, I know for sure that I don’t want to go back to a 9-5 job working for The Man. So what are my options instead? To start something on my own. And the only way I can do that, is to take a break from traveling, and get to work on my projects.
So, what does this mean, this break from traveling?
1) Travel-related postings will slow, but not stop. I will still be exploring Taiwan!
2) Business analysis and projects related postings will increase!
3) Website redesign! Woohoo! (eventually)