Taiwan sites to visit
Having lived in Taiwan for some time now, and having some limited ability to travel and explore, I figure its worth putting together a list some of the activities worth considering while you are in Taiwan. This list is currently a work in progress.
Maokong Gondola
Literally right next to the Taipei zoo, this is essentially a ski lift that takes you up into the mountains that overlook Taipei. Along the top is a small road with small shops and restaurants selling traditional food and snacks, and an amazing view of Taipei nestled between the rolling hills. Recommended to go up prior to sunset so you can see both the daytime and night time view of Taipei. A trip here can be combined with a visit to the zoo to see the Pandas.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial
A massive memorial building combined with a history museum. Contains a giant statue of Chiang Kai-sheck, the largest statue of a person I have yet to see.
Night markets
There are a couple of night markets which are the most famous. Depending on how interested you are and how much time you have, need to go to at least one.
- Shida University
- ?? Raohe Street Night market
- ?? "ci lam" night market (actually they got 5-6 night market)
Ximen (西門)
The area of Taipei where most young people hang out after school and at night. Usually packed with people, streets are mostly full of modern food and clothes shops.
Jiufen (九分)
A small town situated on the steep side of a mountain. Has many small traditional food stalls, tea and coffee shops, and beautiful views overlooking the water. Approximately one hour travel time from Taipei, if you take the TRA (inter-state railway) and then a Taxi.
Danshui (淡水)
About - minutes by train out of the city, its like a costal town area, comparable to St Kilda beach, in that it has restaurants on the water along with its own night market area.
Huawei fort (Danshui)
A small, but interesting fort built by the Qing dynasty to help defend Taiwan.
Sun moon lake
About 1 hour drive, or 2 hours on the bus from Taichung HRS train stop, is the clearest lake I have seen in my life time. Lake view accommodation here is quite cheap by western standards, about $80AU per couple, so its worth doing a night time stop over so you can take some time to relax and eat breakfast overlooking the lake.
Kending
Hualian
Taipei National Palace Museum
A collection of artifacts that were smuggled out of mainland China to prevent their destruction by the then Communist party at the time. Museums are not one of my most favorite things, however it does contain some of the oldest artifacts I have ever seen, which in and of itself is interesting.
Temples
Taiwan has some of the oldest and largest temples in the world. Depending on your interests and religious inclinations, there are some that might be on your must visit list.
Taipei 101
The tallest building in Asia, its comparable to Crown casino in Melbourne, i.e. its essentially a collection of modern, western, expensive shops, and restaurants. Due to the fact that "expensive" restaurants are cheap by Australian standards, some people will enjoy eating here.