In late November of 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting Taiwan for three days. Taiwan, located not too far off the coast of southeastern China, is a culturally rich island with many exciting activities to do and many great foods and treats to consume. I only had the time to visit Taiwan’s capital and largest city, Taipei, and the neighboring nature parks surrounding. This was my first vacation since moving to South Korea, but it is overall a very popular vacation spot for those who live in eastern Asia.
During the first morning in Taipei, after getting the much needed morning coffee, I traveled to a group of historical temples located within the Zhongzheng District. The sectioned-off area had three beautiful temples, with the center one being the biggest and the main attraction. Along with the temples, it was surrounded by gorgeous nature, such as trees, vibrant flowers, and ponds containing colorful fish. Within the center temple, there was a large statue of a historical figure surrounded by many stunning details.
Following the temples, I traveled further to Taipei 101, which was previously the world’s largest skyscraper (from 2004-2010). This attraction did require a fee for tickets, although it wasn’t overly expensive. Once I managed to get through the line, the group around me and I took a fast elevator up to the top of the tower. The top contained breathtaking views, information about the tower and the part of Taipei surrounding it, and small tourist-targeted shops. Finally, I traveled back down to find Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant that specializes in delicious dumplings.
Once the second day rolled around, I traveled to a beautiful nature park in Wanli, Taiwan. On the coast, this nature park provided well-kept trees and plants, stunning views of the vast ocean, and mesmerizing rock structures. Later on, I went to Pingxi, Taiwan, to another nature park that was known for its stunning waterfalls and long rope bridges. Toward end the day, I went to one of the main shopping districts in Taiwan, the Wanhua District. Filled with mesmerizing lights and colorful stores, there was something for everyone to enjoy. There were some well known Western stores, such as H&M and Under Armour, as well as many Chinese and Taiwanese shops.
On my third and last day in Taiwan, I started with visiting the National Palace Museum, located within the Shihlin District. Inside, it was rich with Taiwanese culture and history, with many artifacts, statues, and artwork. Much like Taipei 101, it did require an admission fee, but this also wasn’t too expensive. For our final travel destination, I went to Tamsui, Taiwan which contained many local stores and food vendors. The area also contained the historical Fort San Domingo and large areas to walk and look off into the ocean. I ended the day by eating dumplings at a local Taiwanese restaurant close to our hotel.
Overall, Taiwan was an absolutely stunning vacation destination that’s filled with rich culture and history everywhere you turn. For my first overseas vacation since I moved to South Korea, I thought it was an amazing and fun country to travel to and explore. Although there was a slight issue with the language barrier between the English and Chinese languages, that was easy to overlook and focus on the beautiful nation that laid ahead of me. I highly recommend this popular vacation spot to anyone who lives in eastern Asia or has the resources to travel quite a ways.