Taiwan II: Undiscovered Jewel

by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.   

We’re in Taipei, Taiwan, the capital of the country.  TAIPEI is mnemonic for Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment — something I only discovered after I Googled it when I was writing this essay back at home.
   
Tour with me for a moment.  Pretend you are standing in the middle of a large esplanade (courtyard) — open space.  At one end there are massive white gates, and if you’re looking at those, behind you there is the white and blue mausoleum containing a bronze statue of Chiang Kai Shek..  The mausoleum stands like a modern block-house on a huge raised pedestal.  The pictures at the Taiwan Taipei website “Chiang Kai Shek Memorial,” are outstanding.
   
If you are in the middle of the courtyard of this 60-acre piece of property, then on either side of you are two large buildings (mirrors of each other) with red columns and bright, yellow-orange (the color of Tibetan-monk robes) tiled roofs.  One is the National Concert Hall, and the other is the National Theatre, and all buildings (including the Memorial Hall and the gates) are within sight of the Republic of China’s Presidential Building in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District.
   
You may wonder why I even mention the Presidential Building. It is the office of the President of the Republic of China and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Taipei.  The reason it is heavily visited is its location.  Wikipedia explains the importance of its location: “The Presidential Office Building stands within walking distance of 228 Memorial Park, the National Taiwan Museum, the original hospital of the National Taiwan University, the original East Gate of the City of Taipei, the Chang Yung Fa Foundation Building (formerly Kuomintang Party Headquarters) and the National Theater and Concert Hall at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. A few blocks to the west is Taipei's popular Ximending shopping district with its historic cinema and Jhongshan Concert Hall. A few blocks to the north is Taipei Main Station and Shin Kong Life Tower.”  Talk about an important location!
   
We are on a walking tour with Jan de Vries, our Princess excursion tour guide, and just as we had observed in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial, we arrived at the Memorial to President Chiang to watch the changing of the guard.  (We had observed a similar activity at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington, D.C., and the similarities were startling.)  The red carpet, twirling of the guns with bayonets extended, the calling out of signals (as if to get President Chiang’s attention!), stiff, regimented, precision marching, and the pageantry of spit-shined shoes, polished guns, and bright colors were eye-catching; many people observed from behind the red, velvet-rope barrier.
   
Again, we briefly toured the museum, then we headed back to the MRT to return to the Town Hall and “101.”  Taipei’s 101 (1,671 feet) is a 101-floor, landmark skyscraper in which over 10,000 people work.  Taipei 101, whose pinnacle reached full height on Oct. 9, 2003, and opened in 2004, was the world's tallest building until surpassed by the Dubai, United Arab Emirates, tower, Burj Khalifa at 2,717 feet tall which opened January 4, 2010.  At SkyscraperPage.com a great deal more information on the 101 tower can be found.
   
A large mall is located at the base of the tower, so it was no wonder our shuttle dropped us off and picked us up there.  It has, thus far, been consistent.  Because we returned close to the time we were to be picked up, we followed Jan, our guide,  to a McDonald’s where I had my afternoon coffee, and we were finally able to have our cinnamon roll, bran muffin, and hard roll, plus water, too, we carried from the ship.  With no lunch, we were starving and tired.
   
There were a number of reasons why Taiwan is a jewel.  First, it is clean and safe.  Second, it is easy for tourists to navigate, and the public transportation system is terrific.  Third, it has some wonderful, picturesque sites for tourists.  There are the two palaces, a fine arts museum, National Palace Museum, National Taiwan Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art (all of which we did not have time to see on this short visit), and some of these museums house artifacts much older than any that can be found in Europe, our guide told us.  At Yahoo Travel, “Things to do in Taiwan,” there are 25 destinations, with reviews, and all sound terrific.
   
The fourth reason why Taiwan is a jewel is that the mountains are beautiful.  Some of those on Taiwan, too, are higher than those found in Switzerland.
   
The fifth reason is the people.  They are kind, friendly, honest, and helpful.  Although most do not speak English, they are more than willing to stop and try to help tourists.  They find tourists interesting and love to interact. 
   
The sixth reason why Taiwan is a jewel is that there is a great deal of shopping and entertainment, and the Shilin Night Market (we did not visit it) gets extremely crowded during the evening and operates until well past midnight.  At Taiwanfun.com, the description of the Shilin Night Market reads like this: “Since it's such a huge market, almost any product imaginable, not to mention any kind of food, can be found there. The products are of good quality and quite inexpensive, so that you're sure to get your money's worth. In fact, the deals are so good that they draw large crowds even on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, however, the market becomes a veritable ocean of people, best described by the Chinese expression, ‘people mountain, people sea.’” 
   
The seventh reason Taiwan is a jewel is its extensive system of parks, green spaces, and nature preserves.  There is a popular National Park and a Taipei Zoo.  Taiwan's northern regions offer waterfalls, volcanic pasts, beaches, paddy fields, villages, and temples.  In addition, because of its volcanic origin, there are hot springs, and there is boating and other water sports as well.
   
There is no question that Taiwan is a jewel just waiting for greater discovery.  It’s especially nice, too, when you get a proud, knowledgeable, well-informed excursion guide who not only points out the sights along a walking tour of the city but, too, talks about all the other things that make Taiwan the jewel that it is.
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At Asian Info.org there is a great summary of my essay, under the heading, “Taiwan Tourist Information,” that reads: “Fascinating culture, breathtaking scenery, artistic masterpieces, delicious cuisines, and friendly people make Taiwan an ideal destination for tourists.  In addition, the island's convenient transportation, excellent hotels, and outstanding restaurants allow travelers to explore these many attractions in comfort.”

At WorldTravelGuide some unusual things (some are not unusual) to do are discussed at “Things to do in Taiwan.”
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Copyright May, 2011, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.