When you successfully mix
history, culture and food tripping, that’s another level of wanderlust high.
Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, is just the ideal place to take your
wanderings into another height of discovery, learning and fun.
As a tiny nation, it is
surprising to discover that Taiwan possesses an abundance of destinations for
explorers of all sorts: foodies, outdoor enthusiasts, shoppers and even arts,
history and architecture junkies alike. Spending a week might be too short to
cover the whole country, but the good news for time-pressed wanderers, the
capital city of Taipei can offer you a wonderful glimpse in just a couple of
days, thereby giving you ample opportunities to sample its savory cuisine and
colorful history and culture.
Dig into Taiwan’s history
Kick-start your first day
with a visit to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. The late Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-Shek had a highly controversial political career, but his role as a
founding president of Taiwan earned him a sprawling memorial hall. The
picturesque ground composed of the iconic Liberty Square Gate, the Memorial
Hall Square and the National Concert Hall makes it a perfect stop to start
learning about the history of Taiwan. Make sure to witness the synchronized
changing of the honor guards which happens every hour.
Such a cultural trip is
never complete without passing through the vast collection of historical items
and rapidly growing oriental art collection housed inside the country’s
first-ever museum, The National Museum of History.
With all these historic
sights easily reachable by taking Taipei’s Metro Line, you can also quickly
visit the National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. The political mentor to a young
Chiang Kai-Shek, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen went on to become the founding father of
Taiwan when he spearheaded the modern Chinese nationalism movement. Honoring
his contributions to the country, a memorial covering 28 acres of open space
was built within the city. Surrounded by
lush gardens, it features a main building housing the performance hall,
exhibition center, museum and a library packed with more than 30,000 works of literature. The
National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial hall is a must for every history junkie.
After historical sites
hopping, a number of old temples and mansions can be added to your cultural and
historical exploration of Taipei.
The Longshan Temple was
built in 1738 by Fujian settlers and dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of
Mercy, Guan Yin. It is one of the busiest temples in Taiwan where Buddhists and
even believers of many deities of Taoism come to pray. Make sure to immerse at
the fervent atmosphere during the afternoon when the devotees start to chant
simultaneously while saying their prayers.
Relive the olden ambiance
at the Lin Family Mansion and Garden and take pleasure in taking photos of this
lavish old mansion which screams of Instagram-material. This old residence of
the Lin Ben Yuan Family was first built in 1847. Today, the whole property is
hailed as an embodiment of a traditional Chinese garden architecture. Aside
from the mansion’s stunning classic design, set your sights on the revolving
colors and vibes, as you walk from one charming area to another.
Witness
local life along Olden Streets
Even though Japanese
filmmaker and animator Hayao Miyazaki has already refuted claims that the old
mining town of Jiufen Old Street served as his inspiration for the town
depicted in Spirited Away, tourists still find their way to visit this place.
Navigating the lantern-adorned winding alleyways and stairways of Jiufen is
more than enough reason to enjoy the vibe of this revitalized olden town.
Cure your fix for
nostalgia and satisfy a childhood’s fantasy of letting a lantern fly up in the
sky, carrying one’s wishes to the heavens, when you visit the Shifen Old
Street. I do not usually support this activity, but I am making an exemption since it has been a cultural practice here for many years. (townsfolk make sure they all pick up the lantern's debris after it falls down to Earth) The town’s marketplace sits adjacent to an old but still operational
railway track, so make sure to step out of the tracks when there’s an incoming
train.
A couple of kilometers
away from Shifen Old Street, on the upper tier of Keelung River, travelers can
make a side trip to view the 66-foot Shifen Waterfalls.
A scenic walk along the
Tamsui Fisherman Wharf shall provide you a delightful afternoon. Street buskers
serenading passers-by with Taiwanese ballads with fascinating shops around
Tamsui’s Old Streets as its backdrop summons a charming atmosphere.
Feast
on Taipei’s street food and dumplings
Raohe Night Market and
Shilin Night Market are two of the major night markets in the city. In these
places you will experience a satisfying gastronomical adventure by circling
your way through rows of street-food stalls with some of the most interesting
and sumptuous road-side cookeries ever. The staple of Taiwan’s street-food
culture, the stinky tofu, leads the pack of sumptuous fare, such as the flame
beef cubes, oyster Omelet, Grilled Squid, Octopus Takoyaki, Bacon Wraps, Ice
Cream Popiah and many more.
Dubbed by many as the
Shibuya crossing of Taipei, Ximending was made exclusively for pedestrians only
encompassing a few streets filled with colorful and trendy shops, an ideal
destination for medium to upscale shopping and food destination.
Check out the cityscape of
Taipei from the former tallest building in the world; The Taipei 101. The 1,671 foot high tower
has an observation deck at the 88th and 89th floor with an outdoor deck, the
second-highest skyscraper observation deck at 1,285 feet on the 91st floor.
After that, cap off your
experience with a sumptuous lunch at the Michelin-starred dimsum restaurant DinTai Fung inside Taipei 101 mall. Specializing in steamed dumplings (xiao long
bao), it easily charms diners into feasting on their variety of dumpling
fillings, which include this author’s favorite—the Chocolate Xiao Long Bao.
Get
high on natural attractions
Otherworldly is the first
word that comes to mind when you see the vast expanse of Yehliu Geo park with
its exceptional and spectacular rock formations. Stretching over 1,700 meters,
this wonder of nature, carved by thousands of years of geological movement,
showcases a stunning list of remarkable stone formations, such as: Queen’s
Head, Princess Head Ginger Rocks, Kissing, Elephant and Ice cream rock, just to name a few.
Ever wonder how the city
of Taipei looks like from another perspective other than being on top of Taipei
101? Standing atop a view deck at Elephant Mountain will show you the answer. A
brisk 20-minute hike rewards you with an incredible sunset view of the city
while the towering Taipei 101 building elevates the scene to a postcard-like
setting.
These are just a quick
rundown of places to see when you are in Taipei. It is still best to let
yourself get lost in the city’s mesmerizing maze consisting of both the modern
and historic districts. As you familiarize yourself with the city, an easy hop
into the high-speed trains of Taiwan will swiftly take your exploration deeper
into its cross countryside locations.
*****
This
article first appeared on the Tourism pages of BusinessMirror on April 29,
2018.
