Taiwan is a special country with regard to its ultra modern and opulent high tech cities like Taipei or Taichung with their high speed trains whilst at the same time having a very pristine and original village culture. And you get to see this stark contrast all within a journey spanning not more than 2 hours. And that makes it even more special as well as convenient. Taipei is the 15th most popular tourist destination in the world, just 1 place behind nothing other than Rome!! Its a country with a sparse population of just over 24 million, but there is just as much as different types of food you can taste in there!
The night markets in Taipei and Taichung are simply awesome (except for the huge crowd so much that your cell phone may not touch the ground if you drop it!), cheap and you don't have to bargain at all. Most items are within 100-150 NTD. There is a common misconception by foreigners that bargaining is like a mandatory practice in night markets, but not in Taiwan. Here are some shots of the Fengchia night market in Taichung city. I felt like this is the largest night market in Taiwan (not the ones in Taipei).
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| Huge crowd in Fengchia Night Market on a Friday market |
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| Opera @ Taichung City |
Sun Moon Lake and the surroundings are nature's boon to Taiwan. It is so beautiful and the bicycle journey through the side of the lakes and nearby small forests will be a very different experience to any traveler. It is situated in Yuchi township in Nantou County, the only landlocked county of Taiwan. Home to Thao aboriginal tribes, I can see that much care has been taken to maintain the originality of the pristine village culture albeit you will encounter thousands of tourists (most of them from mainland China). The boat trip across the lake is very cheap and there are multiple small hills where you can go in boat and eat the popular Emu eggs, takes resplendent shots and maybe even meditate for hours! The boat trip is just about 300 NTD (about Rs. 600). There is also a ropeway and many shops which sell authentic Taiwanese souvenirs. Here are some shots.
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| The Lake |
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| My Ticket |
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