We assembled at Kota Kinabalu International Airport for our flight to Taipei. Although we arrived at the airport at dawn, it was already crowded with passengers trying to check in. The flight took around 2 hours and 45 minutes. On arrival at TaoYuan international Airport we hopped on a metro to HSR TaoYuan Station and from there, we took a high speed train to Zuoyang Station, this journey took another 3 hours and 15 minutes, but we finally got a warmth welcomed by the local tour guide, Mr Liu who met us at Kaoxiong station which is located in the Southern Part Of Taiwan.
#1 MAJESTIC FO GUANG SHAN BUDDHA MUSEUM
#2 BEAUTIFUL NIGHT SCENE AT KAOXIONG LOVE RIVER, AND LIUHE NIGHT MARKET
During the day, Kaoxiong is a business hub where traders, manufacturers and business associates meet. However by night, this business hub turns into a scenic nightspot. We were overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the Dagangpu Night Market. There were more than 100 stalls in the market, most of them serving snacks or providing entertainment and recreation, garments and groceries are rarely seen in the market. No matter what you like or how fussy your children are, a huge variety of delicious food, specialties, cold drinks and seafood here will definately satify. My daughter’s favourtie was the papaya milk and steamed salty shrimps in Kaohsiung, don’t miss the opportunity to taste those!
#3 SIZIHWAN BEACH - NANTOU JIJI TRAIN STATION
In the morning we were whisked away from Nantou County, which lies at the geographical heart of Taiwan and is the only county that does not border the coast, to visit Sizihwan bay for sight-seeing and experience the light rail transit (LRT) and stop at Nantou Jiji Train station old street. Walking around the small town of Checheng, you will find a scenic pond that once served as a log pond. Storage of logs in water has the additional advantages of preventing splitting of logs which might otherwise dry prior to milling. Take a leisurely stroll along the walking trail encircling the pond, and enjoy the tranquility by of nature at its best. At Checheng, visitors can sit back and relax a bit before experiencing a short nostalgic rail journey to another beautiful town.
#4 SUN MOON LAKE
Just under 2 hours bus ride from Taichung lies the majestic, blue and misty Sun Moon Lake. With a surface area of 7.93 sqkm, the Sun Moon Lake of Nantou County is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan! Surrounded by a stunning mountainous backdrop, picturesque bicycle routes and with its clear turquoise waters. The lake can get extremely busy over the weekends, especially during the holiday seasons. We found a great variety of local food and popular Taiwanese Milk Tea are serves here.
#5 FORMOSAN ABOROGINAL CULTURAL VILLAGE
From Sun Moon Lake Station (south east of the lake and just north of the Ita Thao community) to the Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village. During the short ride in the cable car of Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, we had a bird eye’s view of the entire lake. It’s breath-taking! Such memorable trip for our entire family and especially for our children.
#6 NATIONAL TAICCHUNG THEATER
After exploring the cultural village, we headed up North to Taichung City and visited the National Taichung Theater. The whole theater is composed of almost completely of curved walls. The walls flow into the ceilings with no clear boundaries dividing them. In fact, the entire space flows without boundaries, allowing the venue to host nearly any type of event.
#7 FENGJIA NIGHT MARKET
At night, we visited the Fengjia Night Market in search of more Taiwan’s famous street food. This market had more than food and entertainment! We found the clothes on offer unique and fairly priced. In addition, the most fashionable mobile phones are also the cheapest in Taichung. You can go shopping without any worries!
#8 JIUFEN OLD STREET
One of the most interesting places we visited during our Taiwan travel was the day trip to JiuFen Old Street. We felt we had been transported back to the olden days of Taiwan and found many interesting shops. There is even a beautiful ocean view of the Keelung outer sea! If you are wondering why is it call Jiu Fen (the 9th cents street) but not 8th cents or 7th cents, it was said that long time ago there were only nine families in Jiufen. Before the roads on land were built, all materials were transported via ships. Thus a habit was formed that nine pieces of same object were purchased at one time for reservation. Hence, the place was called Jiufen (The 9 th Street).
#9 SHIFEN PINXI– THE LANTERN FLYING
Pingxi is known for lantern-flying, they even have an annual lantern festival that is typically done during Chinese new year. We did a fun bonding activity with the children, whereby we wrote wishes on the lantern then send them off to the sky for good luck.
#10 XIMENDING – THE SHOPPING SPREE
We also visited Xi Men Ding, which is famed for a diversity of entertainments and activities that allure large numbers of young people. It has been noted as the most fashionable and popular shopping area in Taiwan.
#11 EVERRICH DUTY FREE SHOPPING ZONE
Finally we headed to the diversly stocked Duty free Shopping zone in Taipei 101 to pick up some “essentials” before flying home.
If you are planning your next trip or heading to Taiwan soon, consider adding these 11 spots to your itinerary. We had a great time and I’m sure you would too. Every place on the list offers you a diverse experience that will make your trip to Taiwan unforgettable. With a wide range of things to do there is sure to be something on this list for everyone in the family to enjoy.
Written by Melissa Alut Lim. Mother of two children and the Director of Rustic Borneo.
Should you need help or advice on planning your next family’s trip, you can contact Melissa at Rustic Borneo. Her email is melissalim@rustic-travel.com or you can also contact her at 088-385622 via office telephone.
They are on Facebook and Instagram too!
Holiday Packages Here>>> www.holidaydeals.my
