From Taiwan to Japan

Day 188

Dear people

Taiwan is done😉 We spent 3.5 weeks in this wonderful country and we are very happy when we think back to that time. A country that was so unfamiliar to us, that we didn't know anything about, has completely convinced us. On the one hand, I have to say that Taiwan is quite advanced and modern. On the other hand, we were very surprised by the friendliness and caring nature of the Taiwanese. A short example: We arrived in a new city and didn't have a plan on where our hotel is. We didn't even have to ask anyone, most of the time people approached us and showed us the way or even went with us personally to our destination.

What else did we experience in the past few weeks?

From Taitung on the east coast of Taiwan, we went all the way down to the southern part of Taiwan to Kenting National Park. We reached our destination by train and a short bus ride. After we checked in at the hotel, we headed to the beach. The beach was very beautiful and we relaxed there in the afternoon. After that, we went to the nice little village, where there's a night market every evening. We spent a cozy evening at the night market. The next day, we rented a scooter again. For me, this is simply the best way to explore the surroundings here in Asia. We visited a small lighthouse, some viewpoints, and the southernmost point of Taiwan, among other places. The nice thing about the ride was that part of the route ran along the sea, so we had spectacular views. The next day, we went hiking in the national park and encountered many wild monkeys and underground caves. We spent the last two days relaxing at the beach and just relaxing in general. However, on the last day, we had a little highlight. We encountered two snakes on the beach, including a small cobra. So we continued, the next destination was , a lively coastal city on the west coast. Kaohsiung immediately appealed to us, the most beautiful part was in the evening by the river, called Love River. Among other things, we took a day trip to the nearby island of Cijin. The island is only a 5-minute ferry ride away. The island is very beautiful and offers a mega view of the city and the harbor. On the island, we visited a lighthouse and an old fort, beautifully located on a small hill. After that, we took a walk on the black beach. Finally, we enjoyed a fresh fish. The next day, we planned another trip to another island called Liquiu. The journey was very tedious, the bus took forever, and then we had to take a ferry for an hour. When we arrived at the pier, we decided to rent a scooter. A short ride further, we reached a beach that was known as a very good snorkeling spot. After just a few minutes in the water, I saw a huge sea turtle swimming beneath me. I immediately alerted Lars. The turtle looked beautiful and was not bothered by us at all. We also discovered many beautiful viewpoints and coastal areas. Unfortunately, time was a bit tight because the last ferry back was in the early evening, it would have been more relaxed to spend a night on the island.

The next destination on our list was Taichung. Taichung is the second-largest city in Taiwan. This time we booked a small apartment through Airbnb. The apartment was super comfortable and even had a kitchen, washing machine, and a balcony. The city doesn't offer many attractions, but we wanted to spend a few days there because it is the starting point for Sun Moon Lake. I had heard about Rainbow Village in advance. A small settlement that was supposed to be demolished. The last resident of the settlement, an elderly man, decided to defy that. He painted all the walls in colorful tones, with animal motifs or similar. Since it attracted many visitors, the state eventually decided against the demolition. We were even able to see Rainbow Grandpa, and he seems very proud of his work. RESPECT! We also think it's a great action. We also visited the famous Sun Moon Lake. After a long bus ride, we reached the lake. The lake was very beautiful, nestled between the beautiful mountains. We finally rented bicycles. After a short bike ride, we went to a small mountain to visit a temple. After the 20 km bike tour, we were quite exhausted and fell tired into our bed.

At the end of our Taiwan trip, we went back to Taipei, where our flight was scheduled 4 days later. We booked a room in a nice apartment through Airbnb. In Taipei, we took a little trip to Jiufen, a small but very touristy mountain village. There was the so-called Old Street, where you could stroll around with many food stalls and small, cute shops. The next day, we wanted to do something for our fitness and went to Yangmingshan National Park. The national park is really beautiful and offers many hiking trails. We informed ourselves at the visitor center about a good hiking route. The mountain is an old volcano and along the way, we passed smelly sulfur fields.
When we reached the summit, unfortunately, there was only a wall of fog in front of us, so we didn't have a great view of Taipei, but the hike was wonderful (and exhausting)! So we spent our last day in Taiwan and went to the airport with sore muscles the next day. There, a new chapter opened up to us: JAPAN. You can look forward to more in the next post. Stay tuned!

Anita