Based on a weeklong whirlwind tour in March, Taiwan (as a tourism destination) is, as they say back in my native England, a 'game of two halves': while the cities are bustling and utilitarian, and the coast (sea, sky and buildings) can be a dreary grey, the mountains offer exotic landscapes straight from a painting (giant bamboo, cloud-shrouded peaks) and a bewildering array of spa-hotels which are well worth the trip. 

National Palace Museum

Perhaps most importantly, wherever you go in this compact island nation (population 26 million) off the coast of China, the people are universally welcoming and charming. I flew to Taipei, Taiwan's capital, direct from LAX on EVA Air (one of two international Taiwanese carriers, alongside the confusingly-named China Airlines).  EVA is unique in offering a 'fourth class' of seating which they call 'Elite'.  This is comparable to U.S. domestic carriers' business class in terms of service, comfort and amenities, yet typically only about 25% more than the price of economy class. 

There was indeed more leg and arm room in Elite; the flight attendants were utterly gracious and efficient; and the food was well above average (choices included seafood with oyster sauce and a Chinese-style breakfast featuring pork strips and bean curd).  One thing really stood out: the attendants cleaned the restrooms so frequently that they were as fresh at the end of the flight as they were when we left (unlike many-a long-haul flight where they're sometimes no-go zones by the halfway point!)  The flight was 13+ hours on the way out, 11 hours and change on the way home.

Massage in Taipei

Like much of Asia, the Taiwanese are big on massage and take it very seriously.  So an hour-long going-over at the hands of an expert seemed like a great idea after our long flight.  Even for the massage-addicts in our party, this proved to be a rigorous work-out that left few parts of the body untouched and finished with a diagnosis of our ills based on what the masseuse's hands detected.  Welcome to Taiwan!

Wish Tiles at Puzih Temple

We spent our first and last nights on the island in the Taipei Sheraton, and very impressive it was too: aside from all the usual high-star amenities, it offered a mind-boggling buffet (a feature of better Taiwanese hotels); a compact but well-equipped and maintained fitness center; and staff who went beyond the call of duty.

High Speed Train to Chiayi

Our first full day in Taiwan was just that: full.  At 9:15am we caught the high-speed train immaculate and efficient to Chiayi (roughly in the center of the island a trip costing the approximate equivalent of $35 US).  Our first stop was the Peitian Temple in Puzih a burst of color and tourist activity in an otherwise dour town. 

Here we saw the features common to many Taiwan temples: intricate mosaics of vivid glass fragments; a roaring furnace where ritual money is burned by the faithful; and wooden wish tiles dangling from red lanyards.  Even on a dull day, the thousands of candles lit by visitors breathed warmth over passers-by.

Candles at Puzih Temple

The focus of our visit to Chiayi County was the famous Taiwan Lantern Festival, an annual event celebrating the 15th day of the first lunar month being held in Chiayi for the first time.  The Lantern Festival or Yuansiao Jie is the most energized of Taiwan's major holidays, surpassing even the Lunar New Year in this regard.

Squid Snacks at Lantern Festival

Spread across many acres in what appeared to be vacant lots opposite the Chang Gung Institute of Technology, this year's Lantern Festival focused on the pig, the Chinese zodiac animal for 2007.  Accordingly, the giant Central Theme Lantern (the size of a multi-story building) depicted a Taiwan boar. 

Outside of a central performance area where huge international troupes of dancers and musicians performed (with seamless organization making for non-stop entertainment) before an audience including Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian, were displays of literally thousands of lanterns of all shapes and sizes; children's rides; and fairground games (apparently roughly similar to those round in American carnivals) and food (including grilled squid, dumplings, and a variation of sausage-on-a-stick).

Lantern Festival

As the performances drew to a close, the thousands in attendance turned to face the huge boar lantern and hundreds of camera-phones speckled the crowd.  We weren't quite sure what we were waiting for, until the boar which until this point had appeared to be constructed from brushed aluminum began to emit wafts of smoke.  Within seconds fireworks erupted all around it, the whole structure began to rotate, and what were in fact translucent body panels revealed an intricate and mesmerizing light show within. 

Amidst countless flashbulbs and traditional music the boar lantern did its thing for a couple of minutes before a firework display from the edge of the festival breathtaking in its beauty, intricacy, scale and duration (shaming anything similar I've ever witnessed) - closed the event in grand style.  In what I was to learn was typical Taiwanese fashion, the huge crowds dispersed rapidly yet politely a small group of police we saw on stand-by at one intersection looked more bored than busy.

Lantern Festival Finale

As if all that wasn't enough for one day, we were then whisked off to the Beehive Rockets Festival (also called the Yanshuei Fireworks Festival) an hour away in the small Tainan County town of Yanshuei.  This annual festival is basically an audience-participation fireworks event spread over 2-plus days.  While it includes folk art performances and other activities, the fireworks parade (dating back to the ritual response to an 1885 plague epidemic in the area) which begins around dusk on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is easily the highlight, attracting around 50,000 visitors to this otherwise sleepy town of just 28,000 inhabitants.

Burning Ritual Currency at Puzih Temple

This truly unique and unforgettable experience goes something like this: a small procession of palanquins (sedan chairs carrying religious icons and effigies) slowly makes its way through the narrow, crowded streets of Yanshuei.  As it passes each of a number of 'beehives' van-sized creations housing dozens of racks of firecrackers, facing outwards in all directions technicians prime their bizarre creations.  Visitors protected by motorcycle helmets, scarves, gloves and anything else they can find to cover every inch of skin - then crowd around the beehive as the firecrackers are lit, their proximity to the fireworks directly correlating to their bravery/foolishness. 

What follows is probably the only 20 seconds of your life where you'll wantonly stand in the path of fireworks.  Even 15 people back I being probably one of the tallest people in town at 6'4' received a number of direct hits to my helmet while I performed the ungainly shuddering jig (designed to shake any trapped firecrackers out of folds in clothing) which I rapidly learned from my neighbors.

Near Haomeiliao

The Beehive Festival is a (literally) a blast and contrasts sharply with over-priced and carefully stage-managed 'extreme' experiences elsewhere in the world.  Think of it as the pyrotechnic version of running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  Comparing damage to clothing and minor injuries after the event is part of this experience, but be aware that the dangers are very real: nineteen people required medical attention at the 2006 event and, of our party of eight people, two had items of clothing ruined by burns and one of our guides proudly showed-off an impressive welt on his forearm.

Scooter and Trailer

It was past 1am when our sleepy party arrived at the grandiose Tainan Tayih Landis hotel (in Tainan), where sadly we had time only to grab a few hours sleep and sample another incredible breakfast buffet staffed by ultra-helpful locals.

Haomeiliao Oyster Farm

The next day we briefly visited Haomeiliao Nature Preserve, where we took a small launch out into the oyster beds; the Daitian Temple in Nankunshen (complete with self-flagellating shaman); the tiled salt fields in Jingzaijiao (where women gather salt from ocean water the old, back-breaking way); and the black-faced spoonbill reserve in Cigu. 

By late afternoon we were winding our way up into the mountains (two thirds of Taiwan is mountainous) and the scenery changed dramatically: epic gorges; subtropical evergreen forest; and winding roads snaking ever upwards.  Our destination was Toong Mao Spa Resort in Guanzihling, a small town where every third building appeared to be a spa of some sort.

Toong Mao Spa Resort

Toong Ma Spa Resort popular for group business and religious retreats looks more functional than fancy, its interior vaguely recalling that of hotels in the old Eastern Bloc,  only with all the facilities of a decent international hotel.  What sets it apart is its muddy hot springs: you can choose nude indoor bathing (separated into male and female), or co-ed bathing in swimsuits in a covered outdoor setting. 

After slathering yourself with the gunmetal grey mud provided in large drums, you then immerse yourself in large communal hot and cold baths, some with jets, and emerge much invigorated.  Toong Ma also offers all manner of massages, saunas and other therapeutic treatments.  Again, breakfast was a comprehensive buffet.

View From Toong Mao Spa Resort

Nest morning it was on to Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city and chief industrial center.  We stopped at the impressive lakeside Confucian temple and nearby Chuncou Pagoda and Tiger and Dragon Pagodas.  We then checked into the truly opulent Splendor Kaohsiung hotel situated in the 85-story Tuntex T&C Tower, overlooking the harbor in the city's new downtown business and shopping district.  Even on a grey day the view from my room on the 58th floor was staggering and, yet again, the buffet here presented an almost bewildering array of options (seafood is the dominant cuisine in Taiwan and comes in all imaginable varieties).

A quick internal flight on China Airlines took us back to Taipei the following lunchtime, giving us time for a must-do on any Taiwan trip: a visit to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world at 1,671 ft (452 m).  The lower floors are a mall, full-of high-end stores and restaurants.  An ear-popping ride up the high-speed elevator takes you to the observatory on the top (101st hence the name) floor. 

Though the light was fading and rain was falling, the 360 degree view was still awe-inspiring and a 40 minute audio tour (delivered in choice of seven languages via hand-held devices) helped us pick out various features of interest amongst the myriad buildings, roads, and landmarks.  Even on the observatory floor there were a few shops, while the 730-ton steel pendulum, called a tuned mass damper (but oddly nicknamed 'Damper Baby'), which  hangs from the 87th floor to absorb any movement caused by earthquakes and high winds, really is an engineering marvel.

Taipei by Night

Our trip to Taiwan really made me think: the busy-busy towns give some clue as to how a country which only came into being in 1949 already has one of the world's most successful economies (incredibly, producing more than a quarter of the world's desktop computers and half its laptops); while the serene mountains and the spas on their slopes offer a dramatic, reinvigorating and exotic contrast. 

In the cities, where there's often (literally) a 7-11 on every corner, you're constantly reminded of, and in touch with, the ever-more-homogenized 'global village'; in the mountains you're somewhere else entirely, and perhaps more in touch with your inner self than ever.

Information on Taiwan tourism is available at www.taiwantourism.org
Information EVA Air is available at www.evaair.com

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