Taiwan Treasures

Remotely located off the coast of China's mainland is the rather small island country, Taiwan. My lack of knowledge and the intrinsic obscurity of the island drew me to visit not once, but twice, to discover what treasures it might have to offer. To my satisfaction, Taiwan is fantastic. For an island so small, it has so much to offer: an energetic capital city filled with clubs and shopping, beautiful beaches and lush, green countryside, good food (with the exception of "stinky tofu") and overwhelmingly nice people. Perhaps because foreigners and tourists are not as high numbered as in other Asian countries, or perhaps because it is just their natural etiquette, but the Taiwanese people were consistently helpful and endearing. While in Kenting, a coastal town in the southern tip of Taiwan, a charming little grandmother that helped run the guesthouse I stayed at couldn't speak a word of English, yet everyday she invited me down for lunch and dinner and would sit and watch me eat with a moon-sized grin across her face. Knowing only a few survival phrases in Mandarin, I could only mumble a basic thank you but wished to express how sincerely touched I was by her warmheartedness...






Kenting beaches...The 101 Building (tallest in the world for some period of time)...an adorable Taiwanese girl running an accessory shop in the streets of Taipei