Welcome to Taiwan!
Dear Traveler, After a long, hot summer, autumn has at last come breezing in, taking the edge off the intense summer heat and ensuring even more comfort and pleasure for Taiwan visitors during their island meanderings. Here is a palette of local places and experiences for you to consider while here perfecting the “art of travel.” Showcased in our Feature section is the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area, located in the deep southwest just below Kaohsiung City. Consisting of southwest Taiwan’s largest lagoon and a large raised-coral island just offshore, reached by ferry, this is a place of “water everywhere.” Your range of recreational activities is very wide, leaping from the expected, such as eco-tours, kayaking, and waterside bicycling, to the highly unexpected, such as go-karting. And as always in our Feature , we present a range of options on where to stay, where/what to eat, and what representative gifts and souvenirs to buy. Another deep-south adventure option is found in our Tribal Experience article, in which we visit the Dongyuan Forest Recreation Area, a pleasant getaway in the mountains of Pingtung County at the edge of Dongyuan, a Paiwan Tribe settlement. We introduce you to eco-tours, song-anddance shows, a tribal-product market, and great food served during the annual Ginger Lily Festival, which is running to the end of September. In Rail/Bus/Bike we cycle in the slow-paced Dongshan area on the verdant Lanyang Plain in mountain-framed Yilan County, in the northeast of Taiwan. It’s then up into the hills of Yilan in Farm Fun , with a visit to Shangrila Leisure Farm, a place of lovely fruit orchards and striking mountain/plain/ocean views. A leap even higher into the mountains is taken in Easy Hiking , where we visit the soaring central mountains to conquer the peaks of Mt. Hehuan, Taiwan’s most accessible 3,000-meter heights, virtually right by a highway. Heading back down into indoor spaces, in a Special Report we tell you all about the new National Taichung Theater, a bold architectural statement intended to serve as central Taiwan’s international-class showcase stage for the stage arts. In Precious Gifts we join a DIY workshop in a Taipei glass-art studio and in Popular Flavors we tell you where you can pleasure your sweet tooth by exploring Taipei’s latest sweet treat trends. Welcome and enjoy your travels in Taiwan!
David W. J. Hsieh Director General Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.