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You are here: Home / Capture / Asia / Photoblog: Taiwan in 20 photos.

Photoblog: Taiwan in 20 photos.

December 7, 2013 By Lauren M 9 Comments

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For nearly one month, we explored Taiwan from North to South. Our initial intention was live and teach there, but even when that didn’t work out, we were happy to get the opportunity to explore this big island by train. From the temples in Koahsiung to the warm tropical waters of the East Coast, this country held quite a few surprises and beautiful corners…

1. Dragon and Tiger Pagodas.

These pagodas can be found in the northern outskirts of Koahsiung on Lotus Lake. Entering through the Dragon’s throat and exiting through the Tiger’s mouth is symbolic of turning back luck into good fortune. Inside are paintings of heaven, hell and China’s 24 most obedient sons. There are also depictions of punishment of sins and all the art has been placed there to inspire people to do good deeds in their lifetime.

Taiwan in 20 photos

2. Plastic Surgery.

Plastic surgery especially alterations to the eyes, nose and face are quite common in Taiwan. Billboards advertise various procedures very openly through major cities.

Taiwan in 20 photos

3. Beaches of Dulan.

Not many people know this, but the Eastern coast of Taiwan is tropical and extremely picturesque. In the province of Taitung, lies a small coastal village known as Dulan. With a climate and vegetation very similar to that of Hawaii, we stumbled upon the most beautiful, rugged coastline home to palm trees, black sand beaches and warm water.

Taiwan in 20 photos

4. Heaven for scooters.

It is said that there are about 83 scooters to 100 residents in the cities near the Southern region of Taiwan. I can totally vouch for this as we saw way more scooters than cars. Drivers on the roads really seem to move safely around those on two wheels and most areas have a lane specifically for scooters.

Taiwan in 20 photos

5. Ghost Month.

We happened to be in Taiwan during July and August which was Ghost Month. Unknown to us when we arrived, this Ghost Festival is celebrated by Chinese all around the world. Toaists and Buddhists believe that spirits, ghosts including those of their dead ancestors come out and visit the living. During this time, residents, shops and businesses all burn joss paper ( also known as ghost money) and offer food sacrifices to appease the ghosts and make sure they take the offerings and leave. Families with deceased members are also said to lay an extra seat at the table and prepare elaborate meals for them.

Taiwan in 20 photos

6. Taiwan’s epic heat.

Temperatures can reach up to 38 degrees Celius between June and August. At first we chuckled at locals using umbrellas in the centre of the city but had to buy our own the very next day when we feared heatstroke.

Taiwan in 20 photos

7. Beaches where no one swims.

One of the most interesting beaches we visited was Qixingtan in Hualien on the North East coast. It’s a beach made of pebbles and rocks where no one is permitted to swim due to the strong currents and steep drop from the shore.

Taiwan in 20 photos

8. Kaohsiung City.

Kaohsiung is the second most populated area in Taiwan. It is well known for its shopping and aside from this Star Place Department store there are entire districts, streets and markets dedicated to delights shoppers such as Bridal Wear Street, Computer Street and the massive Dream Mall.

Taiwan in 20 photos

9. Tarako National Park.

Tarako is one of eight National Parks in Taiwan. It’s filled with trails, hikes, temples and walks through tunnels, up steep rocky mountains and alongside the bluest rivers you’ve ever seen.

Taiwan in 20 photos

10. Aboriginal Taiwanese People.

Taitung County on the East Coast has the largest collections of Aboriginal cultures such as Bunun, Paiwan, Rukai, Amis, Puyuma, Tao and Kavalan. It was the least affected by Han Chinese colonization and therefore many aboriginal cultures still form a part of everyday life and they escaped most of the urbanization and pollution of the lowland areas.

Taiwan in 20 photos

11. Language.

The most widely spoken language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese followed by Taiwanese Hokkien.

Taiwan in 20 photos

12. Gatekeeper at a Temple.

This caretaker or gatekeeper of the temple dozes off in the hot, summer sun.

Taiwan in 20 photos

13. Waves.

Our most surprising find of all: beautiful waves to surf in the warm waters of Taitung on Taiwan’s East Coast.

Taiwan in 20 photos

14. Confucius Temple at Lotus Lake.

As the temple grounds were being renovated and cleaned, we snuck in through the temple doors to take a peek inside.

Taiwan in 20 photos

15. Fishermen at Pei Chi Pavilion.

Local men fish off the Pei Chi Pavilion which leads to a statue of the Xuantian God. His sword is believed to be the first in the world.

Taiwan in 20 photos

16. Espresso.

Even though tea is the popular hot beverage of Taiwan, we encountered a few great coffee shops selling espresso-based drinks. This was our favourite coffee shop in Pingtung where they regularly roasted beans in this machine.

Taiwan in 20 photos

17. Fruit and Vegetable vendors.

We passed this group of vegetable vendors on the side of the road. They hide from the sun’s strong rays in big hats and cloth revealing only their eyes.

Taiwan in 20 photos

18. Spring and Autumn Pavilions.

These two massive pavilions are dedicated to Kuan Kung, the God of War and completed in 1951.

Taiwan in 20 photos

19. Lighthouse in Hulien.

Cilaibi Lighthouse on the shores of Hulien on Taiwan’s East Coast.

Taiwan in 20 photos

20. Silks Place Tarako.

This was our incredible view from five star resort Silks Place Tarako. The river ran beneath the bridge leading up to a temple in the mountains.

Taiwan in 20 photos

Filed Under: Asia, Capture Tagged With: east coast, hulien, Kaohsiung, taitung, taiwan, tarako, temples

Comments

  1. Rebecca Chant says

    December 8, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Great photos!
    I will definitely have to come back to explore more of this wonderful country. There is so much to see, and I continue to be surprised at my discoveries. I am particularly impressed by how varied the landscape is, and how quickly you can go from two different extremes.
    My favourite thing I went to was Lotus Pond – your photos are fantastic. It was so much fun!
    I had no idea you spent one month there – looks like you had a great time!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 9, 2013 at 7:41 am

      Thanks Rebecca! We couldn’t believe how varied the landscape was either. We would’ve loved to stay along the East Coast for longer. Happy Travels!

      Reply
  2. Sally says

    December 9, 2013 at 6:14 am

    These pictures are so beautiful, and I feel like I have a better idea of what Taiwan is about, although there’s nothing like really visiting, right? What a cool mix of island life and Asian culture, and those giant pavilions are fantastic.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      December 9, 2013 at 7:44 am

      Thank you Sally! We loved the mix of natural beauty with the rich cultural aspects and we got quite a great glimpse of it by travelling around the entire island by train. Just seeing the heavily populated cities would have changed our entire view of Taiwan.

      Reply
  3. Jonny Blair says

    December 29, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    Hi Lauren, this is a fabulous post thanks for sharing! I spent 3 weeks in Taiwan about 4-5 years ago and LOVED it. A lot of these photos are the same type I took – seems we did all the same stuff – Tialuga/Taroko, Kenting and Eluanbi, Kaohsiung and the Pagodas at Lotus Lake. Safe travels. Jonny

    Reply
  4. Hitch-Hikers Handbook says

    January 3, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    Lovely photos, Lauren! We haven’t been to Taiwan but it looks amazing!
    If you like photography, we’d like to invite you to participate in the next edition of our Travel Photography Competition. Here are the details:
    http://hitchhikershandbook.com/your-contributions/travel-photography/
    Happy travels!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      January 4, 2014 at 7:51 am

      Thanks! Awesome, will check it out the competition for sure 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lily La says

    January 9, 2014 at 1:11 pm

    These are a great collection of photographs. A lot of the teachers here in Geoje have been jetting off to Taiwan, and only come back raving about it. I’ve heard about the aboriginals of Taiwan and have always been very intrigued. I had a friend who went and hung out with a few he met – said they’re friendly and can drink a lot! Ghost Month and Tet (Lunar New Year), are two events very important in my family’s calendar, and I’ve missed celebrations of them both! Also, I’m surprised there’s no food or themed cafe photos here – people usually rave about that to!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      January 13, 2014 at 10:38 am

      Taiwan is really a country that held a few surprises for me. Sadly we didn’t get to sample nearly as much Taiwanese cuisine as we had hoped to. In most places we visited, absolutely no one spoke English and none of the menus had any English. Most local eateries had no pictures either, so it was a point and miss. But hey, next time we’ll go armed with a list of dishes we have to try in Mandarin and get more pics of the good food 😉

      Reply

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