It’s kind of ironic for me that my friend Jake was just in Taiwan, a place that I have yet to visit and then I pulled up the CNN Travel section today and there is an article about how Taiwan is trying to lure more tourists especially Chinese tourists to the island. It’s funny because Jake and I were talking just yesterday about how expensive it was to fly from mainland China to Taipei. It seems so strange because it is so close, only 100 miles or so off the coast.
In my seemingly endless research, I was poking around the Internet and with travel agents trying to fit Taiwan into any possible trip I’ll be doing this summer but just to fly roundtrip to Taipei from either Beijing or Shanghai was like $800 at least. Thats a little crazy in my opinion for a short flight to a place that has very little actual tourist attractions and culture-besides of course Taipei 101-which is currently the worlds tallest completed building as the Burj Dubai is actually taller but just not completed yet.
The article talks about how they are going to try to lure the Chinese tourist with theme parks and by starting to develop their coastline like a Thailand or something. However, it seems to me that the climate isn’t nearly as good or tropical as Thailand so that would be a tough sell and I don’t know how many Chinese are going to shell out $800 to fly to the beach in Taiwan. They could probably just go to Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam or wherever for the same price if not cheaper and get more for their money.
I am not trying to be unfair to Taiwan as I have never been there and in fairness, Jake said it was a really cool place to see for 24 hours but unless they lower airfare prices and/or increase the capacity of Taipei as an airline hub-it seems to me that most people will pass on it as a destination, especially the Chinese. However, I do look forward to a future short visit there and Taipei 101 looks really cool.
That building is brilliant
Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, which is constructed into a hillside and is largely underground (for protective purposes), ranks among the world’s finest museums, and has the world’s best collection of Chinese artifacts — I didn’t think I’d find it as enjoyable or as impressive as I did. And, to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, snake alley was one of the most interesting night markets I have visited (but, very difficult to take photographs — I was nearly chased from the market). I only spent a few days in Taipei, but the rest of the country is much less developed and I have friends who raved about the hiking.
Hi, I love to read your entries. I am from Taiwan so I want to provide you with some information. There will be direct flights between China and Taiwan very soon. However, the reason why China and Taiwan doesn’t have direct flights even though it’s very close geographically is because neither side has declared the end of the war that began a few years after WWII. The two sides are still hostile military-wise. Despite all that, Taiwan is a place you shouold definitely visit. It’s a small island with tropical-like weather. As you have mentioned, it’s not as tropical as Thailand, but we do have really good beaches for surfing. Also, it only takes little time to get from modern cities to the beaches. We also have great mountains to climb. Mountains such as A-li Mountain and Jade Mountain will provide you with spectacular views.
On the west coast facing China, there are beaches and great towns with excellent food. The food from the food stalls are delicious and clean. I recommend to visit Tainan and Kaohsiung, the two major cities in southern Taiwan. On the east coast facing the Pacific consists of beautiful coastlines that can be compared with Britain. You’ll see beautiful mountain hills on one side and the vast Pacific Ocean on the other side. You can also visit beaches in the southern tip of Taiwan in a city called Kenting. A lot of foreigners like to go there to surf and party.
Last but not least, visit Taipei. Taipei has great cultural museums and very interesting night life. You can find all kinds of food in Taiwan whether it’s Thai or Italian. The currency is cheap therefore I believe the cost won’t be too much. This is just a brief introduction to my country. Give it a try!
thx Jackie for the great info and I definitely will!
By the way, google “taroko gorge”. It’s one of those magnificent natural beauty in Haulien, which is a city on the east side of Taiwan.