Taiwan (2007-2018)
Return to my
mountaineering/trekking/travel webpage
Details of
exuberantly colorful Taoist temples, ubiquitous throughout Taiwan.
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I have
traveled a dozen times to Taiwan since 2007, both for work and pleasure. On my
first couple of visits I was not overwhelmed by Taiwan. Unlike in some other
countries I did not immediately see stunning monuments, awesome scenery, or
beautiful towns. But the more I visited Taiwan, the more I liked it. It is full
of subtle charm and raw beauty, like the old temples of Tainan and Lukang, the manicured tea plantations of Rueili and the Wuling valley, the
atmospheric teahouses of the Maokong hills, the
scenic rice fields of the eastern rift valley, the slow pace of Taitung, the
ruggedness of the central mountains, the remoteness of the Penghu and Matsu
islands, the beautifully decorated Fujianese houses
of Kinmen, the elegant former residences in Taichung, the plunging cliffs of
the east coast, and the majestic Taroko gorge. My
experience has been that the charms and beauty of Taiwan reveal themselves
slowly, but they eventually become addictive. This is one of the reasons why I
have returned often to Taiwan. In addition, its people are incredibly friendly
and welcoming. I particularly admire their independent spirit and resilience in
the face of frequent earthquakes and typhoons and of the permanent threats of
their powerful bullying neighbor.
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This site
contains a collection of photos from some of my trips to Taiwan, organized by
regions (shown in the two maps above):
- North:
2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018.
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Center-West: 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
- South-West:
2009, 2016, 2017.
- East: 2009,
2015, 2016.
- Shei-Pa and
Yushan NP′s: 2015.
- Penghu
Islands: 2015.
- Great
Kinmen: 2017.
- Lanyu:
2017.
- Matsu
Islands: 2018.
To see these photos click on the links
below.
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North (without Taipei) |
Taichung
(1/2) |
Taichung
(2/2, only temples) |
Center-West (without Taichung) |
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