As well as being the arrival gateways to eastern Taiwan for many visitors, the cities of Hualien and Taitung are also focal points of local indigenous culture. So before you set off to explore the wilds of the east, it’s worth...
Exploring the indigenous art scene in eastern Taiwan is a pleasure in itself, but is also a great way to start to decipher the region’s tribal cultures, and to gain a deeper understanding of the customs, stories, and sustainable living practices...
The once remote East Coast is one of Taiwan’s last great tribal strongholds. Traveling here, it’s hard to miss the myriad roadside indigenous totems, murals, arches, and statues, but to get any real understanding of tribal Taiwan you need to delve...
Here’s a collection of all lighthouses we have been to over the years and some we have yet to visit. We love lighthouses, because they are usually in scenic locations with sea view and you can always learn a thing or...
The Donghe Township experience: A little surfin’, a little beach action, a little sunrise watchin’, a little café loungin’, a little outdoor live-music listenin’, a little indigenous-culture and Taiwan heritage explorin’, a little indigenous arts and crafts shoppin’, a little barbecuin’,...
Taitung County, stretched along Taiwan’s southeast coast, offers scenic beauty in great diversity, with bright-blue ocean waters, terraced rice fields, and towering mountains. Possessing the longest coastline of any county on the island, Taitung is a popular destination for tourists looking...
The small gray-concrete semi-open building has two floors, and can be described as modern simplistic. The structure looks like several rectangular blocks stacked together, aligning imperfectly. Part of the first floor protrudes out into a decorative lawn area, while the second...
Guanshan (關山) Guanshan rice is renowned far and wide and tasty Guanshan railway lunchboxes should not be missed when traveling through by train. The paddy fields here take on a different appearance through the four seasons. Cycling, strolling through Guanshan Water...
There is a hot-spring resort area at the mouth of a deep valley way down south just off the East Coast, Pacific rollers within view in one direction and rugged mountains in view in the three others, where an enticing combination...
What better way to spend a few of your precious Taiwan days than by exploring the tranquil Taitung City area, a place of palm trees and cool ocean breezes, on two wheels? Following, we’re going on a cycle outing along Provincial...
One of Taiwan’s most bizarre annual Lantern Festival traditions is the firecracker infernos that greet the deity Master Handan in Taitung City when he sallies forth on inspection processions. Care to join in? Among the most renowned of these are the...
New Beginnings with Sacred Origins Text: Francesca ChangPhotos: Francesca Chang, April Chen It’s December 31, 2018. Taiwan is home to one of the tallest buildings in the world, twenty Michelin-star restaurants, and a predominantly Mandarin-speaking population (with English as a second...
Way Down South, in the East Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Ray Chang; Maggie Song The southern reaches of Taitung County on the East Coast is a region of high-mountain backdrops, flatlands carpeted with paddy fields, Pacific Ocean views, palm trees, and gently...
This hotel is located in central Taitung City, close to the old railway station, Tiehua Music Village, and the Seashore Park Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Ray Chang This is a handsome young boutique hotel located toward the southern edge of Taitung...
A Fine Family Vacation Hotel in Taitung County Text: Rick Charette, Photos: Ray Chang n an online poll conducted this year by the Taiwan travel company EzTravel, this lovely Mediterranean-look resort, located just south of Chishang, was declared “Taiwan’s most beautiful hotel.”...
From the Taiwan Strait to the Pacific Ocean Text: Steven Crook; Photos: Vision Taiwan’s first railway line, between the cities of Taipei and Keelung, was established in 1891; but round-the-island rail travel wasn’t possible for another hundred years. The opening in 1991...