Tainan City Souvenirs

And the station itself is attractive, with a very pretty flowery escalator area. Yea they might be kinda similar but it's not going to be exactly like that style probably smaller as well but yea check those out and you can see what you think. Probably the first one i mentioned is the one that most people would go for.
There are quite a few things around that area to see also – the wood museum is a must imo. There is a big district there that just sells wood carvings. We head home for a late afternoon snooze in the Grand and tonight take the shuttle 台東地瓜酥 bus down to the Shilin Night Market. This place is absolutely crowded, mostly young people and also families. A lot of sideshow type entertainment, food stalls, restaurants, souvenir shops and indeed shops of all descriptions.

That’s fair justification given that during the cultural revolution in China, temples where looted, relics, scrolls, and books containing vast amounts of cultural heritage were burned and destroyed. Libraries were ransacked, monuments destroyed or severely damaged, and religious sites and tombs of historical figures were looted and desecrated. The red guards also destroyed many priceless artifacts, like those from the tomb of the Ming Dynasty emperor, Wan Li. In Beijing, the remains of the emperor and empress were publicly denounced and burned. China can count itself very lucky that the red guards and their ilk did not get their hands on the priceless, magnificent and ancient artifacts and exhibits that we viewed today. There were three floors and we could have spent a day on each floor instead of two hours on the lot.
Surrounding sights include the National Museum of Prehistory, the Taitung Railway Art Village and the Fu An Gong. The Haishan Temple and Tiehuacun are also within reach. If you want to do some exploring, add a trip to Guanshan to your plan.
Finally, the highlight of your tour—Jiufen Village, a hillside village that was once flourished in the 1940s due to the gold mining industry, and then fell into disrepair and decrepitude for years. Even though the golden age has long gone, this small village still has a lot of stories to tell. Taiwan has got so much going for it and so much going against it.

If travelling to Hualien, particularly to visit the gorge, do your homework and book your taxi before you go. Love how easy it was to sort out a sim card and data access – I'm able to use google maps on my phone, so I don't look like such a tourist. So far, Taiwan sort of feels like a mix between China and Japan, which works well for me because they are two countries that I love. The weather is ok – a little humid, but not hot. Gets a bit cold when everywhere is air conditioned. Fair amount of rain, but certainly bearable.
However, it’s way smaller than Yeliu and not that fabulous. All shops were closed except further inside the park during weekdays. Glad to spend time to walk around and enjoy the natural beauty.

It’s all about prestige and face in my down to earth opinion. Still it’s a bit of an icon especially in Taiwan and we had to visit it, despite the admission fee of $30 each. The tower’s elevators reach speeds of 60km, are extremely smooth and transport us from earth to heaven in 37 seconds. Set speed records in those days, probably now snail’s pace. Couple of hiccups travelling south from Okinawa via Naha Airport to Taipeh. The first occurred when checking in for the flight on China Airlines they discovered that Lilly’s Taiwanese visa stated her name as TL and not LT as per her passport.
I had great time chatting with locals while having my legs massaged due to the amount of walking i did . I would consider living in Taipei if only the working hours there were not as long. Taxis – I recommend this as a mode of transport if there is a bit of a distance between where you are and where you want to go. There is a taxi company that mandates their drivers were long-sleeved white shirts, black ties, vest and pants.
Now just to sort out the itinerary somewhat. We're thinking of going Melbourne to Guangzhou, then to Beijing for a few days, then Taipei, then home via  Guangzhou. Most signs in dual language, a lot of people either know English, or have a basic command of it. My bro headed to beijing for one week; and most shopping centres had basic commands of english. Unfortunately, i didnt go to the toilet, but i heard it has full glass wall, so you can 'go' and enjoy the scenery at the same time. I'm hoping to go in May, but that's dependant of a few work related things, if not, then the best time is late June, sounds like the weather should be ok (I'm not a huge fan of humidity!).