T A I W A N
Day 1 | Arrive Taipei, Taiwan
Arrive Taipei from Hong Kong, meet escort and transfer to Le Meridien.
 Le Meridien Telephone: (886-2) 6622 8000, Fax: (886-2) 6636 8000 Executive Deluxe
 Taipei in early Day is pleasant, with lows in the upper 60s and daytime high temperatures in the upper 70s with about 10-11 hours of sunshine on average. Light rain is common, with about a 2/3rd chance of drizzle or lighter rain each day.
Day 2 | Taipei City Tour
After breakfast, enjoying the splendid high-tower views from Taipei 101. The 1,670-foot skyscraper and symbol of the city reaches so far above the skyline was the tallest building in the world (surpassed in 2008 by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai). The observation decks on the 89th and 91st floors afford sweeping views in every direction and while visiting, glimpse the steel pendulum hanging in the center that is the world’s largest and heaviest tuned mass damper which stabilizes the tower against large lateral movements from tropical winds and earthquakes.
Following Taipei 101, exploring the National Palace Museum, one of the world’s premier museums of ancient art and cultural artifacts with a comprehensive collection of calligraphy, paintings, porcelain and antiquities that were spirited out of the Forbidden City in Beijing by Nationalists fleeing the mainland during the Communist takeover in 1948.
For lunch, enjoying Taipei's world-class specialties, transfer to the gondola lift to the Muzha Tea Plantations, a mountainside tea-cultivating district just outside the city center that is dotted with vibrant temples and teahouses. Tea plants thrive in Taiwan’s climate and topography, and Taipei’s tea drinkers are discriminating connoisseurs. Here, sampling varieties of the special tea Tieguanyin (“iron goddess of mercy”), highly esteemed by Taiwanese. Produced in a delicate roasting process, it’s a robust, fragrant brew that is low in tannin and easy on the palate. Also visiting the nearby Three Stone Teapot Museum for demonstrations of artisan teapot and tea making, offered with tastings. Descending the mountains after sunset we will catch a view of the Taipei skyline at twilight.
After sunset, vendors peddle snacks, massages, clothes, accessories and electronics in the city’s famed night market at Huaxi Street, also known as Snake Alley, known for edible preparations from venomous snakes, rats and the like, believed by some to be rich in health benefits. Only two blocks long, Snake Alley is a place where you can buy a live cobra or a counterfeit Rolex watch. Surely a bit of a tourist spot, but the locals and tourists remain overwhelmingly Chinese and is a great place to people watch, many people bargaining in the traditional local dialect, Taiwanese, rather than the official language, Mandarin.
In recent years, city officials have downplayed Snake Alley, favoring modern sights like Taipei 101 because Snake Alley's reputation as street paved with Chinese traditions and superstitions, but to a visitor the mortar may seems to be cruelty with snake merchants skinning snakes alive for people to drink their blood. A covered passageway lined with restaurants also specialize in preparing dishes from poisonous snakes, believed to be beneficial for male virility, a remnant of old Asia, before the high-rises and air-conditioned shopping malls. Each restaurant puts on a show to attract customers, with some restaurateurs playing with live cobras. Though witnessing a skinned, still-living snake writhing on a hook takes some getting used to, but cooked snake can be flavorful.
In the evening, return to hotel or restaurant by preference.
  An alternative to the tea plantations is visiting the most famous of Taipei's temples providing the quintessential Taiwanese temple experience, Longshan.
Established in 1738, the temple was dedicated to Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and her icon in the main hall famously survived the WWII Allied bombings. Afterward, strolling nearby Herb Alley, full of medicinal bundles of aloe and ginseng before continuing on to Snake Alley.
Taipei Art Encounter
Since 2000, Taiwanese artists, developers, and government officials have been transforming abandoned warehouses, factories, etc. into art spaces, complete with studios and exhibition space. The trend has really gained momentum in recent years; for instance, there is a series of railway warehouses  stretching from Taichung, near Taipei, to Taidong that have been turned into art spaces, which are especially popular among locals on the weekend.
The most interesting place in Taipei for the arts is the controversial Treasure Hill area, which was finally unveiled as an artist village. (Brief history on Treasure Hill: once an illegal settlement for KMT soldiers, it became a squatters’ village and a flashpoint for gentrification.) Other venues include, on Taiwan’s scenic, little-visited east coast, is Dulan Sugar Factory, a community of mostly aboriginal artists in an abandoned sugar factory.
International artists, such as Shichinohe Masaru (work right) are popular in Taipei and exhibited regularly along with other global world-class artists.
Day 3 | Taroko Gorge and National Park
Today departing on a flight for the Taroko Gorge after breakfast. After arrival, taking in the natural beauty of Chihsingtan Beach.
Upon entering the Taroko National Park and reaching the gorge, enjoying the wonderful views of the 12-mile section of the highway that runs from Taroko to Tiansiang. Here, the stunning setting of the gorge is known for its sheer marble cliffs, deep, winding tunnels, and the Liwu River, which flows through its craggy landscape, through Swallows Grotto, where the section of the highway runs through dozens of tunnels carved into the marble vertical sides of the gorge. Visiting the Eternal Spring Shrine (above) to savor the dramatic setting of the gorge, and the small village of Tiansiang at the furthermost end of the gorge.
In the afternoon, transfer to Hualien to explore Hualien, including the jade market, before returning to airport for the short flight back to Taipei. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel.
Taroko Gorge, one of "Asia's seven wonders," and its surrounding area are well known for their abundant supply of marble, leading to its nickname, "The Marble Gorge". The rock now seen in Taroko began over 200 million years ago as sediment on the bottom of the ocean. As the sediment collected, it was subject to increasingly large amounts of pressure which eventually hardened it into limestone and over the past 100 million years, tectonic compression between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate supplied additional pressure that metamorphosed the limestone into marble. Uplifting forces from the plate collision pushed this rock above the surface of the ocean to where it is exposed today. The gorge itself was carved into the marble by the erosive power of the Liwu River. In addition, there is known to be jade in this gorge, a variety of jade only found in Taiwan (jade from this area supplies the jade market in nearby Hualien).
 Domestic flight Taipei to Hualien TBD
Silks Place Taroko HotelTelephone: (886-3) 869-1155, Fax: (886-3) 869-1160 Gorge View Room
Day 4 | Sun Moon Lake
This morning admiring the sunlight over the gorge before continuing to Sun Moon Lake, climbing over Taiwan's highest paved road across the Central Range reaching up over 10,000 feet. Along the way, pausing to visit remote mountain villages. Also en route, stopping to visit Puli, a large mountain town, for lunch and to stroll Chung-tai Monastery, the region's largest. After, visiting the local arts and crafts community by preference.
After arrival on at Sun Moon, touring around the lake by boat, visiting the Wen-Wu and Syuentzang Temples, Holy Monk Shrine, Peacock Garden, and Tsen Pagoda. In the afternoon, enjoying sublime views and sunset over the lake.
Lalu Sun Moon Lake Hotel Tel: (886-49) 285 5311 Lakeview Suite
Day 5 | Sun Moon Lake to Taipei
After a leisurely morning on the lake, return to Taipei by private car, meandering through the moutain landscapes to the coast and north to Taipei, stopping en route at places of interest.
Le Meridien Telephone: (886-2) 6622 8000, Fax: (886-2) 6636 8000 Executive Deluxe
Day 6 | Jiufen & Tamsui
Depart by car this morning around 10 a.m. to visit for what is to many locals in Taipei their favorite place—Jiufen (Jioufan), a little town on a mountain in Rueifang Township of Taipei County near Keelung with wide vistas over the coast. Only a little more than an hour from Taipei, the quaint village town. may look familiar—Jiufen inspired the setting for the delightful 2001 anime movie Spirited Away by the renowned Japanese producer Hayao Miyazaki.
After arrival, exploring the historic commercial district of the town: stores and restaurants running along Jishan and Shuchi Streets, which were built dramatically into the side of the coastal hills. The collection of historic businesses, eateries, and teahouses offer beautiful views of the ocean and the surrounding mountains. Also, visiting Songde Park, with its collection of monuments from the mining era.
After relaxing for lunch, continuing on by car to Tamsui also known as Tan-shui or Danshui 淡水 (about 1hr 15m) a coastal city that was in the 19th century, a major center of shipping and commerce for Taiwan. After arrival in Tamsui, we can enjoy a sightseeing ferry across the bay from the wharf area. Sights in the city include the Fisherman's Wharf, the old waterfront, and Hongmao Castle (Fort San Domingo) constructed by the Dutch as 'Fort Anthonio' in 1641. Tamsui is known for its picturesque sunsets, but return to Taipei will be at anytime by preference.
 JiuFen has cozy traditional teahouses, several with balcony views of the mountains and coastline to enjoy while sipping tea. A Mei Tea House (above) is a beautiful quaint building that inspired Ghibli Studio's Spirited Away.
The name Jiufen means nine portions" in Chinese because legend has it there used to be only nine families living on the mountain, and as transport was not convenient then, the village would request for nine portions for every shipment to the town. Jiufen (九份) was only an isolated village until 1893, when gold was discovered in the area. The resulting gold rush hastened the village’s development into a town, and reached its peak during the Japanese rule. Many present features of Jiufen reflect the era under Japanese colonization, with many Japanese inns surviving to this day. During World War II, a POW camp named Kinkaseki was set up in the village, holding Allied soldiers captured in Singapore (including many British) who worked in the nearby gold mines. Gold mining activities declined after World War II, and the mine was shut off in 1971. Jiufen quickly went into decline, and for a while the town was mostly forgotten until popularized in film, including A City of Sadness, which won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
Tamsui is named after and located near the outlet of the Tamsui (Danshui) River into the Taiwan Strait. Originally home to Formosan indigenous peoples, Tamsui was next settled by the Spanish in 1629 as the town and mission of San Domingo. The Spanish were expelled by the Dutch in 1641, who built Fort Anthonio, forming what is known today as Hongmao Castle. Following the departure of the Dutch in 1661, Tamsui continued to grow, becoming the largest port in Taiwan by the 19th century. By the 20th century, accumulation of silt in the river forced most port operations to move further north to Keelung. Due to its close proximity to Taipei City, Tamsui has become a favorite destination for city dwellers to take a stroll and enjoy a coffee along the riverside.
Day 7 | Depart Taiwan
After leisurely morning, returning to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for departure.
Hen gap lai (see you again)! Thank you for traveling with us!
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