Have you ever wondered why travel is important? “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware” Martin Buber. Some people in this world don’t see the point of traveling, and the most common excuse is it is a waste of time, money or it is scary to travel to places that are far away.
Travel is very important
People don’t recognize the importance and outlook of traveling. To me, I believe that traveling is very essential to all of us. It is very important to educate ourselves and know the countries around us and the different cultures and traditions. We need to see the outside world and look out of the box as St. Augustine said: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” This quote suggests that each and every one of us should travel and see the outside world rather than just ours.
Too have a different perspective and discover things you have never seen before. With traveling, we become open-minded and experience life in many different places. I think that experience and traveling can be the best teacher. Now, when I am 26 years old, I have traveled quite a lot: Canada, USA, Russia, China, Mongolia, etc. In this article, I would like to talk about my travels in Taiwan and share my plans for future adventures.
Taiwan, a truly unique place
Firstly, I do not yet know a single place except Taiwan where in an hour's journey you can first be on the ocean coast and then high in the jungle with stunning views. In this regard, I consider Taiwan to be a truly unique place.
Secondly, traveling in Taiwan is incredibly easy. The transport system is very convenient. Most of the famous sites are easy to reach. For example, to get from the North to the South point takes only about 3 hours by High Speed Train. Trains run every 5-10 minutes, that is, in fact, you don't even need to wait. The train itself is very cool with different classes. For more comfort, you can buy a business class, if you want to save money, you can buy an unreserved seat. However, this train has only a few stops and one direction.
Take more time to travel
If you want to get to smaller cities or towns in Taiwan, there are regular local trains. It takes more time to travel on them, but you can get on them in almost any direction. Buses are the third form of public transport on the island. Sometimes, I prefer to choose them if I need to get somewhere in the morning. They are incredibly comfortable and run almost 24/7. Honestly, compared to most Russian buses, the difference is colossal.
Now, I would like to share which places on the island I have already visited and where I liked the most. The very first place where I went was, of course, the capital - Taipei. A very large and densely populated city. In Taipei, you can find anything you want, from food to any kind of entertainment. The infrastructure is amazing as the very modern buildings are connected with small cultural buildings.
In Taipei, you can travel everywhere by subway, buses or rent a bike. Most of all I liked the location near the tallest building in Taiwan - Taipei 101. All kinds of shops and shopping centers, restaurants with dishes from all over the world, street food and music. In general, if you want to be in the center of the traffic, you need to go there.
After that, I went to Taichung. Probably, of all the cities in Taiwan, it is the closest to the place where I would like to live. The city is not as big as Taipei, it is quieter and more peaceful, but the infrastructure is also developed. There are nightlife, restaurants and bars.
Next, I went to Tainan. Tainan is called the city of food and is also the oldest city on the island. Indeed, in this city, food is literally at every step, with the most varied and very affordable prices. Life in Tainan is more measured and calm. In this city I met my friends, with whom I went to travel further.
Kenting was my next stop. The weather there is just amazing. It is a small town right on the ocean. I could compare Kenting to small towns in California or Florida. People come to rest on Kenting and the activities there are appropriate.
For beach and water sports lovers, this place is just perfect. It is possible to go surfing or snorkeling or lie down enjoying the sun all day. There is also a main street with a night market and bars. For the convenience of moving between locations, you can rent a scooter.
However, my favorite place I've been so far is Taitung, about three hours drive by car from Kenting. There, for the first time I tried to stand on a surfboard. Also, the views and landscape are truly unforgettable. Also, from there we were able to get to the Green Island for snorkeling.
Honestly, this is an experience that everyone should try at least once in their life. It's incredible.
After traveling in the south of the island, I went with my classmates north to Yilan. There, we visited a dog shelter, hot springs and cat island. We walked a lot and studied nature, a nice experience to remember.
To sum up about my travels, I would like to say that every place I have been in Taiwan is special, unique and amazing. This island opens up a new side for me with every trip. It is travel that allows you to get truly to know a new culture and meet amazing people. The next places I want to go are: Hualian, Tarokko and Alishan. I can't wait to hit the road again.
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