This island is an amazing place. The people are so friendly and willing to help. There is so much unspoken respect. The government set up a public bicycle system called Ubike. One can use their metro card and scan a bike in and out. It is 5NT (New Taiwan Dollar) for the first half hour then 10NT every half hour after. The bikes are regularly maintained and people do not damage or vandalize them.

I have traveled down the West Coast to Taichung and down to the South Kaohsiung. Both wonderful in their own way. Taichung is a smaller city with more consistent weather. The walking for pedestrians is not as friendly as Taipei and they do not have a MRT only a bus system, but the bus is free if you have a metro card. Kaohsiung has a metro but only in the shape of a t so getting to the corners of the second biggest city in Taiwan can be inconvenient. Kaohsiung has hot weather year round as it is closer to the equator.

I have traveled North Yangmingshan National Park for beautiful mountain views of Taipei and New Taipei. Further North/East to Jiufen, a small-town community living in the mountains and the Golden Waterfall of a old mining town, there you can see the Yin Yang sea. A beautiful mix of yellow and blue from the sea and the sanded waters.

-Old street in Jiufen is a famous spot for tourists to try some tea and experience the markets. I was able to go to the famous steps of old street.

-Traveling further down the east coast by train you come to the wonderful beach town of Hualien. This is close to the Taroko National Park and the Taroko Gorge, a magnificent site full of marble rocks.

-Hualien is a great place for artists, history lovers and foodies. People are very laid back and there is so much to explore. You can rent a scooter, if you dare, to explore further down the East cost, which I intend to do before the end of this trip.

I will add to the rest of this island exploration when I can. Hopefully, I can add diving and surfing to this blog as well. :)