It has been a while since we did our last road trip and I was very much looking forward to this holiday. And it delivered and has been special on more than one level.

i) Our very first road trip with our baby; who at 7 months is our little world explorer

ii) Spring time! We have not been disappointed. The weather was just nice, ranging from a warm and sunny 25 degrees in Taichung and Chiayi to rather chilly and partially foggy weather at 1700m above sea level in the picturesque Alishan region

iii) Back to a Chinese speaking country and back to practice our basics. This was our second trip to Taiwan and I am still amazed as how friendly, warm and open-hearted the Taiwanese are. They are also particularly baby friendly and make traveling with a little one a breeze.

Upon arrival we got our rental car at the airport and made our way south to Taichung, where we only stayed overnight before we headed further to Chiayi, a small and very likeable town at the foot of the Alishan mountain area. Chiayi has a small but cozy night market which we all had fun exploring. Our little one was fascinated by all the different smells, sights and noises and loved to try the delicious snacks.

We drove further up the numerous bends and arrived in Fenqihu where we stayed in a very nice bed and breakfast with a breathtaking view. Which we did good to enjoy as long as it lasted before the oncoming fog enveloped everything! Despite the weather it was particularly lovely to spend time outdoors and breathing fresh air.

From the mountains we headed back north to Sun Moon Lake. This is a very touristy spot which however has its own charme if you bother to scratch the surface. There we spent a wonderful and relaxing few days, crisscrossing the lake on a boat, going for long walks and taking the cable car to the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village (which I can highly recommend as a very nice outing for old and young!).

After a week we dreaded that it was already time to head back to the airport. We made the best of it and enjoyed one last stop at Daxi, famous for its Old Street where we got our last fill of delicious snacks, beautiful buildings, temples and the welcoming people of Taiwan. We left with the promise to be back again!

We visited historic-rich Taipei (and nearby Tamsui), roamed the streets and monuments and filled our stomach with delicious snacks from the night markets. On the search of nature and landscapes, we then took the train to Hualien and continued by rental car heading south along the East Rift Valley and back up north along the Coastal highway.

Our days were filled with such wonderful holiday activities as
– visiting an abandoned sugar factory and buying ice cream from the souvenir shop,
– hiking the Walami trail (which includes the crossing of two impressive suspension bridges) and practising our Chinese with a Taiwanese family we met a the picnic pit,
– getting cold while being outdoor most of the day and then soaking our bodies in a natural hot spring to warm up
– driving the winding roads in the Taroko Gorge and up on Sixty Stone Mountain (liushidanshan), marvelling at these nature’s wonders and playing catch with the sunrays

At the end of our week in Taiwan, there was still so much unseen and undone… we are left with no choice but to come back!