Mum and Dad visit Taiwan
Mum and Dad have already been to Thailand and Indonesia and this year they came to Taiwan. It was the first time any of my family from Australia had come to Taiwan to visit me and it was great to have the chance to show them Taiwan. It was also the first Lunar New Year holiday I had spent in Taiwan.
On the first full day in Taiwan we went to the National Palace Museum. It was a good activity for a rainy day and Mum and Dad were both amazed at some of the treasures on display. The next day we headed south on the HSR down to Tainan. Of course they were greatly impressed by the HSR and also Taipei's MRT.
I love Tainan and Mum and Dad also enjoyed exploring the city and Anping. Tainan was the only place we saw the sun shine for the entire two weeks. I also celebrated my birthday while I was in Tainan and it was great to have Mum and Dad there for that.
Leaving Tainan there were more train trips, first to Ershui and then on to Jiji. We explored Jiji on foot and Mum and Dad loved the quiet rural feel of the town. The next day we headed back to Taipei via Lugang where there was another opportunity to see some more of Taiwan's old buildings and temples.
We spent New Year's Eve at a friend's house and the next day we went to stay with another friend in Luodong. We visited the National Centre for Traditional Arts in Yilan. It was the first time I had been there and it was very interesting. We also saw some of the small mountain towns around Yilan.
In Taipei we visited many places and Mum and Dad got very familiar with the MRT. We also travelled by boat in Danshui and on the Maokong Gondola. (People complained about the gondola in the hot weather. It is also very uncomfortable during a cold winter day!). The 228 Museum helped Mum and Dad better understand Taiwan's history. Luckily the rain let up for a few hours when we hiked to the Neidong Waterfall near Wulai. That was one of the highlights for me as it was a the best chance for Mum and Dad to experience the beautiful nature and mountains of Formosa.
Mum and Dad tried many different foods while they were here. They even tried stinky tofu. My friend Alex and I told them it was "special tofu" (and the tofu from that shop in Luodong is very special). The very last meal in Taiwan was at Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) so they were able to leave on a culinary high.
Mum said, "Taiwan is an amazing country that more people should visit." They plan to come back again!
Travels in Zhonghe and Yonghe
Longshan Temple
Taiwan information
The ceramics centre of Taiwan
National Taiwan Museum in Taipei
Mandarin ChinesePosted: February 13th, 2008 under Taiwan, Travel.
Tags: personal
Comments
Comment from Mark
Time February 14, 2008 at 3:58 am
That’s great you got to take them to Tainan. When my mother visited during Chinese New Year a couple of years ago, she wasn’t so big on 101 or the trendier places, but she really enjoyed Jiufun. While there, she bought a book for tourists and decided that Tainan would definitely be the city to see next time she visits.
Did you take them to many of the older temples down there?
Comment from range
Time February 14, 2008 at 8:35 am
A taste of home away from home. That must have been great having your folks over.
Comment from David Reid
Time February 14, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Thanks to everyone for their comments.
Mark, in the end we didn’t visit many temples in Tainan. We made up for it in Lugang though. The Longshan Temple there is very special.
Comment from Kate
Time February 14, 2008 at 7:13 pm
It’s great that your family had great time in Taiwan. I just came back home from Neidong, it is a gorgeous forest park, I like it very much.
Comment from Yu-Fen
Time February 14, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Ah I follow my nose and find the spinach lady. Your parents certainly have the best guide they could find in Taiwan. I was such a lousy guide when my foreign friends visited me.
Comment from Andy Crosthwaite
Time February 15, 2008 at 9:03 am
Hi David
Seems like your parents had a great time. Mine were here a few months ago, but the long flight from England left them quite sick for much of their time here.
Where is that waterfall?
Andy
Comment from David Reid
Time February 15, 2008 at 9:29 am
Prince Roy, many people in Taiwan said that!
Andrew, The waterfall is in the Neidong Forest Recreation Area. It is near Wulai in Taipei County. It is very easy to reach it. I blogged about hiking in the area a while back.
Pingback from TheNHBushman.com | Bushman’s Picks, February 17, 2008
Time February 17, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[...] David Reid’s parents visited Taiwan recently! My sister visited in 2004, but my parents are probably too old to make the trip. So I am always glad to hear and read about when others’ parents can make it to the Beautiful Isle. David’s parents are fortunate to have such a well qualified guide as their son. Check out the cute photo of his parents in the opening paragraph. David, I think you favor your Mum! [...]
Comment from Boyd R. Jones
Time February 19, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Wish I had know you’d be in Ji Ji. I was there for the holiday myself!
Comment from Rachel
Time February 23, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Hi, I happened to visit your blog a couple of weeks ago. It’s interesting to re-examine Taiwan from a foreigner’s point of view and it reminds me of a seminar (intercultural communication) which I took at school last year.
Hrm… just want to tell you that as a citizen of Tainan, I’m so glad that you love this place. 
A professor teaching Cheng-Kung University once complained to me about the traffic in Tainan and the unavailability of sidewalks there. What do you think about it?
Comment from David Reid
Time February 23, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Rachel, I actually think Tainan is one of the best cities for walking around in Taiwan. If a few more people got off their motorcycles and out of their cars and walked more of course it would be even better.
Comment from MJ Klein
Time February 14, 2008 at 12:09 am
great story David! so glad your parents could visit Taiwan, and even better that they had such a capable guide - you! too bad they couldn’t make it to the Blue Sky this weekend though!