Taiwan Spiritual Travels

Helmets are included, but nobody on Orchid Island seems to wear them. One reader also says he found a place on the island that was willing to; you just have to ask around. But riding without a proper license obvious comes with its own risks. Another unique characteristic of the Tao people of Lanyu is their underground homes.
In Donghe Township and Beinan, don’t miss the steamed buns, famous all over Taiwan for their taste and unique texture. The National Forest area 台東團購美食 has several treks you can choose from. I recommend taking the one with all the stairs, tiring but you’ll be rewarded with an amazing view.

After an hour’s drive along the highway from Chishang, you’ll need to park and follow a steep downhill trail for 90 minutes. Finally, you’ll need to cross the river to access the hot pools. In this article, I’m going to introduce my favorite things to do in Taitung, based on multiple visits over the last 15 years. But if you’re short on time, skip to the sections on Highway 9 and Highway 11, the two parallel highways traversing the county, continuing north into Hualien. This is where the best of Taitung can be found, but you’ll need a little extra time to sync with Taitung’s slower pace of life and fully appreciate the area.
Taitung’s Taiwanese meatballs are very famous in the world of snacks. The steamed buns of Donghe and Beinan are renowned far and wide, the unique preparation method and the use of fine quality ingredients making the shell soft but chewy and the filling tender and juicy. If you happen to be in Taiwan in the winter, don’t miss the chance to experience the Yuan Xiao Festival, where mochis are in demand. The mochi or sticky rice is so tasty, stuffed with the sweet or tangy filling, seeping out the squishy white skin.
The island is just beautiful, there are so many things to see, on the island as well as off-shore. It’s also great in terms of culture, most people  living there are from the Yami tribe, and traditions are still strongly implemented. You’ll easily be able to witness aboriginal life, more than on the mainland. The island is pretty small but there are a lot of sea caves and rock formations to see, as well as several seashore plant species. To take great photos and for a breath-taking view, go for sunrise.

Also, the local dish is beneficial to human health because it’s full of live bacteria. Its preparation requires having good quality vegetables together and two years of fermentation. Because of its popularity among locals, it has come to symbolize Taiwanese street food. One of the famous places you can get this is at Dai’s House of Unique Stink. I love hot air balloon festivals so I’d definitely love to check that out. You should also check out the Taitung Night Market on on Zhengqi Road.
Taitung Night Market (台東觀光夜市) sets up on the street in front of the Sheraton Hotel, 5 minutes’ walk from Railway Village, but only from Thursday to Saturday. The even smaller Siwei Night Market (四維夜市) is held on Sundays only near Taitung Forest Park. Whether you’re just transiting at the Taitung train station for a few hours or decided to spend a night or two in Taitung city, there are a few interesting attractions in and around town. Taitung City is located on the southeast coast of Taiwan and is one of the least visited destinations on the island. Dongqing is fun to visit in the evening for the Dongqing Night Market, which at its most bumpin’ has about 10 stalls. Besides some standard Taiwanese fare, there were deep fried sweet potato cakes, 林投 juice, and deep fried whole flying fish .

Taiwanese people love flowers and plants, everywhere you’ll go you’ll see florists and greens. In Taimali Kinchen Mountain, a top tourist spot in Taitung, you’ll get to see huge fields of orange daylilies. Even outside of the blossom seasons, it’s still worth going, the scenery is spectacular, as everywhere else around Taitung. Taitung’s most well-known hot spring village is Zhiben (知本, also spelled Chihpen). The collection of hot spring hotels are found along County Highway 194, west of Zhiben Train Station, and about 30 minutes’ drive southwest of Taitung City. The hot spring is accessed on the remote Southern Cross-Island Highway .
On our visit during the Summer, the lake was teeming with lotuses. The restaurant we dined at served aboriginal food from the Puyuma tribe. In fact, Taitung has the largest ratio of aboriginal to overall population at 35% in all of Taiwan. Thus, one cannot leave the county without trying their aboriginal cuisine. The founder of BACCO is a couple from Italy and Taiwan who love travelling and red wines. After having tasted the finest wines in every wine estate, they decided to bring their favourite Italian wine...

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I actually made numerous attempts to get information about events when planning our trip, and was not able to find out any details about specific ceremonies. Only the roof rises above ground, and a ditch drains excess water away. I’ll mention below the best places to see and even stay in a traditional underground home on Orchid Island. While I’m not a fan of AirBnB and it’s technically not legal in Taiwan, they actually have the best selection of places to stay on Orchid Island here. Chenggong largely developed during the Japanese colonial period, and some interesting remnants of this era survive in the city.

When in Taitung, as well as enjoying the scenery, don’t miss the chance to enjoy one of these tasty meatballs, made with quality ingredients and sold at a reasonable price. When in Taitung you just have to try the local aborigine cuisine and enjoy a dining experience with a difference. Get to know the country, meet its people, and learn about its culture by going local and exploring the areas that make it famous. Aside from the famous things mentioned above, there are tons of other places in Taiwan awaiting to be discovered.
If you want to try the aboriginal cuisine head for Mi Ba Nai in Taitung city or Luolei restaurant which also offers traditional music performances. Cheng Ping Hot Spring Inn (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is my recommended choice here. Hotel Royal Chihpen (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) offers a more luxurious experience. Fishermen return to the habor every day to auction their catches, especially swordfish (旗魚), right on the dock from around 1 or 2 p.m.
A few minutes before the top, a signboard and small parking area indicate the path to Little Heaven Pool, a small pond that is a five-minute walk. A few minutes after passing through Dong Kou, you’ll see a sharp turnoff on the left for Lanyu Lighthouse (蘭嶼燈塔) and Little Heaven Pool (小天池, Do Wawanoanito), the latter of which is indicated on the turnoff sign. The Twin Lion Stones (雙獅岩, Jipanatosan) demarcate the northeastern corner of Orchid Island.