AmyHuang
Travel revisited: Taroko Gorge
Sitting at my desk at work I day dream of being somewhere else. My dad is on a flight tonight to Taiwan for the upcoming Chinese new year celebrations and so I thought I'd revisit an article on Taroko Gorge in Taiwan, a place I wrote about on Travel String back in 2007:
Taiwan: Taroko Gorge
You'll notice that there are now a lot more advertising and focus on travelling to Taiwan, with Channel 9's Getaway featuring the country in a couple of their episodes so far (([Click here for the episode on Taroko Gorge] and
[Click here for their episode on the Sun Moon Lake] )) and I do believe some newspapers and magazines have had feature stories on travelling there.
Besides guidebooks you probably won't find much more information about travelling to Taiwan unless you visit a specialised travel agent for the area. So here are a few essential information to get you started:
Getting there: China Airlines, not to be confused with Air China, is Taiwan's international airline, flying direct to Taipei from various parts of the world with main hubs in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Sydney and Brisbane.
Currency: The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) is the official currency used in Taiwan. Exchange rates can be acquired from XE.com
Language: The official language is Mandarin Chinese, however the local dialects of Taiwanese as well as the Chinese Haka is commonly spoke. The older generation also speak Japanese from the colonial era. Although English is taught in schools, many Taiwanese are too shy to communicate in English however a friendly 'Ni Hao' and a smile is often enough to encourage them.
More travel information: Can be found on the Taiwan Tourism website in various languages.
Taiwan: Taroko Gorge
The famous Eternal Spring Shrine in Taroko National Park, Taiwan
You'll notice that there are now a lot more advertising and focus on travelling to Taiwan, with Channel 9's Getaway featuring the country in a couple of their episodes so far (([Click here for the episode on Taroko Gorge] and
[Click here for their episode on the Sun Moon Lake] )) and I do believe some newspapers and magazines have had feature stories on travelling there.
Besides guidebooks you probably won't find much more information about travelling to Taiwan unless you visit a specialised travel agent for the area. So here are a few essential information to get you started:
Getting there: China Airlines, not to be confused with Air China, is Taiwan's international airline, flying direct to Taipei from various parts of the world with main hubs in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Sydney and Brisbane.
Currency: The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) is the official currency used in Taiwan. Exchange rates can be acquired from XE.com
Language: The official language is Mandarin Chinese, however the local dialects of Taiwanese as well as the Chinese Haka is commonly spoke. The older generation also speak Japanese from the colonial era. Although English is taught in schools, many Taiwanese are too shy to communicate in English however a friendly 'Ni Hao' and a smile is often enough to encourage them.
More travel information: Can be found on the Taiwan Tourism website in various languages.
