By Andre Silveira Mafra
Silva Andre lives between London and Lisbon. He just finished a one-year sabbatical to explore Oceania.
Taipei is an excellent and alternative hub to connect Europe and North America and East Asia and Oceania. Ever-growing China Airlines currently flies 90+ destinations glob- ally. There is a good chance to transit in this vibrant city more than once.
A typical 36-hour transit would stop at Taipei’s highlights: the immense National Pal- ace Museum, the iconic Taipei 101 and its su- perb view from Elephant Peak at dusk, a night visit to the Longshan temple, a quick stop at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and, of course, the famous night markets.
Taipei, however, deserves more than 36 hours. Consider a trip to the northeast coast. Logistically, it is possible to rent a car, customize a private tour or also standard group tours.
In the morning, head to Yehliu Geopark (75km from Taoyuan International Airport). It is a crazy landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea. The walk is not long, it takes around 90 minutes and covers 4km to complete.
Next to the Geopark is the bizarre and fas- cinating Futuro Village of Wanli. Built in the mid-70s, the village follows the futurist-style housing concept of the famous Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. It is like visiting an old filming location of The Jetsons cartoon! Un- fortunately, remaining structures are abandoned and in ruins; some have already been demolished. They probably won’t survive another decade.
Another 35km drive to the east is the old town of Jiufen. It is a historic seaside mountain town, and on a clear day the ocean views are stunning! The city has many attractions, like the Gold Mine Museum and Qingyun temple. Have a tea at the A-Mei or Jiufen tea houses, and find a spot to watch the sunset. Later, im- merse yourself in the Taiwanese cuisine: try some snacks from the food stalls (that range from disgusting to delicious) or just pick a res-aurant of choice. Jiufen is popular with locals, so weekends and summer get very busy. At night, the village gets transformed with the red lanterns. Consider an overnight in town (guesthouses are simple, but clean and tidy) and head back to the airport next morning.
