Museums and Historical Sites
The National Palace Museum in Taipei is one of the world's premier museums. It holds the largest collection of Chinese Art in the world. When the Kuomintang (KMT) Nationalist Government moved to Taiwan in 1949-1951, they brought with them many of the greatest treasures of China. The museum is located at the base of Yang Ming mountain, and the caves where most of the art is stored reportedly stretch on for miles. The collection is so huge that it would take many lifetimes to view it all. Fortunately, the staff and experts at the museum change the displays often, so anytime you go there you will see new and beautiful art objects from every period in China's long history. The museum also has extensive gardens that are nice to go and relax and to look at the 10,000+ gigantic goldfish.

The Fine Arts Museums in Taipei and Kaohsiung are also good museums that house more modern art.

The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial in downtown Taipei is a huge blue and white structure with extensive gardens and large expanses of concrete where dance troupes, rollerbladers, Tai Chi and Chi Gong practitioners gather. A fun place for families and friends to hang out in, and there often are free outdoor concerts held on the weekends. The grounds also house the National Theater and the National Concert Hall.

Temples are everywhere and can be freely visited at almost any time of the day. You can have your fortune read in many different ways at most of them. You might see fortune tellers with small white birds that will pick a numbered stick out of a cup with its beak when asked a question. The fortune teller will then find the matching numbered fortune and interpret its meaning according to the question you asked the bird. Please remember that these temples are houses of worship: dress and act accordingly.

Travel/Points of Interest/Weekend Getaways
One thing that never fails to amaze is that for an island smaller than New Jersey, Taiwan has almost every type of terrain and there is something for very nearly anyone. From beaches to rocky shores to plains to mountains, Taiwan really does have it all.

While this list is by no means exhaustive and there are hundreds of sights to see in Taiwan, these are some of the most outstanding places:

Taroko Gorge
Located near Hualien on the east coast, Taroko Gorge is one of the most spectacular sights in Taiwan. The gorge, made almost entirely of marble and igneous stone, carved out over the aeons by the river flowing through it, is beautiful beyond belief. Sheer 1000 foot cliffs with waterfalls, hot springs, monasteries, tea houses, and native wild monkeys are some of the things that you can experience here. On the weekends the only road up through the gorge can become quite crowded, so it's best if you can arrange your trips here during weekdays. There are many hiking trails that skirt the canyon and waterfalls. The youth center near the top of the gorge at Tien Shiang (Sky Mountain) is very affordable.

Kenting National Forest
Located on the southern tip of Taiwan, this is the place to go for hanging out at the beach, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, and eating great seafood. Kenting National Forest also has miles and miles of hiking trails if you like to get off the beaten path. Motor scooters are available for cheap daily rentals, and you can cruise around the hills and villages scattered throughout the area. This area is popular with tourists of all ages and budgets, so there are lots of places to stay at any price level.

Ali Mountain
Located in central Taiwan, Ali Mountain is full of fresh air and is a great spot for hiking and camping enthusiasts. If you like to drink tea, Ali mountain's tea growers are famous for their teas all throughout Asia, and there are lots of absolutely gorgeous tea gardens to relax in for a whole day. The Sunrise Cloud Ocean is the best place to catch the sunrise in all of Taiwan. The Taiwan Aboriginal Village, located nearby, has many artifacts and shows describing the many tribes of aboriginal people of Taiwan. One other spot of interest is the 10 ,000 year-old tree. Superstition has it that you will gain great health and long life by touching it.

Keelung
Although this city has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 30 years as a result of a booming export economy, Keelung still retains much of its fishing village charm. The day market near the old temple in the middle of the town is not to be missed for seafood fans. Everything from octopus and squid soup to steamed crab claws are available everyday. The sea coast here is mostly rocky, but the wind eroded rocks along the shore are reminiscent of prehistoric times. It's something you just have to see.

Taiping Mountain

Two children cooking eggs in a hot spring near Taiping Mountain

Located in I-Lan County in north-central Taiwan, Taiping mountain is a virgin rain forest with breathtaking views and the government-run hotels have huge heavy blankets to crawl under at night after a long day hiking among the hills. Many of the trees are hollow at their base because of heavy flooding and forest fires; you can walk right under these great trees. The Chinese call the area under the trees fairy houses, and if you sit very quietly on a misty day when the fog has covered the mountain top, you might just get a chance to see a fairy family at play.

Tamsui
A northern suburb of Taipei (and home to one of our centers, Tamsui was originally a fishing village until it was visited by both the Dutch and Spanish, who built forts there. The old forts still stand, and the town is presently both a fishing village and a college town. It's a great place to go to see some of the oldest architecture in Taiwan, and there are tandem bicycles for rent all over town. Tamsui is also famous for its iron eggs. Iron eggs are made by cooking them in tea over and over again. Very tasty. This is a popular getaway for Taipei residents on the weekends because of Tamsui's incredibly beautiful sunsets.