“We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us!”

This may be a simple quote but it has a deep meaning for travel addicts like me! As you know, after fashion, my second love is exploring different parts of the world. My current obsession is Asia, also because I’m on budget this year. Haha!

I find that within Asia, there are numerous pearls to discover. After Japan and Korea, my next stop is Taiwan. Everyone around me has been wowing about how marvelous Taiwan has been. So I thought, why not let’s take a trip there!

I must say Taipei is definitely unique in its own way with the people being so friendly, humble and keeping up with their cultural practices. 

You can also check my Instagram @fashiondiaryinspiration for my Taiwan videos!

Here are some adventure spots you can visit while you are in Taipei…

Pingxi Sky Lantern

Releasing Sky Lanterns is a MUST when you are in Taiwan. You might think it’s too touristy but the fun part is the process in doing so! Pop by my instagram for lantern videos:) 

I went to Shifen Old Street for my Sky Lantern experience.

You can choose the type of lanterns you want depending on the wishes. I chose 8 colours as I wanted my lantern to be colourful and full of wishes. Each colour represents an area like pink is for love, orange is for health and etc.

I got a bit of a shock as my lantern was rather huge. Haha! But, I loved the fact that I could write my wishes with a calligraphy brush:) 

After writing and drawing, I prepared to release my lantern on the railway track. 

However, since it was too windy, I went to the back of the street to release it. Sometimes when the wind is too strong, the lanterns tend to get burnt, which is not a good sign!

I released the lantern up in the sky, with the help of the shopkeeper. When it was flying off, I realise it was going towards the mountains. 

Apparently, these lanterns land on the mountains and those people living up there would recycle the lanterns to make necessities. How brilliant right?

This was an exhilarating experience for me! I went to explore Shifen street which sold touristy items and took some nice Instagram shots at the railway track and bridge:) 

Tip: Always choose an old street for your sky lantern experience so that you can walk around leisurely and feel the cultural vibe like Shifen street:) 

Yangmingshan National Park

This park is extremely huge and cannot be covered in a day. So, it’s good to pick some spots to visit here.

In order to do something different from the normal parks, I went to the volcano area which is very popular.

Though it was super windy and the sulfur smell was unbearable, it was therapeutic to see the volcano amidst the mountains!

If you love hiking, this volcano is a definite hit for you as you can walk further up into the field areas to discover the thermal hot springs.

However, the time I went was very hot and humid, so I only stayed at the hot springs for 15 minutes.

This park experience was rather fascinating yet tiring because of the long walks:) 

Tip: Try to allocate 5 to 6 hours at this park since there are many things to see like the volcano, thermal hot springs, the field that leads into other parks and etc. Also pack some snacks, wear comfortable shoes and remember to drink lots of water to hydrate yourself!

Maokang Gondola

Every country I visit, it has become a ritual for me to take cable car rides! Haha! I have a fear of heights but I guess it’s slowly going away with the numerous cable cars I have taken:) 

At first, I thought wow Gondola, a boat ride! Nooo it’s not! Taiwan’s cable cars are called Gondola. Since Taiwan has lots of mountainous areas, their Gondolas can go quite high up, few thousand feet.

I took the crystal cabin and I was a bit scared initially since I could see clearly below. After a while, I got used to it and actually enjoyed the ride!

You can choose the station you want to alight at. Some stations have serene gardens, temples and etc. I alighted at the last stop, Maokong station.

It’s like an old street where they sell traditional Taiwan food. Nothing much to explore around here. 

I would recommend to alight either at Taipei Zoo or the temple stop. I feel there are more things to walk around and sightsee in these 2 stops then Maokong. However, I had a pleasant ride in the Gondola:) 

Tip: Choose the Crystal Gondola to enjoy the ride and allocate 2 hours for this Gondola as to and fro takes an hour!

Though I only spent 3 days in Taipei, I’m glad I managed to do some adventure stuff:)

There are many other things you can do in Taiwan when you are there for a week. If you love hiking, I would recommend climbing Elephant Mountain as my guide mentioned, the view is simply stunning!

For a western touch, you can visit Fort San Domingo (FSD) to get the French vibe and for a historic touch, a drop by the CKS Memorial Hall is worth it! Head down to my Instagram @fashiondiaryinspiration for FSD & CKS pics & videos this week:) 

Cheers! Let me know of any other Asia countries I can visit:)

Cya in my next post:)