YeinJee's Asian Journal » Taiwan Travel and Tourism

Taiwan offers The Best Trip in The World

Yein Jee — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:54:22 +0000

Taiwan tourism bureau is trying to emulate the buzz of the Best Job in The World with their very own Best Trip in The World contest.

The participating teams (of at least two) will have to create a money-saving, yet creative four-day itinerary for a trip in Taiwan.

50 teams that come up with the best itineraries will be selected to execute their travel plan and share their stories with approx. $850 USD allowance provided. The teams will then stand the chance to win the $30,000 USD grand prize.

The idea is pretty much the same as their 2008 campaign, albeit a bit different with the prize money distribution; and off course, a new BEST blah blah theme.

Expiry date on June 30, contest opened to all nationalities if not mistaken; check its official website for details.

Taiwan offers The Best Trip in The World from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Win a free trip to Taiwan

Yein Jee — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:17:39 +0000

Youth Trekkers Wanted – Taiwan Giving You a Free Hug

The National Youth Commission of Taiwan is organising a contest to promote youth tourism in the island, in which the winners will get a travel allowance of USD1,000 and free air tickets to Taiwan.

The contest is opened to young people (aged 18-30) with the nationality of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore or Malaysia.

Participants are required to draft a thematic travel plan lasting for over 10 days to interact with the society, culture and environment of Taiwan.

12 winners (two from each country/place) will be awarded the travel allowance of USD1,000 and free return air tickets. There are however a few clauses that the winners have to oblige with… kindly check the contest website for more details.

The contest expiry date is November 30, 2008.

Win a free trip to Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 4 & 5 – Taipei

Yein Jee — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:05:38 +0000

Interesting culture and places in Taipei, Taiwan; as featured in the 4th and 5th episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.

Ximending, Taipei

Ximending is one of the most bustling areas in Taipei with a mixture of new and old culture.

You can find the latest trends and hype in Ximending… fashion, books, entertainment, cosplay, games etc; and on contrary also home to some of the oldest shops and restaurants in Taipei.

Ximending is also a popular place for celebrities to hold fans meeting or small concerts.

Ximending in a relatively quiet night (Image by Kok)

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 4 & 5 – Taipei from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Taiwan visit 2008 – random photos (1)

Yein Jee — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:15:59 +0000

Some random photos from my Taiwan visit in April/May 2008…

The plane I was boarding from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei

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Taiwan visit 2008 – random photos (1) from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Local delicacies in Jiufen, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:31:07 +0000

Some local foods in Jiufen, a small town in Taiwan which I visited in late April 2008…

Caramel haw (冰糖葫芦; bingtang hulu) is a traditional Chinese candy made by dipping haw-on-a-stick in hot caramel… it can be done with other fruits as well, obviously

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Local delicacies in Jiufen, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

World record for simultaneous foot massage

Yein Jee — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:17:01 +0000

2016 participants (1008 reflexologists and 1008 tourists) have set a new Guinness World Record in Taiwan on July 1 for having “most people receiving foot massage (reflexology) simultaneously.”

Tourists who volunteered for the event came from various countries, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong etc.

The world record attempt at Taipei Arena, Taiwan (Image from Huaxia)

The attempt was organised by Taiwan Tourism Bureau to promote health tourism Reflexology is a popular practice in Taiwan for relaxation and improving general health; the activity is gaining popularity among foreign tourists in recent years.

There were no previous attempts made on this category; Guinness have set the requirement to have at least 400 participants with treatment for at least five minutes on each foot… which were met by the folks without much sweat.

World record for simultaneous foot massage from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Jade museum in Hualian, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:33:47 +0000

Visited a jade museum in Hualian, Taiwan, on May 1. Museum is an overstatement actually, it’s basically a big shop (really big) selling jades and other precious stones of different sizes and prices. A pretty interesting visit regardless…

Variety of jade vases and containers

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Jade museum in Hualian, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

7-Eleven in Hualian, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:33:15 +0000

It has become a habit of mine to visit franchises like 7-Eleven or McDonald’s when I visit to different countries. Although they are similar in every countries, normally each places would have their own unique stuff that are not available elsewhere.

It has also become a habit of mine to taste different (local) beer and instant noodles when I visit different countries…

Taiwan beer, at a 7-Eleven store in Hualian… very mild

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7-Eleven in Hualian, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Taiwanese aboriginal dance

Yein Jee — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:44:35 +0000

An aboriginal dance performance (video) in Hualian, during my Taiwan visit in late April. The video quality is rather poor because I was recording using a digital camera and not a viewcam, but it should be pretty cool if you have not witnessed similar stuff before…

There are about a dozen aboriginal tribes recognised in Taiwan, not sure which particular tribal dance it was.

The Taiwanese aborigines’ culture actually shares similarities with the aborigines in South East Asia, including my homeland Malaysia. They are all considered as Austronesian people who shared the same ancestors some thousands of years ago.

In fact, the bamboo-stick-dance in the video can be seen in Philippines and Malaysia-Borneo as well. It’s a small world after all :)

Taiwanese aboriginal dance from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Cixingtan, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:26:22 +0000

Cisingtan (literally ‘Seven Star Lake’ in Chinese) is a beautiful coastline near the city of Hualian in eastern Taiwan. It got its name from the seven swamps that were scattered like fallen stars throughout the wetland that once covered the area.

What remained these days is just a nice beach with a lovely sea view.

Qisingtan, Hualian, Taiwan

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Cixingtan, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Taroko National Park, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:47:14 +0000

Taroko National Park was supposed to be one of the highlights during my Taiwan tour, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Most of the scenic spots could only be fully viewed via foot trekking… and we didn’t have the luxury to do so due to time constraint. Well, that’s the downside for travelling via an organised tour.

The Eternal Spring Shrine

The Eternal Spring Shrine was one of the very few highlight scenic spots we visited, and this too was under renovation during our visit… it’s not our day obviously

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Taroko National Park, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Nan Tian Temple, Suao, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:12:12 +0000

Nan Tian Temple (Nantiangong) in Suao is one of the most famous temples in Taiwan with its 200kg pure gold Mazu figurine as well as another Mazu figurine carved from a piece of huge jade.

The rooftop of Nan Tian Temple and the small port opposite the temple

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Nan Tian Temple, Suao, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Vintage town of Jiufen, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:24:55 +0000

Jiufen (or Jioufen) is a small town in northern Taiwan famous for its nostalgic old street, food and ocean view. Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town since 1890s but its popularity faded as the gold resource was depleting since 1950s.

Jiufen was given a new life in 1989 when award winning movie “A City of Sadness” (directed by Hou Hsiao Hsien and starred Tony Leung etc.) was filmed there. Jiufen has become a popular tourist spot since then and a favourite weekend getaway location for Taipei folks.

The most iconic spot in Jiufen, made famous by A City of Sadness

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Vintage town of Jiufen, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Shilin Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan

Yein Jee — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:24:05 +0000

Taipei’s Shilin Night Market is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Taiwan, famous for its abundance of Taiwanese street food. The place was the first stop for my Taiwan trip in late April 2008…

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Shilin Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Going to Taiwan

Yein Jee — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:51:34 +0000

Will be boarding the flight to Taiwan in a few hours. This site will not be updated for the next 7-8 days, and I’ll not be replying to any comments during this period.

Sharing with you here a few videos about Taiwan culture and lifestyle.

First, a promotional vid featuring pop star Jolin Tsai and veteran director Woo Nian Jen for the Welcome 2 Taiwan tourism campaign…

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Going to Taiwan from YeinJee's Asian Journal