Destinations
The O ther S ide of Muslim-Fr iend l y
Taiwan Te x t & I m a g e s b y LI LY R I A N I
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Famed for its night markets, shopping and street food, Taiwan is believed by many to be a city fit for city dwellers, shopaholics and obviously foodies. This is true until you learn about the other side of Taiwan - the nature that forms the backbone of this wondrous island, the customs and traditions that endured despite the influences of colonisation, along with cross-cultural architecture that amazes the world over. All you need is just one trip to this other side of Taiwan to change your mind – it would leave you spellbound. The land of earth, wind and fire You may realise that this beautiful country is prone to typhoons (wind), has active volcanoes (fire) and is ‘strategically’ nested on the intersection of the Yangtze Subplate, Okinawa Plate, Philippine Plate and Sunda Plate (earth). Yet, the typhoon season is when they celebrate the summer flower festival, the active volcanoes help flourish the hot springs townships such as Beitou, and the heavily forested Taiwan mountain ranges contain the Taroko marble gorge and towering Qingshui cliffs, among others. This charming island has so much to offer but so few has been discovered.
