Jaye opened her talk by telling us that Taiwan has a population of over 23 million in a land area of 36,000 sq kms, 75% of which is mountainous, and compared it with our South island of almost 114,000sq kms. We drew our own conclusions!
Her tour started in Taipei, where a journey to the top of the 101 storey highest building gave a good idea of the 2.4 million capital city and the hills encircling it. The National Palace Museum, which houses 700,000 artefacts brought from mainland China, was impressive as was the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial.
From Taipei to the North East, a wide range of experiences were enjoyed by the 15 person group, including launching sky lanterns and visiting a coal and gold mining area before catching a high speed train to the South Eastern city of Taitung. The “Breezy Blue” train- refurbished from 1950 was the next method of transport, stopping at 3 of the 18 stations, at each of which local indigenous people entertained and informed them, and after 4 hours they reached the South West and the main port city of Kaohsiung.
There were a variety of experiences over the next few days, most memorable being the 2 hour journey through tea plantations and then the narrow mountainous roads to the National Scenic area 2,400 above sea level with its wonderfully maintained trails. This was where they learnt of the Japanese occupation from 1895 – 1945 and the close economic ties between the 2 countries to-day. A visit to a tea plantation where local indigenous people entertained and informed them completed the day.
It was very apparent that Jaye thoroughly enjoyed her trip and learnt a great deal about Taiwan.