Never a Dull Moment in Taiwan

When Paul Shoul, a writer for GoNOMAD, traveled to Taiwan he was greeted with an abundance of activities to partake in and foods to sample. Read about his Taiwan vacation in his article; Taiwan, Festivals, Fireworks, and Fantastic Food.

“I was there to attend the 2006 Year of the Dog Lantern Festivals in the cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taipei. Considering that the flight from New York takes 18 hours, my four days there was far too short a time. I wanted to stay longer, maybe even move there to live, and definitely wanted to see more of the islands and natural wonders. But I love cities, especially when they love me back.

Heading out from the amazing Tayih Landis Hotel where we were staying, we visited the National Center for Research and Preservation of Cultural Properties which is well worth a stop to learn some history of the city and its traditions. We also toured the Anping fort built by the Dutch in the 1620s on a hill that has a great view of the city.

But the high points of my time in Tainan were spent eating, visiting the temples and dodging rockets. At Chous Shrimp Rolls Restaurant we were treated to an amazing meal. This place is favored by the locals, and was packed. We tried the shrimp, fish ball and Tainan noodle soups, steamed prawns, deep fried oysters, red sticky rice, and a dish called “the coffins.” They are fried pieces of bread arranged in the shape of a coffin, filled with cream sauce and vegetables. The food was inspiring.”