While China hogs the spotlight, there's seldom any mention of Taiwan, its neighbour across the straits with whom the world's emerging superpower has much in common, if not the system of governance.
The western side of the Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung city is dotted with an arresting cluster of landmarks. Among them are the brightly-painted Dragon and Tiger pagodas, floating structures built in 1974 and linked to the shore by a zigzag nine-cornered bridge. Many visitors enter the pagodas through the dragon’s mouth and exit out the tiger because, according to Chinese belief, it turns bad omen into good fortune.
The contrast couldn't be more glaring: Taiwan is a tiny spit of land southeast of the Chinese mainland, whereas China is the third largest country in the world. The two countries also sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
This much I knew, though, not much else. Thus, when the time came to go there I tried to make myself familiar with the country and its people.
Unfortunately, the information that came my way held out little promise since most of what I read about the country, and its capital Taipei, was replete with mention of a highly urbanised society, ubiquitous skyscrapers, clusters of factories, an industrialised economy and high-speed transportation. And with that in mind I didn't expect much from the trip.
Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Taiwan turned out to be everything I had feared, but it was also much more than in the literature I had read.
Soon after landing in Taipei, I found myself in a downtown area so busy that I had to elbow my way through the crowd, before being ushered to a table for my first dinner in the city, a delightful experience indeed, followed by the predictable hustle and bustle, an endless maze of streets with pedestrians clogging the sidewalks lined with stalls and vendors serving up a dazzling selection of freshly prepared delicacies, the air thick with their aroma, titillating the taste buds.
After a day and night well spent in the capital, I took the speed train to Kaohsiung on the southern tip of Taiwan, a ride lasting just an hour, before hitting Tainan the following day. After a couple of nights enjoying the cosy ambience of the southern towns I travelled north and immersed myself in the urban culture and lifestyle so characteristic of Taichung.
Next stop was Taipei County which is home to the vintage charms of Jinguashi and Jiufen, small yet adorable destinations nestled on a mountain hemmed by the sea, before bidding farewell to the island-state.
By the time I left Taiwan I was fully in awe of the island and its diverse range of attractions.
Prominent among them were modern architecture and lifestyle dominated by cutting-edge technology, natural beauty, hospitality of the people, cultural legacy, an affinity for arts rooted in history that stretches far back across the straits to mainland China, and last but not least a culinary culture matched only by its vibrant night life.
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