Taiwan travels

I’ve finished the breakdowns of every Daodejing chapter. There is just a little tweaking of the translations to do during the upcoming lunar new year holiday. Standardisation of the terminology is key.

In the meantime, I’m heading on a short trip around Taiwan over the next few days. The first stop is the old town of Lukang, which was once a thriving port and the second largest city on the island. These days, most of its business comes from tourism thanks to the famous Mazu Temple, Longshan Temple, and quaint buildings and markets along its well preserved “Old Street.”

I haven’t been to Lukang for over ten years, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again festooned with lunar new year finery. I haven’t been to Tainan, the next destination after Lukang, for many years either. This was originally the capital of Taiwan and the home of the legendary pirate Koxinga as well as waves of Dutch, Spanish, and other European colonists. It is also filled with hundreds of Daoist and Buddhist temples, not to mention the finest Confucius Temple on the island.

CNN recently listed Tainan as one of the twenty-four best places to visit in the world this year, describing it as the street food capital of Taiwan. My mouth is already watering at the prospect of eating oyster omelette (蚵仔煎), my favourite snack here.

After the cultural and culinary pleasures of Tainan, the final stop on the trip will be Hualien on the north-east coast to visit the spectacular Taroko Gorge, another place I haven’t been to in a long time.

If I have one resolution for the lunar new year of the dragon, it is to see a lot more of this wonderful island that I’ve called home for over thirty years.