Unlike many other major cities in Taiwan, Chiayi City hasn't exactly been a top tourist draw, but most of them don't know what they're missing.

Gold was not just discovered in Egypt or Africa; the precious element was once buried on this little island, too. The two mountain villages on the northeastern tip of the island bustled with gold fever - Jioufen and Jinguashih – boomed through the 1960s, when the region's ores were depleted and inhabitants moved away.

Start your engines and drop in on Yilan, the place with rare activities on offer, from hot springs to whale-watching. With the Hsuehshan Tunnel -- the Snow Mountain Tunnel -- easing travel, you must go there and discover its splendors for yourself!

Kenting has long been famous for its Phuket-esque atmosphere, with alluring beaches and even more alluring teeny weeny bikinis.

It's not a very well-known fact that the Chinese name given to the northern Taipei suburb of Beitou is a corruption of an old aboriginal word meaning something like "witch's den," but it's easy enough to work out why the area's original inhabitants gave it this unusual name.

Just over a decade ago I went to Sanxia (三峽) in Taipei County (臺北縣) for the first time. I wrote about that trip for this newspaper, and I don't need to refer to my old article to recall what struck me during that visit: the rainy, blustery weather; the magnificence of the town's major temple; and the dilapidated yet picturesque redbrick houses along what was then called Minquan Street (民權街).

Some of the best travel experiences may come as a surprise, when one does not know quite what to expect. My encounter with the Kaomei (高美) Wetlands, near Taichung (台中), came as just such an experience.

Pu Du (universal salvation) are sacrificial rites with the intention of appeasing ghosts with no heirs to care for them. Jung Yuan Pu Du falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

Without a doubt one of the most spectacular natural areas in Taiwan must be the majestic Taroko Gorge.

It's still early (not even 9 am) when we arrive, yet the car park at the entrance to Wufengchi Waterfalls (五峰旗瀑布) is packed with cars this fine Saturday morning in June, and we're forced to find an empty roadside place to leave the car.