Being an island enveloped in large bodies of water, Taiwan naturally comes with a culture that features aspects related to the sea, such as ocean life, beach culture or even bridge building.

Magong, a small city situated on the west of main Penghu Island is a friendly place, easy to get around and offering much to those who take the time to explore.

A short trip to Penghu (澎湖) last year was somewhat dampened by the remnants of a typhoon that drenched us with rain throughout the stay.

The Lunar New Year Holiday will begin on Jan. 24. This year there will be up to nine days for camera-wielding tourists and their families to take either a long or short trip around the island.

As I traced the short footpath along the coast of tiny Tongpan Island in the South Sea islands of Penghu (澎湖), I was finally fulfilling one of my smaller but longest held ambitions.

Since the beginning of time, mankind has been at odds with nature, struggling to conquer or be conquered by it, and in rare instances, finding a way to balance the natural world with human civilization.

What is known about Kinmen (金門) is that there is much unknown about Kinmen. But only an hour flight away from Songshan Airport, tourists and history buffs alike -- and 1,000 Chinese tourists a day thanks to the opening of the "three mini links" -- can have the amazing experience of visiting Taiwan's most mysterious, lush outcrop.

When I first heard of Orchid Island (蘭嶼), I thought it would be a cross between Taipei's Wulai and southern Kenting, with scory of hotels, souvenir vendors, beautiful sceneries and marine life, plus remnants of aboriginal population performing their traditional arts for camera-clicking tourists.

"Guests from all over the world are always pleasantly surprised by the excellent diving at Green Island(綠島)," said Eddie Viljoen by cellphone interview last week. He's lent a personal touch to very affordable package tours for the past five years, marketing Green Island getaway adventures to foreigners.

We had traveled by five different modes of transportation--plane, car, boat, bus, and truck--to end up where we were now. As soon as we eagerly pressed our noses to the window of whatever vehicle we were in, certain that we had finally reached our destination, our tour guide would usher us onto the next truck/boat/etc., leaving us wondering if we were going to spend this entire trip switching from one vehicle to another.