Taiwan with Edison Travel Service

My wife, Jane, and I took a tour of Taiwan in May 2013 with Edison Travel Service (4F No. 190, Song Jiang Road, Taipei, Taiwan; phone +886 2 2563 5313, fax 2563 4803, www.edison.com.tw). We booked it six months in advance. Carol Hsu responded promptly to all of my information requests.

The price of the 5-day excursion was $530 per person, which we felt was an outstanding price for the value. We stayed in 5-star hotels, all of which had swimming pools, spacious rooms and ample breakfasts.

Organized and efficient, the tour was the best way to see most of the island in a relatively short time. There were 38 people in our group, including a few other Americans as well as people from France, Germany, Holland, Singapore and Indonesia. 

Our guide, Tony, was funny but informative, though he admitted he did not speak the best English. He was relaxed and allowed people to enjoy their experience there.

Highlights included Sun Moon Lake, surrounded by mountains, and Kaohsiung, a big city known for its Lio Ho night market. Many locals visit night markets to eat dinner. Each market has about 100 stalls with food, some of which offer “delicacies” like chicken feet and, as it was called on a kiosk there, “stinky tofu.” We stuck to the fish ball soup and a dish of squid, shrimp and octopus. Beer, fruit and fruit juices also could be purchased.

Some days, we visited lots of temples, including the City God Temple near the Royal Seasons Hotel (No. 326, 330, Nanjing West Rd., Taipei), where we stayed (June ’14, pg. 29).

We also visited Taroko Gorge on Taiwan’s east coast. Tony took us on two one-hour walks through the 12-mile-long canyon. There were cafés at some of the view sites.

In Kenting National Park, on the southern tip of the island, we took a 75-minute walk through tropical forest and some limestone caves. It was a thrilling walk, though that was one of the few very hot, steamy days of our trip.

Because Jane uses a cane, she decided not to go on the long walks. However, if you are in relatively good shape and can walk up and down lots of steps, the hikes are delightful. The trails were well maintained and had steps and handrails. 

If you have questions, send an email to me via e-mail through ITN.

KEVIN O’BRIEN

Savannah, GA