When in Taiwan, do as the expats do

Don't miss spectacular Sun Moon Lake when visiting Taiwan. Photo / Supplied

When confronted with 10 courses, just nibble, David Leggat quickly learns.

We all have bucket lists, but every so often comes an opportunity which, truth be told, is not on it.

But when the inquiry came - "fancy a week in Taiwan?" - what's a chap to say?

Being a believer in the old line that every new experience is one to chalk up, you pack the bag.

Were expectations met? That's hard to say, considering we had no preconceived ideas of Taiwan. We prefer to avoid group travel, but on this occasion were in a party of 32, many of whom were expatriates, or of Chinese ancestry. There were times this proved a distinct advantage.

First impressions? Big tick. Upon arrival, a bus transfer to the high-speed train and on south to Kaohsiung on the southern coast of the leaf-shaped island of 26 million.

The train was comfortable, slick and fast. A good start.

Kaohsiung is an unremarkable city but one of the more intriguing points about hospitality in Taiwan was revealed at the top of a skyscraper with a spectacular view over the harbour and city.

When being entertained, don't be surprised to be confronted by up to 10 courses of food.

But at that first lunch, lessons were learned. The local businessman seated alongside us pointed out to watch for bowls of soup; that signalled the final course had arrived.

And as for how to cope with the array of meats, fish and vegetables served, and the old advice to try a bit of everything, he simply said: "Just nibble."

Here is where it's handy to be travelling and dining with expats. Their advice on what to eat with which dish was invaluable throughout the week.

The food was rich and varied. There were pleasant surprises, but this palate, no stranger to exotic offerings, drew the line at pigs' trotters.

The high point of the trip was a night at Sun Moon Lake, a spectacular setting on the edge of the double lake, the east side resembling a sun, the west a moon.

Situated in Yuchi, Nantou county, 250km south of Taipei, it is the largest inland body of water in the country and, understandably, a major tourist attraction. Planning a visit? Do not miss this.

In the morning, the view from the impressive Sun Moon Lake Hotel with its distinctive Japanese-style room designs, as the mist draped the surrounding hills with their monasteries dotted up high, was absolutely breathtaking.

At least a couple of couples toyed with the idea of leaving the group and parking up for another few days.

Onwards north to the capital, and a chunk of the bus journey was along impressive highways, several hundred metres above the ground. Faint hearts? No peering down and out the bus windows.

A brief stop at the celebrated Grand Hotel, with its grand design, on the outskirts of Taipei is worth it.

Once ranked in the world's top 10 by US Fortune magazine, it was built in the early 1950s after Chiang Kai-shek's retreat from China in 1949 left him needing five-star hotels to entertain foreign guests.

The design is striking, as is the wide central red-carpeted staircase from the foyer. Photos of dignitaries from a bygone age dot the walls. The room rates are surprisingly reasonable.

Evidently, these days tourists want to be in the heart of Taipei, rather than half an hour out, so the occupancy rate is lower than it once was.

Taiwan is loaded with temples, many of which won't mean much to the Western visitor. However, the strong temptation to simply write off all the celebrated public buildings with a "seen-one-seen-them-all" attitude should be resisted.

Four in particular are worth checking out.

Among the most spectacular is the Chung Tai Chan Monastery in central Taiwan, with its 150m central tower, reputedly built at a cost of $140 million. Appropriately enough it is a peaceful setting, where massive buddhas watch over the thousands who throng there each day.

The Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli. Photo / Creative Commons image by Flickr user Dai Rui

The National Palace Museum houses close to 700,000 artefacts. Patience is required here. Queues are long for the marquee exhibits, crowds squash the hallways. Still, make the effort, and check out the substantial souvenir shop on the ground floor.

The National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, covering 29,000sq m and completed in 1972, is named for the founding father of the country. His heavily guarded and imposing statue dominates the entrance to the hall and is surrounded by lush gardens.

Not to forget the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which includes the country's most famous leader's main meeting room. The centrepiece is a large, impressive desk, which is made of two mirror-image sides.

The idea was that when discussing important business, both parties were on equal footing. No one-upmanship here.

The mood was ever-so-slightly broken by the woman who exclaimed: "Gosh my friend's got a table just like that."