Back to the Motherland!

My next adventure commences on Thursday. My family and I will be traveling to Taiwan from April 2nd until April 11th. My parents were both born in Taiwan so I like to refer to it as the "Motherland", although our ancestry traces back to Mainland China. We'll be going back in time for Qingming Festival (清明节) also known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival. It is sort of a Chinese fusion of the Day of the Dead in Mexico and Memorial Day in America. You pay your respects to your deceased predecessors and clean their graves. My grandfather on my father's side has recently passed away, shortly after celebrating his 100th birthday. So we will be returning to pay our respects and see family. After two days in Taipei we will be traveling along the East coast of the island down to Kenting. It will be my first time visiting Kenting (that I can remember), so I'm excited. Kenting is referred to the Hawaii of Taiwan, which is perfect because my body has been craving some vitamin D. New York weather has not been kind this past winter.

Our travel route will be the following:

Taipei 臺北 > Hualien 花蓮 > Taitung 臺東 > Kenting 墾丁

*If you press on the name of the area the wiki travel page is linked!

Click here to see pictures from previous trip!

We are starting off in Taipei for two days to see family and I'll be reunited with my friend Anthony! From there we'll be taking a train to Hualien. Hualien is known for Taroko Gorge, which we will be hiking. It is absolutely gorgeous, I went two years ago while studying abroad in Shanghai. After two days in Hualien, we will be renting a car and driving to Taitung, which is known for its hot springs. After a day in Taitung we will be driving to the Southern tip, which is Kenting. After two days in Kenting we will be taking on an express train back to Taipei. Stay tuned to keep up with my adventures! :)