♪ -Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope," where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

-[ Chuckles ] Come with me.

And so it begins Today on "Travelscope," I dip into my many visits to the beautiful isle of Taiwan... -[ Speaks native language ] -...And share with you the best of Isla Formosa.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by EVA Air.

Flies from eight cities in North America to Taiwan, and with one stop, onward throughout Asia.

It offers premium economy class in a cabin all its own, in between business and economy classes.

EVA Air -- a Star Alliance member.

And No-Jet-Lag -- jet lag prevention.

-Why Taiwan?

It's a question uninitiated Taiwan travelers may ask.

Beginning with its 16th century Portuguese discoverers, who named it Isla Formosa, "Beautiful Isle," visitors soon find much to enjoy.

I've covered the island from every angle.

I've taken it in by rail, reveled in its natural treasures, sampled unique foods and drinks... -Very good.

-Very good.

-Very good.

-...explored its beautiful islands, participated in cultural festivals, and celebrated with its people.

Oh, my gosh.

That'll keep you going.

[ Laughs ] Taiwan is a wondrous land with an abundance of surprising things to do, see, and experience.

Together, we'll dip into my many visits to Taiwan and discover the best of Taiwan.

During my past visits to Taiwan, I discovered that traveling by train is a fun way to see the country.

There are four major train lines and about 800 miles of track.

In addition, there are four narrow gauge branch lines which lead to cultural and natural adventures.

To get to one of the branch lines, I take the high-speed train from Taipei to Taichung.

Taking the train in Taiwan is as easy as one, two, three.

It takes about 90 minutes on the high-speed rail to go the length of Taiwan.

That shaves about three hours off the regular round island train between Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south.

Now, the bullet train does the 270 miles at speeds of up to 180 miles an hour.

But I'm in no hurry on my Taiwan rail tour, so we're going to check out the sights and maybe get lost a little bit along the way.

Come on.

The only thing about being on a high-speed train is it's high speed.

So everything's speeding right past you.

But we're going to get to a place we can just slow down.

Since the beginning of the railway, a famed pitstop on the line has been the village of Fenqihu.

-Ni hao.

-Ni hao.

-One lunch box.

In some cultures, lunch is a habit.

But here, along the Alishan Forest Railway, it is a tradition.

Mr. Dio here has been creating lunchboxes for people for 60 years.

And this stand has been here for over 100 years.

What is a railway lunchbox?

It's a food to go.

You can have it to take on the train, but you could also have it to have it here like I'm doing.

Now, this is dried bamboo.

They have pickled vegetables.

We have marinated eggs.

In addition, there's tofu.

He's putting some lettuce on there and then looks like a pork cutlet laid on top.

Oh, here it comes.

Ah.

Ah, it looks... [ Speaks Mandarin ] Xièxiè.

Mmm.

From the resort town of Alishan, it's a 30-minute train ride to the top of the 8,000-foot Zhushan for the sea of clouds sunrise.

It's a special natural event that changes with the seasons, the weather, and the crowd's mood.

This is a not-to-be-missed event that's highly anticipated by all.

♪ Although my first impression that Taiwan was a modern, high-tech, booming country was correct, I was surprised to find that it's more natural and undeveloped than I thought.

While Taiwan is only the size of Maryland and Rhode Island combined, nearly 60% of the country is forested.

There are nine national parks, 13 national scenic areas, and 18 forest recreation areas.

♪ Within the Alishan Forest recreation resort area, there's about five or six paved hiking trails.

The longest one is about two miles.

So this is a hiking and walking experience.

That's fine for just about everyone.

The main reasons people come here to the Alishan Forest recreation area is to be in close proximity to places like this so they can see these really ancient, sacred trees, the red cypress.

I mean, it's funny that man builds cathedrals and temples and shrines, and all they have to do is go to a forest and stand in the middle of it.

That's temple enough and shrine enough for anyone.

Just need to keep remembering that.

To preserve places like this.

You've heard me mention sacred trees.

Well, while I believe all trees are sacred, in the Divine Trees Garden, a sacred tree is a Taiwan cypress of more than 1,000 years.

And being among them is like being in a cathedral.

I've been to other tree preserves in Taiwan, and I believe I like this one in the Qilan Forest Recreation Area best because it's less commercially developed and you can really peacefully take it all in and commune with nature.

It's clear that to the Taiwanese, nature is key.

In Taroko National Park, often called Taiwan's Grand Canyon, there are lush forests, towering mountains, rushing rivers, deep canyons, and sheer cliffs of marble.

♪ This is spectacular.

Spectacular.

-Beautiful.

-This isn't so bad.

-Yeah.

-I thought it was going to be much worse.

This is really... -Nice.

-Big, wide trail.

At least three feet wide.

This is nice.

Oh, I see.

We aren't there yet.

Wow.

-Yeah.

♪ -And so it begins.

♪ ♪ Sandra, this really gives me a sense of what it would be like to be a mountain climber.

You get the sense of being in the mountains here.

Look how amazing.

-Yes.

-Thank you so much.

-It's so beautiful up here.

-Now, for people who have not been here, people coming from out of the country, why should they come to Taroko National Park?

-Because at least 92,000 hectares -- it's almost 3.4 times of the city of Taipei.

-Wow.

-And this is a huge area.

But the best part is because of the marble gorge, and also it has beautiful 27 mountains within the 100 best peak in Taiwan.

Taroko National Park is the number-one tourist attraction.

If you've never been to Taroko Gorge, that means you've never been to Taiwan.

-[ Chuckles ] ♪ High on its list of natural treasures are Taiwan's bird population.

More than 600 bird species have been recorded in Taiwan.

Although they can be found throughout the island, particularly in the fall and winter months, many congregate in the lagoons, fish ponds, mangroves, and salt marshes along its western coast.

Wow.

So, right there, right over my shoulder, the black-faced spoonbill, that is.

We've crept our way from the road and made our way over here, but we're afraid to get any closer.

We're afraid that the whole flock will fly away and we'll lose them.

I mean, they're so sensitive.

Their eyesight is excellent, and they certainly would perceive us as a threat.

So we're going to sit here and just be in their presence.

And that is such an honor, considering that they were down to 300 worldwide, but because of an extraordinary effort by the international community in Asia, and Taiwan particularly, they're now back to 4,000 individuals.

That's less than half of what is needed for them to not be in danger of extinction.

But it's such a wonderful story about honoring nature over profit and development and protecting and conserving nature for all of us.

I mean, this is what "Travelscope" and travel is all about.

This is what I live for.

♪ ♪ A truly unexpected revelation was that in addition to the main island of Taiwan, the country has close to 100 offshore islands, many with their own wealth of activities, attractions, and cultural experiences... ...and serving up boatloads of fresh seafood.

The islands of the Penghu archipelago were originally called Ilhas dos Pescadores by the 16th century Portuguese sailors, which means Island of the Fishermen.

Now, an early morning visit to any of the network of ports here throughout the island will make it very clear to you that the sea is still a major source of survival for the islanders.

You know, I've been to lots of markets in the world, and I love markets.

It's where the people come and you get a real flavor of the destination.

But nothing is like this fish market.

Look at the little baby squid.

-Oh, they are ready for eating.

-You should try one.

-Oh, me?

Okay.

Oh.

Very fresh.

-[ Speaks Mandarin ] -She said, "Eat more, please."

-[ Laughs ] Oh, wow.

They're very, very good.

-They're really good.

So fresh.

-Here, have another one.

-Oh.

-There's thousands and thousands of pounds of fish that come here every day.

-And people come to Penghu to eat seafood.

-That's what they come here for, one of the attractions.

Ganbei!

-Ganbei!

These are the gentlemen -- you have to drink if you toast -- who go out every morning -- -[ Speaks Mandarin ] -Oh, oh, well.

...to catch these.

They go out, they bring it back to their wives, who do all the processing here.

They've been back since 5:00 and they're on the lunch hour, or evening cocktail hour, or -- anyway, it's going to be going on for quite a while.

Ganbei!

-[ Shouts in Mandarin ] Mmm, they're good together.

The Taiwanese love to have a good time and they love to eat and drink.

I quickly learned that eating is a favorite pastime in Taiwan.

It said while dining, the Taiwanese are dreaming about their next meal.

They eat to socialize... [ All speak Mandarin ] [ Repeats in Mandarin ] ...and as entertainment.

But mainly, they eat because it tastes so good.

From street stands to Michelin star restaurants, the Taiwanese menu features a diversity of delicious dishes.

About 20% of the Taiwanese population, the Hakka migrated to Taiwan from southern China around the middle of the 17th century.

In Fenglin Township in eastern Taiwan, I accompany my hostess in a lyrical preparation of Hakka tea.

Oh, nice.

Very... -[ Singing in native language ] You try.

-Oh, sure, sure.

Again -- What is it, this?

-Yes.

-Put these up and push it down, okay.

-[ Speaks native language ] -Okay.

Okay.

-[ Singing in native language ] -[ Humming along ] Very nice.

Okay, next, the sesames.

Ah, okay.

Peanuts?

Next?

-Siberian ginseng.

-Siberian ginseng leaves.

There we go, Siberian -- [ Sniffs ] You know, this'll give us energy and stamina.

And mint.

This would be good for mojitos, too.

-[ Singing in native language ] -[ Humming along ] Let me try.

-[ Singing in native language ] -[ Humming along ] Very nice.

I like that tune.

Hakka tune.

Okay, so she's got it all in there, and now she's just mixing it around.

Wonderful.

Oh, look at that.

Ah.

Ahh.

Taiwan is about never-ending cultural experiences, wonderful cultural experiences.

Xièxiè.

Thank you very much.

From boba and green to his famous Dong Ding, the culture of tea is an integral part of Taiwanese life.

I followed the tea trail to Tainan, the oldest city on the island and former capital for more than 200 years.

Every spring and fall in Tainan Park, tea growers, producers, and connoisseurs gather for a celebration of the season and their love of tea.

-This is a very traditional tea ceremony because they have the pipa.

Pipa is like a lute.

-It's almost like their hands are dancing.

It's like that's part of the artist of it, too.

-The cups, she's preparing, you see, and see the bottom?

There's a Chinese character -- that's a poetry.

-That's poetry?

-So, while you are drinking the tea, enjoy the poetry at the same time.

So it feeds you mentally, as well.

It's like a balance, isn't it?

It's just -- it's the whole person, the mind, the heart.

-All -- -All the senses all in one place.

Fabulous.

And why do we have the tea ceremony here in the park twice a year?

-We will only pick spring and the fall.

It's very comfortable.

-I love the natural wood that she has out there.

-It's a whole root -- cut from the root.

-From the root?

So in a sense, it's like saying the tea ceremony is part of the root of the culture.

Tea has been important in China since, like, the 4th century.

-Yeah, even -- it's an old tradition.

When we get married right, we have to prepare six kinds of, you know, gifts to my mother-in-law.

So tea is one of the gifts.

When you're drinking tea, you know, tea ceremony has many, many purpose for your health and for friendship.

We never met before, but we sit here, we drink tea at the same time, become a good friend.

-So tea is a connection, the bridge between two people.

-Correct.

Set your cup into your palm.

-[ Speaks Mandarin ] -And smell the tea aroma first.

-[ Speaks Mandarin ] -Oh, close to your heart.

-Cup in front of your heart.

-[ Speaks Mandarin ] -And relax, relax, you know.

Release your shoulder.

[ Chuckles ] -I need to drink more tea.

One.

Two.

-[ Speaks Mandarin ] -Xièxiè.

-She's asking is the taste good?

-Yeah, it's very good.

Just breathing in the smell of the tea makes you calmer.

-The tea aroma is inside your throat, your tongue, and maybe it'll get into your mind.

-Inside your soul.

-Now you can feel the after sweetness.

-What a surprise.

-Yeah.

-I never thought drinking tea could be so beautiful.

-Relaxed.

-Thank you very much.

[ Laughs ] -Xièxiè.

[ Chuckles ] Xièxiè.

-[ Singing in native language ] -To my amazement I discovered there are 16 indigenous tribes on Taiwan, descendants of the island's original inhabitants thought to have migrated from what is now Easter Island, Madagascar, and New Zealand thousands of years ago.

After decades of suppression by the Japanese and assimilation, they make up just 2% of Taiwan's population.

Interactions with these unique people are possible by attending their cultural festivals.

One of the most captivating is held every two years by the Saisiyat people in two of their mountain villages.

A deliberate rhythmic spirit-welcoming dance is accompanied by jingling bells and a mournful song.

It is a solemn affair, open to all observers, which lures an ever-growing number of participants.

As more commit to the widening circle, the communal swaying, sidestepping, and chanting transports one into a meditative state conducive to reflecting on the past and making amends for the future.

[ Group singing in native language ] [ Horns blowing ] Taiwanese love to celebrate -- spiritual, indigenous, cultural.

Whenever you visit, a festival is sure to be going on.

That's when their joy of life and their open-hearted hospitality shines the brightest.

Equally boisterous and solemn, the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage honors the goddess Mazu in an annual nine-day, 200-mile procession attracting more than a million participants.

This is the kitchen that is supplying food to the walkers.

This is Armin.

-Yes.

-Is this an organization that's doing this?

-No, it's just friend and family all come together.

-How many people will you be feeding here?

-Probably about 10,000.

-Why do you do it?

-For some kind of belief.

-Oh, yeah?

-Yeah.

-So it's connected to Mazu?

-Yes, Mazu.

-What does Mazu mean to the Taiwanese people?

-Like a mother for everybody in Taiwan.

-Yeah.

Why do you think they walk?

-Because we loved this country, this land, and also we love everybody like a family.

-So this is pork and onions.

And since everybody's a volunteer here, they got me to volunteer to do some of the shoveling.

Can you imagine?

10,000 people they feed, and these people are walking 20 miles a day.

They're visiting like 32 temples a day.

And all this food is being prepared for free.

[ Whistles blowing, fireworks exploding ] What is this line for that stretches for miles?

It's to be blessed by Mazu.

When her sedan comes down the street, these people will be kneeled down and the sedan will pass over their heads.

Just one of the amazing cultural customs that are part of this fantastic event.

It's really something like nothing else.

[ Fireworks exploding ] ♪ Perhaps the most electrifying and joyful of the island's abundance of celebrations, the Lantern Festival, capping off Chinese New Year festivities, is an annual happening that is enjoyed throughout the island in temples and public squares and in the skies above historic villages.

Here are my friends from Taiwan and Spain, and we're going to be releasing our sky lantern with all of our wishes.

I've wished for peace and love and happiness and salud, health, and hers is amor, love conquers all.

It's been wonderful to see all the people in town releasing their individual lanterns.

It's really wonderful.

They've lit the wick, which is basically the paper money that they light for their ancestors here in Taiwan.

Lantern Festival celebrates Chinese New Year, but also what it celebrates is the end of winter and the return of spring and light and warmth of the sun.

So as we all warm ourselves around this lantern with all our wishes here, I know all of our wishes and dreams will come true because they all do.

[ Crowd cheering ] There we go!

There we go!

Here we go!

Here we go!

Hey!

♪ ♪ On this best of Taiwan episode, I've really only scratched the surface of all that Taiwan has to offer.

Before I came here, I asked, "Why Taiwan?"

After seven visits, I understand that Taiwan's spiritual... -[ Singing in native language ] -...culinary... -[ Laughs ] -Whoo!

-...and scenic treasures are greater than I ever could have imagined.

The people are warm and welcoming.

And the Chinese culture is alive and well.

-[ Singing in native language ] -When it comes to travel and life, there is no time like the present.

Now is the time to start creating your own best of Taiwan.

Until we meet again...

This is Joseph Rosendo, reminding you of the words of Mark Twain.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness."

Happy traveling.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by... EVA Air connects eight North American cities to Taiwan, where, with one stop, travelers can fly on to destinations throughout Asia.

EVA Air, with business, premium economy, and economy cabins.

EVA Air -- a Star Alliance member.

And No-Jet-Lag -- jet lag prevention.

-From travel tips and destination explorations, to exotic adventures and intimate tales, "Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys" is a collection of entertaining, humorous, and inspirational stories drawn from my travel and life experiences.

For a copy of "Musings," call 888-876-3399, or order online at travelscope.net.

Now that we've enjoyed the best of Taiwan together, learn more at travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my magazine, blog, podcast, and social media.

Stay in touch -- 888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

So, I'm making mochi, which is a very -- -More power.

-More power.

-Yeah.

One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two.

Okay.

-...which is a very indigenous Taiwanese dish.

What is that?

-That's winter melon.

-[ Laughs ] It's huge, gigantic!

It's bigger than her.

-[ Singing in native language ] ♪ -That's pretty close to the edge there.

Nine days of walking?

-Yeah.

-He's all bandaged up.

-[ Laughs ] -Congratulations.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-May Mazu bless you.

-Yeah.

-Even the dogs get into it here in Taiwan.

They all love Mazu.

Xièxiè.

♪ ♪