Alumni Taiwan trip

Alumni at Shifen old Street

Nine-day Alumni Overseas Trip to Taiwan was held from 19 to 27 December 2015. The trip covered Taipei, Taichung, Nantou, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung, and Hualien.

The first stop of the trip is a visit to Lavender Cottage, located in Taichung. It is one of the coziest, relaxing places in Taichung. The purple lavenders and lush greenery planted around the garden. They also visited Fengjia Night Market for some Taiwanese delicacies.

At Nantou, the alumni visited the Sun Moon Lake, located 748m above sea level. It is the home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name. They were also treated to a boat ride around the lake.

Alumni at Sun Moon Lake

The largest Buddha Memorial Centre located in Kaohsiung, is over 100 hectares. Facing west, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Hall went through nine years of construction. The main hall in the centre, eight towers in the front, a giant Buddha statue on the back, leaning south towards the spiritual mountain, and a park stationed on the north side. The centre purportedly houses one of the tooth relics of Gautama Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist faith.

The Love River is a canal in Kaohsiung. It originates in Renwu Township, Kaohsiung County, and flows 12 kilometres through Kaohsiung City to Kaohsiung Harbor. The river is the spine of Kaohsiung, playing a similar role to the River Thames of London. This lovely river is of great cultural significance to the people of Kaohsiung and plays an important role in its economy and Kaohsiung tourism. The scenery is enhanced by city structures near the river, such as the Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung Bridge, and the Kaohsiung District Court.

Kenting National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium located at Pingtung, focuses on water. It is organized into three main areas: Waters of Taiwan, Coral Kingdom Pavilion, and Waters of the World, along with administrative, education, experimental, research, maintenance, and international conference buildings. The 84 meters underwater passage through 150 gallon aquarium in Coral Kingdom pavilion is one of the most interesting features. After that, we went to the Kenting lighthouse which is still functional and is also held as a historical monument admired by many tourists in the Kenting National Park.

Located 5 km north of Chengkong Town of Taitung County, Sansientai is a three hectares wide coral island. This island is covered with gigantic rocks and offers several scenic spots such as fossils, valley, wells, cave, pond, cliff and fishing platform. Visitors can take relaxing walks on the well-laid walkways or on the 320 meters long jetty.

Alumni at the Taroko National Park

Taroko National Park, located in Hualien, is famous for its spectacular mountains and marble canyons. Cliffs and canyons stretch along the Liwu River. Four million years ago, the island of Taiwan was formed by the collision of plates. From Qingshui to Nanhu Peak, the drop height is 3,742 meters. Such special geography has also bred flora and fauna in this area. The waterfalls that placed Taroko National Park on the world map are Baiyang Waterfall, Yindai Waterfall, Changchun Waterfall, and Lushui Waterfall. Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou) and the Tunnel of Nine Turns (Jiuqudong) are the most impressive natural scenes in Taroko and the canyons here are narrowest. Swallows nest on the cliff, chirping and flying back forth.

For more trips like these, please visit the Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) at www.utar.edu.my/darp.