I would like to share my travel experience in response to the Taipei Times' recent articles on ratings of Taiwan as a tourist destination.
I have often traveled to Taipei on business with Eslite Books, but this is my first time as a tourist in southern Taiwan.
I have been staying with friends in Chiayi and have visited the Kuantzuling (關子嶺) hot springs, Alishan (阿里山), Chiayi City, Tainan and Anping Fort (安平古堡) in the past 10 days. On all these trips, the Taiwanese have been so helpful and friendly: An elderly lady in Chiayi offered me her bottled orange juice to save me from waiting while they squeezed a new one; a couple in Nice department store in Chiayi City gave me their shopping vouchers.
The Tourism Bureau should be proud to be able to offer visitors such wonderful and different experiences. Taiwan needs to advertise in magazines and on TV in the UK to compete with other Asian destinations such as Thailand and Hong Kong. I think the Taiwan experience is unique to Taiwan.
I am taking the high-speed train tomorrow to Taipei, where I'll be staying for three days before flying back to the UK.
I will be back again as a tourist, and Taiwan should be proud of the diverse and wonderful experiences it can offer travelers.
Andrew Green
Somerset, England
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