Events

You'll need to get hold of a lunar calendar if you want to have any hope

of attending Taiwan's big events - very few of them occur on the same date

every year. If fireworks and crowds crank your engine, visit Yenshui,

Luerhmen or Peikang for the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first

moon. Kuanyin's Birthday, on the 19th day of the second moon, is a good

time to see temple festivities in full swing. During the Ghost Month, the

seventh lunar month, ghosts from hell walk the earth. No one travels,

swims, gets married or moves house, but everyone visits Taoist temples.

National Day (10 October) is celebrated with gusto, fireworks and a light

show in Taipei. Chinese New Year (first day of the first lunar month)

should probably be avoided.


Activities

Most of Taiwan is mountainous, and hiking here can be superb. Yushan and

Hsuehshan provide a challenge for the keen mountaineer, while the less

athletic should have a go at Alishan and Tungpu. The weather in Taiwan's

mountains can be extremely changeable, so be prepared for cold, wet

conditions, and in the rainy season watch out for landslides. Surfing

spots are of variable quality, but the east coast, extreme north and

extreme southern tips are definitely worth a try.

With so many mountains and so little snow, the inventive Taiwanese were

bound to come up with grass skiing sooner or later. Several grass skiing

resorts have sprung up around the island, and many also offer grass

tobogganing and grass sledding. There are some good whitewater rafting

runs on the Hsiukuluan River and the Laonung River.


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