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When Portuguese sailors spotted Taiwan in 1544, they were moved to dub it Ihla Formosa, or beautiful island. Through Dutch colonization, Japanese occupation, and—post-Chinese civil war—martial rule under the Kuomingtang, Taiwan has emerged as a capitalist democratic state, an economic powerhouse in technology and other commodities. With the vast numbers of clothing, electronics and toys manufactured in Taiwan influencing its image to the world, outsiders often forget that it is still a beautiful island.

My family took a break from our trip in Taipei with a 4-day tour of the scenic East Coast, known for its waterfalls, mountain scenery and aboriginal tribes, and a favorite area of the locals to promote. The benefit of traveling with my parents is faster travel by private car and opulent hotels. The downside is very little control over what sights were visited.

My parents contacted Lion Travel, a Taiwanese tour agency with a US office. My brother Chester and I pored over guidebooks, while unbeknownst to us my parents left the tour plan entirely up to Lion and their contact Pony, a rental car company. Although our guide/driver Chen Chih-How from Pony was kind, knowledgeable and earnest, the itinerary itself was seriously lacking. Rather than truly experiencing the beauty of the island, we were subjected to the sorts of things that locals enjoy, like sculpted parks, converted shopping centers, and places to snack. Well, I won't lie, we like the snacking.

Other than the beautiful Taroko Gorge, Taiwan's premier tourist attraction, the real highlights of this tour were the food (of course) and the amazing luxury hotels we stayed in. We tasted some fantastic tribal dishes with regional vegetables, aboriginal purple rice, a multi-course meal made entirely out of one fish; then spent nights soaking in gorgeous Japanese-style hot springs resorts. While the trip wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, it was still a great experience and gave me ideas for traveling Taiwan independently in the future.${QuickSuggestions} I would definitely suggest that if you take a tour, to find one that will let you create your own itinerary—basically just using the agency to book hotels and transportation. The problem with locals not necessarily knowing the best features of their own country is not limited to Taiwan; one of my friends tells me that when she goes home to Bangladesh everyone is particularly proud to show off the local Pizza Hut.

In Taiwan food is such a source of pride that wouldn't be an issue—people kind of pity those who can't appreciate good Chinese food. But the locals do seem to forget that this island contains natural wonders like the largest mountain in Northeast Asia (Yushan) and cultural interests such as untouched traditional streets, tea fields and local artisans. Instead, there's a prevailing desire to rush tourists through sights like Taroko Gorge, and push people toward small museums or shopping areas. It's very weird.

If you want to travel totally independently, the only guidebook available is Lonely Planet. If you are considering taking tours for ease in transportation, Insight's guide is a bit more inspiring...chock full of photos and featuring some locales not mentioned in LP.

I enjoyed two places in particular that were not in Lonely Planet. The Applied Botanical Garden in Taitung is not vastly interesting for the garden itself, but the buffet lunch of all-local ingredients—including meat from animals on the garden's grounds—was absolutely delicious, and a great introduction to hotpot for anyone who hasn't tried it yet.

Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi might have escaped Lonely Planet based on price alone; although LP does list top end hotels, Hotel Royal is EXTREMELY high-priced. If it's any indication, prices are not listed on the website. However, for those able to splurge, this was the most amazing hotel I've ever experienced. Beautifully-designed throughout with wonderful hot springs options, impeccable, comfortable rooms and fantastic food...absolutely recommended for those who can afford it.

Finally, this is not limited to the East Coast but I never see this lumped into the food categories of guidebooks: magi, or daifuku in Japanese, is extraordinarily popular in Taiwan. Hualien has a wonderful shop that makes these stuffed rice balls fresh, but the whole area around the shop (called simply Magi) is full of treats shops.${BestWay} Taiwan is well-covered by public transportation, and the East Coast is highly-touted as its premier attraction. Thus, it should not be too difficult for independent travelers to figure out the systems of buses and trains, or even to take short flights. However, bear in mind that as much as Taiwan strives to encourage tourism and an "English-friendly" atmosphere, very few people on public transport are able to practice English on a regular basis, and very little signage is in English—including on buses. It's important to either carry a guidebook with the Chinese characters listed for place names so you can pick them out on buses & train schedules.

Taiwan has plenty of tour agencies, and some of these attractions are easily visited on short trips, such as Taroko. It's also possible to book a tour in Taipei that will take you around on either tour bus or minibus if you can get a small group together.
From journal Highlights and Lowlights on the East Coast