Whole Travel Blog

Each year, from May through October, you’re bound to find a few brave souls heading out to India for some spectacular trekking. Darjeeling is a region in the far east of India with amazing natural beauty. At an altitude of 8,500 m (28,000 ft), the Darjeelings are the highest mountains in India. Buddhist monasteries and tea plantations dot the landscape as you hike through dense alpine trees, beautiful orchids, natural lakes, and remote trails. A day’s hike up Tiger Hill provides a panoramic view of Mt Everest.

Sunrise at Tiger Hill, Darjeeling

If you’re looking for a softer adventure, you can visit the Kalmatia Sangam Himalaya Resort, a year-round tourism destination that offers low-altitude trekking in the winter and higher-level excursions during the spring, summer and autumn months.

Taiwan recently finished construction of an amazing solar-powered stadium that can generate 100% of its electricity from the sun. The dragon-shaped arena can hold 50,000 spectators and is made with over 8,000 solar panels.

Taiwan's solar-powered stadium can seat 50,000

The stadium will officially open in July for the 2009 World Games. In addition to the solar panels, the stadium integrates many other sustainable features such as permeable paving and maximum use of domestic materials and local labor. In addition, a plot of land adjacent to the stadium was set aside for development of public lands, including bike paths, sport parks, a pond system and green open spaces.

On days that the stadium is not being used, the government plans to feed surplus energy into the local grid, where it will meet approximately 80% of the neighboring area’s demand. This equates to approximately 660 tons of carbon dioxide per year!

Taiwan's "Peculiar Peak" - Mt. Dabajian

More than 200 summits over 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) in elevation, world-class mountaineering & rock climbing, thousands of kilometers of alpine trekking, lush evergreen forests, breathtaking valleys – an amalgamation of features that describe the likes of the Canadian Rockies or the French Alps, right? True, but what if I told you that you can find all this and more in… deep breath… Taiwan!?!? That’s right, Taiwan! Often noted for its extreme population density in urban areas and progressive architectural escapades, Taiwan also boasts an unbelievably gorgeous countryside that would leave any outdoor enthusiast foaming at the Nalgene. From the “rooftop of Taiwan,” Mt. Yushan (3,952m) – Northeast Asia’s highest peak – to the Sea of Clouds in the Central Mountain Range, Taiwan has a diverse expanse of rich terrain and stunning vistas. So… When you’re planning your next open-air adventure, take a gander at what Taiwan has to offer – you’ll be amazed!

For more information on the titillating Taiwanese terrain, check out the following links!

Taiwan’s National Scenic Areas & Parks
Taiwan Tourism Bureau