Set like a jewel among the green hills and mountains of central Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) is glorious.

Every year in the spring, thousands of religious pilgrims make the long trek from Taichung (台中) County to Chiayi (嘉義) County--and back again--in honor of the goddess Matsu (媽祖).

At the heart of Chung Cheng University's (中正大學) leafy 132-hectare campus is a large and picturesque lake.

Taiwan's Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園) is a place of immense beauty. With panoramic views, overlapping mountains and deep, plunging valleys, Yushan has some of the most stunning mountain scenery anywhere in Taiwan.

As I sped across the countryside en route to Taichung (台中), my attention suddenly shifted from the vast stretch of farmland to a beautiful landscaped garden, viewed only partly through the open gate.

Geographically speaking, Taiwan is an ancient land mass marked by enormous uplifting forces millions of years ago that formed the rocky Central Mountain Range peaks and valleys from north to south along the current island's spine.

Nantou, Taiwan's only completely landlocked county, lies at the island's geographical center and features some of its wildest countryside and loftiest peaks (it shares Jade Mountain, the tallest peak in northeast Asia, with neighboring Chiayi County).

The Guguan Hot Spring Festival begins in November at Taichung County's Guguan﹝谷關﹞, celebrating the 100th year of the discovery of these remarkable hot springs.

Tucked away in a corner of Nantou County far from Sun Moon Lake, Sitou and the other major tourist attractions of the region, Zhongliao (中寮) village receives few outsiders, excepting those passing through on the way to the nearby resort town of Jiji. Secreted in the steep valleys to the east of town, however, are a number of interesting natural curiosities that make this an excellent half-day stop on any tour of Nantou.

Westerners are often surprised by the evocative, even flowery names given to many places in Taiwan. The island's main international airport is in a city called "Peach Orchard" (Taoyuan, 桃園), and if translated literally, mainland Taiwan's two smallest counties are "Splendid Transformation" (Changhua, 彰化) and "Misty Forest" (Yunlin, 雲林).