Port guide: Keelung, Taiwan
Artwork-adorned Maritime Plaza near the cruise terminals is a favourite with strolling local families. From there Keelung dissolves into raucous streets lined by eclectic shops and rough-edged eateries. Stop by Dianji Temple for a goggle at its ornate statues and carvings representing mythical sea creatures. The town's famous Miaokou street market is a magnet for foodies. Stalls have English signs announcing specialities such as oyster omelettes, beef noodles, braised pork, or soup dumplings.
Don't miss
If you haven't been to Taiwan before, you ought to head 30 kilometres inland to Taipei, the focus of most shore excursions, but easily navigated independently. It combines the ultra-contemporary with living Chinese traditions often absent on the mainland. Top sights include Taipei 101 skyscraper and its observation platform, memorial halls to Chiang Kai-shek and revolutionary leader Sun Yat-Sen, and temples that combine Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian elements. The best are Longshan Temple and Qingshan Temple. The National Palace Museum houses the world's greatest collection of Chinese art.
Get active
Keelung is humid and often rainy, and its crowded concrete is hardly conducive to exercise. Get some early-morning treadmill work done in the ship's gym before you disembark. One good walk, however, takes you from the port uphill to Zhongzheng Park, crowned by a Buddhist temple and enormous statue of goddess Guan Yin. The complex is kitsch and colourful, and you get good harbour views.
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Retail therapy
Shoppers should get themselves into Taipei, one of the world's best cities for street markets such as Jianguo Jade Market, Guanghua Computer Market for all things electronic, and Chinese Handicraft Mart for porcelain, scroll paintings, lacquer boxes, silk clothes and modern Chinese kitsch. Shilin Street market is famous for its evening food but in the daytime sells shows, clothes, jewellery and (increasingly) souvenirs. Themed shopping streets also provide great plunder, among them Yuanling Street for shoes, Xinyi Road for sports gear, Dihua Street and Huashi Street for Chinese handicrafts and Buddha statues, and American Street for hip-hop clothes and bling.
Further afield
While most shore excursions head into Taipei, some do take you to attractions on Taiwan's north coast such as Buddhist monasteries, Shifen Waterfall and the hot springs of Yangmingshan National Park, where you can wallow in milk-coloured, mildly sulphuric waters. Yehliu Geopark has an array of odd coastal rock formations that look like giant mushrooms, and one supposedly like the head of an Egyptian queen. None of these sights are extraordinary, so stick to Taipei or explore Keelung on your own.
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