Skies over Formosa: Mountain range in background

And my imagination of the beauty of Formosa did not disappoint me at all. The island lay beneath me , radiating such life and warmth. It's been two years almost since I last visted Taiwan, but I think of it constantly. The people, natural beauty, colourful culture, and the dangers that lie hidden behind all this.

I tried to spot what I could recognise...the places I've been, or the places I'd like to go. You could see sprawling cities and towns etched on the face of the western coast...not much of an eyecatcher, and just like any other development scarred onto the land by human beings. From south to north, you can see a thin white line stretching as far as the eyes can see into the horizon. It's the High Speed Rail due for completion next year.

But if you turn your eyes to the central and eastern part, the lush and majestic mountain ranges, lakes, forests, creeks greet you with. White clouds shroud the lengths and bredth of the island, as if wrapping it in a mysterious packaging, wating to be opened and discovered.

Maybe that's why the European sailors were so entranced by this island...maybe that's why Portuguese sailors who first set sight on the island called it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island).