-Welcome to Taiwan!

-It's said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out."

Today we're steppin' out in Taiwan... [ Indistinct toast ] ...in search of natural beauty... cultural riches... and artistic treasures.

-Hi!

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

[ Motorbike engines revving ] -Before I ride the train to the Yilan Coast Scenic Area, I take a whirlwind tour of Taiwan's capital, Taipei.

From the Grand Hotel... and Taipei 101... to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial and the Martyrs' Shrine, where they're changing the guard... ♪♪ ...Taiwan boasts 22 national parks and scenic areas.

I step out on my latest Taiwan adventure in the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area.

♪♪ [ Beeping ] To begin at the beginning, The coastal town of Fulong is the perfect place.

Traveling by train has been a part of Taiwanese life since it was introduced by the Japanese colonialists in the 19th century.

The old Caoling Tunnel, built in 1924, served as part of the rail link between Taipei and Ilan until 1986.

In 2008, it was reborn as a bikeway.

♪♪ At the end of the 2 kilometer tunnel, the number Nine cafe offers a pleasant haven to catch your breath, take in the view of Turtle Island and sip a coffee or tea before biking the 12 miles back to Fulong.

♪♪ -Welcome to Fulong.

-Xie xie.

-Xie xie.

Ni hao.

-To-sia.

-[ Laughs ] -Do you remember the last time?

-Antony.

-I remember it.

-Yeah.

-To-sia, how you say thank you in, uh, in Taiwanese.

Because we are in Taiwan.

There are a lot of people who speak Mandarin.

And even in this country, people speak Cantonese because there are different -- And people speak their own indigenous language.

-Yes.

-We have a Taiwanese feast here before us.

-Yes.

-And it covers pretty much all the cultures of Taiwan.

-Yes.

-What's local here?

In Fulong, they have a lot of harbor and port here.

-Right.

-So, so much seafood.

This is Flying Fish Omelet.

-Flying Fish Omelet.

-Yes.

-Ah, wonderful.

-It's so special.

-And while I'm here in Taiwan, how should I say "Let's eat"?

-Yeah, it should be Chiah dong.

-Chiah dong, okay.

-Let's Chiah dong!

-Chiah dong!

-Oh, wow, oh.

-Try this.

This is really good.

[ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -One of the favorite Taiwanese gods is Mazu, the goddess of the sea.

She has become one of my favorites because I've covered the island named after her, which is beautiful, great seafood, beautiful beaches.

I also have participated in the Mazu pilgrimage of one of the great pilgrimages of the world, really.

And have visited her temples all throughout Taiwan.

There are 16,000 temples in Taiwan, and visiting all of not just Mazu temples, but all of the temples is one of the real traditional Taiwanese and Chinese experiences you should have here.

I'd like to say if you really want a Chinese experience, come to Taiwan, where the heart and soul of the culture is still alive and well.

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] This is where we came from.

-And this is where we are going.

-Woo-hoo!

-Woo-hoo!

-Hikers come as far as Taipei to walk the 100-year-old Caoling Trail.

From Fulong or Dali Station, they begin a trek that includes coastal and valley views, historic stone inscriptions, and sites perfect for picnics and pictures.

Hello, ladies.

-Hi!

-Are you going to go up to the top now?

-No.

Not yet.

-Yeah.

But are you going to go?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Okay.

-I want, I want.

-[ Laughter ] -You want, you want.

You may not.

You may not.

-I don't know.

[ Laughter ] -Okay, do you do this all the time?

Hike, hike a lot.

Do you do this many -- -[ Speaking in native language ] -Yes.

-Yes.

-Often.

Often.

-Often.

-Yes, often.

-Often.

Often.

-Just a little.

-He never.

He never.

-Just a little, her.

He never, never walks.

Never walks.

-That's why I'm here.

-That's why he came.

Okay, well, we're heading up.

So, bye!

-Xie xie.

Xie xie, bye.

-Xie xie.

How long has this trail been here?

-Already 200 years.

-Does this land belong to anybody?

-Yeah.

It was indigenous.

And our ancestors, their gate.

-Well, what about now?

Does it belong to anybody?

-Well, it belongs to the nation.

[ Laughs ] -It belongs to the nation.

It's part -- -[ Speaking in native language ] -It's part of the Northeast and Yilan Coast scenic area.

-Yeah.

-Hello.

- Ni hao.

-Hi.

Ni hao.

-Hi.

Ni hao.

-[ Speaking in native language ] -[ Speaking in native language ] -Did you go up there?

Over.

-No.

-No -No?

-Why?

-It's too far.

-Too far?

What kind of bird is that?

-Maybe the mountain -- Mountain magpie.

-Mountain magpie.

Sounds like a magpie.

That's good.

Wow.

So about 1,500 feet to this level?

-Yeah.

-It says what here?

-It's still one kilometers to the top.

-Still a kilometer to the top?

-Yeah.

-Oh my gosh.

-Over there.

-Oh, I see it.

-You see the top.

-I love the fact that Taiwan is so different in so many ways.

I mean, you know, you can see it by train.

You can be in Taipei, a big city.

You can be out in the country, you can climb Taroko Gorge, the country's Grand Canyon.

You could do this and see water buffalo that they use for the rice down below.

It's amazing.

That's why I keep coming back.

Because there's always some other new surprise that I have when I'm here.

You know, one of the things I love about Taiwan is whenever I come here... -Yes.

-...there's always the moment where you kind of stop, take a deep breath, and take it all in and really, really appreciate being here.

The people are so nice.

-Yes.

And we can also imagine that the ancestors came here 100 years ago.

They also walk this way and then from New Taipei City.

-That's what -- That's what nice about taking these paths.

And you're right, the path is kind of like the generations go on and on and on and on and on.

And we're walking in their footsteps.

And there's something about that.

You know, our lives are all limited, but if you can just stop, be in the moment, you can stretch your life out.

It's really wonderful.

Taiwan's leisure farms offer city dwellers a taste of the rural lifestyle, along with an agricultural education seasoned with a spirit of environmental sustainability.

Toucheng Leisure Farm, 15 miles from Milan, has 296 acres in which to practice being a farmer.

Here on the farm, they have a number of demonstration sites where they try to teach people about the interaction between human beings and agriculture.

You know, rice is an incredibly important crop here in Taiwan, 20% of all farmland is devoted to rice.

About 3.3 billion pounds of rice are produced every year by the Taiwanese.

Okay, now what's the technique?

-Use your three fingers.

-Three fingers?

-Yes.

And separate the [inaudible].

-Without ruining the roots.

-Roots, yes.

Then you stick it inside into the mud.

One third of it.

-Does that look good?

-Yes, it looks good.

-How many plants do you normally get in a field?

-This size, we can produce about 800 kilos.

-800 kilos?

You harvest here?

-Yes.

-In a year, how does Yilan rate on the quality of rice?

Because I know it's very important.

-It's very good because we have a good environment.

We have a good water.

And it's all experienced farmers.

So they produce very quality rice.

-It's almost like meditation.

-Yes.

That's right.

-The plant, you know.

I'm sure it's a back-breaking job to do all day.

-We have old saying, "You move backwards, but the thing is in progress."

-Well, thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn about rice and to plant some rice.

I've never done that.

In all the times I've come to Taiwan, I've never had the opportunity to plant rice.

-The pleasure is all mine.

-Oh.

Thank you.

-Xie xie.

Xie xie.

-Xie xie.

♪♪ -The relationship between humans and animals, of course, is famous all over the world.

But here in Taiwan, and also, by extension, China, the water buffalo has been an important part of every Chinese or Taiwanese family.

There is an expression in Taiwan which sounds a little bit like this.

It's [speaking in native language] And it means if you work as hard as a water buffalo, you'll never go hungry.

Look at this beauty.

You're beautiful.

Here.

Would you like some grass?

Yeah.

Well, thank you for coming out in the rain and playing with me.

Yilan is noted for its rainy seasons, and we're right at the end of typhoon season in November.

So I would say a little later in November would be a good time to come also.

It's called the Toucheng Leisure Farm, but I think it should be called the Toucheng Sustainable Food, Sustainable Living or Ecological Farm because that's more in keeping with where Taiwan is these days.

This is called the green table.

What's particularly of interest to me here is that all the food here is being sourced from vendors who provide sustainable product, and that is where Taiwan is very, very strong these days, promoting sustainable living from the products that come out of the sea, to the products that you pick off of the tree and pull out of the ground.

Well, Jack, it doesn't look like any winery I've ever been in.

What made you decide to start a winery?

-Because we got a lot of fruit around this farm.

And so we can make very special wine because the winter is cold.

So it's suitable for Yilan to grow the kumquat.

Also, I used the kumquat to make a wine.

-Now, is it just kumquat?

Is there anything else in there?

-Because the kumquat is so sour, so we need to put some honey in there.

-Honey in -- -Ah.

-Honey and kumquat.

-We got a silver medal in France.

-I can see why.

Not very sweet, but very tasty.

-Yeah.

-Tastes like the fruit.

Well, the only thing left is for us to pair it with food.

Because, as you know, wine goes very well with food.

You had a restaurant here... -Yeah.

-...on the property.

Okay.

Well, good.

Well, [indistinct].

- Ganbei .

-Or ganbei .

-Oh, yeah.

[ Dishes clatter ] -Xie xie , thank you so much for introducing us to another amazing Taiwanese meal.

This proves how important food is to Taiwan culture.

-Xie xie!

-Xie xie!

[ Laughter ] ♪♪ -Taiwan offers a lot of everything, including luxury.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm at the Chao Ji noodle shop here in Yilan Su'ao.

My greatest travel experience I've had have been serendipitous just by meeting people by chance.

Zhonglin and I met at a dinner at the RSL hotel.

And I call him Noodles because it's easier than Zhonglin.

And it is what his family does, they make noodles.

They've been making noodles for 70 years.

You have six different varieties of noodles.

Tell me about them.

-Okay.

First one is sesame noodles, and this red one is red yeast rice, and this one is jelly fig.

-Mmm!

Jelly fig.

-Jelly fig.

Okay, this one is honey black tea.

And this one is our superstar -- Cold spring noodles.

-Cold spring noodles.

-Cold spring noodles -Because here in Yilan, the hot and cold springs are very important.

-Yes, the water is important.

-And that's what makes all the food taste so good here.

The water.

Who developed all these different ideas of different flavors?

-Actually, it's come from my team.

They give me ideas and also the skills come from my father.

-What's the biggest challenge in having a shop like this here?

-We need to transfer the traditional industry to a new one.

We can't survive as a traditional one, so we need to think of a new way.

-So you're always trying to innovate?

-Yes.

-Always come up with something new and do things in a different way.

Great idea.

It's fabulous.

I've tasted all of these, and the people can come when they're in town and go to Chao Ji noodles, and they'll be able to come and meet Zhonglin.

-Yeah.

So welcome.

-Or just call him Noodles.

-Appreciate it.

Thank you.

-Can call me noodles as well.

-The Taiwanese National Center for Traditional Arts protects, preserves, and promotes Taiwanese arts, crafts, traditions, and customs by giving visitors hands-on experiences.

Ni hao.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-Fine, thank you.

My name is Vincent.

-My name is, uh... Lin.

-Lin.

Okay.

[ Chuckles ] Handsome boy.

-Oh, thank you so much.

Let's dance.

Wanna dance?

♪ We can dance together ♪ ♪ Da da da da da da da ♪ Bye!

-That's fun.

-It was one of the many shops that around here that are culturally oriented inside the cultural village.

- Xie xie.

- Xie xie.

♪♪ -Getting dressed up for the Taiwanese opera.

And I understand the costume I'm wearing is the handsome man character.

So it's very complimentary that they chose this one for me.

[ Singing in native language ] ♪♪ [ Singing continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] -Whoo-hoo!

-Thank you.

Thank you.

♪♪ The Blessing Lantern ceremony at the center's Wenchang Temple adds an ethereal touch to the ending of a culturally rich day.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Xie xie.

Thank you.

♪♪ -So we're going to eat the duck five ways.

-Five ways.

-So now it's a duck chow.

-The duck chow.

Okay, yeah.

-He's wrapping it like the sushi.

Yeah.

There's a cheese on the rice and with wasabi.

And the sauce is the miso.

Wow.

-Itching to try this right away.

-Thank you.

-Exactly.

One bite.

He said one bite.

-Okay.

Cheers.

-Cheers.

- Ganbei.

- Ganbei.

-This is the green onion cake.

-Yeah.

I never realized that when I was coming here for a scenic area, that it would be a culinary area to this extent, to this high level.

-Mm-hmm.

-Wow.

-They use the green part of the green onion.

-The green part of the green onion to make the pancake.

It looks like the wrapping for the spring rolls.

Mmm.

-This tastes good.

-One delightful dish after another.

Fabulous.

The fourth way.

-Yeah.

The fourth way.

The fourth way-- -[ Speaks in native language ] -Oh, it's a, um... cherry in summer.

-Cherry in summer?

-The name of the dish.

Yes.

-Cherry in summer.

-And they use the duck breast.

-Yes.

-To make this salad.

And with cranberry and coriander and the onions.

Yeah.

Just mixed with the Thai sweet and sour sauce.

-Mmm.

Well, everything here has been wonderful.

It's like a musical composition.

Variations on the theme.

You know, the theme is duck.

And each of these has their own music associated with them.

Well, this has been a feast and an experience.

When you started off, you said it was the duck performance.

-Yes.

-It's continued now.

This is act five...

Yes, act five.

-...of the duck performance.

In which Joseph eats his heart out.

-[ Laughs ] -How many vendors are here in the market in the morning?

-More than 300.

-300?

-Yeah, this is the biggest morning market in Yilan.

-I love markets, as you know, and this is one of the liveliest markets I've seen and yet kind of doable.

You know so many of the markets, night markets, and the wet markets in -- in Taiwan are kind of just so much that you can hardly take it all in.

But this one's really nice-sized, doable with very special things.

If you have a guide like my friend Young Grandpa here.

-Yes.

Try the soybean milk tea from my brother, too.

-[ Speaking in native language ] -There's a steamed bun.

-We'll get one of these.

-Xie xie.

-Wow.

This is so great.

Walk around.

-And this master, must know him.

And the family's 100 years only spring roll.

-100 years of doing what?

Spring roll wrapper.

-You can try this one.

-Just this.

Oh!

-Oh, very fresh and crispy.

-Wow.

Looks like a little crepe.

-Yeah.

-100 years of doing wrappers.

They would be masters, wouldn't they?

-Yes.

-There are so many people here in Taiwan who are masters of their craft.

Ask them what it feels like doing this for so long.

-[ Speaking in native language ] -[ Speaking in native language ] -You work longer, you feel stronger.

-If you work longer, you get stronger.

-Yes.

This is the most popular ice cream roll in Taiwan.

-And what kind of ice cream are you scooping out here?

-This one with vanilla and taro.

-Vanilla and taro.

-Yes.

Cilantro is necessary.

You must pull it -- -What's the other word for cilantro?

Coriander?

-Coriander.

Yeah.

-Coriander.

-So we need coriander in to make authentic.

-Now we have Mexican food coming into this.

-Yes.

-Let's add this.

Let's add this.

Oh, just put a bunch.

Okay.

I was being polite.

-Okay.

You roll up to the middle.

Okay.

And stop.

Doing massage.

-Doing massage.

-Make it evenly.

And the left hand side you fold.

Right hand side you fold.

-Left hand side you fold.

-Yes.

-Right hand side you fold.

-Okay.

And then roll to the end.

-Right.

Thank you.

That's good.

-Taro.

Good one.

-Let's keep going.

- Xie xie.

- Xie xie.

-Let's see the knife museum.

-Why do you call it a knife museum?

-Because all the knives have stories.

-Oh, they all have stories.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

And these are all handmade knives, most of them?

-Yes.

From the families.

-And how many generations has he been here?

-[ Speaking in native language ] Third generation in the market.

-Third generation.

His grandfather?

-Yes.

And this shop more than 30 years from him.

From Japanese colonial period.

The grandpa parents, they were blacksmiths to make a knife.

So this work already 100 years from the family.

-100 years.

This is craftsmanship and care.

And when you travel around the world, you get to see how people continue to still do things.

-No proof.

It's very sharp.

Okay, slice the paper.

-Thank you for stepping out with me in Taiwan.

I've traveled to Taiwan many times, and the northeast point in Yilan Coast National Scenic Area offers a generous sampling of the best of Taiwan.

There's the natural beauty of the beaches, forests, mountains, and hot springs that populate the area.

There's a cuisine multi-national in origin that utilizes the riches of the sea and the land, and the culinary genius of its chefs.

There are cultural treasures which illustrate Taiwan's long history and a desire to preserve its artisans, arts, and crafts, as well as temples to honor its ancient beliefs, customs, and traditions.

And above all, there is its people who welcome you with open hearts and minds.

Taiwan is a country threatened by an enemy without whose people protect their democracy and freedom, with a staunch will and a wry smile.

A visit to Taiwan is an unforgettable experience and, like me, will make you want to return again and again.

Until we meet again, remember the words of Mark Twain -- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

May your next adventure always be your best.

-"Joseph Rosendo's Steppin' Out" is made possible by... -Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

♪♪ -There's a reason people call Myrtle Beach "The Beach."

There are 60 miles of wide sandy beaches along South Carolina's Grand Strand coast.

This vacation destination has golf courses, attractions, food, wine, and Southern sun.

♪♪ -For a DVD of any of my "Steppin' Out" adventures or my companion memoir and travel book, "Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys," call 888-876-3399, order online at josephrosendo.com, or e-mail me at TV@josephrosendo.com.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪ -Now that we've stepped out in Taiwan together, learn more at josephrosendo.com, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my magazine, blog, podcast, and social media.

Stay in touch -- 888-876-3399, or e-mail me at TV@josephrosendo.com.

So I noticed you have dressed for this hike as if you were going to a karaoke club.

-[ Laughs ] -What's the deal with that?

-You know what?

In Taiwan, is so convenient from city to nature.

You know, within this one or two hours, you already from city to here.

You know why-- -So, you were at the karaoke club and you decide to go for a walk.

-Why not?

Let's go.

-Is that what that is?

Look at those white sneakers.

Not even sneakers.

They're loafers.

He's gonna -- He's gonna get to the top and dance.

-You know why, the buffalo is having a party for us.

-Yeah, you can party with the buffalo.

That's a great idea.

-♪ Steppin' out ♪