Day 1 – Departure
Depart on your international flights.
Day 2 – Arrival, Taipei
You will arrive in the
evening to Taipei, Taiwan, where your Program Leader will welcome you. After a
light dinner as a group you will have the evening to adjust to
the jet lag.
Day 3 – Taipei
This
morning after breakfast you will volunteer at a local non-profit organization
and participate in service learning activities. You will have lunch together as
a group. In the afternoon you will visit a local high school and interact with
local students. In the evening after dinner you will have an introductory
walking tour of Taipei.
Day 4 – Taipei, Service Project
This
morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities
and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after
dinner you will visit one of the night street markets.
Day 5 – Taipei, Service Project
This
morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities
and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after
dinner you will visit a popular underground mall.
Day 6 – Taipei
This
morning after breakfast you will visit the Taipei National Palace Museum. The museum houses
the largest collection of priceless Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world,
including ancient bronze castings, calligraphies, scroll paintings, porcelains,
jades, and rare books, many of which were possessions of the former imperial
family. The full collection, which consists of some 650,000 pieces, spans many
dynasties.
You
will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will participate in a Taiwanese cooking class and learn to
create authentic Taiwanese dumplings and beef noodles using local ingredients.
Afterwards, you will sit down to savor your creations.
In
the evening you will visit the tallest building in the city, Taipei 101. This building was formerly known as the Taipei World
Financial Center, and is a stupendously tall skyscraper in the Xinyi District.
The building was officially classified as the world's tallest in 2004, and retained the title for 6 years. Now it holds awards
for environmental design which designate it as the tallest and largest green
building in the world.
Day 7 – Taipei to Taichung City, Sun Moon Lake
This
morning after breakfast you will take a bus to Taichung City and then continue on
to Sun Moon Lake. Situated in a rural county near Taichung City, Sun Moon Lake is the
largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a major tourist attraction. The area
around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in
Taiwan. The east side of the lake resembles a sun, while the west side
resembles a moon, hence the name. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will enjoy a boat ride on the Sun Moon Lake. In the evening after dinner you will go back
to Taipei and rest.
Day 8 – Taipei, Service Project
This
morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities
and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after
dinner you will have free time.
Day 9 – Taipei, Service Project
This
morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities
and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after
dinner you will visit Ximending, a popular night market which sells a
mind-boggling variety of traditional and local snacks.
Day 10 – Taipei, Service Project
This
morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities
and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In
the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after
dinner you will visit the Red House creative market, an art district and a
famous hang-out spot for the artists of Taiwan. This area regularly hosts art
exhibitions and is home to many souvenir and art shops.
Day 11 – Taipei
This
morning after breakfast you will visit the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan, the first museum to
collect miniatures in Asia. The museum was founded in 1997 and is the first to
specialize in contemporary miniatures. You will have lunch together as a group.
In the afternoon you will walk around Yong Kang and Qing Tian Streets where you can witness
the harmonious co-existence of both Japanese and Chinese cultures and many
traditional Japanese style houses. In the evening after dinner you will visit
the Xiangshan nature trails, also known as Elephant Hill, to
enjoy a beautiful bird’s eye night view of the City of Taipei.
Day 12 – Departure
This
morning after breakfast you will depart for the airport to fly back home.