![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5592/14719958008_5ddeba7e11_b.jpg)
A few years ago, my friends and I were travelling to Taiwan for the first time.
We had nine days, and an infinite number of places to see and things to do.
So we planned a jam-packed schedule.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5556/14720053197_21938ae4f3_b.jpg)
We flew in to Taipei, after which we spent more than half a day going through the treasures at the National Palace Museum.
The next morning, we woke up before dawn to catch a train to Chiayi, from which we’ll board another train to the top of Alishan, just in time for sunset.
The next day was equally packed.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/14883656776_3e225af056_b.jpg)
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/14720023510_0254e56bca_b.jpg)
After watching the sunrise, we spent a couple of hours wandering around Alishan village before making our way down the mountain by coach, and then catching the evening train to Kaohsiung.
We arrived in Kaohsiung after dark.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5591/14906240122_dcf0c096c3_b.jpg)
The next couple of hours were spent exploring the night markets and riverside areas in the city.
A few hours later, just before sunrise, we were off again, to catch the train to Hualien.
Anyway, you get the drift.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5589/14906578565_f06139ce0a_b.jpg)
It was a very tight schedule, and other than the final two days, we did not stay in the same city for more than a day.
For sure, we covered most of the sights we wanted to see, and some of them were gorgeous.
I remember Taroko Gorge being quite magnificent, with its soaring peaks, babbling streams and almost vertical marble cliffs.
I also remember the old mining town of Jiufen being quite charming with its tea houses and quaint streets.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5593/14719947088_9e53559e7f_b.jpg)
But I’m not quite sure I remember much of the other cities.
I mean, they were pleasant enough but they didn’t form much of a deep impression.
And I suspect it’s nothing to do with the cities, but more of how we rushed through it.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/14883581496_2088aa846a_b.jpg)
Taipei alone, for instance, is worth more than the two-and-a-half days we gave it.
And we can definitely see more in Kaohsiung if we spent more than half a day there.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/14903489761_525a435b41_b.jpg)
But this being the case, my impressions of Taiwan remained rather hazy, until I made another trip there a few years later.
Switzerland, too, was another place I rushed through.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14719948879_70768e4ed2_b.jpg)
As you’d probably know, Switzerland isn’t the cheapest place to travel in.
Just the train pass alone cost quite a few hundred dollars, so we tried to cover the most ground in the four days which our pass allowed.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/14906586275_f2316c7f9f_b.jpg)
From Zurich, we made our way to Lucerne, and then Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch, Lauterbrunnen and Bern before exiting Switzerland via Lake Constance.
Sounds exhausting?
It was.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/14719972718_af2c7641da_b.jpg)
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14720027917_72c5e716b2_b.jpg)
And once again, I’m not sure how much I really recall of each city.
I mean, I remember them being gorgeous and all, but that’s about it – a series of photo stops through Switzerland.
![Whirlwind trips Whirlwind trips - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5590/14906226822_169e971c36_b.jpg)
So do you like rushing through your travels and try to see as many places as possible?
Or do you prefer to take it slow and easy?