Taiwan has a colorful village painted by a war veteran now known as...Rainbow Grandpa

Taiwan is famous for many, many things. There’s its delicious street food, amazing mountains with equally amazing trails, and all the flower farms that will delight you and your tita.

But as we learned in a recent Biyahe ni Drew, there is a little known Rainbow Village in Taichung that will capture the hearts of IG-loving travelers.

Taichung’s Rainbow Village was among the “veteran villages” the government built for its war veterans sometime between 1940’s and 1950’s.

But sometime in recent years, these villages started to disappear, getting torn down to give way to new and better housing.

Enter Huang Yung-Fu, one of the last remaining residents of Taichung’s Rainbow Village. As his dying village was beginning to get demolished, Mr. Huang took a paintbrush and fought the upcoming destruction with art.

He painted the remaining houses in vibrant colors, drawing animals, dolls, characters that spilled from walls to window sills, to alleyways, onto the pavement floor.

According to the Taichung Guide, students from a nearby university  noticed the work of art and soon, Taichung’s veteran village became something of a tourist attraction.

People now refer to it as the Rainbow Village, and Mr. Huang as Rainbow Grandpa. “The local government decided to suspend the demolition,” the website said.

It’s very small – you can see everything in 15 minutes – but what a magical 15 minutes you’ll experience. There is no admissions fee to see Rainbow Grandpa’s work of art, though donations of course are welcome.

It can get pretty crowded, especially on weekends, but if you’re lucky, you can even see and have a photo with Mr. Huang. How cool is that?

Taichung's Rainbow Village is located in the Nantun District of Taichung City, which is about two hours away from Taipei by bus, or 40 minutes by a high speed train. Taiwan recently extended visa-free travels to Filipinos until July 31.— LA, GMA News