Going to Taiwan

[Recon604]

Hey guys - I'll be spending my xmas and new years at Taiwan. Any key places I should check out and how do I get a travel data plan that's cheap?

Thanks guys

[DragonChi]

For Data plan, as you leave immigration, the mobile stalls are the cheapest. It should be after the forex stalls. Unless, you know someone who can sign you up with their Taiwanese ID.

Elephant mountain for night views and photo ops of Taipei 101. Keelung is worth the detour for their food in the night market area.

There's about a weeks worth of stuff to do in Taipei.

The highlights of my Taiwan trip were in the south and in the mountains. The latter is inaccessible unless you have hired a driver or rented a car. It's unadvisable to take a scooter on mountain roads. Hairpin turns and lax driving habits have been factors for unacceptable risk in my opinion.

[zilley]

^ much more than a week, depending on what you're doing.

you cant even visit all the jiu dian within a week. LOL.

[DragonChi]

For me, if I've been to one, I've been to all of them. Same thing with the night markets. Unless it's in a different city, then the night markets might have one thing that sets them apart from the rest of country. 90% of of the content will be the same.

[Recon604]

Originally Posted by zilley

^ much more than a week, depending on what you're doing.

you cant even visit all the jiu dian within a week. LOL.

I'm only there for a week, are you there?

[zilley]

Originally Posted by DragonChi

For me, if I've been to one, I've been to all of them. Same thing with the night markets. Unless it's in a different city, then the night markets might have one thing that sets them apart from the rest of country. 90% of of the content will be the same.

that is def not true for jiu dian.

and recon nope.

[DragonChi]

I dont even know what a jiu dian is. Tried googling it, all i got was hotel. Perhaps, love hotel?

[zilley]

Originally Posted by DragonChi

I dont even know what a jiu dian is. Tried googling it, all i got was hotel. Perhaps, love hotel?

my man, you are missing outt.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by DragonChi

I dont even know what a jiu dian is. Tried googling it, all i got was hotel. Perhaps, love hotel?

https://medium.com/@AznHanSolo/on-jd...e-61ef3404fc03

There you go.

[DragonChi]

Read half way through that post. Yep, I missed out. Then again, I dont need to pay 500 USD to sing K with pretty girls.

[Jonydakiller]

JD isn't cheap especially if you try to take them "outside" afterward.
If you are just there with a few guys, just go to the clubs on top of ATT4FUN, girls are easy to pick up if you got game and most of them speak fluent English.

[twitchyzero]

note in metro stations and on buses, there's free wifi...as is in 7-11 and the density of convenient stores will shock you

a week in Taipei is almost too long if you ask me
you can get a good feel of the island in a week, if you don't mind stretching out your days

3 days Taipei, 2 days Tainan or Kaohsiung, 2 days Taroko or Ali-shan

Kenting sucks, don't bother. Sun Moon Lake? you live in BC and it doesn't even come close to what we have here. I haven't done Taitung in forever and haven't set foot on the outerlying islands yet.

my feedback revolves around food and outdoor activities...so maybe it's a shitty one if you're just looking for partying/brothels

have fun, I get to spend the upcoming CNY there

[Slifer]

Originally Posted by zilley

my man, you are missing outt.

Please explain

Edit: Nvm, saw the next post.

[bcrdukes]

I recently spent a week in Taipei.

It's hard for me to put my finger on whether it was too much time or not, but I felt that a week was enough time for me to happily appreciate and understand the city intimately. I mainly spent my time in Taipei, and went out to smaller surrounding villages/towns on day trips taking the train and whatnot. I posted some photos of my trip on my blog, if that helps. I feel that it's best for you to figure out what your objective is, and see how you can achieve that goal before or while you are in Taiwan.

If you are looking for a mobile SIM with a data plan, like DragonChi said, the moment you exit the doors after Immigration and into the arrivals hall, make a left towards the bakery/cafe, and restaurant. Immediately to your left, you'll see several mobile companies lined up there catering to tourists. You will need your passport to register for the service. My understanding is that locals are not eligible for the plans offered at the airport (I may be wrong, however.)

You can apply for the tourist SIM in advance to expedite the application process for several of them and to make your life easier. For reference, I used Chunghwa Telecom. Feel free to shop around to find what caters best to your needs; a quick Google search will yield some good results. Also, if you are spending a week there, you can buy a tourist-oriented MRT card for the subway/bus at the arrival hall, located in the middle'ish of the arrival hall (you can't miss it.) Interestingly enough, I found that a lot of restaurants/shops still take cash only, and will post signs they do not accept credit cards.

In terms of where you must go, again, that depends on what you are looking for. I went to Taipei really as a pre-cursor to my China trip (which I am dreading.) As a handful of friends said to me, Taiwan is similar to China, except it's cleaner, and people are much more polite and rule-abiding (i.e. no jay walking, lining up properly etc.) And they were right about that. Public health is highly emphasized. Washrooms, no matter where you go, are cleaned regularly, even at the subways. There isn't much garbage/litter floating around on the streets. I suggest bringing a few packs of Kleenex because some places will not provide them to you.

For what it's worth, I went to the Taipei Zoo, took the tram up to Maokong Mountain to try the teas (not much action up there.) Tried to go to Taipei 101, but couldn't go up because it was already too late. We also took the train out to Jiufen and Shifen village, and the Huotong Cat Village (be forewarned - no taxis come here, so check the train schedule and don't be late!!!) Most of my time was spent exploring the back alleys and the coffee culture in Taipei (Fika Fika is highly recommended.)

All in all, I liked Taiwan, but it would be hard pressed to spend another week there, unless I am able to re-connect with my family there (which did not happen as they were away on business.) Most places felt like, and were exactly tourist traps, but it is what it is. The people, I felt were very genuine and friendly for the most part. The language barrier was probably the biggest of my struggles. As for "jiu dian" - I did not know about them until I read this thread. I will admit, some Taiwanese girls are smoking hot. Let's just say, I got in trouble a few times and got slapped on the wrist by my female travel companion. Let us know how it goes!

[DragonChi]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

note in metro stations and on buses, there's free wifi...as is in 7-11 and the density of convenient stores will shock you

a week in Taipei is almost too long if you ask me
you can get a good feel of the island in a week, if you don't mind stretching out your days

3 days Taipei, 2 days Tainan or Kaohsiung, 2 days Taroko or Ali-shan

Kenting sucks, don't bother. Sun Moon Lake? you live in BC and it doesn't even come close to what we have here. I haven't done Taitung in forever and haven't set foot on the outerlying islands yet.

my feedback revolves around food and outdoor activities...so maybe it's a shitty one if you're just looking for partying/brothels

have fun, I get to spend the upcoming CNY there

I had about 3 days in Kenting, it was super fun. I really suggest renting a scooter though. The public transit there really sucks. The roads outside Kenting are not as busy as in the city. Mountain and coastal roads to ride on are super fun! Make sure 8ts a gas scooter though. The electric ones have no range and power to get up the hills.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wongtr...57688494382742

My understanding is that locals are not eligible for the plans offered at the airport (I may be wrong, however.)

They're probably not, but they get a waaaay better mobile data deal than tourists.

About your China trip, Google services are firewalled and inaccessable in China. You may want to consider setting up a shadowsocks service, as VPN is banned in China. Unless you read/write/speak Mandarin, then I'd reckon you'll be able to get by without Google products.

[bcrdukes]

One thing I should add, as a first-time tourist in Taiwan, I did find that food prices can get expensive, so it really depends on where you go, and what your preferences are. Hopefully more seasoned tourists here on RS can offer more advice on this, but if you went on my blog, some of the restaurants I went to were tourist-oriented, or rather, themed-restaurants that were not there to provide value. Food costs can, and will add up quick.

[twitchyzero]

if you're jumping from cafes and bars, I can see prices adding up fast. Food is not as dirt cheap as it was just few years ago, but still very reasonable

Originally Posted by DragonChi

I had about 3 days in Kenting, it was super fun. I really suggest renting a scooter though. The public transit there really sucks. The roads outside Kenting are not as busy as in the city.

i've been a few times, trying to keep an open mind each visit but always reminded why i found it underwhelming during previous stays

[DragonChi]

I see. Yeah, I would have done 4 days to see everything and never go back again.

[v_tec]

Originally Posted by DragonChi

I had about 3 days in Kenting, it was super fun. I really suggest renting a scooter though. The public transit there really sucks. The roads outside Kenting are not as busy as in the city. Mountain and coastal roads to ride on are super fun! Make sure 8ts a gas scooter though. The electric ones have no range and power to get up the hills.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wongtr...57688494382742

I'm thinking about Kaohsiung in February. Would it even be worthwhile to go to Kenting in the "winter" if you're not doing any water sports?

[DragonChi]

For me, I would go scootering there at least once. It depends on your comfort level. In the evening, it's kind of like chaos to be on a scooter though. If you're going to scooter, it is highly recommended to buy travel insurance, and don't give up your passport when renting. There are smaller scooter rental stalls that will rent to you for straight cash or International Drivers Permit.

Do Kenting park, if you're into nature. It's maybe a 3 day thing. I think it's like 3 hours each way from Kaohsiung.

For me it'd be:
day 1: check in, rent scooters, go here (https://goo.gl/maps/Cgqfg1azdnw ) and talk to the tourist info people they'll have some suggestions depending on what you want to see, get sunset pics
day 2: wake up early, sunrise pics, cruise the coast and mountains. night market.
day 3: Kenting national park
day 4: check out, grab the bus back to Kaohsiung.

When I went, I combined day 2 and 3, and didn't have time to see it all. I saw about half the park.

Other than that, there isn't really much else to do. The scenery there is really nice. There's a beach there where, Life of Pi, was filmed, it's pretty popular with the Chinese tourists.

[bcrdukes]

Just go to the JDs. Problem solved.

[DragonChi]

[MelonBoy]

九份Jioufen Old Street
- Taipei main station to Ruifang station. Then cab or bus for 15mins to old street


- Din Tai Fung: arguably the best shanghai dumplings around, taiwan branchs are waaay better then the north american ones
- Coco bbt is a $1 for a large there. Its less sweet in general compared to the coco here fyi
- Transit is super easy and cheap. Cabs are pretty damn cheap, don't hesitate to use them!

Night markets
- Shilin Night Market ; Largest and most famouse
- Raohe Street Night Market; Oldest Night market
The're a few more out there

[6793026]

Originally Posted by DragonChi

I dont even know what a jiu dian is. Tried googling it, all i got was hotel. Perhaps, love hotel?

We have Brandi's here, well over in Taipei, it's a bit different. Rarely do people go to a titty bar.

10 friends in private room; drinks, watching multiple TV, singing Karaoke, drinks etc. An hour in, and every 20 minutes, girls would come in and rotate; pick as you please.

During the 1 hr mark, when you like what you see, lights dim and it's full blown Montreal all you can touch buffet. Lights turn on etc. Back to normal. This goes on say 3-4 times during the night. Guess this is the cliff notes PG version.

[bcrdukes]

I take back what I said about not really wanting to go back to Taiwan. Just booked my ticket to Taipei for........scenic tourism.