rsutoratosu
Platinum Member
I dont know how hot it would be but most area and Jiufen has those taro ball dessert and shave ice. Those are good to hit up on..
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Tips on Taiwan
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EvilYoda
Lifer
Was wondering when you'd pop in here, heh...
My parents said it's hovering between 29 and 30? I haven't checked, I'll look sometime before I leave. Gotta notify the card companies too and get some travelers checks just in case.
The only thing that made sense to me was the comma.
heh....😉
i just looked at the charter, both time when I went to taiwan, 12/2007 and 7/2010, it was around 32, so I thought it might be pegged to usd at that rate. 😀
30 days is the max you can stay in taiwan on US passport unless u get extension. i did tour de taiwan in taiwan for 18 days on a bicycle. i would suggest you do something like that with your time there. well, probably not in a bicycle. get a moped and go around the whole taiwan, it will be fun!
better find out how you can rent a moped/scooter. you can easily spend 2-3 weeks to do this. if this is too much hassles, then use the taiwan rail. i would definitely prefer a moped.
i like kenting a lot. the east is pretty like too. the best scenic will be in suhua highway. i rode the bicycle here and the view of pacific was just stunning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhua_Highway
i think it was two years ago, there was a bus full of tourists from china went through this road and DISAPPEARED. when the news mentioned a bus disappeared in a storm, i was 90% sure the location was suhua highway. I was right, iirc, they never found the bus or the remains...
i like kenting a lot. the east is pretty like too. the best scenic will be in suhua highway. i rode the bicycle here and the view of pacific was just stunning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhua_Highway
i think it was two years ago, there was a bus full of tourists from china went through this road and DISAPPEARED. when the news mentioned a bus disappeared in a storm, i was 90% sure the location was suhua highway. I was right, iirc, they never found the bus or the remains...
sdifox
No Lifer
Terrible idea. You are going to die if you attempt to conduct any sort of vehicle there. Stick to transit and taxis.
traffic is terrible in big cities, otherwise, the roads are good. they got designated bike lane!
sdifox
No Lifer
navigation alone is a big challenge. Not to mention crazy scooter traffic.
<---- was there for two weeks for Chinese new year.
rsutoratosu
Platinum Member
I would avoid travellers check at all, NONE of the night markets can cash that, only big department store like sago & etc and you usually dont shop there. What bank do you use ? most big banks accept US atm, I use BOA & citibank and have 0 problem taking money out.. just call your bank ahead of time and let them know you're travelling.
You probably dont need to carry a lot of money either, its so cheap everywhere,
You can buy your MRT card in taipei, almost all the 7-11 sells them.
You probably dont need to carry a lot of money either, its so cheap everywhere,
You can buy your MRT card in taipei, almost all the 7-11 sells them.
MaxFusion16
Golden Member
dude, they are not lesbians.
asian girls just like to hold hands when they go out, it's an asian thing.
If you've never rode a scooter/moped before and think you can just ride around in the cities like taipei: You WILL crash and you WILL get hurt. The scooters and cars have a bitter rivalry and all the drivers are very aggressive in the cities. It's not as easy as it looks and you do need to present a license to rent.
On top of that: DON'T DRIVE. You'll go insane trying to avoid the mopeds.
Like others have mentioned, they have big banks (BOA, Chase, Citibank) so stick to using cash. None of the night markets stalls take credit card, CASH ONLY. Unless you go to one of the shops, and even then it'll be hard to get them to take cards. Best if you bring some cash and convert
Taipei central station has some ATMs that will allow you to take out cash allowances on your credit card. Most other ones are for local banks only and they don't work with your credit card.
For 28 days in Taipei: I'd recommend going to the following places.
-Hualien: Hualien city/night market has GREAT local cuisine you won't find in Taipei, and you can go to taroko national park. Unforunately there were a lot of rock slides last time I went so parts were closed, but the views are stunning. Tip: Rent a taxi driver instead of going along with a tour. You might be hard pressed to find one that speaks english but they let you look at the places at your own leisure instead of "ok 30 minutes here" and the price is roughly the same.
If the weather is a bit warmer you can go whale watching or snorkling in Hualien. There's also something called "river tracing" where you can follow one of the rivers up stream, one of the more popular places being the Golden Grotto.
These guys did something similar, but seems like without a guide.
http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/2009/11/10/the-golden-grotto/
The hike is usually led by one of the aboriginal tribe members as they're more familiar with the area. It involves lots of walking in a wet suit, crossing rivers and climbing over rocks and cliffs. It's almost like mountain hiking but right alongside the river and an absolute blast. On the way down you simply float down in the river. Bring a speedo, your swimming trunks won't fit in a wet suit.
This looks more like what I did. Warning: LOTS of stamina and climbing/jumping over rocks involved!
http://www.rivertracing.com/rivertracing.htm
All of that in hualien will take you about 3 days, 4 if you want to do a bit more looking around. You can stretch it to 5 depending on how much you want to see.
Taipei has a lot of stuff to do in general and others have covered that so I won't go into details. Shi-Lin night market is the largest one and right by a MTA station exit, and taipei 101 is also a must-see. Danshui is fun as well.
If you're into aboriginal stuff and traditional taiwanese culture, that's more central taiwan (taichung) stuff.
Kenting (southernmost part of taiwan) has a national park that is gorgeous in the springtime and summer. Huge range to hike/walk through and has a lot of good sights. Great seafood there as well, and the snorkling/scuba diving is nice when its not the hurricane season. Their night market is a bit small and leaves something to be desired though. Almost all the places you'll be staying in are hostels, but they're all super nice.
Need to get on a meeting but I can post what I did last year later today. 🙂
On top of that: DON'T DRIVE. You'll go insane trying to avoid the mopeds.
Like others have mentioned, they have big banks (BOA, Chase, Citibank) so stick to using cash. None of the night markets stalls take credit card, CASH ONLY. Unless you go to one of the shops, and even then it'll be hard to get them to take cards. Best if you bring some cash and convert
Taipei central station has some ATMs that will allow you to take out cash allowances on your credit card. Most other ones are for local banks only and they don't work with your credit card.
For 28 days in Taipei: I'd recommend going to the following places.
-Hualien: Hualien city/night market has GREAT local cuisine you won't find in Taipei, and you can go to taroko national park. Unforunately there were a lot of rock slides last time I went so parts were closed, but the views are stunning. Tip: Rent a taxi driver instead of going along with a tour. You might be hard pressed to find one that speaks english but they let you look at the places at your own leisure instead of "ok 30 minutes here" and the price is roughly the same.
If the weather is a bit warmer you can go whale watching or snorkling in Hualien. There's also something called "river tracing" where you can follow one of the rivers up stream, one of the more popular places being the Golden Grotto.
These guys did something similar, but seems like without a guide.
http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/2009/11/10/the-golden-grotto/
The hike is usually led by one of the aboriginal tribe members as they're more familiar with the area. It involves lots of walking in a wet suit, crossing rivers and climbing over rocks and cliffs. It's almost like mountain hiking but right alongside the river and an absolute blast. On the way down you simply float down in the river. Bring a speedo, your swimming trunks won't fit in a wet suit.
This looks more like what I did. Warning: LOTS of stamina and climbing/jumping over rocks involved!
http://www.rivertracing.com/rivertracing.htm
All of that in hualien will take you about 3 days, 4 if you want to do a bit more looking around. You can stretch it to 5 depending on how much you want to see.
Taipei has a lot of stuff to do in general and others have covered that so I won't go into details. Shi-Lin night market is the largest one and right by a MTA station exit, and taipei 101 is also a must-see. Danshui is fun as well.
If you're into aboriginal stuff and traditional taiwanese culture, that's more central taiwan (taichung) stuff.
Kenting (southernmost part of taiwan) has a national park that is gorgeous in the springtime and summer. Huge range to hike/walk through and has a lot of good sights. Great seafood there as well, and the snorkling/scuba diving is nice when its not the hurricane season. Their night market is a bit small and leaves something to be desired though. Almost all the places you'll be staying in are hostels, but they're all super nice.
Need to get on a meeting but I can post what I did last year later today. 🙂
TecHNooB
Diamond Member
you're ruining taiwan for me man!
a777pilot
Diamond Member
This may sound a bit normal but you should do a few of those "touristy" things. You know the day and night trips to see the "sights". It a great way to get your bearings and get the feel for the place, especially in Taipei and the other big cities.
Have fun. You will enjoy it.....except maybe for the Taxi drivers.
Have fun. You will enjoy it.....except maybe for the Taxi drivers.
EvilYoda
Lifer
Sorry, started a new show yesterday, missed some of these posts...thanks again for all of the input.
Who knows about the scooter...probably not. I'd rather get a bike, but this will all be after I've spent a few days there to see how everything is. If I feel like I'll just be a red splatter on a wall within 10 minutes...I won't. 😛
As for getting around and stuff, my Mandarin is pretty good despite lacking some of the more detailed vocabulary, so hopefully that'll come in handy if needed. I'd just as soon not use it but whatever. (Odd embarrassment about it not being perfect despite having been born and raised in the US)
These next 10 days will be for me to figure out when I want to be where. I'll probably spend the first 5-7 days with relatives as I hardly ever see them (some I haven't seen in decades). After they've fed me nonstop for that time period, I'll seek out some stuff to do on my own...like the sightseeing and traveling. Past that, I still need to decide if I want to hit up HK for a few days toward the end of my trip.
I like the list that I'm building up though, thanks everyone. 🙂
Who knows about the scooter...probably not. I'd rather get a bike, but this will all be after I've spent a few days there to see how everything is. If I feel like I'll just be a red splatter on a wall within 10 minutes...I won't. 😛
As for getting around and stuff, my Mandarin is pretty good despite lacking some of the more detailed vocabulary, so hopefully that'll come in handy if needed. I'd just as soon not use it but whatever. (Odd embarrassment about it not being perfect despite having been born and raised in the US)
These next 10 days will be for me to figure out when I want to be where. I'll probably spend the first 5-7 days with relatives as I hardly ever see them (some I haven't seen in decades). After they've fed me nonstop for that time period, I'll seek out some stuff to do on my own...like the sightseeing and traveling. Past that, I still need to decide if I want to hit up HK for a few days toward the end of my trip.
I like the list that I'm building up though, thanks everyone. 🙂
Juked07
Golden Member
There are definitely lesbians in Taiwan. And plenty of gender ambiguous individuals..
sdifox
No Lifer
I would say the majority of the gender anbiguous folks are just japanese pop culture fans.
EvilYoda
Lifer
And here I am! Got in around 11:30PM last night, got to the house around midnight. Slept on and off through the night, we'll see how jetlag is (my first time dealing with a time zone change like this in a looooooong time). Already gotten my first batch of red envelopes, niiice. Headed to 101 today since it's raining out.
Other than that, just chilling on the family wifi, going to reread this thread.
Other than that, just chilling on the family wifi, going to reread this thread.
DanTMWTMP
Lifer
haha awesome. I envy Taipei's wifi availability. arg..
Also about exchanging money. Even though you pay some transaction fee to withdraw with your bank card, you still get the best possible rate (aside from using a capital one credit card, or some other travel-oriented credit card with no foreign-transaction fee) than exchanging cash from one of those 3rd party cash exchange companies you see at malls, airports, etc.
fffuuuu.. so envious of you right now. I can't wait until I get there this summer for work (ya, terrible weather, but whocares, the people of Taiwan more than make up for it)
Also about exchanging money. Even though you pay some transaction fee to withdraw with your bank card, you still get the best possible rate (aside from using a capital one credit card, or some other travel-oriented credit card with no foreign-transaction fee) than exchanging cash from one of those 3rd party cash exchange companies you see at malls, airports, etc.
fffuuuu.. so envious of you right now. I can't wait until I get there this summer for work (ya, terrible weather, but whocares, the people of Taiwan more than make up for it)
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