Taipei or Taiwan Info?

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ktmrider

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My daughter and I will be meeting in Taiwan for the first two weeks of January so I am looking for information on things to do or see. Will probably spend a few days in Hong Kong as well.

I flew one of the last US military aircraft from Okinawa to Taipei in 1978 and remember a great weekend. I want to go back but then Carter established diplomatic relations with the PRC. No more military flights to Taipei, oh well.
 
If you haven't been there since 1978, wow you will be surprised. I left in 1973 and visit every few years to see family. Many changes every few years. I'm sure you and your daughter will have a great time - you sure ain't in El Paso ;)

Visit a bakery - one of my favorite things.

Mark
 
I was there in April/May for the first time in a few years. There's a lot to do, especially around the Taipei area if you don't have a car, reachable by MRT and a bit of walking. You can also hire a taxi for the day for day trips, etc. (I think it might cost around $100 US).

I think we had a thread about something like this a few months ago?

There are quite a few ex-pats-in-Taiwan type blogs, etc. Here are a few I've bookmarked:

http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=16531&sid=bb96505219dfe8cde44e0678c8fc98cf
http://forumosa.com/taiwan/viewforum.php?f=55&sid=89886d1a1880cee23e969bdb66a22164
https://hikingtaiwan.wordpress.com and the old site: http://hikingintaiwan.blogspot.ca
http://www.darrenmelrose.com/blog/index.php
http://www.craigfergusonimages.com/#!/blog
http://www.photojazz.ws
http://formosaguy.blogspot.ca
http://michaelturton.blogspot.com
http://www.thenhbushman.com
http://blog.taiwan-guide.org (check out the Taiwan blog-roll links)
https://www.flickr.com/groups/taiwanphotoclub/
http://taiwan-photography-blog.com

I did day trips from Taipei mostly, but if you can, a trip down the east coast is definitely worth it, as well as venturing in to Taroko Gorge. I did a cross-island drive through the mountains that was pretty much the highlight of the trip. It was also a great reprieve from the heat of the cities. But you'll have to check on current mountain road conditions considering some roads were damaged from the last huge typhoon back a month or two ago. The main cross-mountain roads should be OK, but some of the smaller ones might not be. Kenting at the very south is nice too, if you want a bit of a resort vibe. It reminded me a bit of Hawaii. Taking the high speed train from Taipei to Kaohsiung could also be an option for getting a quick west coast snapshot of the country. Pricing is fairly reasonable and you could even do it as a day trip. If you're into it, be sure to check out a hot spring. There are lots of them!

I still haven't processed my images from the trip this year! Just backlogged with jobs, etc., but here are some of my photos from Taiwan back from the mid 2000s...

http://www.ronscheffler.com/blog/?cat=10

I like hanging out in the cities, particularly Taipei because it's easy to get around with the MRT, and people watching, wandering down side streets, visiting temples, parks, etc...

A couple popular spots near Taipei you can reach easily by local train are Pingxi and Jiufen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingxi_District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiufen

Pingxi is known for its lantern festival, but you can buy lanterns any day, write a message on it and send it aloft. I like it for the train ride, which I take to the end station (Jingtong) and then hop back through the small towns (buy a day pass at Ruifang station) and/or check out Shifen waterfall.

Jiufen is a neat hillside town. A bit touristy, but still nice. You can get there easily by bus or taxi from Ruifang. https://goo.gl/maps/rjW4TLGG8Mz

Hope this helps...
 
Thanks for the links. I leave tomorrow for the first leg of my round the world trip (Hawaii) followed by the Philippines. My daughter joins me on 30 Dec so I have a bit of time figuring out somewhere to go between the Philippines and Taiwan.

My daughter and I both enjoy hiking so have looked at the hiking link and it had a couple great photos.
 
I first visited Taiwan in 1965, and again last year. Yes, there has been many changes, But I found that in older sections of the towns, including Taipei, not much has changed. Yes, there are more motor cars and motor cycles replacing bicycles (and even the odd ox-drawn carts), and many local independently owned stores replaced by chain stores, but from the second level up on those residential areas, changes have not been that great.

I think the other posts have given you many places to visit, but I also wish to point out one place for you to visit if you also visit Hong Kong. Besides the many famous tourists areas, I think you should take the Mid-level Escalator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central–Mid-Levels_escalator_and_walkway_system

It takes you from near sea level to half-way up the hilly areas of Hong Kong Island. Along the way it intersects with many east-west streets. Many of those streets are full of history, as those are among the oldest areas of Hong Kong. Take your time to get off at various levels along the escalator system and explore those streets. Make sure that you check out online information about those streets and areas before you go.
 
Have a great trip! I'm sure you'll have a lot to do, and much to experience. There are definitely a number of good hiking opportunities in Taiwan, but IMO, the best trips are those where you leave enough flexibility for chance to guide you to interesting locations and experiences.
 
Also don't forget to check out the Night Markets. I think there are at least two in Taipei. There not only can you check out the local foods, but also experience the life of the common people.
 
I would recommend going to a "Night Market", (ask the hotel for a recommendation). Also, a visit to the National Palace Museum is amazing. Finally, have dinner atop in the "101", a wonderful restaurant on the top floor. Great views at night. Each of these things are visually stimulating and plenty of photo ops and time for chats.
 
EAT UNTIL YOU BURST!

I loved eating there.

I stayed in Taipei for a couple of days and visited the Taroko Gorge - I found the country side there so interesting, I wish I could have travelled it on my own. So maybe get a car and drive around

Untitled by Kay K, on Flickr

more pics here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/72235979@N02/tags/taiwan/


check out those "drum" cakes they are delicious:
Untitled by Kay K, on Flickr
 
Oh yeah, the food! Even in the mall food courts you can often find very decent meals. There's one at the base of Taipei 101... and in pretty much any department store (i.e. Sogo, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi). Usually between $130-180 NT and great for a quick, real, no-fuss meal. I particularly liked Q Square mall, just north of Taipei Main Station. But there are definitely a lot of good restaurants to search out and try...

Even my Taiwanese friends like to go to otherwise somewhat touristy Din Tai Fung for dim sum, etc. An alternative restaurant that is also very good is Kao Chi. Been to both and can't complain about either!

Some other food links I compiled:

http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.ca/
http://www.b-kyu.com/2014/03/taipei-taiwanese-street-food.html
http://travelling-foodies.com/?s=taiwan
http://travelling-foodies.com/?s=taipei
http://travelling-foodies.com/2013/12/17/ah-chung-mee-sua/
http://christine-wei.tumblr.com/post/6038405835/xiao-long-bao-asia-soup-dumplings-taipei-taiwan (you can get these at Din Tai Fung too)
http://travelling-foodies.com/2013/04/13/yong-kang-beef-noodles-taipei/
http://www.anzu.com.tw/index.htm
http://travelling-foodies.com/2013/06/20/anzu-katsu/
http://travelling-foodies.com/2013/02/26/jin-fung-lor-bak-png/
 
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