A Good Guide To Taiwan for "Dummies"

[xiao^pink]

yeah! as mentioned in the Merlion General Chat, i am now, starting up the new thread on the Taiwan Trip. I will be going on end of May with my family. Cause, my brother will be there for a short while for his attachment in Taiwan Hospital.
This is my 1st time going Taiwan.. and i really dont have any ideas what to do? what to bring? where to shop? where to stay?
SO, here is this thread, for all of us to post suggestions!
I will also be meeting Liwei and Mandy this coming Friday, 17 March to discuss the trip to Taiwan.
Although i will be going with my family.. but, i thought the more the merrier?:bleh:

[liwei_jay]

haha..
hey Jas.. :wave:
thanks for starting up the thread..
lazy to do so myself.. :P

yesh all.. i or me and Mandy are going to Taiwan
end of May too (tentatively)
so if u r interested in joining us :wink2: come in!!
or you have good recommendations on places to go, accomodation or air fares pls tell us too... :excited:

[xiao^pink]

yeah! a guideline for what you have to post:

The cheapest and good hotels for accomodation
The nicest food area
The cheapest shopping area
The cheapest and good airflight
What we cannot missed out!(the MUST GO places)

[charmian]

About the cheapest airfare, you might want to check out tigerairways from time to time because they're offering a route to taipei in time to come. OR, jetstarasia in which they already have a route open to fly to taipei

And because they're a budget airline, they would be relatively cheaper. All without airport taxes. Decent and cheap, i'll say.

and uh, the last time i check, SQ is having a $98 for 2 way taipei airfare ticket. haha, so you might just want to check SQ websites from more online ticketing surprises.

i dont know about hotel accomodation, but surely you dont want to end up in a dirty and er, unreputable hotel. Besides, its all better to book from a tour agency because walk-in charges are way higher than agent rates and you'll not face the problem of not getting a room because of peak season.

Dont miss out out draling jay's shop. haha! At least you get to breathe the same air, see the same things and BUY the things he owned. heheh

[esther]

I think you all must go to "wu(3) fen(1) pu(3)". Heard that can get the best buys there! My friends who go TW will go there for a few times continously one. The usual night markets are must go, and please go on an empty stomach. Too much food to try!

Actually Jordan71 should be a comprehensive TW guide here. Hehehe..

[xiao^pink]

ya! good food there(heard from friends). as i told stitchphil.. i will just go there eat.. dont worry about my weight.. after that then worry about dieting

[spax]

Hmm.... since I went to Taiwan with my family last December for holiday, I might as well share my experiences there!! :happy:

I can't really give you any recommendations on cheapest and good hotel cuz I stay at my relatives' houses most of the time.

For the nicest food area, I can say that it's everywhere when you are in Taipei!! Ever heard of the Shihlin Night Market? There's a very wide variety of Taiwanese food and snacks!! Also, it is also a great shopping place and you can buy lots of stuffs!! It is a very convenient place to go. There's a MRT station (Jian Tian, if I'm not wrong) just beside it.

Xi Men Ding is a very popular shopping haven for teenagers. Not sure whether it is the cheapest though. But there's also quite a lot of food stalls so you might want to check it out! :wink2:

You might want to check out the area around the Taipei Main Station, where it is an interchange station with trains, MRTs and buses. Although the shophouses there look old, the place is bustling with many people, especially the night. There are many shops, food stalls and restaurants so you might want to check out there as well!! :happy:

Danshui is also a very nice place with beautiful scenery. It's just beside the Danshui river, located very near its mouth. You can also find a lot of shophouses there! Just take the MRT on the Danshui Line (red, if I'm not wrong) to its end. Also a very convenient place to go!

I've not been able to explore the whole of Taipei but I believe that almost everywhere in Taipei is a nice place!! You might also want to go to the places of interest such as the Taipei 101, Taipei Zoo and the CKS Memorial Hall.

If you plan to go one complete round around Taiwan, it is the best to have relatives to drive you around!! Alternatively, you might want to take trains or coaches. You might want to go to the Tai Lu Ge National Park in Hualien county, on the eastern coast of Taiwan. Or maybe Taitung. You will be over impressed by the beautiful scenery of the coast, especially when you are viewing from a mountain!! :excited:

Another great place is Xi Tou, a resort located in the mountain range in Nan Tou county. Everybody in Taiwan knows that place and you can just enjoy the nature there!!

Honestly speaking, there are so many places to go in Taiwan that I can't possibily list out all the places that might interest you. :wacko: However, hope these help! :wink2: You might also want to find more info around the net!! :happy:

[esther]

Oops i forgot to mention that one popular hotel is Rainbow Hotel. Not very expensive yet its very popular. So try to book your tickets and accomodation earlier. The budget air tix will keep increasing. So its the cheapest if the booking is made as soon as possible. Try the peeple's park agency. If its not very expensive compared to getting tickets and accomodation yourself, then save the trouble and let them arrange. =)

Taipei 101 area for branded stuff and high end shopping.
Shih Lin market is a great place to go for good food and shopping.
Xi Men Ding is for youngsters and it has shopping too!
Still got places like Jiu Fen and Dan Shui.

[xiao^pink]

spax and esther! thank you for all the tips that you guys give!
talking about shilin night market, makes my saliva to drool! you guys said so many fantastic things.. OMG! i cant wait for the June holiday!!

[chapman]

LW : how can u forget to mention my name in your 2nd post?? (sob sob) Hehe.. Please update me when Im back from Msia, about what U guys had decided and discuss on the TW trip. Maybe can post here... Esther is rite, PP Complex's agencies are much cheaper.

Jas : thanks for starting the thread.

TW had been one of my long time destination to travel. I have renamed 2006 to my travel year, as every month I am travelling overseas. TW, here I come.. with LW, Mandy, Jordan.. (and to those who wna join us)

I heard from my colleagues that May to Jun, is the hot hot summer period. Im checking on more information.

Those, who are interested to join us (please read merlion thread), some JC Net *(SG) members are gng to TW. We gng to xun zhao zhou jie lun. Hehehe...

[crazygirl48]

My travel plans for this year also include Taiwan..
Hopefully, I can go with the rest of the jcnet members if the date is ok for me..
So many things to do but too little time for so many things!!!

Really must eat, shop, see and play till drop! :bleh:

[xiao^pink]

YA.. Chapman.. welcome back! haha!
Christine.. see if you can come with us anot. If not, its ok.. Dont tensed and stressed yourself up!

[sean-eka]

As what esther have said, Rainbow Hotel is not that cheap, but, one thing that it has is, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

It is built right in the middle of the whole xi men ding. You may even get to see other artistes' having their autograph session right in front of your bedroom windows.

If you want to go for cheap hotels, dont try to stay near xi men ding, or any tourists attractions. Not staying near any tourist attractions, also allows you to look at Taipei's other side. Transportation usng their MRTs are really simple, a ticket costs NT$20 (S$1), would get you around for around 3 stops.

Shi Lin Night market is a must-see, must-go place.
Xi men ding, is infested with Taipei's teenagers. It's not really a place i would want to go again, as the stuff there, are NOT CHEAP. Yeapps.. oh yes, before you go back from TaiPei, have a look at their Rose CD store, which is located super near the custom check points in the airport. :D

[xiao^pink]

O! Xi Men Ding stuff not cheap? oo.. i thought it was cheap.. any other places?

[tc9.jay]

Hello! I actually went to Taiwan last year (december) for an 18 days exchange program, including two weeks homestay in taipei.
Trust me.. taipei is going to rock. :-)

Three months down the road, I'm still missing taipei terribly. I won't be able to help you out with airfares or hotels since i stayed with my taiwanese friend but yea, perhaps I could share with you my memorable experience there.

Well.. like most other ppl who shared their thoughts in this thread, I'ld say go to Hsimenting, shilin and dan shui. Hsimenting is shopping haven. Go explore the plentiful alleys and try out their neoprint shops. Their neoprint industry is really professional there! Hsimenting is kind of like Bugis, there are upmarket stuff but at the same time, there are bargain goods for you to sniff out. I do enjoy Taipei's fashion scene more than Singapore. Singaporeans are too safe.. too dull.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere at HMT, the neon lights, the crowds and the fashion. I actually got my hair cut there. If you're looking for some funky haircut, try HMT. The prices are reasonable (for students) and the service is so damn good. :-)

And if you're looking for Jay goodies, there's this fantasic shop at the basement next to Rose records if I'm not wrong. There's a booth for you to record your own CDs next to it. You can go crazy in there.
Other shopping haunts would include wu fen pu. I went there with my taiwanese schoolmates but I didn't particularly enjoy it. The place was too boring for my taste. Perhaps it was due to the lack of crowds. Shilin is another great place. Check out the fried chicken piece that is so huge. And of course, don't forget to try the stinky tofu. It's quite addictive after a while. The bubble tea there rocks! My favourite brand is actually Legendary. They blend their tea really well. Then there's tang hu lu. Basically a stick of strawberries or cherry tomatoes coated with Malt candy.Another interesting delicacies I tried was fried milk at tong hua jie, another night market. It was very sweet, very nice! There was 7lx too but I didn't dare to try it. It looked.. fatty.

For the scenic places, you have to go to jiu fen! It's really very picturesque and it has it's historical roots. But it would probably be better to go on a guided tour as it is quite 'inaccessible'. It's absolutely worth it though. Dan shui is of course another choice. Go during sun set. The view is magnificent.

One more option for you to consider is the Taipei's museum of contemporary art. The exhibits are really cool and funky and like its namesake, contemporary. You will never go bored in there.

I actually had the chance to go to Jay's shop in taipei as my buddy stayed along Zhongxiao dong Rd. But lemme tell you, it was absolute hell trying to locate it thanks to taipei's messy categorising of its streets. And it was sort of an anti-climax when I finally went to the shop. I didn't see any hint of Jay besides a huge Pepsi bear stand and the staff was kind of snobby and bored. Perhaps they knew I was just a Jay stalker. Haha.

On the other hand, Taipei's a great place to star-gaze. My taiwanese friends say that a lot of celebrities go to taipei 101. I had the good fortune to see Ella from SHE there. She looked down to earth, very approachable. Then I was also lucky enough to take part in my taiwanese school's annual concert. Zhang dong liang, fan fan and NQMM(!) were guest singers. My other friends also managed to see Fan Wen Shan and Hsu Chun Mei. :wacko: Plus my friend's school actually brought them to attend one of Jacky Wu's variety show.
Taipei's really fun. Hope you will enjoy your time there and sorry my entry is sooooo lengthy. Kind of got carried away. :oops: I hope to go back taipei soon!

[liwei_jay]

whoah...
tc9.jay..
your trip really sound fun.. :excited:
hope ours is as fun as yours too.. :P
actually there might be some setbacks in my plans..
but not to worry.. i'll be here to check things out for you all..

Chapman/Jordan..
an update of our meeting during last Sat (18/03/06)
we've agreed to go ard 29 or 30th of May..
29th if we can get an afternoon or evenin flight..
or 30th...
That is because of Jas 2nd bro is gonna ORD only during 29th morning..
so her mother wanna wait for him too..

and Mandy has located quite a few of the hostels that is quite cheap and nice..
will either send you the link thru PM or email.. ;)

I'll check for the budget airlines tix price..

Jordan..
if you have any other suggestions or anything..
don't hesitate to tell us.. :wink2:

[chapman]

Got ur update.. hmm.. long time nv see Jordan online.. her last post, she mentioned she had her Ops sucessful rite, and she wont be online often rite?

Let me know of the next meeting as well... as least I can participate. (if i can make it to meet for the meeting)..

We gng TW to Search For Zhou Jie LuN!!

[liwei_jay]

aigoo..
Chapman/Jordan..
i just found that we might have problems booking the flights and hotel rooms...
cuz everything need to be done with Credit card...
unfortunately me and Mandy doesn't own one.. >.<
aigooo...

EDITED:-
Sorry... made a mistake there..
the flight is settled..
we don't have to use Credit Card..
can pay by cash or nets..
we just need to confirm the dates.. and i can proceed to bookings.. :happy:

btw.. as for the accomodation..
which do you prefer??
a Hostel or Hotel??
can we meet up this week to discuss abt this??
so that we can set everythin movin??

[xiao^pink]

hmmx.. credit card?haha.. me also dont have.. =(
so how? you guys want hotel or hostel?
but i prefer hostel, cause it's cheaper

[liwei_jay]

actually i find that the price for both Hostel and Hotel almost the same..
it's only depend on which u prefer..
the Rainbow hotel which is recommended by all.. it's near city
and we can get a triple and quad room..
and save quite alot
as for hostels.. i find one which is the hillside is good only..
hmmm.. just check it out and tell me what you think ;)

[xiao^pink]

the hillside hostel?
Is it the one that is 24km away from city? i dont like that one. cause, it's so far from the city, and if we are going for shopping, it will be expensive for us to (take taxi or bus).. then, waste money!

[liwei_jay]

:hmm:
ok...
so you all prefer Rainbow hotel??
i can find rooms which can stay 4ppl and 3 ppls..
so i think of taking both each one..
so you and your family can stay in the 3person..
then 4 of us.. (Mandy, me, Chapman and Jordan) can stay at the 4person room.. ??
it's just a suggestion..
if u guys don;t like it.. we can change.. :worry:
that's why i say we need to sit down and talk and confirm stuff.. >.<
sigh..

[Garfield]

so can anione help a dummi here...who is goin to tai zhong...n quick...
i flyin off at 30th...tak care yea...miss u all...love u all...n...jay...lolz...:D

[chapman]

Garfield, gng off for training eh? Dont worry, ur R&R, your platoon mates know where to go..

LW, how abt this Sat? Im on duty, so I can meet ard Clementi, if possible.. : ) I was on MSN, waiting for U leh...

[xiao^pink]

i just went to the rainbow hotel website:
http://www.ncznhotel.com.tw/rainbow/intro/all.htm
so, its near xi men ting! thats cool!
btw liwei, you and mandy and jordan and chapman choosing what type of room? for my family, can we just choose 2 pple per room. then one of us will sneak into the room!

[liwei_jay]

hmmm...
sorry Chapman..
was too tired yesterday nite and ended up falling asleep while waiting for you..
:bleh:

Jas..
if it's ok with you then i don't mind.. :happy:

mmm... why don't you try this link (http://www.asiarooms.com/taiwan/taipei.html)..
they have the prices and all abt most of the hotels in Taipei..
i still prefer Rainbow though..
Problem is.. how to go about booking it..
i think they need us to pay first rite??

[chapman]

Meet up.. we need to meet up and compile all information together!!

If the price is too steep, we might wna consider alternatives such as package tours...

Im leaving for Bali from 2/4. So, let's meet up prior? Hehe..

[xiao^pink]

ok! think we have to decide everything asap. cause the dates are drawing and the prices will start to increase!

HI! so how's the flight thing? you guys contact to jordan already? i found a website:
http://jetstarasia.com/skylights/cgi-bin/skylights.cgi
for this right, the 31st MAY is on the afternoon. my family and i can make it! but this one is jetstarasia de!

[ho_yt]

So when are all of you going to Taiwan? Any particular places you all want to go? I'm just here to tell you that there is a programme in channel U that shows you about some of the fun places in Taiwan if I'm not wrong. Its on the 29th of March which is this coming Wednesday at 8.30pm.

[liwei_jay]

Jas, Chapman, Mandy,
I've booked the air ticket
but need to pay withing 2days or i will need to book again..
:sweat:
do you all think u could transfer the money over within two days??

[xiao^pink]

liwei, when u booking? what airline? how much is it?
when and when we coming back to spore and to tw?

[liwei_jay]

i've booked it this morning
we're flying on 31 May 1300pm
and coming back on 10th June 1745 like that...
I've booked Jetstar Asia
It's ard $411 per person..
tell me ASAP when u can transfer.. :wink2:

[joan]

Hey guys, i went to taipei with my friends last year dec for holidays..i took jetstarasia.. got to say that their legroom is quite narrow.. i quite recommend the YMCA accomodation which is very near Taipei Main station which is the kind of mrt Interchange. My friends and i took a coach from CKS airport at S$5 per person to bring us to Taipei Main Station. We also took a coach from a bus terminal near the station back to airport. i dont recommend taking cab there as it is very expensive.. Furthermore, there are many shoppings around the area and.. you can even walk to Ximenting (15-20min).. If you are a student and intend to stay at YMCA.. got 10% discount on room rates.. so dont forget to bring your student pass along.. very useful in taipei.. go ktv also got discount.. but when u check in at YMCA, you need to register to be YMCA members.. quite cheap.. cant remember the exact amount. feel free to ask me any questions if you want know anything more... anyway those are going to taipei.. enjoy your trip.. is really fun.. is all about shopping and eating...

[xiao^pink]

joan, thanks! we going to choose Rainbow hotel! just had discussion with the others during our gathering dinner earlier on

[liwei_jay]

Jas!!
just for incase you didn't see me in MSN..
i wanna check with you..
what others thinks about the package you told me about last few days ago??
did anyone say anything about it??
i need you all to decide soon and transfer me the money ASAP so that i could buy the airtix..

btw.. Jordan..
you still owe me the webpage for Rainbow hotel.. :wink2:

[xiao^pink]

`Can you guys list down the good night markets, and which train station to alight?
`As for the cheap clothing area, you guys mentioned Wu Fen Pu Garmen whole sale area? So, which Train station? have to walk? take what bus?
`how to go to Jiu Fen? From Xi Men Ting?
`SOGO department store is located at which train station?
`you know the Yan3 jing4 Jie1(spectacle street?) which station?
`where is taipei 101?

if you have other things to share.. can you just PM me? thns

i am now planning the places we should go...

webpage for Rainbow hotel, which i posted on this thread b4:
http://www.ncznhotel.com.tw/rainbow/intro/all.htm

[liwei_jay]

Jas..
i think those questions can only be answered by Jordan..
i won't be much help there.. -.-ll

btw..
about our air tix.. my sis couldn't bid the cheaper one..
i guess we just gotta stick with Jetstar.. :happy:
as for the hotel.. :D
i manage to get a more cheaper price for rainbow..
let's just hope Chapman will confirm soon..
and i will see who to book the room.. :)
yay.. so :excited:

[xiao^pink]

cheaper than rainbow? what hotel is that? is it near the city! its ok, stick to jetstar lo1

[chapman]

hey.. im anything.. my friend send me a intinery (hope I spell it rite...) for the last TW trip he went.. but it is in Chinese, and I doubt our meimei, LW, can benefit much from it..

[liwei_jay]

Jas..
what i mean is that i can get Rainbow hotel at a cheaper rate.. >.<
btw.. if you don't mind.. Chapman koko.. you can translate it for me first.. LOL.. :roll:

[DragonPrince]

Dear everyone,

I have to do as I was told. Today, Liwei sent me a message! She said that she missed us all and ask me to send her regards to you. She will be back soon and she will be working full blast like me.

She missed us.

So lovely......

[xiao^pink]

arlow! i aso miss you guys.. currently using the hotel's computer..btw, i have updated my blog entry for the first few days for the taiwan trip..
http://justjasmine.net
cant wait to c u guys..

[LayRyan]

omg i jus can say wow... hehe ur blog is nice and u took sooo many photos haha... i miss it so much, cant wait for it... anyway i still hv to wait one month before goin back :P

[esther]

Wow Jas, so much fun!!
I might be going there in August. Still not confirmed yet. How do you go about with the planning? Its by tour package or everything booked separately by you guys? Never been there before. Haha! If i am confirm going then i get more details from you ok?!
How is Cheng Du Hotel? My friend recommend that as an alternative to Rainbow hotel... How is the location? :D Thanx!

[liwei_jay]

Esther..
you're going to TW?? :excited:
good for you.. and bad for your wallet.. :whistle:
:P

btw.. Cheng Du Hotel is just nearby Rainbow Hotel..
around a street away..
this Cheng Du hotel is situated at Cheng Du rd..
not as noisy as Rainbow and the services are good too..
the workers at the desk are very friendly and caring peeps :wink2:
highly recommended..

[xiao^pink]

esther, are you coming for later sakae dinner? can tell you more about the taiwan thingy..

[esther]

:sadangel: cant meet you all at funan..
never mind, when i confirm that i am going then i ask u all again.
my bf still haven't confirm his leave period yet... hopefully can go... I saw the photos that you all took. So fun! I really must ask you for directions to jay's shop though. Hahaha!

Ok like that i will most prob stay in chengdu, if not rainbow. Ya i agree this is going to be bad for my wallet. :lolabove:

[panda_shine]

Hi! :wave:

Just popping in to ask what I can expect in Taipei's airport? I read at a website that they have wifi access but it's $0.12 (USD/CAD??) per minute. Do they have computers there? Or how are the shops inside the airport?

[the one]

^ yes, i think they do have computers at the new taipei airport w/ wireless broadband internet access. i'm just not so sure how much their service is since i never have tried their internet. anyways, there are more details about it here:

http://www.cksairport.gov.tw/CKSeng/about/facdetail_e.jsp?facid=156

as for the shops, there's a record store called Rose Records somewhere on the 3rd floor. :happy: i've passed nearby it once but just never got to go inside coz it was still under construction at that time. the prices of their cd's are tad more expensive though than at the local stores. for more shops, you can browse this page:

http://www.cksairport.gov.tw/CKSeng/about/item_e_e.jsp?itemid=1

[panda_shine]

the one: Thanks for the info! :happy: I am glad to know there's many shops at the Taipei airport since I am going to be making a stop there but I hope it'll be open during the early AM hours :oops: I couldn't find the info on the internet cost but it's okay.

[sam_ho]

yeah..i've lived in tw and am maybe going to live there again.

first of all, tw is a really good place to visit. so, i recommend that you go to the "yeh si". this market that opens up at night. a BUNCH of ppl go there, so u gotta be careful not to lose urself.

second of all, u gotta go to the mountains in "jia yi". beautiful!

oh and when u go there in summer time, there's ABSOLUTELY NO WIND AT ALL. so..just warning you guys.

You gotta go to the "huo guo" restaurants too. delicious in a cold day!

[Jes123]

Any hotel to recommend to stay in Taipei, Hualien and Chuifen?

Keymans, TS or East Dragon for Taipei?

[ask4more_jay]

the new prez in taiwan is mark ma! yay !!!
i want to go back to taiwan to play =)
i love taiwan..

[x94bp6ru6]

nice looking girl => my house
nice talktive guy => my house (not overnight)
Others => pubs and hotels
Everyone => Taichung (there's the biggest Golden Juaguar in asia)