Korean Job Discussion Forums

lucretzia · Joined: 11 May 2003 Location: Ilsan, Korea

I'm thinking of taking my week summer vacation in Taiwan.

Does anyone have any advice on places to go/stay? And if indeed it is worth the trip?

Thanks.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

hi. if you've already decided on taiwan then yes, it's worth the trip. you could go to thailand which most people do, and there's more to do there. but taiwan has a lot to see. and you can see it if you hurry in about a week, two would be better.
marble canyon is the top tourist site. do you ride a motorcycle? you could rent a 125cc motorbike and do the mountains. taiwan had TONS of mountainous interior. the mountains are not like korea's. taiwan is lush and semi-tropical. the wildlife and vegetation is LUSH, and VARIED. get into the mountains and there is no-one there. waterfalls, pools, huge trees, aboriginal villages. there are two national mountain parks. and you could spend a week motorbiking around them. with a tent on your bike rack. it's possible to do it on a scooter, too. they have 125cc. scooters galore. i don't know about renting. lonely planet. marble canyon is also called 'taroko gorge'. re; the mountain highways. they cross the interior of taiwan and are a huge undertaking. yet, the are just two lane highways that wind a lot. precipitous, tunnels to go through. engineering feat to get them done. amazing views. there is kenting national marine park at the south tip. there is diving there, snorkling, and beaches. this is the most 'unspoiled' area for marine life observation. but, also, along the coast facing the pacific there is clear, ocean-fronting shores all the way back up to the north tip of the island. you can drive that seaside highway. on 'your motorbike'. there is surfing.
taiwan is the kind of 'holiday' where you look around and discover what taiwan is about. while thailand is an exploration as well as a plunk at some beach paradise with spectacular snorkling/diving where there's nothing else worth finding, it seems. it's BUSY, taiwan. tons of scooters and motorbikes. but the mountains and pacific coast are NATURE. i lived there a year. and those mountain highways are BURNED in my memory; glorious.
diving will be more expensive than thailand. prices of stuff are on par with korea.

chi-chi · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

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lucretzia · Joined: 11 May 2003 Location: Ilsan, Korea

You both paint a very positive picture of it, so it may be worth doing! Thanks loads for the advice...

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

I would recommend avoided anywhere near a hospital.

Also wear a SARS mask.

Serious point of view:

The east side is pretier than the west side. Also a lot cheaper.

chi-chi · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

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JennyJJ · Joined: 01 Mar 2003

I spent two years in Taiwan and LOVED the countryside.
Consider renting a car and driving all the way around the island. Easy to do in a week. Almost the entire east coast is semi-uninhabited and cliff drops into the sea. Magnificent! Here and there on that coast are beautiful small little beaches that you will have to yourself. It is so pretty that you will wonder why Club Med hasn't built a major resort there.
Someone else mentioned Kenting - also wonderful - but I think the east coast beats it all. ALso the northern tip of the island is beautiful.
Rent a bike if you can - but cars are not too expensive to rent either.
Almost anytime you get out of the cities you will find Taiwan incredibly beautiful. Inland it beats Thailand by a mile, but when it comes to beaches Thailand USUALLY wins. BUt not always. Remember, the east coast!