Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mavsfan5]

I'm heading to Taiwan for a week during winter vacation...do anyone have any good advice for me? I have the 'newest' Lonely Planet book, but it's 3 years old...so anything you have to offer would be fantastic!!

[northway]

This area is gorgeous and the gondola has reopened now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maokong_Gondola

The night markets are definitely worth hitting up for food, the shopping there can be a bit boring though. It's not like there is a lot of interesting stuff for a tourist to buy.

The bars behind the Red House Theatre in Ximen are pretty cool. Words of warning that it's a gay area, but the bars there tend in the direction of really chilled out beer gardens. Ximen in general is an interesting area with a lot of good street food.

101 is definitely worth it, and the food court in the basement is fantastic.

If you're looking for pearls or handicrafts, the weekend jade market is gigantic and cheap for decent quality stuff.

Din Tai Fung is one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. While there are Seoul branches, they pale in comparison to the original.

Go clubbing if that's your thing, as Taipei has a really vibrant club scene (and ridiculously beautiful girls).

New Year's: last year a Taiwanese friend pointed me in the direction of a party on the rooftop of the mall opposite 101, which was pretty much the best place in the city to be when the fireworks went off at midnight. If you can find out where this is happening, it would probably be the best night you could have on New Year's, and the prices weren't terrible.

This is all stuff that's accessible by using the MRT, and most of it you can get straight out of a guide book, but those are the best recommendations I can give.

[iselynjenniep]

i went to hualien for two nights and visited taroko gorge NP and highly recommend it as well as this hotel: http://www.cj-hotel.com/eng/page/about_us.htm
the train from taipei to hualien was cheap and scenic.
you can take bus tours of the gorge that leave from the hualien train station or hire a driver.
taipei was ok but i prefer the outdoors more than a city. in taipei though i highly recommend the beitou outdoor public hot springs.

[sweet_potato]

I'm going as well
Start in Kenting (4 days) and 3 days in Taipei.

Kenting National park has a lot of outdoorsy activities, I'm looking forward to hanging out at the beach and doing some hiking. It's apparently warm enough to swim, so I'll be trying that. In Taipei, night market, 101, random shopping, and definitely a trip to nearby hotsprings. Would have liked to go to Taronoko (sp?) Gorge but I'm not sure if I can fit it in.

[ktkates87]

Is Taiwan enjoyable for Lunar New year? Wondering about going from the Wednesday-Sunday but I hear everything is closed! Is it worth it or what? I dont know if I'll have another opportunity to hit up Taiwan and I'm a bit intrigued.

[mellow-d]

I lived there for 6 months so I can recommend some of the things I most enjoyed:

-hit up one of the many themed restaurants... they're a lot of fun. The Modern Toilet restaurant is a classic and cheap too! The hospital theme restaurant is cool too- all the waitresses dress like nurses, the tables look like hospital beds and drinks are served in syringes or IVs. There's also an airplane restaurant that looks just like... an airplane. All good photo ops.

-Eat your way through Linjiang Night Market nearby the 101.

-Also, go to the top of the 101. It's a damn cool building with an excellent foreign food market called "Jason's" in the basement in case you want to bring some goodies back to Korea with you.

-Hike Elephant mountain. It's a few blocks from the 101 and it's about 25 minutes to the top so it's not too strenuous. There's not usually many hikers there and there are a few big rocks where you can sit, enjoy a drink and see the whole city at once. I loved the pics I was able to get from there: http://shawnandmel.blogspot.com/2010/02/octoversary.html

-hit up longshan temple. there's a market with a lot of cool food, and you can even eat a warm bowl of snake soup. tastes like chicken.

-the Taipei Zoo is cool and worth a visit. Easy access on the subway.

-it won't be warm enough to go swimming, but Fulong Beach, an hours' train ride from taipei, is the most beautiful place in the country in my opinion. Rent a bike for $5 and spend a day taking it in. http://shawnandmel.blogspot.com/2010/02/cycling-in-fulong.html

-go to a cool all-you-can-drink club like 9%. It's less than $20 for a fun night out!

-I don't know if you're planning to leave the Taipei area but a lot of people recommend Taroko Gorge. It's cool, but I'd more strongly recommend Kaoshiung. It'll be warmer and dryer and you can hike on monkey mountain, where there are wild monkeys sharing the trail with you!

Google can get you directions to most of these places but let me know if you need help. Enjoy your trip

[Ralphie]

I was there last week. Most Taiwanese agreed that shops will be closed during the Lunar New Year with convenience stores most likely to remain open. Wulai is better for hot springs. Bus stop is right behind the Tourist Info Center at Ximen Metro Station. Ask them for the bus number. I found a lot of Taiwanese spoke very good English.

[mavsfan5]

Thanks for all of the tips!! I'm really excited about my upcoming trip!

[Yaya]

[mavsfan5]

Another quick question--Do you think I need to book my accommodations before I go or will I be able to find some when I get there? I am not sure where I'll be each day so I don't want to get tied down somewhere.

Thanks!

[northway]