Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mikesaidyes]

So I'm booked for Taiwan for a the Christmas hagwon vacation. I'm sure many of you have been. Any good ideas for an itinerary? I'm thinking Taipei for a day or two, then get out and explore the country and then back for the 30th/31st for NYE.

Where'd you stay? Any must see places or restaurants or bars?

[GrasshopperKR]

Taiwan is a pretty cool place to go. However, if you don't speak Mandarin you can be pretty screwed. Buy one of those electronic dictionaries. It will help

Now for places to see in Taipei

1. National Palace Museum-- Ancient chinese treasures
2. Tam Shui, kind of like fisherman's pier in SF but with way cheaper seafood
3. Chiang Kai Shek memorial Hall, nice for a visit
4. Taipei 101, Great place to see the city above the smog line.
5. Long Shan temple, Old Taoist temple
6. Wulai has great and cheap hot springs

Now for outside of Taipei it depends on what you like

KeeLung has great seafood
Lukang is a 4 hour bus ride but it is the oldest settlement in Taiwan, I lived there in 2001
Alishan mountain in Chia Yi county is spectacular

[iselynjenniep]

i really like taroko gorge national park. would not recommend fulong beach north of taipei. very dirty.

http://teflorbust.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/taiwan/

[bbud656]

I went to green island off the south eastern coast. You can take a train down south and get on a boat or a 15 minute plane ride. I wouldnt recommend it unless you are a seasoned traveler with an advanced charades vocabulary. Its beautiful and I was practically the only tourist on the island, but there is no English, no ATMs, almost no accommodations, and not really any public transportation or taxis. I stayed in a guys guest house, rented a scooter from some grandma down the street and cruised around this tiny (15km) island. Cant stress how exotic the lava formations and vegetation make this place look. Taipei is as aesthetically pleasing as seoul. The night market is kind of cool to see, but there isnt much else to do that you cant do in most big Asian cities. Go down south to the coast.

Oh yeah, I was riding around at night and there was like this abandoned ghost town with a old prison next to it. I guess its still in service, quite the adventure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Island,_Taiwan

[northway]

I really like the gondola going into the Maokong Hills next to the zoo. It's a really cool way to spend the afternoon, with some great photo ops. It's only $3 or 4 US to use it, and some of the cars have glass bottoms. I'd recommend taking one from the top down rather than the bottom up if you don't want to wait. I think I had to wait about five minutes at the top, and I would've had to wait for an hour at the bottom.

[pugwall]

I live in Taiwan at the moment and love it here. Can meet up for a beer or tea if timings right. If you give some idea of things you are into can give some better tips. Taiwan is great for hiking and cycling.

Give some recommendations:
Taipei:
Go to Taipei zoo to see the pandas and then take the Maokong Gondola(cable car) up to Maokong and visit one of the many teahouses with great views over Taipei (best done at night).

Raohe nightmarket next to Houshanpi subway station is good if you want to visit a less touristy nightmarket and has an awesome Pakistani place that does amazing kebabs.

Yanmingshan offers great hiking and I especially recommend the Jinbaoli trail.

Otherwise:

Wulai is good for hotsprings.

As its winter I would suggest trying to get down south as the change in temperature is often more than ten degrees and Northern Taiwan at that time is damp, drizzly and cold. Green Island is a good shout, you can get the train from Taipei to Taidong.

Also next to Taidong is Dulan which is an aboriginal seaside town which has become somewhat of a hippy artist colony of late.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Dulan#b They have reggae bands and stuff on Saturday nights. It should be pretty warm there at Christmas.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/%E5%8F%B0%E6%9D%B1%E6%B0%91%E5%AE%BF-%E5%8F%B0%E6%9D%B1%E6%B5%B7%E4%B9%8B%E8%97%9D%E6%B0%91%E5%AE%BF-Taitung-Hostel-Taitung-Sea-Art-Hostel/440525035211?sk=wall
Is hostel run by an American guy and wife and can arrange tours of the area and other funky stuff.

Also definitely visit one hotspring resort if you are in Taiwan.

[Jeniekrag]

Nice places to visit in Taipei includes:

Old Streets of Danshui
Fisherman's Wharf,
Shilin Night market,
Chiang Ka-shek Memorial Hall.

I would like to stay at Case Vacanze Toscana

[jc1257]

I was in Taipei last year for New Years. Most of the best places have been mentioned, but for NYE, definitely check out the fireworks at Taipei 101, they are awesome. I got a good spot just outside of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Great place to see the fireworks.

If you have time to visit something on the first, the National Palace Museum will be free that day and is worth a few hours.

If you are into hiking, a very brief, but excellent hike is up elephant mountain in Taipei. There is a fantastic view of Taipei 101, and the path is well lit at night.

http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/2009/05/15/hiking-four-beasts-elephant-mountain/

Also, the Beitou Hot Springs just north of town are worth a few hours for soaking and seeing the Goethermal Valley. I did this on the morning of the 31st and then headed back into the city for the fireworks.

http://tripologist.com/asia/taiwans-beitou-hot-springs-relaxing-the-backpacking-blues-away/

[rgil627il]