I welcome additions, comments and more.
THis is a rough start…needs a lot of info.
Thanks,
D
Bottled water starts at 10 NT. It only costs 16 NT in convenience stores. Buy from the local betel nut stand, it’s 10 NT at those places. But the cheapest way is to buy a large jug and fill it up at one of the numerous water tanks. They’re all over the place and run from 15 - 30 NT for 20 liters.
Where’s this Indian place?! Tell me! I have to go all the way to Kaohsiung to eat decent Indian food! Surely you’re not confusing it with the Indonesian joint near the bus stations? There’s a great Turkish restaurant across the road from Chengkung University hospital, btw. Also a Mexican place on Dongmen Road circle. Hot pot only costs around 80 NT at the night markets - the best places, hands down, to get good local food of all varieties.
Shoot, I should do a whole section on night markets!!!
Anyway, the Indian food is not the ones you mentioned. It is hard for me to describe, cause the street names are not in English over there…but it is 5 min from my apt and I live near Siadong and Linsen. I have their business card, but its all in Chinese…hmmm. Drop me a line and I can email you directions next time I go!
Djusttraveling@yahoo.com
OHHHHHHHHH. But dont get too excited, their menu is limited, but yummy.
D
wait…what great mexican place?
D
[quote=“mod lang”]
Where’s this Indian place?! Tell me! I have to go all the way to Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong) to eat decent Indian food! Surely you’re not confusing it with the Indonesian joint near the bus stations? There’s a great Turkish restaurant across the Road from Chengkung University hospital, btw. Also a Mexican place on Dongmen Road circle. Hot pot only costs around 80 NT at the night markets - the best places, hands down, to get good local food of all varieties.[/quote]
There’s a yummy Indian rest - Ali Baba - 399NT for Buffet, it’s heaven! The regular menu prices are better compared to Tandoor.
Pardon, You’ve met Indonesian joint near bus stations?
And what’s the great menu in the Turskish and Mexican place?
yummy, thinking bout food!
Stop teasing us with yummy Taipei food!
D
I was just in Tainan yesterday and called a taxi from the ‘free taxi-calling service phone’ near one of the entrances at Tesco. The driver added NT$10 to the fare because we’d ordered the cab and said that it’s the practice if you order any cabs in Tainan.
I’ve not had that happen to me in Taoyuan or Chiayi. Is this true, or he was trying to pull a fast one because we were obviously foreigners and our destination was the train station?
Comments on prices wrt Chiayi, and some questions about Tainan:
A Nokia cellphone battery cost me about NT$400 a few months back in Chiayi.
Hang Ten is selling 2 tee shirts for NT$250 right now. Selected designs only, of course.
What happens when you drink the local water? I use it to brush teeth and it’s fine.
One carton of mineral water, 1500ml, is NT$70 (decided not to get the NT$60 type).
Please provide addresses to the Indian place - just take a picture of the namecard. I am also interested in the Thai place!
As a general rule you can tell the potential quality and quantity of food you’re going to get from the prices. A whole bian-dang can cost N$40 in Chiayi, but you would get more food if you paid NT$50 and up.
Hotpots in Chiayi which are under NT$200 usually have inferior broth or ingredients, though they can make up for it with all-you-can-eat deals for NT$170 or NT$150. Having said that one of our favourites is at the night market, NT$150. But our absolute best is NT$280 in Taipei.
We didn’t pay anything entering the Tsengwen dam though there was a tollbooth - it wasn’t manned at the time. Unless you mean hiking trails?
The trails in Yuanlin around Huashan look free.
I would beg to differ on the hostels. There are dorm rooms aplenty - the only thing is that one group normally hires the whole room, rather than sharing it. Having said that the hostel at Tataka (Yu Shan National Park) said we could sleep in the dorm with other strangers if we chose. But we had to put our parrot somewhere, so we ended up elsewhere.
Linen does not have to be expensive if you stress that you want cheap stuff, and buy it at your neighbourhood linen store instead of at places like Hola. However, the cheap stuff, solid colours, will not be plain cotton and it feels terrible. The colours ran, too.
Sulk, sulk. Movies in Chiayi near the railway station at NT$250 per person. NT$300 for LOTR. Popcorn, on the other hand, NT$35.
I was told the Chi Mei art museum is not open to the public. Is it?
quite a reply! I dont have a digital camera (or any camera right now) so taking pic of name card is not an option. Here is the Indian places phone number though: 06 2083312 and 06 2227540, looks like they may have 2 locations. If you get the street address, pls share here. thanks.
Chi Mei museum is open to the public, but you have to call to make an appt ahead of time. Mostly western art, but its something. it was almost more interesting to walk from the train station to the museum than the museum itself. Having said that, there was an interesting stuffed animal area.
I dont know if any major damage is done when drinking the water, but I have had upset stomaches and um, bowel issues the day after I have done so.
the Thai place is Malibu Thai. cant find their card right now, damn, looks like I should do a restaurant page on my website, so I only need to give this info out once, and so I can find it. Will put Malibu on my site soon, they are sooooooooo yummy. But Thai Cheap in Kao is way cheaper and even yummier!
As for the dam, yeah I meant at the entrance. Looks like you lucked out. I had to pay.
Dorm rooms aplenty? wow, not in these places: Kenting (one), Tainan (one), Kao(one), Taitung(one). Just to name a few. Maybe there are more than I know about (very likely) but how do you find them if they are listed nowhere online? hmmmmmm.
as for 10 nt charge for cab, I have no idea. its 10 nt though…
D
OK, will call the Indian place and see if I can make sense of the address(es), thanks.
Where is Kao?
Re: dorm rooms, you probably have to book ahead to get anything. The so-called youth hostels are usually full up if you just walk in and try to get a bed.
PS: Yes, it’s only $10, but I don’t like the idea that someone’s trying to take advantage of me.
With regards your Indian restaurant, whose name I didn’t catch, there is only 1 branch, at 06 2083312. The other number is for a cafe which used to be under the same owner.
The address is DongAn Road, Lane 48, no. 29.
It’s open from 9am to 10pm, and serves chai as well as snacks, a curry hotpot and a curry chicken rice.
The lady I spoke to says that the lane is near the Poya dept store on DongNing road.
When you said you liked it, what part of the menu did you like?
I like the decor, the veggie roll sandwich (on what they call naan bread, what i call soft flat bread) and the curry rolls (small…dont remember the name they call it.) the triangle things are just the “naan bread” with hot curry sauce. I tried the curry/rice dinner once, its ok, but too much food for me. I like getting a few smaller things instead. I like their prices too. the sandwich thing (there is a veggie and a chicken one) are 80 nt, the curry things are i think 80 nt also. the coffee is nice and strong and the people there are super nice. Is it really near Poya? I added a restaurants section to my website and will provide directions there after the next time I head that way. Thanks for the English address and all:)
D
found the menu for the INdian place…here are my favs:
vegetable and fruit roll 80 nt
vegetable and chicken roll 80 nt
Indian curry dumplings 80 nt
others:
cones with curry sauce 80 nt
they dont have the price of the curry dinner, but i think its 120.
D
I hope the English address/directions make sense! I’m not really familiar with Tainan…