A friend is coming to visit for a week starting Monday and I wanted to invite the segue crowd to add to my list.
So far all I have is:
Binglang girls
zhenzhu naicha
Taiwan Beers on roof
A night club
Damshui
Get a name chop
Foot rub
One of the night markets
Feel free to leave out big things like temples and such. I can probably find those in the lonely planet. I’m looking for the more intimate only in Taiwan things. The reason I’m coming to you guys is cause I’m really bad at this tourist stuff. I’d be happy to play CS with him the two days I took off work.
And before someone makes fun #1 is a see not a do (for me anyway).
I’m scared there’s already a thread like this. If there is be nice and point me in that direction.
All my hard work didn’t pull up an address, but I guess it’s in BeiTou. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem locating the Whispering Pines once I was there.
For those (like me) who don’t know where Peitou is, HERE ya go.
[Note]
The link works, just delete the [%20(Beitou)], that’s a strange problem. It gets put in automatically.
When I first arrived I went up to the top floor of the Shinkong Mitsukushi building opposite the train station and was lucky that the weather was clear. There’s no better way to get a feel for the size of this ugly city. Great 360 degree view.
Whispering Pines: There’s a park in the centre of (New) Beitou with babbling brooks of hot water and a hotspring museum. Walk the length of the park and keep going up.When you can’t go straight any more, go right and follow that road up. There are signs on that road pointing the way. 20 minute walk from the MRT station. But I wouldn’t bother, it’s not that special. Half way up though, next to the entrance to Hell Valley (see the LP) is a great luxury bath house with rooftop pools, saunas etc. Or, there’s the municipal one which is NT30 and is open air.
I like the Su-Ho paper museum on Taipei’s Patch Road. If you go on a weekday chances are there’ll be a school visit at the same time and then you get to make your own paper from whatever ingredients you or they have to hand. Save your toenail fluff beforehand. Makes great souvenirs.
My must see is the Ju Ming Museum out near Jinshan. Shuttle Buses run every few minutes from outside the modern art gallery.
National Palast Museum
CKS Memorial Hall
Lung Shan Temple
S.Y.S. Memorial Hall
Another temple
Another Memorial Hall
Yet another temple
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Just kidding …
How about a drive along the coast, i.e. Tamshui - Keelung?
On Chang’an, not Bade, just east of Songjiang Road. A small, simple place, but quite pleasant. And you can buy beautiful paper both there and in a nearby store. Closed Mondays.
Perhaps best done in conjunction with nearby Guanghua Market and the antique market (on Sundays, IIRC). And then a walk through the weekend flower and jade markets along Jianguo. Then through Da’an Park and over to Yongkang Street or down to Gongguan for some food.
Not everyone’s idea of a tourist experience, but not bad for getting a feel for Taipei. YMMV.
If you guys get plastered one night, there’s no better “drunk food” in the world than soy milk, a greasy dan bing, and a you tiao. Most places are open around 5 or 6 am, and there are some places open all night (Yong He Dou Jiang, for one).
Now it’s my turn. My brother’s coming to visit and I want to show him some fun stuff. He’s flying halfway round the world so I won’t bore him with the National Palace Museum. Ju Ming is a lot more fun and can be followed with a good seafood dinner. The flower market or jade market then over to Taan Park then to Yongkang St sounds good. Longshan Temple and snake alley. Hike up Elephant Mtn or Yangmingshan. Maybe an allyoucaneat Japanese restaurant. Early morning watching taichi in the park sounds interesting.
What about lively, exciting or wacky local stuff? Iron penis exhibition? Kung fu competition? Cannibalism museum? What’s the most wild, exotic, bizarre thing one can do/see in northern Taiwan?
