[quote]What’s the most wild, exotic, bizarre thing one can do/see in northern Taiwan?
[/quote]
I’ll be doing my laundry on Sunday morning. You and your brother can come and watch if you want.
[quote=“sandman”][quote]What’s the most wild, exotic, bizarre thing one can do/see in northern Taiwan?
[/quote]
I’ll be doing my laundry on Sunday morning. You and your brother can come and watch if you want.[/quote]
SM, you kill me…
I would say that whatever you do, do it on a couple of rented/borrowed scooters…the real Taiwan experience…
How about a taxi ride? And make sure you tell the driver you are in a hurry! 
Breakfast at Nittis :shock: or Juke followed by a walk across Daan Park to the flower market and jade market. Maybe then up to the Guanghua computer market if he’s into that kind of thing. Then over to Yungkang St. for some of those beef noodles or the veggie place down the street from Mickey the Greek’s, followed by mango delights beside the Yungkang Park. Then hop onto the MRT and spend the evening up at Fisherman’s Wharf in Tamshui. Still got some energy left? How about splashing out on a taxi up to Yangmingshan for a hotspring?
Take him to a dance hall with some local buddies. The chicks will make him drink gaoliang, and everyone will comment about how seldom laowai come in these places.
On a side note: Doncha just hate it when someone finds out about your sex life and plasters it all over the Internet?
Seems like this was mentioned a while back, but is the Indian beer house on Bade still open? Always a great tourist destination.
Jiou Fen b[/b] is another great spot, but I’m not sure how to get there.
[quote=“daltongang”]getting out of the streets and onto the nearest hill. still surprises me going from the noisy streets to the middle of nowhere in 5 minutes![/quote]The most easily accessible mountain I know is right next to the Hsintien MRT Station, the final stop of the MRT green line. Instead of heading down to Bitan, go the opposite direction up the hill (across from the corner convenience store). You’ll be in a tropical rain forest within 10 minutes walk. Go down to Bitan for a lakeside refreshment after the hike.
Jiufen is my favorite, and here, exclusive to Segue, is my tried and proven great Jiufen Plus daytrip, which I’ve taken a dozen or so people on:
- Get the morning train to Daxi beach. You have to check the time, because apart from the slow train there’s only one that stops at Da Xi. I think it’s about 9 or 10AM. This takes about an hour tops.
- Chill at Daxi Beach for a few hours.
- Get the slow train bound for Rui Fang (Back in the direction of Taipei and spelt Juie Fung or some such rubbish). If it’s a sunny mid-week day, the uncrowded slow train, with the seats facing each other, arms outside the opened windows, is fantastic after a morning on the beach.
- Lunch for carnivores, comes in the form of 50NT bian dangs (lunchboxes) from Fu Long station, which are apparently very good.
- Get off at Rui Fang where the veggies can scavenge for chou dofu and the like.
- Get the bus or a taxi up to Jin Gua Shi, whoch is just past Jiu Fen.
- At Jin Gua Shi check out (although you can’t get in) the old Taiwan residence of the Japanese Emperor, the mines where POWs worked and died during WW2 and the very cool ruined Japanese temple up one of the hills.
- Get the bus down again to Jiu Fen, and get off at the 7-11.
- Check the view from that viewing platform. Jiufen is up in the hills wiht a really good view out over Jilong and the surrounding coast.
- Walk through the main market alley checking out the cool stores there and snacking away. Don’t bother to eat dinner - just snack it up.
- Go down the big steps and finish by spending hours in a teahouse. If you’ve got guests they’ll probably enjoy ‘pao cha’ which is brewing the tea yourselves. Drink more than 20 cups and get nicely wired. i like the big teahouse down on the main ‘landing’ of the staircase, which faces the sea.
- Go to the bottom of the stairs and get a bus back to Rui Fang and the train home.
Brian
Thanks. Several of the above ideas sounded good. 
I wish I had this list when my mother came last year and was miserable because I had no idea of what she could do because I only had a Taipei Living book to go by and I didn’t have the nerve to ask for a week off (which I should have). Of coures now because of health reasons she can’t fly here, but she wouldn’t want to because she hated it here. She probably would have liked it if I had the insider info like you all do. I’d say watching the sunrise from Chialeshui is such a special moment. The serenity of it all watching the sun come up from the water, but as someone who was born in Florida, I have a thing for the ocean.
I’d say any night market is great, but my favorites are Shilin and Tonghua Street Night Markets and the flower market is great too. Getting a barbecue portabella mushroom from one of stands at a night market is a must-do for anyone who is vegetarian or loves portabellas.
I am sad to say that in the 6 months that I lived in Bi Tan, the only time I went up the other side was when I took a taxi the wrong way and wound up in front of a high school there. I think it was the “brown sailor outfit” high school. It might be the same one where the boys have to wear the brown, beige, and green plaid sportscoats.
Or take the bus to Keelung, eat at the night market, and take the train home from there.
I should admit, though, that the last time I did that I had one of those bus drivers who drove like a bat out of hell along the narrow, winding roads :shock: :!: :shock: :!: :shock: :!: :shock:
[quote=“ImaniOU”]I am sad to say that in the 6 months that I lived in Bi Tan, the only time I went up the other side was when I took a taxi the wrong way and wound up in front of a high school there. I think it was the “brown sailor outfit” high school. It might be the same one where the boys have to wear the brown, beige, and green plaid sportscoats.[/quote]It’s a junior high–WenShan Jr. High, I believe, and further up the street is NengRen College. Anyway, that’s the street that’ll lead to the trailhead. It’s never too late to go back.
Or you can head back toward town on Zhong Xin Rd., which runs around the base of the hill. THere are a number of trailheads from there also, so you get straight on to the hill. The trails there are FAR less steep, as well. That one that goes from the school is a MOFO! – Straight up. Have fun trying to catch lizards – the basilisk ones on the trees are easy, you reach out and grab 'em, but the little blue-tailed skinks are like greased lightning! Watch out for dung beetles too, those guys are really something to watch.
How about a blind massage? I haven’t had one yet myself…but it sounds great.
[quote=“blueulyssess”]5. your chinese name on those key chain
[/quote]
Where? are these the metal ones they used to have? Lost mine some years back and would like another one!!
This an extract of my list of “favorite places to take a newcomer” :
[ul]
Hot spring (ChuanTang a good one, up over TienMu)
Night markets, all of them, but particularly :
[list]the one behing LungShan temple
the one on TunHua street (between AnHo and KeeLung street)
ShiLin, of course
ShiDa street[/ul]
Snake Alley, for the fun
LungShan temple, to bow many times and burn 21 sticks of incense
the 24 hours rice congee restaurants on FuHsin b[/b] South road, very very late at night
YungHo b[/b] DouJiang (the famous breakfast restaurant)
National Palace Museum
JianGuo flower/jade/handicraft week-end markets
the GuangHua antics & eletronics market on BaDe (on week-ends for antics)
(if you have teen-age visitors) HsiMenDing b[/b], of course![/list:u]
But don’t try and do it all over the same week-end !..
And outside of Taipei, Taroko gorges (2/3 days trip) and Kenting b[/b] in Spring are still good…
Motor cycle rides
Vibe at 4am
Street Opera wherever you can find it.
Ging Tian Gang at night (top of yang min shan)
Dogs Head or Elephant hill.
Shi lin Night market and Orange for the Fire Dance.
And no trip is complete with out paying 2000NT for a Taiwan beer and quality time with some of the old pros in the Zone. “Buy me a drink?”
Chou
Hello there, this is my first time post on this good website. I hope I’m not being offtopic with this one. I find this section is very useful, but I have a specific situation to ask you. I work in a foreign company and my managers boss just tell us that one of the really big heads is coming to visit next month. Everyone look at me because I study abroad before, and expect me to organize where to bring the big big head when he not visiting our factory and office. Please help me with good idea for where I can take him inside Taipei. The good ideas here are good for longer trips, but this guy only here for three days and we want to impress him while he is my country.
I find out he is divorced and about 50 year-old, but my wife say I should not take him to any special service place because it will not look good for my manager and her boss. She also does not like if I go there anyway. We already plan national pallace museum and nightmarket. PLease help me. Thank you for your attention.
An excellent idea, but why waste NT$200 when you can go to the Howard’s Cafe 45 two floors below for free! 
[/quote]Another bird’s eye view of Taipei/Tianmu is the revolving restaurant at the top of the Beitou incinerator. Just a quick taxi ride from the Shihpai MRT station (look for the tall chimney). You get the full 360 degree view over an hour’s time. And no, you won’t smell the garbage.