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neilray
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Armchair Bus Service
Like most of the major Asian cities, Taipei has a new airport way out of the city and miles away from the previous place. In the Taipei case the older Songshan airport was almost in the middle of town, but this is now used as the domestic airport and on some new international routes So transfering from international to domestic can be a lengthy process. The good news is that the bus between the two is unbeleivably comfortable. It has full width 'armchair' like seats so much so that they only have three across the bus. The journey takes about an hour, but at least its in total comfort
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neilray
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The Betel Nut ladies of Taipei
This is one of the oddest things I've seen in Asia. Many people, myself included, misinterpret the scene. The ladies who sell the betel nuts at the side of the road, usually in small kiosks, look very attractive in a nightclub sort of way. The idea they have is that if they wear very short skirts, preferably with a low plunging neckline top, the lorry drivers will be more tempted to buy the betel nuts from them. So as competition increases, the skirts get shorter and the necklines plunge lower. Then there is a clampdown by police and they return to less provocative dress. The main concern is that drivers are distracted from their driving and in one case a lorry went straight off the road as he goggled at the betel lady. Slightly bizarre but quite true.
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neilray
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The Fast Train to Kaoshiung
There was a time when the only way from Taiwan’s capital Taipei to the second city on the south east coast Kaohsiung was either by car or plane. There a slow train but it was a long journey. Having said that the road trip was too busy for words and the planes were always packed. So they built a brand new rail line between the two cities and put one of the fastest trains in the world on it. Traveling at a potential 200 mph this is some transport. The journey time was cut by 40% and is now a serious competitor to the air journey. If in Taiwan, give the THSR a try – it’s not only fast but very comfortable as well, with business class carriages as an option
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neilray
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Unspoilt Coastline
Taiwan is not on too many travelers destination list or routes, but it has a lot to offer. With the recent changes in direct flights from mainland China it is longer necessary to go to Hong Kong first. This development is probably going to help Taiwan’s tourism industry, but hopefully not to the extent that it causes any environmental harm. The capital Taipei is not that great a city, but the west coast of Taiwan most certainly makes up for the industrialised parts of the island. Hardly developed at all, this is a great region for cycling and walking. The national parks and un spoilt coastline provide great opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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COR is all you can drink
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
COR is a very new club in Taipei City. If you want to drink until you die but you only have very less amount of budget. Fee entrance is 8-12 Euro (depends on the days) and you can drink all the beers plus the cocktails. My favorite is Sex on the beach. Some people don’t like to go there, because they say that COR uses bad liquor. I don’t think the liquor is bad, but COR is very small indeed.
COR is always crowded during the weekends. I went there a couple times and we (my friends and I) had lots of fun.
COR is located on #331, Nanjing East Rd. Section 3, Taipei City. It is very closed to Asia World. If you just want to go outside and don’t want to stay at home, but don’t know where to go, then go to COR. Because on Saturday it opens from 10 pm until 7:30 am.
There is just Svenson ice cream shop on the other side of the street. So if you get bored with hip hop and R & B, nothing to lose if you go and get some ice cream.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Pub 45 has the best quiche Lorraine
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
45 was named after the number of the building. Located on 2F, #45, Hoping East Road, Taipei City makes 45 easy to reach. You can reach it by MRT (subway) green line on Kuting Station or by bus. My favorite dinner at Pub 45 was quiche Lorraine. A lot of people always doubt it when I tell them, but really, 45 has the best quiche Lorraine in Taipei City. I even take my French friend, and she agrees with me.
Eating quiche Lorraine with beer is the best thing to do at 45. Don’t expect too much, 45 is a small pub but very comfortable. No charge of entrance fee and also cheap beer.
A glass of beer (1 liter) costs 150 NTD (about 3,5 Euro) and a piece of quiche Lorraine costs 100 NTD (2,5 Euro). I used to pay only 2,5 Euro for the beer because I am a special customer until they raised the beer prices.
Pub 45 play blues, pop and slow rock, so no hip hop and R&B. It is a nice place to go if you just want to meet your friends and chat.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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The tavern called the Tavern
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Like to scream when you watch soccer games but no where to go?
The Tavern is located on Xinyi Rd. Section 4 (信義路)100 meter away from Taipei 101 (the current tallest building in the world). It is owned by a South African guy. Normally a lot of guys will sit there in front of the TV (they have more than 3 TVs) and drinking beer.
I used to go there and watch soccer, drinking Kilkenny (Irish cream ale originated in Kilkenny, Ireland) was a part of my Friday rituals. If you don’t like Kilkeny, it is ok, cos they have many kinds of beer. Not mention to hard liquor and food. I got my best midnite pizza there. There is no entrance fee to get in. You don’t speak Chinese? You don’t need to worry about that, cos the waitresses and waiters speak English. I spent my last New Year with my friends there. It was fun!
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Surfing in White Sand Beach
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Baishawan means white sand beach in Chinese. But don’t be surprised if you won’t see any white sand there. Baishawan is one of my fave beaches in Taipei, which located in Taipei County. If you take a bus, you’ll go through some nice areas (I forgot the name). It is truly naturally beautiful.
In summer, you’ll see a lot of people surfing in Baishawan. If you don’t have the equipment but you really want to try, and you just can call Kenn!
Kenn is from Australia, he gives surfing courses for everybody. It’s not very expensive. It costs around 10 Euro for a day course and it comes with a surfing board. Which means you pay around 10 Euro and you can surf for the whole day!
Interested? Then don’t miss this info: 5 Bajia, Shihmen township, Taipei County, Taiwan.
Tel : (02)2638-2788
Have fun there!
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Roxy 99 rocks!
60 of 63 people found this review helpful
Are you a party buddy? If you are and you are in Taipei City (Taiwan), make sure that you go to Roxy 99. It is one of my fave clubs in Taipei City. I used to go there on Friday and Saturday nite.
I love the music there. It is more mixed; from rock to blues. The happy hour is between 9 – 11 pm. During happy hour, you can get 4 tequila shots for only 2,5 Euro. The lady’s nite is on Wednesday, but mostly it’s not very crowded.
The entry fee was very cheap, only 8 Euro and you got 1 free drink. But they raised the price started in November 2007, from 8 Euro to 14 Euro. For Taipei City, the price is pretty decent.
On Friday and Saturday nite, Roxy 99 is always full of people; at the bar or the dance pool. Some people can’t resist and get on the table and dance. Be carefull, the security might come and ask you to go if you do that again. There is 7-11 ( 24 hour convenient store) next to Roxy 99, you can just get your drink there if you want.
A bottle of beer at Roxy costs 3,4 Euro, but you can get for 1,2 Euro at 7-11 and why not then!
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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The uniqueness of Wan Hua district
Wan Hua is also known as Bangka, it’s the oldest district in Taipei City. Longshan Temple, Snake Alley (Huashi night market), and Ximending arcade are all in Wan Hua district. I think it’s very unique, cos when you walk through Ximending, you’ll see all this modern city buildings with the newest fashion and nice restaurant. But when you walk futher then you’ll end up into Longshan Temple and to the Snake Alley.
When the Japanese was still in Taiwan (during WW II), Wan Hua district “ was” a red light district. And nowadays, prostitution is illegal in Taiwan, but there are still some prostitutes left. And some of them still keep their jobs. You’ll see some old lady (literally old, like 50 ish) wearing “different” clothes and acting “differently”
Once, my best friend was asked by a 50-year-old lady if he wanted to have a “girl”. But he said no and ran away.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Real Italian food in Café Grazie
Café Grazie is an Italian restaurant in Taipei city. As I know, they have 2 restaurants, but I mostly go to the one at Roosevelt Rd. It’s hard to get real Italian food in Taiwan. That’s for me nothing to complain at Café Grazie. They offer you thin pizza with a lot of different kinds of toppings. Don’t be surprised if they ask you tuna on pizza, because they like it there. Besides pizza, they also have pretty good spaghetti and pasta.
A little bit of fusion drink wouldn’t be bad, like Japanese green tea and Chinese tea. Smoothies and ice cream are also a good idea for dessert.
The price is very reasonable for the nice service. If you don’t reserver seats early, you might have to wait a little.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Bali in Taiwan?
The first time when my friend told, I was like what?? There is an island called Bali in Taiwan? Actually it is八里 (ba li). It is on the other side of Tamshui. Longing for fresh seafood? You are at the right place! Bali is famous for its seafood like mussels, shrimps, fish and crabs. Whenever I went there, I never missed the mussels. You can even pick your own mussels before they cook them for you.
Besides the seafood, Bali is also famous for the night view. Lights are every where, on the trees, fences, along the river and bridge. They create the best view after dusk.
Lazy to walk? Just sit in front of the restaurant and enjoy the other side of the river.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Let's go to the tallest building in the world (current)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Taipei 101 is currently the tallest building in the world. It is mainly devided into 3 sections : office floors, shopping mall and observatory. The observatories are located in the 91st and 89th floors. Taipei 101 features an indoor observatory (floor 89) and an outdoor observatory (floor 91). We can see the whole Taipei City, cos both offer 360-degree views. The ticket costs about 9 Euro ish, and we can visit it from 10 am – 10 pm. Afraid of typhoon? Take it easy, because Taipei 101 is equipped with 3 wind dampers and one of them is the world’s biggest and heaviest damper. Afraid that you can’t understand Chinese? Again, relax! It provides audio guide in 8 languages.
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Christina Hann-Trefzger
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Explore the nature and culture
Jio Fen or Jiu Fen (九分) is a small city in Taipei County. We can either take a bus or train to go there. I think Jio Fen is very nice to visit if you just want to get rid of from the city and the crowd. It’s becoming a touristy spot now, that’s why don’t go there on the weekends, you won’t be able to move your feed. Cos the streets are so small and hundreds of people strolling here and there. In Jio Fen, you can sit in a tea shop and drinking Chinese tea while you can enjoy the views from the sea and the mountain at the same time. If you are lucky when it is not foggy, you can see the sea clearly.
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hanneso
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Taipei, Taiwan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I don't want to be rude and be negative about this city, but my two days here was quite frankly, terrible. It didn't help that we had a tour guide intent on getting us drunk on terrible locally made wine either. And then he took us to Snake Alley, the infamous street in Taipei where any type of animal is slaughtered in front of your eyes. Not for the faint hearted. Also, the place has a stink that hangs in the air - I could even smell it on the 17th floor of my luxury hotel. Plus, clean toilet facilities in this place were quite tricky to find two years ago when I was there - maybe it's changed since.
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