Taiwan Travel Forum

Hi, I'm planning to stay 2-3 nights in KaoShiung. Any good 3-4 star hotel to recommend? I came across Chu Yu hotel which is very near the train station and the other is Citizen. Are they good? I hv 2 young kids with me(age 3 n 5). Thinking of spending a day at the Blue Lagoon water theme park.Is it worth going?Any good place in Kaoshiung worth visiting. Tks Kelly

My family will visit Taiwan. Can you help some of the family members to join the diving activity? We have a place to stay in the area. Can you direct me to the diving school or diving site instead of taking a tour?
Pai Ti Tso

hi, does anyone knows
1)whr is the exact location of the taichung wufenpu(i oni noe its at tianjin) and the opening time?
2)whr is the money changer in taoyuan airport and whats the rate nw?
3)what is nice to eat in taichung and fengjia nitemarket?
4)is jianhushan theme park worth gg n whats the tix price like?
5)'nu ren wo zhui da' is tiz a gd skincare brand n whr can it be found?

thankz!

hi, does anyone knows
1)whr is the exact location of the taichung wufenpu(i oni noe its at tianjin) and the opening time?
2)whr is the money changer in taoyuan airport and whats the rate nw?
3)what is nice to eat in taichung and fengjia nitemarket?
4)is jianhushan theme park worth gg n whats the tix price like?
5)'nu ren wo zhui da' is tiz a gd skincare brand n whr can it be found?

thankz!

Hi!!

May I know how to get from Taoyuan Airport to Neijiang Hotel?

Thanks...

ckoyen :)

Hi

Did you all heard about cabbie meeky yang, fee for a day around 10hr for NT3000. Exluding the admission ticket. He will come to the hotel and fetch us and send us back to hotel or any night market that we want to go. There will be 3 people includes me.

With a youth pass. Do you think it is still worth of booking a cabbie go all these place Yehliu -> Shifen -> Jiufen Old Street -> Jingguashih -> 南雅 -> 鼻頭 -> Yinyanghai -> keelung tong seng park -> MiaoKow Food Street. Maybe more as depends on the road route.

Or you guys have better suggestion. Pls advise me. Thanks

Hi,

I will be travelling to Taipei soon and am staying at Wonstar Hotel. As I'm intending to take one of the express buses to the hotel, anyone can recommend which is the best, where to alight and further directions after alighting?

Thx!

Hi!

May I know which day of the week is most unsuitable for going to Wufenpu?

Thanks

ckoyen :)

Hi

Can someone tell me what is youth pass from http://www.wretch.cc/blog/wsh79

or youth pass = student pass

Thanks

What's up VTers??? Im moving to Taiwan in about two weeks to study mandarin at national taiwan university. im looking forward to making some new friends, anybody interested in meeting up? i am particularly excited to meet locals that speak mandarin so i can practice speaking with them as much as possible. Or does anybody know any good social networking sites that are specific to taiwan?

Xie Xie!!!!!!!!!!

Hi

Anyone know whats the available transport option from Sun Moon Lake(SML) to Hualien?

Whats the cost like to hire a long distance taxi SML to Hualien? Is it very far? Will it be safe for ladies traveller? Any reliable taxi driver to recommend for the transport?

thanks

Hi all

I am going to taipei on 21 June 08 to 26 June 08 and will be staying in rainbow hotel in ximending.

I wish to go Hualien but anyone can tell me. As I have a few question?

How to get there?
How many Hour?
How much the railway cost?
Where is the starting point of taipei railway (take to which station so that I can board up)?
Must I book online or I can buy at there?
How is the weather that time?


Any great ideas which place that I can go.
I want to go Alishan but its seems too far.



Thanks

My husband and I are traveling to Taipei in a few months, staying at his brother's home. Can anyone tell me where this location is in relation to the main districts of Taipei?

Lung-Mi Road, Taipei County, Ba-Li Township

Hi!

Anyone knows if there is recording of Guess show by Jacky Wu on 2 June 2008? If yes, may i know how do i get there and what time should i be there?

thanksss

ckoyen :)

It's not easy to find a hotel for a family of 5 which consist of my mother, 2 kids besides my husband and myself. Would be greatful if any members can recommend any hotel and places of interest especially for the kids (aged 11 & 13yrs). By the way, is Xi Men Ding a good place to stay? We have 3 full days to spend our time in Taipei. How's the weather during June? Any recommendation is greatly appreciated.

Needed help!

For accommodation - besides TS and Rainbow hotel,, any other 3-star hotel to recommend? (means near to MTR or any shopping area)

If we would like to travel to Kaohsiung, it will be by air or train?
Is there any bullet train to get to Kaohsiung from Taipei?
How long will it takes (the fastest way) and how much will it costs?

Will appreciated your advise!

Thanks a million!

I planning to go taiwan this June 08.. first few days of my trip to taipei and two days planning to go else where like Hualien or Kaohsung.. HOwever, cant decide which one to choose... which one is more fun...

Hi!

May I know how long is the journey from Taipei to Tainan, and approximately how much would the bus/train ticket cost?

thanks!!

ckoyen

Hi!!

I am going to Tainan for the first time, and was thinking of staying at a homestay. I wish to visit the Salt mountain, and Anping Old Street. Am just wondering if there is any homestays that you guys can recommend, that is easily accessible to these areas?

thanks!!!

ckoyen :)

Can anyone help with names of retail outlets in Taipei that sell pool cue cases (soft ones)?

I am looking for recommendations with regards to hostel or cheap hotels in Nanjing West area or nearby Zhongshan MRT station and it seems quite limited search. Any good recommendation?

Hi

Can I check if I can get SIM cards in taiwan that will allow me to call both locally (taiwan) and overseas?

Do they sell such calling cards in say....7-eleven?

I have been dreaming and looking forward to studying Mandarin in Taiwan for several months now. I spent countless hours looking for a good language program and taking care of all the necessary requirements to submit my application. I decided on the National Taiwan Univerity and was accepted and received my admission letter about a month ago. Class starts on June 2nd so I figured that leaves me with plenty of time to apply for my visa. I began trying to apply for my visa in mid-march and that is where the problems began...

The language program I have been accepted to only offers 12 credit hours per week so I am ineligible for a student visa. They specifically say that I must apply for a visitor visa and then get an extension of that visa once I arrive in Taiwan and begin my classes.

So the consulate office in Honolulu is only open during hours that I work (of course) so I have to request a vacation day just so I can go down there to apply. So I gather up all the necessary documents to apply for the visa. Keep in mind this is a visitor visa I'm applying for. This is everything I take with me down there:

1. Completed application
2. Two passport photos
3. Flight itinerary showing round trip ticket returning after end of term
4. Passport
5. Admission letter from NTU
6. Bank statement showing current balance in excess of $5,000 USD
7. $131 in cash for the application fee

When I go to present all this to the girl at the counter she immediately tells me that I dont have an official schedule with the credit hours from the school and that she won't let me apply because I will be wasting my money. I told her that I can't get my schedule until I register for classes which the school does not let me do until I arrive in Taiwan (a catch 22 I guess). She tells me I need to contact the school and sends me on my way. One floating holiday wasted. So I call the school and they say that the only thing they can send me is a generic looking schedule of the term with an official school stamp on it because like I had been told earlier, they can't give me my schedule until I register and I can't register until I get to Taiwan. So I fax the schedule the school gave me down to the Honolulu office to the same girl I was dealing with before to see if it was sufficient. Of course she told me it was not. And that I should contact the school... At this point I said "You do know that I am just applying for a visitor visa not a student visa right? A school schedule or even an admission letter isnt required to apply for a visitor visa." The phone went silent for about ten seconds and then she responded, "Well you will not get approved for extension without the schedule and you will have to leave the country." at this point I started to zone out and just said "Thank You," hung up the phone and decided to mail my app to the LA consulate. I wasnt sure if this girl didnt know what she was doing or didnt want me in her country.

So I paid $30 to FedEx my app to the LA consulate which they received today, only to tell me that they cannot process my application because they only service southern California and that I have to apply at the Honolulu office.... This is where I stand now. I love Taiwan and the Taiwanese people, and all I want to do is go to Taiwan to learn their language and culture and I am getting absolutely road-blocked. I paid $1,000 for a ticket which is required just to apply for the visa, I have sold my car, I told my job (I'm a commercial banker) that I'm leaving, and sold everything of value that I own. I am desperate, discouraged, and depressed. Does anyone have a connection to get me a visa or any words of encouragement? PLEASE I NEED IT!

There is a new hotel that opened about 1 month ago in Magong. It is located on the boardwalk next to the water front where all the boats dock to receive ice and other fishing goods. The Mongfun (peace) hotel is around the corner from this one. Can someone please find the name of this hotel for me. It's something like Ocean Hotel or Hotel Ocean. There is a huge moral of a seahorse on the side of the building and there is a 50" inch LCD TV in the lobby. Very modern looking hotel.

Hi there, I'm totally new to this forum but would really love it if someone can provide some suggestion on places to shop in Taipei City. I'll be flying to Taiwan in May and will be spending about 3 days in Taipei City and another 5/6 ard Taiwan.

I plan to visit CKS Memorial Hall, SYS, National Palace Museum, Taipei 101 and TungShan Temple during my visit in Taipei - this is solely for sightseeing purpose

For shopping, I would like to visit Wu Fen Pu and Shilin Market. Can someone help me out on when is the best time to visit this places? I heard that Wu Fen Pu is only open for retailers on Friday, anyone can confirm this? Any other suggestion on where to shop best?

Really appreciate all the help here. Thanks in advanced. :)

hi i juz wan to noe how long will it take to travel from taipei to keelung by the railway? and how much will the fare be? for the train ticket...must i book in advance or buy on the spot. thk!!

HI I WANT TO VISIT TAIPEI BUT IM ON LIMITTED BUDGET IF I HAVE $100 CAN I GO AROUND THE CITY JUST THE BASICS NOTHING FANCY THE $100 WILL COVER FOOD & TRANSPORT ALLOWANZ FOR 3 DAYS...PLEASE HELP TY

hi im planning to visit taipe but im just a budget traveller i was wondering if i can go around the city nothing fancy with just basics for $100 transport & food allowanz & are there budget hotels for $11 a night?

This has to be the worst airport experience I have had in my entire life. Just recently I went back to Taiwan for my grandma's funeral and due to the change in schedules of some religious ceremonies I decided to extend my stay. On the date of my departure I had to fill out the temporary transit pass issued by the immigration department since I had stayed for more than 2 weeks. I was asked to wait in another queue after filling out the paperwork.

However, having waited for so long and it was getting close to my boarding time no immigration officier even notified or approached me on the status of my paperwork. I approached one officier and asked politely on the status and to my dismay he responded "how the hell would I know? Just wait in that line." Of course no tourist will be happy with that response so I expressed my discontent and asked why they had to treat the tourist with such disrespect (and I was not creating a scene and I still asked politely). For no reasons at all this immigration officier flipped out and yelled at me "it was your own fault that you stayed beyond your permitted time in Taiwan and why the hell are you even bothering me on this? Just go back and stood there and shut up." I could barely hold back my anger and so I yelled back to him "Are you crazy?" Upon hearing that remark ("are you crazy") he became furious and called the airport police to arrest me for creating a disturbance and for insulting the immigration office (for calling him crazy ? Who was the one that started this ?)

I was then held at the detention center at the Taoyuan Airport and this Taiwan immigration officer urged the airport police to file charges against me. I tried to explain to other immigration officers and even to his superior but they refused to listen to my reasoning or explanation. The police at the airport however were more rational after they had learnt about what happened and didn't even want to start the paperwork on any formal charges.

Nonetheless this only added fuel to the fury of the Taiwan immigration officer. He thought he was above the law and refused to let me leave Taiwan. At this time the airline staff and other officers at the airport started to intervene the case and that immigration officer insisted on filing charges against me for "I insulted the immigration officer of Taiwan ROC and I made a remark (just calling him crazy ) that leads him to believe that I have no respect for the people of Taiwan. Come on ! My grandma and my mom is from Taiwan and I am a Chinese as well. Can they even come up with better reasoning ?

After close to 2 hours of emotional torment I was told that my only way to leave Taiwan to sign a letter of confession saying how sorry I was for making the remark against the immigration officer (even though he was rude to me and disrespect me for asking a simple question). This is outrageous. I have always regarded Taiwan as a modern and civilized region and I have a lot of respect and love for all the good people there. Nonetheless this incident has irreversibly changed my impression about this region. How could a representative from the government do something so horrible to a tourist who simply wished to know about the status of her paperwork ? How did the government of Taiwan train their immigration officers ? Is there even a supervision system in place that keeps these immigration guys in check ? After I returned to the US I tried to go through a formal complain channel at the airport but they don't seem to know how to handle a complaint. What's worst I was also told that since I signed the confession letter admitting that I was the one at fault and I apologized for it I now would have no case.

Where is the justice in that ?

Hi

Do you all have any recommendations for Day trip to Hua Lien?
Called my hotel and they offered 650NT/pax at Hua Lien.
But we have to take train to hua lien on our own and no meals are provided.
Like to check if there's any better deals...
:)