Any recommended Min Su in Xi Men Ding?

The one i intend to book is full.

i tried booking train tickets to hualien on the 4th but it's fully booked(sis tried other dates also fully booked for the express train).

if i were to buy on the spot for the train tickets, will it be dangerous? ie. no tickets

haihs...dunno apa system is this..2 weeks before only allow you to book the dates you wanted. now so last minute already dont know how to find other alternatives.

The Taroko express alway full wan. I was lucky manage to get the train a day b4 but only Morning Taroko Express. Return was via teh slow train.

Slow train no need to book..more like stanby ticket...Well more like U really need to stand if the seat ticket holder asking you to do so!~!

thanks for replying stimix

now trying to book regular trains. they have the same timezone like us right?

Yes same time zone but sunrise & sunset diff hor...Pen M'sia/Sin time zone already screwed up during 70'!

Ouch express trains to Hualien are always fully booked?

How long do the regular trains and buses take from Taipei main terminal to Hualien? By the way, anyone knows whether there are buses going to Hualien from Taoyuan airport?

Xpress train (Actually it's the tilted train wth the speed of ~150km/hr) & thus only takes 2hrs from taipei to hualien. the normal train can't goes fast & thus ~ 3.5hrs to Taipei from hualien.

No idea on the bus services to Hualien...very few according to my Hualien drivers..mostly ppl take train wor..

For train, you can always booked online 1 week b4 your trip. The booking will expired afters 3 days but it's ok. You stil can show your expired booking no at the counter and they will issue you a new ticket. But no guarantee u can get a seat, the worse case, u get to stand for 3 hours before reaching Hualien

hi all...pls comment on my itinerary:

Day 1:
will reach hotel ard 4pm. I will either go to Ximending or Shilin

Day 2: CKS Memorial Hall - Wulai (ulay) - Shida Nite Market

Day 3: Longshan temple - Yang Ming Shan - taipei Underground mall - taipei 101

Day 4: Jiufen - Keelung - Yeliu

Day 5: Xinbeitou - Dansui - wu fen pu

Day 6: just shop ard hotel area then to airport.

Will be going on this thurs did i miss anything out?
Plan to go only taipei area..unless i have spare time will go to taroko...
thks alot ya

Guys, is it easy to find HSBC ATM machine there? i know i can withdraw with most of the ATM machines there, but using HSBC ATM machines will be cheaper for me per transaction... going there next week... huhuhuh

@Bell- Try not to miss Taroko. It's better all the attractions in taipei. Take out your day 2 for Taroko. CKS very fast wan. can combine wth 3rd day. Your Wulai probably to Day 5 & the wufenpu..just slot ion in one of your Night itineraries.

Transit,

How much you pay for the round island tour ? How many nights accommodation ? The tour include those annoying jewelry/health food shopping stops or not ?

Getting super excited liao! Trip is in about a week's time!

So far, from my experience in planning this trip:

1. Taiwanese are generally friendly. One hotel mixed-up my booking and I send a diplomatic email to them, they called me immediately to sort things out. They spoke to me in Mandarin, expecting me to understand when we were emailing each other in English previously. Lucky I can speak and understand. However, another hotel no sight no sound despite me getting locals to call them to re-arrange my booking, which made me cancel my stay in Hualien.

2. Booking train tickets is a nightmare. Not only were tickets snapped up quickly online, payment over the internet is a problem. Thank my lucky stars that I know someone in Taipei who paid and collected the tickets for me already.

3. Emailing to those drivers found in forums is great and they reply promptly. They also give you suggestions on the places to visit.

4. Doing research to travel to Taiwan is a nightmare for 'bananas' like me. Most sites are in Chinese and those in English are -.-"""""". However, plus point is it forced me to read Chinese and I am improving.

5. My Free & Easy trip not that cheap overall coz Air Asia X tickets were expensive. Otherwise, it will be much cheaper than those tours offered by travel agent.

6. Hotels are generally small and pricey. Most can't accommodate a third person and some charge you for the third person without extra bed if you decide to squeeze in. You may try to sneak in but then for smaller hotels as I am told by people who went before, it is very obvious and when you check out, you will be slapped with a 3rd person charge coz there aren't many guests due to limited rooms and they will generally get to know you by name. I found a hotel with a quad room for a resonable price.

My itinerary now is:

Friday - Arrival, check-in, Longshan and XMD
Saturday - SYS Memorial, Taipei 101, National Museum and Shihlin NM
Sunday - Yangmingshan or Danshui, afternoon to WFP and Raohe
Monday - CKS Memorial, Wulai and no plans for night time
Tuesday - Taroko/Hualien
Wednesday - Yehliu, Jiufen, Keelung etc
Thursday - Miniature Museum, Dihua Street and last minute shopping
Friday - Relax and go home

Cheers!

hihi stimix...thks ya...
hmm not sure if i can still get tix for taroko....am going tomolo....
will c how if i manage to get the tix there..hehe but according to u ...it is quite tough..heheh

If u can't get Taroko, there are still normal train to Hualian but abit longer..3hr++ instead of 2hr.

hello,

Anyone know how's the sandstorm in taipei?

oko thks stimix...will c how...
now sumore got sandstorm...after end up in hotel for 6d5n..cham.
going tomolo mrng.. pray hard hard now...

hi everyone.. someone mentioned about shopping at 東區. Where is 東區? Is that the sogo area?

Hi to all the forumers... I'm new here and I've been reading the Taiwan forums with interest and gained a lot of info here in my planning for a trip to Taiwan...

My trip to Taiwan will be from 4/5 till 12/5... Here's my itinerary, hope the Taiwan pros can give some advise regarding my itinerary and how to make it better...



That's my itinerary so far... I have a few questions...

1. Is my plan for day 1 to 3 feasible? Is it better for me to go to SML from Taichung or from Taipei?

2. If I do head to Taichung, how far is the Taichung HSR station from the bus/train station to Puli?

3. Where is a better place to stay in Taichung? Near the station or near Fengjia NM?

4. And what is the best way to go to SML? I prefer a more effective, cheaper and quick alternative...

a) By bus from Taichung

b) By train from Taichung

c) By bus from Taipei

5. Is my whole itinerary OK? Is the organization of places and days suitable?

6. Are there any must-see places or must-do things that I miss out?

Thanks for all those who spend their time reading my itinerary... Will be waiting for your feedbacks! =)

This post has been edited by nicodemus88: Mar 27 2010, 02:27 PM

I would say skip "Taipei Main Station Underground Mall" nothing much if compared you're going to do your bulk of shopping at Wufenpu area or even Xi Men Ding.