Taipei, Taiwan
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from Taiwan. I heard a couple things but I didn’t think my trip would be as much fun as it was.

Arriving jet lagged into a bustling Asian city can always be pretty tiring but Taipei kept me awake with its fantastic nightlife and markets.

Taipei has some great markets so I decided to finally buy a digital camera. I was forced to really search for the place to buy it since Taipei likes to cluster certain products into concentrated areas. I took a taxi to the Computer Market where there were some great deals on computer equipment etc. The prices at the computer market were about $3,000NT cheaper ($100USD) than the prices on the main shopping street ????.

Snake Alley is another market in Taipei which was quite eventful. At Snake Alley there is an assortment of reptiles, snakes, frogs, unique medicines, sex toys, prostitutes, foot massage ladies, and just about everything else. My stomach settled really well as people sipped snake blood or consumed snake soup. Also watching them skin the snake and extract blood was enticing. Apparently drinking the venom of a poisonous snakes will cure certain health problems. While at Snake Alley we treated ourselves to a 40 minute foot massage for about $400NT ($12USD).

Taipei also has a great club scene. Ministry of Sound, FollowMe @ AXD, Email, Luxy, and Eden are just a few clubs where you can dance all night and meet some of the most beautiful people. It’s an experience to be the minority from the US and surround by really hot asians with nice bodies, perfect skin, great smiles, and caring too. The have a step called the Taiwan Cha Cha… and I was trying to put my Cha Cha Heals on so I could figure it out… ha

Taipei’s metro can be very confusing for a visitor. And walking the streets and getting situated with a map is a huge task. The city’s layout will give you headaches. Taking a taxis was the best way to see the sites and cheap too. The average price for taking a taxi is $70-$200NT ($2-4USD).

There are many sites to see in Taipei but unfortunately I was not able to see them all. I spent most of my time walking the streets and feeling the city, shopping, dining, eating. Some of the more popular sites consist of the National Museum, Chan Xi Shek memorial, Taipei 101 (which is currently the #1 tallest building in the world), Taipei Zoo, Snake Alley, Night Market, and much more.

Christmas in Taipei was also an experience as most Taiwanese do not celebrate it. However, the city had decorations in the subways, department stores, hotels, etc so the spirit was definitely there. They definetly banged the hell out of Wham’s, “This Christmas I gave you my heart…” song. That song is now officially the song I will associate with Taipei for life.

The SoGo Department Store in Taipei was massive. I had to ride escalators up to the 8th floor. On each floor they had tons of people shopping the typical european and asian brand names typical to Harrod’s department store in London. Department stores in these other cities are so different from the department stores in the states.

Taipei definitely has some posh and dodgy places to stay. I was fortunate to experience both place as I had friends staying in different hotels. The hotel I stayed at, Yo Tong Friends Regency, is an expensive place to stay on the main shopping street. For about $30USD you can stay there, however it is a sex hotel where Taiwanese can rent by the hour to make love. Of coarse I didn’t know this until somebody told me, but it didn’t matter anyhow as Asian tourists stay there while visiting.

Another hotel I was able to experience was the Les Taipei Suites which is ‘night and day’ compared to my dodgy sex hotel. Les Taipei Suites is THE PLACE to stay. The room will cost you about $150USD a night but it’s definitely posh and comparable to staying at $450USD hotel in the states. Also Taipei Suites is very nicely renovated and is very comfortable. In the lobby they had these really cool tablet computers which are the future of notebooks. I wish I had a picture to show how advance and cool they were.

Overall Taipei was a great unexpectly fun time and I defintely would go back to see the rest of the city, especially the surrounding mountains.

Trip Wrap-Up

Incidental Money Spent
Incidental Money Spent
$7000NT ($212 USD)
5 days

Highlights
Unexpected fun nightlife
Incredible food
Cheap Taxis
Superb modern designed restaurants

Surprised by
Technology equipment not much cheaper than US

Challenges
Not easy to speak to people, read signs, or navigate the city.

Must See Next Time
THE Museum!
The River
Local mountain resorts and hot springs
Taipei 101 on a clear day