What are yous doing this year? We ran out of the last thread, so let's get going again.Picrel - saw a definite channer in Frank a while ago, what do you fellers do on your days off?
>>2832780>What are yous doing this year?sitting at home saving money
>>2832780Going back in February for a few months, really want to do a multiday hike. Taroko looks cool, not sure if anons have any advice
>>2832780do they have minimum spend at that bar? i always found the minimum spend a weird thing in taiwan.
>>2832780Which bar is this? Would look ideal to visit with my gf. I considered going to Taiwan but my friend said it was quite boring. However it looks quite nice at a glance.
>>2832844Dunno if there's any multi-day hikes in Taroko, though the many day hikes there are all great.Xueshan is a good 2-dayer, or you can make it part of a 3-4 day loop you can do.
>>2832780Cleaning.
>>2832875And crying.
>>2832878And smoking.
Demolishing URANUS Building after the quake left it leaning took two weeks. All highways into and out of Hualien were closed, yet life in the city continued as normal. How? The railroads were open.
My bad, that was a building that collapsed in Keelung, where I was staying when the quake hit. My hotel rumbled very loudly, and plaster popped out of the walls in multiple places. I stayed in bed and wondered if the whole thing would come crashing down. But it didn't.Picrel is UR ANUS building
Nine people got trapped in a cave following this earthquake. Sounds funThe workers at my hotel resumed drilling concrete about 30 seconds after the quake subsided. I could hear a quiet hubbub from the street below where many people had left their buildings to congregate. But normal commerce resumed after less than ten minutes.
>>2832854no idea>>2832855bar is called Frank. the view is nice, but everything is super expensive. check the reviews, not especially highly rated
Ive been to Japan a couple times and want to go to Taiwan this winterWhat would you say is different and better/worse about Taiwan?Is the hostel culture mostly late 20s/early 30s like japan seems to be?
I went in late August/early September. Got an absolutely horrific sun/sweat rash and had to spend my last two days in the hotel applying various ointments because even stepping into sunlight aggravated it. I had a lot of fun before that, though. Beautiful country. >>2832938I live in Japan. Taiwan has better food, especially street food, and a greater variety as well. Japan has bidets - might not seem like a big deal at first but to me they're an integral part of life at this point. In many other respects Taiwan is basically Japan with Chinese people, at least insofar as Taipei is concerned. There were probably a dozen times I caught myself thinking "oh, this neighborhood looks like that one place in Tokyo" or "this reminds me of when I was walking in Osaka." IMO Taiwan has better English support if you need that kind of thing. Taiwanese people were more or less just as shy as Japanese people in Japan, but the Japanese tourists I met in Taiwan were nothing like they are back home, very chill, chatty, and friendly. Might just be a vacation mentality. Taiwanese McDonald's was better, too.
>>2832981>no bidetsDamn, are the seats heated at least? My body does real well in Japan and actually i start to have a lot of no wipe shits unlike here in the US . I have hot grease shitsWere the locals chill and quiete like Japaanese or loud and annoying like Chinese?How much did the hotel rooms that you rubbed lotion on your skin cost?
>>2833058>Damn, are the seats heated at leastMy hotel's were not, but it was only a 3 star. I've heard the really nice hotels do have bidets but can't confirm. I remember the only bidet I saw was airside at the airport on my way back to Japan. >Were the locals chill and quiete like Japaanese or loud and annoying like Chinese?When I was just out and about they were very quiet and polite, and basically kept to themselves. The metro was also very much like in Japan, minimal talking and noise. No gaijin bubble like in Japan, though. At restaurants, however - especially the more hole in the wall type places and night market food courts - there was a lot of chatter. I can't speak Chinese so any time I would hear people ordering it would sound like they were arguing with the cashier. >How much did the hotel rooms that you rubbed lotion on your skin cost?IIRC it was just a touch over 250 USD for 5 days and 5 nights. Wasn't a bad hotel by any means, like I said it was 3 stars, basically the Taiwanese equivalent of a standard Japanese business hotel like APA or Dormy Inn. Location was smack dab in the middle of Ximindeng.Also something I remembered as I was writing this review, apparently a lot of businesses there offer incentives or rewards for their customers to glaze them on social media, so you'll find the most random restaurants, museums, hotels, bars, etc. with thousands if not tens of thousands of 5* reviews on Google Maps and other travel sites. Be aware of that and do your due diligence when planning.
>>2832981I live in Taiwan and everywhere I have been to has a bidet. Can't comment on Japan because I haven't been there but I think the general feeling here is that Taiwanese are more friendly than Japanese but Japan is a cleaner and less chaotic place. Taiwanese cities are not pretty to look at and they can be a bit dangerous with the scooters and lack of sidewalks on some streets.
>>2832935Thanks brother. Shame really, Taiwan seems cool though and I'd love to see the night together with the gf. Might divert to HK.
>>2833065Thx for the intel Anything else worth mentioning for a solo traveler that likes to fuck off into some small towns and experience some weird shit?
>>2833058In Taiwan I had an old street bum try to steal my bag at an open-air laundromat while I was sitting inside, and a drunk youth sped his motorcycle onto the sidewalk at me, parked and then half fell off his motorbike and flung his helmet into the ground as I was walking by. I admonished him in Spanish (for the lulz) and some other old people walking nearby gave him stern looks but didn't say anything.
>>2832938My anecdote>3 years in Taipei, lived in Guting/Dongmen areaBeen to every corner of the country including surrounding islands except for Kinmen. Didn't learn the language, local girlfriend was my full time tour guide.>4 years in Japan, lived in Tokyo/Minato/Shinagawa area for 2, countryside for 2Been to every corner as well except for Hokkaido. Speak the language, have/had multiple full time local tour guides.I don't know what kind of person you are and what you want to do when visiting a foreign country, but here's how I would compare Taipei vs Tokyo.>foodTaipei no contest. Obviously subjective, you might like raw fish more but I'm not a fan.>womenTaipei no contest, also subjective. Tokyo has more variety but fuck me if the women around City Hall/Xiangshan/Zhongshan aren't all the mean looking hot chick with sharp eye liner type. Per capita they're more open to gyms and fitness in general.>cyclingTaipei. Bike paths and actual bike lanes. Rental bikes in almost every train/bus stop with a single tap of your transit card.>hikesTaipei is surrounded by mountains. Easy access to trailheads. Open/public/natural hot springs and other watering holes. Japan is famous for hot springs but it's a very sterilized experience inside some kind of establishment. Good luck jumping in a lake/river/waterfall, fun patrol will be on your ass shortly. Meanwhile all I had to do was drive up Yangmingshan, go to any trailhead with some water feature and guaranteed I will find other people having fun and getting wet.>weatherDog shit in Taipei. Overcast/rainy winter. The entirety of January can go by without the sun every showing up.>hostelsNo clue.Overall, I like Japan more but I'm living life like a hermit in the woods, but if I had to stay in a city and choose between Taipei or Tokyo, then it's Taipei all the way.If there's one thing I can suggest, I would suggest not visiting Taipei during winter. A few hours south and you'll find yourself in a sunny place.
>>2833255Nice man.Any smaller towns to reccomend in the middle or southern part of the island worth chilling in for a couple weeks this winters?Do coomers visit taiwan? No soaplands?
>>2833386I like outdoorsy stuff so that's what I can recommend. I've never been to these places during winter so things might be different.Central would be Nantou, Sun Moon Lake area.Southern has to be Kenting. The main road turns into a night market at night.How long will you be in Taiwan for? If you have a few extra days, stop by Taichung and go to DIVECUBE HOTEL 台中潛立方. Hotel with an indoor pool, 20 or 30 meters deep I can't remember. Take a scuba or freediving course, get a basic license in a day or two, maybe on your next trip you'll find yourself with some diving opportunities.These are all easily accessible places with public transport.
>>2832780>yous Stupid yankee detected
>>2833255>Didn't learn the language, local girlfriend was my full time tour guide.I honestly never understood people who are happy living their life like this.
>>2833524Not even close. I thought it would give me away instantly.
>>2833255>Overall, I like Japan morethere's almost nothing positive about Japan in your post, why do you like it?
>>2833542I compared Taipei and Tokyo, not the entire country. Just the fact that I can snowboard in Japan throws the balance off completely. Language is also a lot easier to learn.>>2833538That's why I left.
hitting maji square and the bars next weekend any anons up for a drink?
>>2833255>fuck me if the women around City Hall/Xiangshan/Zhongshan aren't all the mean looking hot chick with sharp eye liner typecompletely unapproachable though in my experiencebut yes that specific part of Taipei has some tip top pussy
