Dates

Basic Info

Google Map Link

Schedule

• Sun Mar 10 - Tiger & Daphne pull noodle class 11-1:30pm by car, Sherry & Russell arrive at 6:40pm, take it chill
• Mon Mar 11 - walking tour 9-12pm, lunch, Pineapple cakes making class at 2pm, Hakka restaurant at 7:45pm
• Tues Mar 12 - leave at 9am, take train, Indigenous tourism 1:30-3:30/4pm, back by 7pm, Raohe night market
• Weds Mar 13 - Treasure hill artist village, Wistaria tea house, National Palace museum (open 9-5pm), Daphne + Tiger grabbing dinner with a friend
• Thurs Mar 14 - tea farm tour 1-6pm, dinner, Indoor shrimp fishing
• Fri Mar 15 - packing, lunch at popcorn chicken place in Ximen, arrive by airport around 4pm

Booking

• 🌲 Tea farm tour + switch to TWD
• 🌲 indigenous tourism
• 🌲 hand pull noodle class
• 🐢Wisteria tea house (not if we have to book for tea ceremony? at the bottom of their website it said “Tours available 11-5pm”)

• 🍵 National Palace museum (figure out if we want to get ticket there? Daphne has a local id so she might better off buying her ticket there)

  • Seems to be no difference between buying an e-ticket vs in person for a non-citizen, so we might as well all buy in person for simplicity

• 🐯 walking tour

  • https://www.likeitformosa.com/taipei-historic (Booked this one)

• 🐢 Pineapple cakes class at 2pm

  • Booked Kuo Yuan Ye Pastry Museum Tour & Pastry DIY Mar 11 2pm
• 🐯 🐢 hotel (everyone book separately) Palais de Chine Hotel (5 star, ~$150/night)
• 🌲 Indoor shrimp fishing - 全佳樂釣蝦場 - open 4pm-3am, pay per hour, thinking about 1.5 or 2 hours, $500 NT for 1.5 hours, include rod rental and people there to cook for you, no reservation needed, not real dinner

Research

• 🐢  what to see at Treasure hill artist village
• 🌲 Train to get to indigenous tourism place
• 🦊 Hike with Taipei 101 view

• 🦊 🍵 Rouhe Night market

  • Should be an easy 20-min subway or train ride from main station (just got off at Songshan station)
  • Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun
  • Dorayaki (Japanese mini pancakes)
  • Mochi Baby (Michelin-recommended mochi stall)
  • Mountain Boar Sausage
  • Bursting Mushroom Baby (deep-fried mushrooms)
  • Right next door to Songshan Ciyou Mazu Temple (Russell loves temples): https://www.goteamjosh.com/blog/ciyoutemple
• 🌲 A personal driver for the day?

• (everyone) Food reservations for other days?

  • https://www.eater.com/maps/best-taipei-restaurants

TODOs

• Arrange meet up with Robert and Jayme
• (everyone) currency - savings account with Charles Schwab good for international (no transactional fee, refund ATM)
• (everyone) sim card
• 🍵 Contact Jayme
• 🐯 Splitwise
• Shared Google Map

Round 2 voting

🌲 (Daphne) 🐯 (Tiger) 🐢(Sherry) 🦊(Russell) 🍵(Denalex)

• Activities Round 2

  • half day farm trip - (1pm - 6pm) thousand island lake + bagua tea garden + pingling tea museum + Xuan Zi Ju Tea House, you get picked up and dropped off by car 🦊🌲🐯🍵 🐢
  • Beitou hot spring (Taipei) 🐯🐢 (30 min drive, 45 min transit)

  • Learn to pull noodles (watch this video) 石碇許家手工麵線 (map) (50 mins drive, not consider transit) 🌲🐯 麵線體驗1hr 9:00~13:30 流水麵 20 min 9:00~15:00

    • Taxi from xindian to the mountain was $700 for 30 mins. We were there from 11-11:50pm. We asked them to get us taxi on the way back.
  • socks museum - make your own socks/scarf on a 100 year old hand crank knitting machine - has an english tour + DIY Sock-Knitting Course (25 drive, 50 mins transit) 🌲 
  • Wisteria Tea House in Taipei https://www.thetravel.com/how-to-tour-tea-houses-in-taiwan/ 🦊 (can I put two votes? lol jk) 🌲 🐯🍵 🐢
  • Yehliu Geopark 🐯🐢 (1 hr by car / 1.5 hours transit)
  • Houtong Cat Village
  • National Palace Museum 🦊🐢🍵
  • tofu making class - make tofu + eat desserts (New Taipei city) 🌲🐯 

  • National Taiwan Museum / 228 Peace Park / 228 Memorial Hall / Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (all right next to each other, two blocks from hotel) 🦊🐢🍵

    • 228 Peace Park / Memorial Hall might be covered by walking tour already
  • Taipei Fine Arts Museum 🍵
  • Huashan 1914 Creative Park 🦊🐢
  • Treasure Hill Artist Village (squatter colony → artist community) 🦊🐢🍵
  • Songshan Cultural Park
  • Banqiao 435 Art Zone (seems more family-oriented than the other artsy parks)
  • Taipei Cinema Park (seems smaller than the other artsy parks)
  • Climbing 🐢
  • https://www.nickkembel.com/day-trips-from-taipei/ possible day trips?

Round 1 Voting

🌲 (Daphne) 🐯 (Tiger) 🐢(Sherry) 🦊(Russell) 🍵(Denalex)

• Walking tour

  • 9-12pm to cover major attractions (Ex. Longshan Temple, Bopiliao, Ximending, 228 Peace Memorial Park, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall) and learn about the history - a good Day 1 activity 🌲🐯🦊 🐢
  • https://www.likeitformosa.com/taipei-food (Thu, Sat)

• Indigenous tourism

  • blog + tiktok (Hualian) 🌲🦊🐢🍵🐯

• Tea farm

  • Pinglin Tea Museum + Green Light Farm 綠光農園 - tea tasting + picking with a farmer need to check if it’s the right time of the year (New Taipei City) (must do for Russell if possible lol) 🌲🐯 🦊 🐢🍵

• Traditional theatre

  • Chinese opera - they have a show when we’re there! (Taipei) 🌲🍵
  • puppetry - no availability

• Farms

  Note: i want to spend more time researching this to find seasonal fruits

  • Cherry Tomato Picking (Taipei) 🐢
  • Picking Callalily (Taipei)

• DIY class

  • Make pineapple cakes + (Taipei) 🌲 🐢 (use google translate)
  • tofu making class - make tofu + eat desserts (New Taipei city) 🌲🐯 
  • Harvest scallions then make scallion pancakes + other place (Yilan) - half day activity
  • mochi making class (Yilan)

• Food

  • Rouhe Night market (Taipei) - food 🌲🦊 🐢🍵
  • Hot spring steamed eggs and corn - map (Yilan)
  • Lots of restaurants https://www.eater.com/maps/best-taipei-restaurants 🌲🦊 🐢🍵
  • Hanko 60 (speakeasy)

• Activities

  • Hike with Taipei 101 view at Xiangshan (Elephant mountain)(Taipei) - blog 🌲🐯🦊 🐢
  • Indoor shrimp fishing (anywhere) - blog 🌲 🐯🐢
  • Dress up in qipao (traditional clothing) for free (Taipei) - video 🌲 
  • Alishan mountain and their red train (Chiayi)  - blog 🌲🐯🦊🐢🍵 (too far)
  • Beitou hot spring (Taipei) (not strongly) 🦊🐯🐢

• Just because it’s cheaper in Taiwan

  • Sherry and Daphne get their hair perm
  • Tiger & Daphne is getting some clothing tailored

• Things that are further

  • Guava Picking (Changhua) 🐯
  • Visit Taoyuan 🍵
  • Visit Tainan 🍵
  • Persimmon Farm (Hsinchu)
  • Fish ball making (Hsinchu)
  • Heiqiao Sausage Museum (Tainan)

• Suggestions from Rob

  • more night markets omg
  • danshui in the north
  • biking along the rivers and places!!! the ubikes are easy to use and cheap
  • zhongshan neighbourhoods
  • da an neighbourhoods (coffee!)
  • climbing time! so many gyms!!!!
  • treasure hill
  • zoo, they have (sad?) pandas
  • so many restaurants
  • place museum (acronym “npm”, for real that’s their website), for the jade food

Emergency Contact

• Daphne’s mom

  • Lillian Liu-Hsiung

    0927830719

11F., No. 9, Ln. 78, Baoqiao Rd., Xindian Dist., New Taipei City 231605, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

新北市新店區寶橋路78巷9號11樓

Are there any days you will be spending away from the group?

• Tiger & Daphne - no, we’ll visit Daphne’s mom on Mar 9/10 before you all arrive
• Denalex - visiting Google coworker? 🍵

Anything you don’t want to do?

• Daphne - don’t want to go to Taichung since I didn’t tell my mom’s side of family that I’m visiting

Any dietary restrictions?

• Tiger & Daphne - will avoid lactose when we can but happy to make an exception for the trip

Ideal living situation and areas you like?

• Tiger & Daphne - affordable, easy to access to everything, near Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan is great bc there are lots of food nearby
• Denalex
• Sherry & Russell - affordable, private bed+bath, easy to access to everything, near Taipei Main Station

—-

Round 2 voting result

• 4 votes

  • Tea farm
  • Indigenous tourism
  • Rouhe Night market (Taipei)
  • Lots of restaurants

• 3 votes

  • walking tour

  • Hike with Taipei 101 view at Xiangshan

    • Rob: “march 15 if you’re thinking of hushan i think is a risky plan haha”
    • Rob: “https://maps.app.goo.gl/KfhYfPgwe4Fk7SsY9?g_st=ic is another nice hike but it faces the north so no 101, but as a short hike i think it’s nicer than hushan”

• 2 votes

  • Chinese opera - oh no their availability is 3/10 14:30-17:30 and 3/15pm 19:30-22:30
  • Pineapple cakes class - 10am or 2pm every day
  • Indoor shrimp fishing

  • Alishan mountain and their red train (Chiayi) https://www.nickkembel.com/alishan-taiwan-sunrise/

    • 3hr Taipei → Chiayi City (driving or transit)
    • 2hr bus ride from Chiayi City
    • most famous nature preserve on Taiwan — misty forests, bamboo forests, tallest mountain on Taiwan

    • nearby village makes Alishan High Mountain Oolong (one of the best teas in the world)

      • “Be aware that they don’t speak much (or any) English, and you should bring your own food to cook as there are no restaurants nearby.” (it’s a small village)
    • particularly well-known for sunrises
    • cherry blossoms in mid March or April (but, we’re probably too early)

    • Alishan Forest Railway

      • no longer runs Chiayi City → Alishan, but runs between destinations within Alishan
  • Beitou hot spring (Taipei) - Russell not strongly

Hotel

• Meander 1948 Hostel (3 star, ~120/night for private room)
• CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch I (3 star, ~$90/night)
• Click Hotel (3 star, ~$80/night)

Indigenous Tourism

• website

• schedule

  • leave by 9am
  • take train for 3hr
  • we can do 1:30pm class that takes 2.5 hours, ends at 4
  • take train for 3hr
  • back by 7pm

• activities

  • trying on traditional clothing
  • make sticky rice in a bamboo
  • archery
  • bbq around fire
  • setting traps
  • fishing

have soup they made + sticky rice you made

Tea farm

• 🌲Tea farm

  • 美加茶園 Mei-Jia Tea Garden - need 15 people - messaged them on fb, the weather in northern Taiwan is not ready yet and open will open end of march. They do offer drop-in tea drinking service
  • 世芳有機茶園 need 20 people to sign up- messaged them on fb - they’re not sure if it’s available
  • 綠光農園 - emailed, were busy with upcoming tea festival, can do the weekend, 30 mins by car, 1 hr 37 mins by bus (gmap) - estimated $43 one way for 5 people

  • 星源茶園 - can speak english, messaged them on fb →

    • can do any time besides from 15th afternoon
    • 2 hours by bus / 1hr 20 mins by car (gmap) - 95.22
  • 馨山茶園 - messaged them on fb, they’re available → 2 hours by bus 1hr 20 mins by car (gmap)

  • 新北市農會文山農場 need 20 people - emailed them

    • haven’t gotten back to us
    • 1 hr 30 mins by train / 30 mins by car (gmap)
  • a tour to Pinglin Tea for $47.66 per person but seems like they just drive you around, taste tea, go to tea museum (no picking), go with group
  • Ecocha someone on reddit said they are open for tours but just look like a shop

  • Too far

    • alishan
    • Antique Assam Tea Farm

  • Just for drinking tea options

    • Mei-Jia Tea Garden in Maokong
    • Wisteria Tea House https://www.thetravel.com/how-to-tour-tea-houses-in-taiwan/

Factories

• lantern factory in Zhushan. They made the hanging lanterns for temples. We got to paint our own - far
• ceramics factory where they make bottles for Kinmen 高粱/gaoliang. We got to paint our own ceramic bowls - far
• socks museum http://www.socksmuseum.com/en/about.php - own sock/scarf on a 100 year old hand crank knitting machine - has an english tour + DIY Sock-Knitting Course

• pull noodles at Hsu’s noodles in Shiding. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmdEZy9oINe/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= 石碇許家手工麵線 Shiding District, New Taipei City (map)

  • 麵線體驗9:00~13:30 流水麵9:00~15:00

  Noodle pulling experience plus nagashi water noodle meal

  NT 500 ($16.25 USD)

  Accompanying person, no diy experience. Ticket includes 50 NT coupon for food and drinks

  NT 100 ($3 USD)

• Suho paper museum https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmPGR1XOmtW/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• indigo dying class 三峽藍染遊客服務中心-青出於藍染工坊 02 8674 3601 https://maps.app.goo.gl/sjByAG3QsEiWmXcSA
• watch museum to DIY cute watch things and if you order ahead of time you can make your own watch! Wang Ding time arts museum 02 2268 2999 https://maps.app.goo.gl/kU3vVrqUzDp6fpP3A
• soy sauce makers in Taiwan. The one I went to is Ta-tung.