Traveling on my own for the 1st time
 

I am going to be traveling out of the country on my own for the first time, I will be going to Taiwan and Japan. I am going to be in Taiwan durring the National Holiday, I was wondering what the holiday is like, if I should be aware of anything for it. Also, what should I see when I am there. I am going to be visiting my friend so I will have a personal translator on my trip ;). How is the weather in Taiwan in October? I was told that to go from one end of Taiwan to the other is not too bad, so anything in Taiwan worth visiting would be wonderful.

Thank you in advance for your replies.
Amit

I think I was there about that time and the weather was fine. The thing that has remained in my memory was the museum in Taipei..fabulous stuff ( look outfor the cabbage carved from jade!). Other interesting things outside the capital are Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge.Have fun!

Thanks, I'll definately put that on places to see. I am also wondering how is National Day in Taiwan? By what I read, its very similiar to the 4th of July in the US. Am I right in thinking that? Information on Karaoke bars and night markets in Taiwan would also be nice to know about.

Thanks,
Amit :)

Not sure how it is today, but years past the Taiwanese government organize a lot of tour groups of overseas Chinese to visit the island during the Oct 10 holidays. That means very crowded at the major sightseeing areas, and transportation can be overwhelmed. You may want to ask about this to see if that's still the case.

The National Museum is truly fabulous. Make sure you give it enough time. (I spent two half days there.)

I didn't find Taiwan a fabulous place for shopping. However, I did visit the jade market in Taipei and made a number of lovely purchases there. By the way, no one there spoke any English (ok, one woman spoke a little), so your friend would be helpful there. However, I managed fine, I just wish I could have understood what the old man was telling me about the old jade carving I purchased from him.

As I was doing some research for my trip to Taiwan, I found this excellent site that allows you to see areas of Taiwan in real time over the internet. The site is http://twcam.www.gov.tw/webcam/english/index.jsp. The country looks really nice, I can not wait to get there and check out a lot of the area.

Amit :)

If you can travel around, I'd go south from Taipei on the east coast...really lovely and not industrial like the west (though Kiaohsung had a lovely downtown all lit up along the Love river and parks with colored lights). Chihpen, about half way down the coast, has hot springs and resorts I really enjoyed my stay there. The south has beaches and is quite warm even in winter. Taroko Gorge is on the east coast, and the mountains in the middle have hiking and rafting opportunities.

In Taipei there are I think two night markets, one kind of touristy the other not so much - Shir Lin is one I was told to go to by my Taiwanese friends but never made it. Your friend should be able to help you there.

I will be leaving for my vacation, and just wanted to know if there was any last minute advice since this is my first trip alone. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Amit :)

Have fun!

Smile. Be patient.
Scan (or make a digital photo of) your passport and then e-mail the digital copy to your yahoo e-mail address (as a backup to the paper copy of the passport that you will be taking with you).

I just returned from my vacation and i had a great time. I did not go far outside of Taipei so I did not get to see all of the Taiwan culture. But the subways were easy to navigate coming from NY, it did not take me long to figure things out. The buses on the other hand is another story. I did so many things and ate so many good delicious food.

Email me if you have any questions from my vacation to Taiwan at [email protected].

Thank you,
Amit :)