Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Taipei In A Day (台北一日遊) Highlighted in Taiwan's Most Popular Travel Magazine

Here's the link to the article:
Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition (台北一日遊)

The book is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com. In Taipei the book is available at Cherry Valley Bookstore, Tienmu East Road, Lane 8, #99,Tienmu, Taipei (behind TAS)(台北市士林區天母東路8巷99號) (02) 2876-9293.

Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com! --Scott

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Giant Pandas Arrive On Taiwan

Two giant pandas, Tuan-tuan and Yuan-yuan, arrived on Taiwan this evening. The pandas are from the Sichuan province in southwest China, and it's a big deal: TVBS news dedicated an entire minute of air time of the two pandas quietly consuming their first meal of bamboo shoots in Taipei (imagine, an entire minute of two pandas silently chewing...chewing...chewing). It's as if Taiwan has received the John Lennon and Paul McCartney of pandas.

The pandas are symbolic because this "gift" indicates warming ties between Mainland China and Taiwan. Not surprisingly, when their first names ("tuan yuan") are said together it means "reunion," which may have political overtones considering that's precisely what the Mainland is hoping for.

The pandas arrived along with a 32-member delegation and had an elaborate "6-star" facility constructed for them at Taipei Zoo in Muzha by Shin Kong Group at a cost of NT$310 million (US$9.37 million). The panda exhibit will open to the public on January 25, just in time for Chinese Lunar New Year (no coincidence, it's when just about everything else will be closed). Expect extensive news coverage of the vast throngs of excited children (and adults) eager to see the exhibit. Hopefully the showrooms will be soundproof so the crowds don't frighten our two new furry friends.

If you don't think the pandas will be living in style, their facility includes a modern international conference hall for politicians, VIPs and other movers and shakers to observe them while wheeling and dealing; perhaps local companies hope that they'll score a better deal while international business representatives are overwhelmed by the site of the two pandas rolling around and chomping on bamboo? An expansive hall on the second floor is where the rest of us could view the two cuddly-looking animals. The ground floor has two air-conditioned "showrooms" (245 and 210 square meters, respectively), which will be naturally ventilated during the winter.

Will the two mate? That's what zoo officials are hoping for. If you think human conception is difficult, pandas have a three-month mating period, and during that time the female's estrous cycle lasts for only three days (and the fact that the male panda has a very small penis doesn't help, either). If you suggest panda porn to get the two in the mood, you're not far off: according to one local newspaper, "The zoo is...planning to show Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan videos of mating pandas to try to arouse their interest in mating."

Expect to see a plethora of panda t-shirts, dolls, and other panda paraphernalia for sale at the zoo, department stores, various retail locations and of course, at night markets around the island. Remember Hulkamania? In about a month, we'll see on Taiwan Pandamania running wild...

The story was reported here and here.

Updates

Hall Yard Resort (花月溫泉館) in Beitou, which was said to have been undergoing renovation to be reopened, has closed. For the best hot springs to frequent in the area please see Hot Springs (溫泉) on page 73.

While in town you'd be remiss not to visit Beitou, a Taipei district rife with serene green parks and natural hot springs. Try Spring City Resort (春天酒店), Youya Road, #18, Beitou District, Taipei City (台北市北投區幽雅路18號) (02) 2897-5555. They have outstanding outdoor warm and cold springs so kids could play while the adults relax.

Beitou District has a lot to offer in terms of cultural life, as well, there are several museums such as Beitou Hot Springs Museum (北投溫泉博物館), Zhongshan Road, #2, Beitou District, Taipei (台北市北投區中山路2號) (02) 2893-9981. The museum is only a three-minute walk from Xinbeitou Station (新北投站).

Also check out Hell Valley (地熱谷), a natural sulfuric pond at the end of Zhongshan Road (中山路), approximately ten minutes by foot from Xinbeitou Station (新北投站). It takes around 25 minutes to reach Beitou Station from Taipei Main Station.

Another must-see while you're in town is Danshui (淡水), the last stop on the red line station heading north from Taipei. There are ample parks (with horseback riding behind the MRT weekends), historic relics and a wharf, which also boasts a sprawling park that the kids would enjoy. The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) ride to Danshui takes about fifty-minutes from Taipei Main Station but it’s worth the trek.

In May the weather tends to be hot and sunny in the morning and early afternoon (around 80 F) with intermittent showers during late afternoons, and umbrellas can be purchased easily (and inexpensively) at most convenience stores. It cools down evenings and is hit or miss as far as light showers go.

Due to the success of the observatory at Taipei 101, Topview Taipei, Shin Kong Observatory (新光摩天展望台), has closed.

TAIPEI SEA WORLD (Fin’s Life Taipei) (台北海洋生活館) has closed.

Fu Lin Men (福臨門) Cantonese-style restaurant at Danshui Station (淡水捷運總站) has closed.

The Maokong Gondola (貓空纜車) is currently being renovated due to land erosion and is not expected to open until sometime in 2010. Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan, and if you need a personal Taiwan guide, I provide custom "Taipei in a Day" tours based on my best-selling Taiwan tour guide!  Feel free to contact me via www.taipeiinaday.com for details.  --Scott

Thursday, November 27, 2008

11/29 Book Signing @ TES Fall Fair & Arts Festival

I've been asked to do a book signing for Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition (台北一日遊) at Taipei European School (TES) this Saturday, November 29. The book is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school's Wen Lin Road campus, the address is: No. 731, Wen Lin Road, Shihlin, Taipei, call (02) 2832-6614 for more info.

In Taipei the book is available at Cherry Valley Bookstore, Tienmu East Road, Lane 8, #99, Tienmu, Taipei (behind TAS) (台北市士林區天母東路8巷99號) (02) 2876-9293.

Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com! I look forward to meeting you at TES on Saturday, 11/29! --Scott

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Taichung and Nantou Attractions: Jingming 1st Street (精明一街), Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市) and Sun Moon Lake (日月潭)

Although Taichung City has ample department stores, a visit to Jingming 1st Street (精明一街), referred to locally as “tea street,” a European-style shopping district lined with coffee shops and boutiques, makes for a unique experience . This quaint sixty-meter pedestrian street (closed to cars) is between Jingcheng Road (精誠路) and Jingming 2nd Street (精明二街), not far from Taizhonggang Road, Section 2 (台中港路二段). From the old Taichung train station, adjacent to the bus station (Gan Train), the ride takes ten to fifteen minutes and costs around NT $170.

If you prefer to travel by bus you could board at Taichung Bus Station, the ride costs NT $20 and takes about twenty minutes one way. By bus take Taichung Keyun (台中汽車客運公司), bus numbers 27, 70, 88, 103, 106, 146, and 147 all stop near Jingming 1st Street. Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市) isn’t near Jingming 1st Street (精明一街), they’re in two different districts. By cab the ride takes about 12 minutes and will set you back around NT $150.

Although in Chinese, here's the official link for Taichung Bus Company: http://www.tcbus.com.tw/

Here's the official link for Jingming 1st Street (精明一街): http://www.jingming1st.com.tw/

If you're traveling by Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR), a free shuttle bus runs from Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) Taichung Station to Pacific Sogo Department Store, (Sogo). From Sogo it’s a 15-minute walk to Jingming 1st Street (精明一街). Alternatively, by taxi from THSR Taichung Station the ride takes 30 minutes and costs around NT $350. From Taipei to Taichung a ticket on the high-speed rail costs NT $560 (standard ticket) and the ride takes an hour. Call (02) 4066-5678 for general information or (02) 6626-8000 for phone booking. Here’s the official link in English: http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/index.htm

Directions from Jingming 1st Street (精明一街) to Sun Moon Lake (日月潭):

It's possible to go from Jingming 1st Street (精明一街) to the popular Nantou County tourist destination of Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), cab it to the old Taichung train station, it's adjacent to the bus station (Gan Train). The ride to the station takes ten to fifteen minutes and costs around NT $170. From the bus station there are several buses that run to Sun Moon Lake, one of which is Nantou Keyuen (南投客運) (049) 298-4031, which runs to Puli, Nantou County, and Sun Moon Lake. Although in Chinese, here is the bus company's website: http://ntbus.com.tw/.

Here's the official link for Sun Moon Lake: http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/

Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan, and if you need a personal Taiwan guide, I provide custom "Taipei in a Day" (台北一日遊)" tours based on my best-selling Taiwan tour guide!  Feel free to contact me via www.taipeiinaday.com for details.  --Scott

Sunday, October 19, 2008

New Book Signing 11/1 at TAS!

I've been asked to do a book signing for Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition (台北一日遊) at Taipei American School (TAS) in Tienmu, Saturday, November 1 from 11 am until 12:30 pm.

The book is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com.


Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com!

I look forward to meeting you at TAS on Saturday, 11/1! --Scott

Friday, May 9, 2008

Eddy Burrito (墨西哥捲餅)




If you're heading to Danshui, be sure to stop by Eddy Burrito for some truly outstanding Mexican food.

At Eddy Burrito (墨西哥捲餅), experience the best chicken burritos (NT $79), sopapillas (NT $25), chicken quesadillas (NT $59) and horchatas (NT $35) on Taiwan! The stand is located on Danshui Old Street (淡水老街), Gongming Street, #15 (台北縣淡水鎮公明街15號), just up the road from Danshui Station.



Top right, the author (left) of Taipei In A Day Includes Taiwan From A To Z with two other satisfied Eddy Burrito customers.




Below, Eddy and Jo Gonzalez, founders of Eddy Burrito. They not only make fantastic Mexican food, but they're also great people who care about food quality and their customers. The couple will be opening a restaurant in Danshui this summer, so be sure to visit their website http://www.eddyburrito.com/ for updates.

See you soon! -Scott

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Taiwan Travel Book Praised on ParentPages.net

Thank you for the positive feedback!

Next signing will take place at the Taipei American School (TAS) Orphanage Club event. Many thanks to everyone for the positive feedback!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Taiwan Travel Book Launch Featured in China Post and Taipei Times

In addition to a blurb in the Taipei Times, this article recently appeared in the China Post newspaper Prime Books section:

“My wife Cindy and I are delighted that Scott Freiberger has selected Cherry Valley Bookstore to launch his ground-breaking new Taiwan tour guide, Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z,” said native Californian and Taipei resident Ben Foster. “The book encompasses everything that a Taiwan tour guide should, cultural and historical information, bilingual communication and travel tips, coverage of major attractions and out-of-the-way places with names and addresses in both English and Chinese, detailed maps, unique attractions and photos, not to mention humor. The book is already generating quite a buzz, we’ve had people from as far away as Taichung and Tainan coming in to pick up copies.”

Official book website: http://www.TaiwanTravelBook.com/


Next signing will take place at the TAS Orphanage Club event, Saturday, May 17. 

Taipei In A Day: Includes Taiwan From A To Z is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com. Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com!

It has been a pleasure helping countless travelers to Taiwan enjoy their travels with greater ease.  Thank you to everyone who has provided a positive review of my guidebook and custom "Taipei In A Day (台北一日遊)" tour  based on my best-selling Taiwan travel book, Taipei in a Day: Includes Taiwan from A to Z,  I sincerely appreciate it.  

Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan, and if you need a personal Taiwan guide, I provide custom "Taipei in a Day (台北一日遊)" tours based on my best-selling Taiwan tour guide!  Feel free to contact me via www.taipeiinaday.com for details.  --Scott

Friday, April 11, 2008

Official Taiwan Book Launch and Signing Announcement!

http://www.TaiwanTravelBook.com

The official Taiwan book launch and signing of Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition (台北一日遊)(NT $699) will be held at the Taipei American School (TAS) Spring Fair on Saturday, April 19 from 10 am to 3 pm.



For more information about Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition (台北一日遊) please visit http://www.TaiwanTravelBook.com/.

Taipei In A Day: Includes Taiwan From A To Z is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com. Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com!

It has been a pleasure helping countless travelers to Taiwan enjoy their travels with greater ease.  Thank you to everyone who has provided a positive review of my guidebook and custom "Taipei In A Day (台北一日遊)" tour  based on my best-selling Taiwan travel book, Taipei in a Day: Includes Taiwan from A to Z,  I sincerely appreciate it.  

Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan, and if you need a personal Taiwan guide, I provide custom "Taipei in a Day (台北一日遊)" tours based on my best-selling Taiwan tour guide!  Feel free to contact me via www.taipeiinaday.com for details.  --Scott

Friday, April 4, 2008

Unique Taiwanese

One thing I love about Taiwanese, in addition to being some of the most friendly and welcoming people on earth towards international visitors, is their inherent curiousity, passion for learning and desire to experiment.

On an ordinary spring day I happened upon "future man" and his Jetsons-like three-wheeled vehicle. Could you imagine passing by this on the freeway?

Is it a car or a moped? A car-ped, perhaps? Or a car-pod? This car can't possibly go very fast, and it would probably be blown over in a typhoon. So it's only safe if every other car on the road is the same as this one! What do you think?

Thursday, April 3, 2008

TAIWAN ROCKED BY SEX SCANDALS!

Got your attention, didn’t I? When I had arrived on Taiwan in 1997 there was nary a chance to view news headlines like this, but in an age of aggressive advertising on the Internet by companies selling spy devices and a public that feeds on scandal, headlines similar to this one are becoming increasingly common. In fact, in recent years the democratic Republic of China (ROC) has had its fair share.

In December, 2001, Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) , a TV journalist elected Taipei city councilwoman who later served as director of Hsinchu City's Bureau of Cultural Affairs, was secretly recorded at her apartment having an affair with a married man. The tabloid magazine Scoop Weekly (獨家報導周刊) broke the story, along with free DVDs of the video, and the news quickly became a sensation throughout Asia (not to mention the insomnia it caused to teenage boys!). The steamy scandal, rife with deception, abuse of power and sex, was one of the first of its kind on the island as it set a precedent regarding freedom of the press versus a public official’s right to privacy. In an ironic twist, Taiwan Television Enterprise had asked Chu to resign several years earlier after the station received intense criticism about her use of a hidden camera to report on a local gay bar. (Chu has since relocated to Mainland China where she married and became a mother.)

Around this time, The Journalist (新新聞周刊) magazine published a story alleging an affair between President Chen Shui-bian and Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), an advisor and interpreter for nearly two years (the Chinese Monica Lewinsky, perhaps?). The magazine, which claimed it had received a tip from Vice-President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮 Lu Shiu-lian), subsequently lost a libel suit from Lu and was ordered to print an apology on the front pages of four major Chinese-language newspapers.

Taiwanese continue to receive breaking scandals from newspapers and steamy tabloids such as Next Magazine (台灣壹週刊), a Hong Kong-based publication that arrived on Taiwan on May 31, 2001. However, the recent sweeping election of incoming Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou indicates that the public has grown weary of scandals, as one of Ma’s key election themes was “clean government.” Let’s hope that Ma’s administration is successful at revitalizing the economy and Taiwan can continue to prosper.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)

Congratulations to Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Kuomintang (KMT) presidential and vice-presidential candidates, who recently defeated the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), presidential and vice-presidential condenders, respectively. I delve deeper into Taiwanese politics and government in my new travel guide, Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition.

Ma, a former justice minister, Taipei mayor and KMT chairman, ran on a platform of "clean government" and economic change, themes which resonated with voters after the final four years of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration were marred by personal scandals involving his family and a lagging economy. Due in large part to economic concerns, the KMT trounced President Chen and his party in recent legislative elections, winning 86 of 113 seats. In the recent presidential election, Ma and his party won by approximately 17% of the vote, giving the "pan blue" camp control of both the executive and legislative branches. While many on Taiwan are elated that the new president will be able to implement his economic initiatives relatively unhindered, some on Taiwan, such as former President Lee, worry about the need for checks and balances in a democracy. Let's hope President Ma and his dedicated team can remain above petty political squabbles and remain focused on turning the economy around.

Born in Hong Kong (he and his family moved to Taiwan when he was one) and educated in law at Taiwan's top-ranking National Taiwan University and in the U.S. at NYU and Harvard, Ma held a high-profile news conference in English with local and international reporters immediately after his victory to answer queries related to his political and economic positions. He gave concrete proposals and demonstrated a pragmatic approach to working with allies as well as a keen understanding of some of the harsh political realities, namely dealing with Mainland China, that he will soon be facing. Ma Ying-jeou and his administration will take office on May 20, 2008.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Sanshia Old Street (三峽老街)

A recent visit to Sanshia Old Street (三峽老街) in Sanshia, Taipei County (about an hour southwest of Taipei Main Station by MRT and bus) proved more than a tad surprising! I'd expected the area to be small and touristy, similar to Jinbaoli Old Street in Jinshan, Taipei County (about an hour north of Danshui). How wrong I was!
The main entrance to Sanshia Old Street immediately impresses with a historic temple to the right, across from the police station, which bears a unique brick wall with arches that have been in existence for over half a century. As you can see, the town has done a wonderful job of preserving the architecture of a bygone era.
There are two main streets in the Old Street area, the main one of which, Minquan Road, is around two-hundred and fifty meters and boasts a towering temple as well as plenty of interesting food and trinket shops; another street that runs perpendicular to Minquan Road at the entrance is around fifty meters long and boasts another historic temple, Sanshia Zushih Temple (三峽清水祖師廟), at the end.

Many of the souveniers and shops on Sanshia Old Street, however, have a distinctness that is unlike those found on other Old Streets. Here you can purchase homemade soap, sweet grass juice, red bean or peanut-filled mwaji as well as croissants filled with, of all things, ice cream! There are also ample sausage vendors and a handful of noodle stands for light snacking. Here you can see how vendors once looked on Taiwan, selling their wares on the street, the man pictured above is a homemade soap vendor.
A visit here by MRT and bus shouldn't disappoint, after departing Yongning Station board bus 706, the bus ride (NT $15) takes around thirty minutes. Sanshia is only around twenty minutes by bus from Yingge Ceramics Museum (鶯歌陶瓷博物館) in Yingge, Taipei County, so if you're headed to Sanshia Old Street you may want to consider visiting both in the same day.


A temple God watches over all who enter Sanshia Old Street. Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan, and if you need a personal Taiwan guide, I provide custom "Taipei in a Day" (台北一日遊), tours based on my best-selling Taiwan tour guide!  Feel free to contact me via www.taipeiinaday.com for details.  --Scott

Friday, March 28, 2008

The Sand Pebbles

It's ironic that the tagline of the movie "The Sand Pebbles" is, "The story of men...who disturbed the sleeping dragon of China as the world watched in terror!" because it wasn't filmed in China, it was filmed here on Taiwan and in Hong Kong in 1966; many scenes were filmed in Danshui, Taipei County! In the movie only trees are visible on the towering Guangyin Mountain on Bali
(Taiwan's Bali, not the one in Indonesia) across the river from Danshui. Today, Bali boasts bright lights, scenic hiking trails, modern apartment complexes and upscale hot spring spas, a wonderful (yet somewhat pricey) water park, Bali Wharf, Left Bank Park and the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology.

Westerners were ridden around town on three-wheeled pedicabs or, as portrayed in the movie, carried around town by local guys pulling small wooden ox-cart carriages. In the scenes where the gunboat, the U.S.S. San Pablo, is surrounded by Mainland Chinese boats, the flags are those of Taiwan, the democratic Republic of China (ROC), not China, the communist People's Republic of China (PRC), although during that turbulent period in Taiwan's history Chiang Kai-shek had imposed martial law on the island. I delve deeper into Taiwan's history in my new traveler's guide, Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z.

"The Sand Pebbles" stars Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna (he later played Sylvestor Stallone's platoon commander in "Rambo"), and a very young Candice Bergen (of TV's "Murphy Brown" and currently "Boston Legal" fame). Crenna talks about going up and down the Yangtze River in China while we see Danshui, a bustling waterfront town in Taipei, and Guangyin Mountain on Bali across the river. The scene where a farmer is leading a large ox around a marsh is Hongshulin, where today people cycle from Danshui to Guandu and back along a serene bike route that runs adjacent to the MRT, alongside the Danshui River.

Some may find language used in the film to be offensive, the Westerners called the locals "slopeheads" and "coolies," and in one scene Steve McQueen remarked, "You slopeheads don't know nothin'!" "Slopeheads" is a derogatory (critical or disrespectful) term referring to people of Asian, especially Chinese, descent; "coolie" is a contemporary racial slur for people of Asian descent, including people from India and Central Asia. The term was originally used regarding Chinese railroad labor.

Overall "The Sand Pebbles" was a long (179 minutes) but surprisingly good flick, with an "intermission" (actually says "Intermission") where the film stops in the middle and soothing music plays, presumably so people in theaters could stretch their legs. What a remarkably different time, could you imagine "Rambo" stopping in the middle and hearing muzak (elevator music) so people could go to the bathroom and buy popcorn?

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Taxis

Due to rising gas prices, taxi rates at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have recently increased, there's now a 50% surcharge above the meter rate (plus a NT $40, or US $1.20, highway toll if traveling to Taipei). A typical fee from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei will set you back around NT$1,100 (US $33.00).

Only a few years ago hordes of taxi drivers aggressively approached international visitors to inquire as to whether taxi service was needed, thus one could easily obtain a set fare of NT $900 to $1000 (US $27.00 to $30.00) for a cab without metered service. Now, however, due to stricter regulation and police enforcement, independent "rogue" drivers are few and far between, and patrons must queue at taxi stands in front of both airport terminals.

For further information about Terminal I taxis call (03) 398-2832.
For further information about Terminal II taxis call (03) 398-3599.
To complain about taxi service from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport call (03) 398-2241 or (03) 398-2177.

Happy traveling!
-Scott

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Taipei In A Day


Welcome! My name is Scott Freiberger and this blog is a supplement to my book Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below, thank you.

Taipei In A Day (台北一日遊) is the most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to thoroughly enjoy Taiwan. Discover relics and know where to stay and play by using the included maps, complete Taipei dining, hotel, museum, night market, parks, temple and pub guides. Active globe trekkers will appreciate the detailed Taipei Guide to Mountain Climbing. For a soothing spot of tea, find serenity at Tea Station. Names and addresses are also listed in Chinese, along with local phone numbers, so major attractions and interesting out-of-the-way locales around the island are readily found. Helpful communication tips, important vocabulary and useful phrases are at your fingertips. The encompassing “Taiwan From A To Z” section introduces local cues, customs and important cultural information so readers can be travelers rather than tourists. After reading Taipei In A Day Includes: Taiwan From A To Z, First Edition you should be prepared for your visit, whether it spans a month, week, or weekend.

Taipei In A Day: Includes Taiwan From A To Z is available here, Amazon.com and at Barnes andNoble.com. Thank you again for making Taipei In A Day the highest-rated Taiwan travel book on amazon.com!

Thank you to everyone who has provided a positive review, I sincerely appreciate it. Have fun and enjoy your time on Taiwan!  --Scott