Media
Taiwan has a very free and liberal press. There are three daily local newspapers available in English, the China Post (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/), the Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.co...), and the Taiwan News (http://www.etaiwannews.com/). Note that most media in Taiwan has a political slant; the China Post is more pan-blue while Taipei Times and Taiwan News are more pan-green.
Free magazines and information are available from the following:
Centred on Taipei
(http://www.community.com....) is a free monthly designed for expats living in taipei, but it is also very useful for visitors. it can be found in many of the major hotels throughout taipei, and also in many businesses in the tian mu area.
This Month in Taiwan
Is a free magazine that lists events and has an exhaustive directory of useful numbers in taiwan. it can be found at tourist offices and major hotels.
POTS
(http://en.pots.com.tw) is a free weekly where you can find out what is going on in the taipei art, club, and bar scenes. there is a eight page english supplement every week with extensive listings. pick it up at bars like bobwundaye, the living room, or odeon 2.
FTV English Edition
(http://www.englishnews.ft...) â this show is an hour of english news shown on channel 53 2005 on the local tv station formosa tv ftv at 11pm every night. the program features 30 minutes of local news, as well as cultural events. the show is archived online.
Hospitals
Chung-shan Hospital
ä¸å±±é«é¢ â a small hospital popular with expats. 11, lane 112, renai road, sec. 4. tel:+886 2 2708-1166. nearest mrt: 'zhongxiao-dunhua' a fifteen minute walk.
Buddhist Tzu-chi Hospital
æ æ¿é«é¢ â a very friendly and efficient hospital with an especially caring environment. jianguo road, xindian city. tel:+886 2 6628-6336, 6628-9800.
National Taiwan University Hospital
å°å¤§é«é¢ â one of taiwan's largest and most famous hospitals. 1 changde street. tel:+886 2 2312-3456. nearest mrt station: ntu hospital.
Taiwan Adventist Hospital
å°å®é«é¢ â this hospital has english-speaking staff. 424 bade road sec. 2. tel:+886 2 2771-8151.
Yang-ming Hospital
é½æé«é¢ â popular with the tianmu expat community. 105 yusheng street, shilin.
Taipei is one of the safest cities you will ever visit, and violent crime is extremely rare. However, as in many large cities, pickpockets operate in crowded areas, and so you should be vigilant in night markets.
Local police are a resource you can turn for help, and many officers speak at least basic English.
Central Weather Bureau
(http://www.cwb.gov.tw/eng...) â In addition to giving a seven day forecasts for Taipei, this website also has detailed maps showing the path of an approaching typhoon and up-to-the-minute information of earthquakes, giving their location and magnitude.English-Speaking Police:+886 2 2555 4257 / 2556 6007
Emergency numbers: Police: 110 Ambulance, Fire brigade: 119
outskirts
Danshui, an old port town northwest of Taipei, is the main scene of the Taiwanese movie - Secret by Jay Chou. It's very popular with tourists.
Jiufen is a former gold mining town located on the northeast coast is now a popular tourist destination.
Fulong is in the eastern coast of Taipei County. There you will find a coastal town with an excellent beach. Every July, don't forget to attend the three day Ho-hai-yan Rock Festival.
Yingge is famous for its high concentration of potters and ceramic makers.
Taroko Gorge – Here, the Liwu River cuts through 3,000-foot marble cliffs. The area around the gorge is also identified as Taroko Gorge National Park.
Hsinchu is a city with an old heritage and modern science park.
Shei-pa National Park spans mountains and rivers and is in Hsinchu County has great hiking trails.
Sun Moon Lake (http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/) in Nantou County is a crystal clear lake embedded into lush mountains.
02
The area dialing code for Taipei is 02. From overseas, dial +886 2 XXXX XXXX
internet cafes
Internet cafes are plentiful, especially in the maze of alleys between Taipei Main Station and Peace Park. However, you may have to wander around and look up and down as many are on higher floors or in the basement before finding one. Some computers are coin operated. Internet cafes are known as wang-ka in Chinese a combination of wang, the Chinese word for 'net', and ka an abbreviation of 'cafe'.
Below is a list of a few recommended internet cafes:
B1 is on corner of Shida Road and Lane 117 â This internet cafe is a two minute walk from MRT station Taipower Building, exit 3.
Aztec, 2F. 235 Zhongxiao East Road, sec. 4.
LHH Cyber Cafe, 28 Guangfu South Road.
Skywalker Multimedia Entertainment Center, B1, 119 Minsheng East Road, sec. 2.
Taipei also has a city-wide wi fi service called Wifly (http://www.wifly.com.tw/). For a small fee, you can buy a card that gives you unlimited internet access nearly anywhere in the city for a day or a month. The card costs NT$100 for 1 day of unlimited access and NT$500 for 31 days of unlimited access and can be purchased in Starbucks Coffee Shops, 7 eleven stores or online connect via wifi to wifly network for details.
tourist and emergency numbers
Tourist Information Office: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao East Road., Sec. 4. TEL:2349-1500 â There is also a branch tourist office next to the ticket purchasing counters at Taipei Main Station, and near exit 16 in the Metro Mall underground shopping plaza that runs between MRT the Zhongxiao-Fushing and Zhongxiao-Dunhwa Stations.
Tourist Information emergency number - Tel:+886 2 2717-3737.
major airlines
For up-to-date information on cheap flights, check the advertisement pages of one of the three local daily English newspapers see 'Media'section below.