Strategy: It’s a new country and a chance to see a newer, more “western” (?) China. I arrive in Taipei, Taiwan on a Wednesday at 2:30 in the afternoon. I depart on Saturday at 6:00 PM. I’ll have 4+ days in the city. I’m staying near the Peace Park, the Railway Station and the North Gate. I will have phone service in Taiwan. 100 TWD = $3.17078 USD. Lonely Planet Taiwan is available in Kindle Unlimited.

Weather: Temperature averages for lows/highs is 63/74 with less than 1 inch of rain in March. Oklahoma City gets about 3 inches of rain in March.

Airfare: Onetravel can get me out of Bangkok to Taipei for $107 on Tigerair. Tigerair (and Peach) also flies from Taipei to Okinawa for around $65 USD. I wound up taking Vietjet from Saigon for $70.

Transfers: Bus looks to cost $5 USD or less. Bus 1819 costs 125 TWD to the Taipei West Bus Station which is less than a kilometer from the hostel. The bus takes about an hour. There is a High Speed Rail that looks to take about 20 minutes to get to the city and costs 160 TWD plus a small transfer fee to the HSR..

Local Transportation: The metro pass page is located here. They have metro information. Think 3 day TaipeiPass for 440 TWD. Get one that allows a Gondola Ride.

Hostels: HostelWorld. Hostelbookers. Lonely Planet. Over 100 hostels listed. Wound up booking the Fun Inn where, interestingly, there is no alcohol allowed on the premises. I wound up paying $44 for 3 nights.

Attractions: TripAdvisor.  RoughGuides. Google. Lonely Planet. LP Attractions. Frommer’s Favorites. Frommer’s. Fodor’s. VirtualTourist. There are 5 Hillman Wonders on Taiwan, all red: Kenting National Park, National Palace Museum (Taipei – #7 on art museums by visitors), Lungsham Temple (Taipei), Taipei 101 Building and Taroko Gorge. Also think Shilin Night Market (far away) & Taiwan HSR. Night markets are, IMHO, the best places in the world for great food. There are no UNESCO WHL properties on Taiwan. More sights: Ximending (shopping district two blocks from hostel),  Railway Station, Formosa Boulevard Station (Dome of Light), Snake Alley (delicacies such as snake penis and turtle testicles as well as being very close to Lungsham Temple), Red House Theater (Images), Taipei Zoo ( largest zoo in Asia), Chiang Kai Shek – CKS Memorial (Images), Maokong Gondola (Images), Jiufen (day trip),