Ben's Guide to Taipei and Taiwan

They have very good western food, with a menu of items you may expect to find in a place called The Diner. They have very good burgers. They also serve breakfast. The price is average considering the size and the quality. I liked this better than NY Bagels, and certainly better than Grandma Nitti's. The Diner 145 Rui-an Street 瑞安街 Ruì'ān Jiē Near Heping E Rd. and JianGuo S. Rd. Near Daan Park, just east of Jianguo Rd. Rui-an Street is a one way street which exits into Heping East Rd. see also: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=49495

Not feeling adventurous, want some comfort food; then head to your nearest international chain for your ISO certified meal. Casual Dining: Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill Hooters The Outback Steakhouse is located next to Ikea at the Asiaworld Mall on the corner of Nanjing and Dunhua Roads. TGIFriday's has multiple locations in Taipei and Taiwan. Chili's is located in the Xinyi District, in the Neo 19 Building Romano's Macaroni Grill is also loctated in the Neo 19 Building. Fast Food: McDonalds has taken over the island. Burger King still has a few branches throughout the city. Moss Burger is a Japanese chain. Yoshinoya is Japanese fast food. KFC is another ubiquitous feature in Taipei and Taiwan. Subway and their local clone Subber are also found throughout Taipei. Fine Dining: Lawry's The Prime Rib Other: Starbucks are separated by 7-Elevens and McDonalds.

There are a handful of Mexican Restaurants in Taipei, but I would kill for a Chipotle burrito. The only one I've been to is Tequila Sunrise and all I can say is don't do it . The food was bland and overpriced. There was really nothing to make it stand out. The decor was ok, but that only gets you so far. They did do a decent margarita, but that only stimulated my appetite and made me more disappointed with my meal. Edit 9/2007: Amigo is not bad.

If you want to use Chinese characters in text messages you may become frustrated by the limits imposed by your phone. All of the phones have had some features I liked and some I did not. For inputting Chinese characters, the best phone I've found is Motorola. Here is a run down of the brands I've owned (in chronological order). 1. Motorola pros: able to enter Chinese characters using Pinyin simply by selecting the input method. The operating system can remain in English and changing the input method is done using the # key.. cons: none 2. BenQ pros: able to enter Chinese using Pinyin cons: The operating system must be switched to Chinese in order to input Chinese characters. 3. Nokia pros: able to enter Chinese using Pinyin cons: The operating system must be switched to Chinese in order to input Chinese characters. 4. Sony Ericsson pros: The operating system can remain in English. cons: Pinyin is not supported. Input must be done using Zhuyin (Bopomofo) or stroke sequence. Chan

From Xindian MRT Station it is a short walk to the riverside which is lined with shops, games, and restaurants. There is a pedestrian bridge across the river to Bitan. On either side of the river you can rent paddle boats for approx. $200 for an hour. This is a scenic area on the edge of the city and can make for a relaxing day in good weather. Rosemary's Kitchen When crossing from Xindian to Bitan on the pedestrian bridge, Rosemary's Kitchen is on the right hand side, next to the bridge. It has a nice view of the river, decent coffee, and good service. Rendezvous Stone Oven Pizza & Bar - no longer exists after Bitan was remodeled.

Pinglin is on Highway 9. From Xindian 新店 it is 26 km to Pinglin 坪林 and 47 km to Yilan 宜蘭. Allow about 1 hour from Xindian if traveling by scooter. From Taipei go South on Roosevelt Road ( 羅斯福路 Luósīfú Lù) . When you cross the river into Xindian, the name will change to Bei Shin Road but the road remains the same. Where you would turn right to go to Wulai, you will continue straight and the road will become Hwy. 9. Once you are out of Xindian you will start to climb the mountain hills. Roads can have dangerously sharp curves but traffic is not bad as many cars will use the freeway. To get to the campsites in Pinglin take Highway 9 from Xindian towards Pinglin. If you reach the town of Pinglin you have gone a few km too far. Near the 35.5 km road marker there will be a road turning to the right and going downhill. There will be some signs in Chinese only pointing to various attractions. Following the road you will round a bend and cross a bridge with a Chinese arch over it. You will trav