Ben's Guide to Taipei and Taiwan

Wulai 烏來 There is an open air restaurant featuring wood fire whole roasted chicken. Coming from Xindian, there is a bus stop at the 4 km marker, just past this on the left is the restaurant. They have parking in the rear. http://taipeiguide.blogspot.com/2006/05/wulai.html

Sanxia can be reached by car or scooter on Highway 110. From Taipei County, Zhonghe City, AnPing Rd, go South into Xindian, and this will become Highway 110. Watch for signs toward Sanxia and Yingge. Queens Town campground is a large private riverside park in Sanxia. They have a swimming pool, restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, river access, hiking trail access, a small general store with only bare essentials, picnic areas with shade tents, and campsites, There are a few cabins with more under construction. Every campsite has parking, electricity, water, and large wooden platforms. Most campsites lack picnic tables and privacy. To reach Queens Town, from Taipei on Highway 110 turn left at the 33 km marker. There are other campsites in the area, including at least one which offers paint ball gun games. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansia

Costco: Neihu Branch Taipei City, Neihu District, Jiu Zong Road, Sec. 1, No. 168 / 台北市, 內湖區, 舊宗路, 一段, 268號 Directions from Central Taipei: Going East on Minquan East Road, cross the Minquan Bridge and turn right. There is a gas station at this corner. Take the second right and you will see Costco on the right hand side. Telephone: (02) 8791-1030 ext. 2 (English) Costco: Zhonghe City, Taipei County Branch This is on Zhongshan Rd. near the intersection with Banan Rd. Website (in English) Map and Address Longer List of Locations Maps to Costco

All Hypermarkets such as Carrefour and RT Mart have a grocery section. In general these are the best balance between convenience and finding what you want. Wellcome Supermarkets are found throughout Taipei, and will have certain staples but the selection is not impressive. The exception is the branch at the Miramar in Neihu. This branch has more imports and a better selection in general. There are some specialty grocery stores. Most well known is Jason's Market with a branch in the basement of the Taipei 101 shopping center. They have another branch in Tianmu in the basement of Dayeh Takashimaya Dept. Store, Zhongcheng Rd., Sec. 2, No. 55 忠誠路二 段 55 號 . They have probably the best selection of hard to find western food items. Needless to say, some of their products are expensive. They also have a decent selection of wine and beer . There is a small specialty grocery store in Zhonghe. Another specialty grocery store is the City Super located on Dunhua S. Rd. near the Fareas...

There are probably places in Taipei City where you can find specialty foods, but if you live in Yonghe or Zhonghe then this will be an option for you. Near the Yongan Market MRT and the Zhonghe park there is a small grocery store selling specialty items including spices, liquors, and Mexican ingredients such as tortillas, sour cream, salsa, and jalapeno peppers. Some items have clearly come from Costco but there are other items you will not find elsewhere. 中和市 宜安路118巷14號 Zhonghe City, Yi-an Rd, Lane 118, No. 14 Zhōng hé Shì, Yí-ān Lù, 118 Xiàng, 14 Hào

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.