Our trip to Taiwan was a wonderful experience for the whole family. We spent 3 days sightseeing and visiting relatives in Taipei, then 3 days doing the same in Tainan. Then came a 5-day guided tour around the whole island, which was breathtaking.
We waited until the kids were older, so we didn't have to deal with car seats and strollers and diapers, etc. The kids know enough Mandarin to say "Hello," "Goodbye," and "Thank you," at least. Other than falling asleep during dinner the first few nights, they did pretty well with the 13-hour time difference.
Cathay Pacific had the best rates for us, so we flew into Hong Kong on the way to Taipei. The long, long flight (17 1/2 hours) was not too bad. The seats weren't that comfortable, but we were entertained with our individual screens, which provided movies, TV shows (even HBO & Showtime), and video games. The kids also played with the iPad & DS, read books, and did puzzles. The food was standard airplane food, except for an unexpected cup of Ramen noodles--Yum! Our flight was delayed, but our connection was even more delayed, so they had a ticket agent meet us at the gate with tickets for another flight. Our hotel arranged for a van to pick us up at the airport.
Our hotels provided breakfast & free wifi. We found a coin laundry place nearby to do the wash. We took cabs and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) to get around Taipei. We bought our train tickets at 7-Eleven. Wow--the high speed train goes 3 times faster than the regular train and saves a lot of time.
One thing we learned--don't tip the cab driver or the waiter (restaurants charge a 10% service fee). Do tip the porter and the hotel housekeeping staff.
The kids' favorite part of the trip? All of it, but especially the food and the night markets. The food was delicious--so much wonderful, fresh seafood. The night markets were fun--lots of good food and fruit drinks and clothes and knick knacks and accessories.
Can't wait to go back someday!
