Taiwan Excellence

The hsr station is kind of far like up near the lake with the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. I did a tour of Taipei night markets last night, and it was fun meeting new people, but it was especially fun because we stumbled across a huge street parade that the tour guide knew nothing of. As a solo traveller, I've found everyone to be very welcoming, and I haven't felt unsafe. People stop and chat to me or translate menus if I look lost. Hostels and hotels were inexpensive and quite good.
Its in the middle of nowhere so you will need more than a day. The distance isn't far but due to the route it is quite slow. Most people go there for sunset, plus visiting the forest. Other than that you can research what you like  and then stop there according to 台東市伴手禮 that, the other two main towns are Taitung and Yilan on the east coast. Ruifang district in the north is also another possibility for a stop. When I was over there for 9 days, I uploaded alot of photos and did something like a total of 40gb in download/uploads.

5NANTOU-TAICHUNG-KAOHSIUNG Head to the pier this morning, gently cruise on a boat over Sun Moon Lake and see the sights as you relax on its tranquil waters. Disembark from the boat this afternoon and proceed to Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Stroll around the monastery on a walking tour and learn more about Buddhism as you explore this sacred place. Taste a Buddhist vegetarian lunch , chat with some of the monks and discover the towering Buddha Statue in the Main Shrine. Later, travel by coach to Kaohsiung - the second largest city in the country and visit the Love River and a local Night Market.
The motel is a 10-minute drive from Yongning MRT Station. After breakfast transfer to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to catch your flight back to your sweet home. The coastal range is geographically unique and stunning in its beauty. The two main locations where we will stop over to enjoy such amazing view will be at Little Yeliu and Sansiantal.
“Park City Hotel” is a brand stands for a brand new type of metropolitan hotel and contains 96 rooms, Park Café & Lounge, business center, gym, and self-service laundry room. With modern simplicity design and color usage, we bring the spirit of “nature”, “cozy”, “vivid”, and “handy” into this brand. Along with “a little extra don’t cost extras” motto, we provide you the best quality of services, and make us become the best choice of our segment in the same area. Taiwan is a "glittering secret isle" which "seduces travellers with its diverse temptations", declares Traveller. You'll begin your discovery the little-known Asian island state with a sightseeing tour of the capital, Taipei, followed by a visit to the bustling Huahsi Night Market.

You can easily drive to Sun Moon Lake from Taichung station. Alternatively you could take a train to Taichung and take a bus to Sun Moon Lake. The only sensible way is by car , which will still take pretty much half of your day, and from what I found the route could be quite dangerous for a first timer as some section of the road will be 1.5 lanes. So it means slowing down even more and taking longer. So instead, I went from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan. I.e., going to Hualien from Sun Moon Lake is no recommended.
Knew that Japan had invaded Taiwan but did not realise that it controlled Taiwan for 50 years from 1895 to 1945. Restaurants and department stores accept credit cards. We will be in Taipei next month staying 5 nights then 4 Kaohsiung, from what I understand there is no tipping or bargaining required anywhere and best to take mostly local cash as credit cards are not widely used?. Will get an easy card on arrival and seperate tickets for HSR. Anyone sampled China Air in J on the new A350 yet?.

The collection encompasses 8,000 years of history of Chinese art from the Neolithic age to the modern. Most of the collection are high quality pieces collected by China's emperors. The National Palace Museum shares its roots with the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
There is so much to do in and around taipei that we still did not get see everything we planned. One highlight was the Pandas at the Zoo – they were so active when we were there – I have some great Videos. Get yourself Easy cards – makes it so easy getting around on buses and trains. The Taiwan people are the friendliest people we have come across – they will amaze you. You just have to glance at a timetable etc and someone will ask to if you need help. This happened to us several times – every day – amazing people.

This comfortable bed & breakfast in Taitung City offers free wireless internet, as well as bicycle rental and luggage storage. It also provides an airport shuttle, a tour desk and a car rental desk. Ata Aboriginal Culture Craft sells a variety of handmade glass beads, textiles, and leather items handcrafted by aboriginal people.
Both parties saw Taiwan as a Chinese province and considered themselves China's sole legitimate rulers. Taiwan is about half the size of Tasmania, with a similar population to Australia. 4TAIPEI-NANTOU (B/L)This morning travel to Sun Moon Lake, located in the middle of Taiwan, and situated 762 meters above sea level in the lofty mountains of central Taiwan. Stop at the famous Wenwu Temple and Literature Warrior Temple - dedicated to Confucius, the Master of Pen and Kuan Ti, the Master of Sword. Continue on to the Holy Monk Shrine and Peacock Garden. The Company reserves the right to alter or curtail the itinerary substitute hotels and/or conveyances as it is deemed necessary.

I have licences for motorbikes, but not an IDP. Lol uhhh Taiwan is pretty  much all Mandarin speaking but don't worry you can still communicate....i'd probably hazard a guess that Japan is more English friendly especially at those kind of tourist attractions. Cheaper and you get to see more if you're a tourist.
As other people have mentioned, follow the crowd because there are differences when both stalls sell the same thing and one has no customers. Not too sure as i didn't really go to Taiwan for that, but the night markets are busy. But the landscape or cityscape was to me a bit monochrome...as in it's all a kind of reddish or plain colour and if the sky is cloudy then it all becomes a bit greyish.
The National Park is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulfur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes, and hiking trails, including Taiwan’s tallest dormant volcano at 1120m, Seven Star Mountain. No cherry blossoms today but the drive through this beautiful park was well worth it, even if the roads were a bit narrow in places. Also from Xiziwan you can catch the ferry over to Qijin island which is also a bit of fun – nice to hire a bike and ride around and lots of seafood restaurants.