Taipei Info/Tips?

[12is12]

Hojacat, since u didnt deny Peter's obsrvation that u r "still young and in [good] shape", 

What wld u rcmnd to us who r neither? Keep our dstnc to avoid dspntmnt??

[vaughn]

Update

My original plan to arrive in the afternoon and spend the evening at Soi13 was unfortunately lost, flight delays pushed my arrival back to within 6 hours of my morning departing flight and I was exhausted by the time I got into the city after 1am.

As you guys mentioned, Taiwan deserves a much longer stay.. So that's exactly what I'm planning to do in the coming months, I'm spending 3 weeks from Taipei to Kaochung and back stopping in major cities in between.

As much as I love Thailand I need a break from that scene, December/January was not the best trip for me. Time to explore something new, thanks again for all of the great info in this thread, it's helping my plans a lot.

 

[fedssocr]

I presume you mean Kaohsiung? For sure the HSR makes travel along the west coast quite easy. The east coast is picturesque though too. On my first trip I did a photography tour with an expat American freelance photographer who also teaches English and runs a hiking tour company. We drove up to Keelung and then down the coast to Taroko Gorge and Hualien. Lots of beautiful scenery. Although there was recently a big landslide that took out one of the tunnels on that coastal road. I haven't seen a recent update but I presume given the importance of that road things have been repaired. I will admit to being a bit concerned. Lots of very long tunnels on that road.

On my second trip we did a tour down to Sun Moon Lake and some interesting little towns. And the 921 Earthquake museum which is just outside Taichung. I also took the HSR down to Tainan on that trip for a short 2 day/1 night visit. Relatively easy to navigate most of the city on foot but the bus was easy to figure out too. I stayed at the big Shangi-La hotel next to the main train station.

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, fedssocr said:

I presume you mean Kaohsiung? For sure the HSR makes travel along the west coast quite easy. The east coast is picturesque though too.

I echo all @fedssocr comments. A few years ago I did one of the organised 5-day round-the-island coach tours staying at very good hotels. I was amazed at how beautiful the island is, having earlier only visited Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. We started at Sun Moon Lake where in addition to a large hot spring pool in the basement, each room had its own mini-hot spring pool!

Sun Moon Lake

 

We then drove down south of Kaohsiung to the far south coast with its crystal clear water and visiting the main Buddhist monastery before returning to Kahsiung for the night.

From there we moved over to the East Coast and worked our way up to the stunning Taroko Gorge where our hotel was virtually at the top of the Gorge.

Much of the upper part of the East coast looks rather like parts of the north coast of the Hawaiian Islands. Returning to Taipei is quick as the road goes through several long tunnels.

You can do all these sights on your own and save quite a bit of cash. I just wanted to be lazy for a few days to sit back and enjoy the island in comfort.

[vaughn]

2 hours ago, fedssocr said:

I presume you mean Kaohsiung?

I do haha, my brain just decided to mix two cities names together.

Those photos are spectacular @PeterRS

I'm really looking forward to my first experience relaxing in hot springs.

[hojacat]

On 2/2/2023 at 4:48 PM, vaughn said:

My original plan to arrive in the afternoon and spend the evening at Soi13 was unfortunately lost, flight delays pushed my arrival back to within 6 hours of my morning departing flight and I was exhausted by the time I got into the city after 1am.

As you guys mentioned, Taiwan deserves a much longer stay.. So that's exactly what I'm planning to do in the coming months, I'm spending 3 weeks from Taipei to Kaochung and back stopping in major cities in between.

I wonder how  many people would be there at soi13 at 1am? Probably not that many.

Three weeks is quite an optimal time period to explore Taiwan. I would suggest 7 days in the south, around 7-10 for Taichung and Taipei and then a few days exploring the East coast with mostly guided tour if you don't want to do too much planning by yourself. The HRT makes navigating the island a breeze. It only takes 1.5 hours to go From Kaohsiung to Taipei and it's pretty cheap compared to even Korea and Japan.

I am debating with myself if I should go again in May or head to HK, where I haven't been for more than 7 years. I definitely know that I'll be in Taipei for pride week at the end of October. I'm pretty sure Taipei pride will make a big comeback this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the attendance is higher than 2019.  It's only February and already some of the most popular hotels in Ximen(  like Westgate, CitizenM, etc) are already sold out for those dates. So I don't know when you plan to go but if I was you, I wouldn't want to miss that if you plan to travel to Taiwan. Soi13 during that weekend is close to a heavenly experience. 

On 2/2/2023 at 8:10 PM, vaughn said:

I'm really looking forward to my first experience relaxing in hot springs.

Plus October is usually pleasant weather-wise in much of Taiwan.

I would suggest going there possibly together with a local guy. It's a much better experience, especially since it's your first time, though Taiwanese are very friendly people, so there is less of that awkward feeling than other in countries like Japan have you have to go by yourself.

[12is12]

I m very glad this thread unusually includes such wealth of non-sex tourist info, just as I m planning a visit there. Thnk u all for sharing. 

Is pride week at the end of oct? 

[fedssocr]

yes. I believe Pride is always the last Saturday of October

[12is12]

Thats what I saw in ggl. Just wanted to make sure after reading here that some hotels r already sold out - 8 (!!!!!!!!) months in advance.....

[hojacat]

6 hours ago, 12is12 said:

Thats what I saw in ggl. Just wanted to make sure after reading here that some hotels r already sold out - 8 (!!!!!!!!) months in advance.....

In general, Asians tend to plan longer and more in advance their holidays than Westerners. I guess the believe is that you can get a better deal if you book early. I was with a group of Singaporeans guys this December at the White Party in Bangkok. Three of them told me that they had already booked their hotel in Bangkok for the White party of next year😂.

Plus, many hotels in websites like Agoda offer "Free Cancellation" and "Book Now, Pay Later" options so people book just in case and might cancel later. I tend to also book hotels quite in advance sometimes 3-4 different hotels for the same dates, and then later choose only one.

[PeterRS]

For several years the Taipei Pride Parade has been fixed as the last Saturday in October - so Saturday 28 this year. Note that in addition to the Parade there are various parties during the weekend. These get booked out quickly and there will always be queues outside the venues with guys hoping to get in. All gay venues will be packed. Even the hot spring. Some years ago when Chuan Tang was the 'in' gay hot spring (the management changed the policy soon after), I went on to the hot spring after the Parade. I had never before had to queue. This Saturday it took a good 20 minutes just to gt through the door and then another 25 minutes to get to the lockers. When I looked over to my left to see the main pool, I was surprised that i could not see any water - merely a vast array of naked bodies!

The point about hotels is worth considering. Taipei's Pride weekend atrracts gay guys not only from all over Asia but also from Taiwan itself. Added to the usual tourist numbers, the cheaper and more popular hotels can get booked up fast.

For those who have not read about the Parade before, here are a few photos some of which I have posted before. Many participants assemble at Peace Park to prepare. They then move to the large open space at Taipei City Hall Square. This is the assembly point and also the destination. At the end there is a concert in the Square with usually some gay Taiwanese and Hong Kong singers. Because of the nuimbers attending, the route in pre-covid years was been split into three. So you have to decide which one you will follow. All will be packed with cute guys, but only one is likely to have the Speedo/Aqux boys. Keep your eyes peeled!

 

[hojacat]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

For several years the Taipei Pride Parade has been fixed as the last Saturday in October - so Saturday 28 this year. Note that in addition to the Parade there are various parties during the weekend. These get booked out quickly and there will always be queues outside the venues with guys hoping to get in. All gay venues will be packed. Even the hot spring. Some years ago when Chuan Tang was the 'in' gay hot spring (the management changed the policy soon after), I went on to the hot spring after the Parade. I had never before had to queue. This Saturday it took a good 20 minutes just to gt through the door and then another 25 minutes to get to the lockers. When I looked over to my left to see the main pool, I was surprised that i could not see any water - merely a vast array of naked bodies!

The point about hotels is worth considering. Taipei's Pride weekend attracts gay guys not only from all over Asia but also from Taiwan itself. Added to the usual tourist numbers, the cheaper and more popular hotels can get booked up fast.

Yeah, it can definitely be called the Asia Gay Pride as it's gets around 7-10 more people than other Asian cities that hold a parade like: Tokyo, Bangkok, Manila, etc. Soi13 during that weekend is the same as that hot spring Peter described,. Packed with naked hot bodies. I remember the year before Covid started between the sauna and the apps I got not just local guys but also guys from: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Japan and mainland China. All of them were in town just for the pride, so definitely hotels get fully booked and the rates are higher than normal.

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

Because of the nuimbers attending, the route in pre-covid years was been split into three

If I remember it correctly they stopped doing that in 2019. Let's see what the program will be this year. 

 

Here are some of my pics from the years I've gone there:

[floridarob]

2015 ... was my 1st in Taiwan....was pretty unorganized, seems to have gotten better.

[hojacat]

41 minutes ago, floridarob said:

2015 ... was my 1st in Taiwan....was pretty unorganized, seems to have gotten better.

 

Seems also a much smaller crowd. I went there from 2017-2019 and I remember the crowds getting bigger year after year.

I knew that in 2019 there were almost 200K participants, but was a bit surprised to read on Wiki that they had 120K last year when Taiwan had just opened up and the entry rules were not very clear, so it was mostly locals. Still it means that there are at least 50K visitors in Taipei during pride weekend. By far the biggest gay gathering in Asia, ahead of the White party and Songran in Bangkok. 

[PeterRS]

My first was 2011. I had not heard about the Parade until a year earlier when I checked in to my hotel. There on the front page of the newpaper on my desk were photos of the previous day's ParadeI decided there and then I would be take part in 2011. In total I have been to 7 Parades. I had to miss 2015 for business reasons and 2019 since i had returned from a tiring European trip just the previous evening. I just checked flights and hotels for this coming October. Already prices have gone up.

[hojacat]

My favorite was the 2018 parade as I already knew the drill from previous year. In 2019, they head only one parade route, mostly heading down Zhongxiao East Road. However, they only closed one lane and not the whole street so in some parts the sidewalks got really cramped as there were so many people in there.

It was amazing at Soi13 and the bars though as people just kept coming and coming. Not sure what they did last year. will ask some of my Taiwanese friends.

[PeterRS]

I adored the first Parade I attended. It was all so new and, despite what I had read, so utterly exciting. That this could be held anywhere in Asia seemed so unlikely. Then the second proved that the first had been no mirage! I expect first time visitors now will find it similarly exciting, even though they will have been to the Sydney Parade and others in the west. Taipei's remains quite different.

[hojacat]

According to Wikipedia, it was already the biggest gay parade in Asia even in 2010, when had only 30K participants. In 2011, it had 50K. So in 8-years, its number have quadrupled. Quite an achievement. Kinda mad to myself I only noticed reviews and comments about it only in 2016.

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I adored the first Parade I attended. It was all so new and, despite what I had read, so utterly exciting. That this could be held anywhere in Asia seemed so unlikely.

Yeah, I was surprised with the outfit of some participants the first time. Never thought would see that in Asia.

How was Aniki or rainbow sauna in the after-parade during those years @PeterRS?

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, hojacat said:

How was Aniki or rainbow sauna in the after-parade during those years @PeterRS?

I never once visited Aniki as I felt it was just too expensive. My two visits to Rainbow were also before 2011. I never liked it. The layout was rather industrial and the attitude of some of the guys was pretty much anti-foreigner. That's the only time I have come across that in all my many dozens of visits to Taiwan.

Before Soi13 the best sauna by far was in a building to the south of the main railway station. It was on the 5th and 6th floors. Most of the guys who went there were young, fit and downright gorgeous! I suspect it was Taipei's first real sauna. Sadly the major 7.7 earthquake in 1999 damaged the building and the whole block had to be torn down. There was another pleasant but much smaller sauna to the south of Peace Park. It was smaller and for some reason the police raided it a few times. I believe that is why it closed.

[PeterRS]

A short note about the apps in Taiwan. On my two recent visits (November and last week), I noticed that Grindr and Jack'd are much more active than Hornet. Blued for some reason was a disaster whereas it used to be very productive. This may be because I gave up Blued for a few years and then downloaded it again. I may have downloaded the wrong version (if there is more than one).

[hojacat]

On 2/20/2023 at 6:27 PM, PeterRS said:

A short note about the apps in Taiwan. On my two recent visits (November and last week), I noticed that Grindr and Jack'd are much more active than Hornet. Blued for some reason was a disaster whereas it used to be very productive. This may be because I gave up Blued for a few years and then downloaded it again. I may have downloaded the wrong version (if there is more than one).

I noticed a drop of users and engagement with Hornet. It used to be even busier than Grindr before Covid and not just in Taiwan, but also in Thailand and other Asian countries. I don't think it's even worth paying the premium version right now.

Didn't try Blued, as that app has so many ads you would need to pay for premium to make really use of it. Was planning to checkout Jack'd after a 5-years break, but with guys from Grindr, the sauna and people I already know in Taipei, I got pretty busy. Glad to see its active. Will give a try when I'm there in May. Wonder if it's the same situation in HK, though I suspect Blued would be #1 in there.

[PeterRS]

I heard of a bar called HUNT which I had not known about before although it seems to have been around for some years. Unfortunately it was at the end of my stay and I could not visit. It is close to The Red House area and seems to have regular gay theme nights. Themes include underwear nights, yukata nights (where all clothes come off apart from wearing a yukata which always welcomes wandering hands), small towel nights, fundoshi nights - and I heard even nude nights although I have absolutely no confirmation of this. Seems it also has a dark room. I wonder if anyone has visited?

I am not on Instagram but I found this from an Instagram site on wikipedia.

https://www.instagram.com/hunt.taipei/?hl=en

[hojacat]

7 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I heard of a bar called HUNT which I had not known about before although it seems to have been around for some years. Unfortunately it was at the end of my stay and I could not visit. It is close to The Red House area and seems to have regular gay theme nights. Themes include underwear nights, yukata nights (where all clothes come off apart from wearing a yukata which always welcomes wandering hands), small towel nights, fundoshi nights - and I heard even nude nights although I have absolutely no confirmation of this. Seems it also has a dark room. I wonder if anyone has visited?

I am not on Instagram but I found this from an Instagram site on wikipedia.

https://www.instagram.com/hunt.taipei/?hl=en

Yes, I've been. I mention it to the creator of this post in my first reply. It's popular especially on Fridays and Sundays. It can definitely be fun with lost of touching, making out and you can even get serviced orally. Mixed crowd, with a good amount of twinks and muscular guys.

However, the dark room is pretty small and it gets crowded really fast. For pride, if you go even after 10:30-11:00 you would have to wait in line for a good amount of time in order to enter and the place gets so packed you can barely move. Overall, my first choice is still Soi13 as I prefer to play on a bed but the Hunt for those nights when you just want to have some light fun.

Fun fact: There is even a scene in this movie (the classical Chinese book retold with gay characters and with events taking part in modern Taipei) that takes part at the Hunt. The actual scene was on Youtube but looks like the video is private now.

 

[12is12]

Guys, does all this fun action in various places happen only to relatively young tourists, or also to older not-neccesarily attractive ones?

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, 12is12 said:

Guys, does all this fun action in various places happen only to relatively young tourists, or also to older not-neccesarily attractive ones?

For many Taiwanese, age appears not a major factor. I am close to what would have been called old age some years ago and it is clear that some Taiwanese have no interest in younger guys. Unfortunately attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder and so I can't speak about that. But in a dark room or a sauna that is hardly likely to be a disincentive.