Travel
Tripod? Nope needed. Here are 4 easy tips for taking great solo travel selfies
People often ask me who takes my photos, and when I say I usually take them myself, many assume I lug a tripod around the world just to snap selfies. Clearly, they don’t get it—when you’re a backpacker, you travel light with just one bag. There’s no way I’d bother carrying a tripod on trips.
Kaohsiung’s “Waterfront Lantern Festival” Welcomes the Year of the Rooster – Brilliant Lights Illuminate the Love River
As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, the annual Love River Waterfront Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung has become a long-standing tradition to celebrate the Spring Festival, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. The 2017 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Art Festival will feature lantern displays themed “Happy Rooster Stands Tall,” with riverside fireworks and light sculptures illuminating the shimmering water.
New Family-Friendly Travel Spot: New Zhong’s Super Insta-Worthy Colorful Container Houses!
The container house trend continues to spread, and now even Xinzhuang has joined in the fun!“Rixinshu Xinzhuang Creative Base” is a brand-new attraction that opened in January this year in New Taipei City. It combines coffee, art and culture, and public welfare to create a relaxing environment for families with kids. Among its highlights, the “colorful container houses” are particularly eye-catching, sparking a wave of discussion online and earning praise for being super photogenic!
A popular Japanese restaurant in Taitung: the dreamy pairing of Hualien rice and 3cm-thick tonkatsu
Before heading back to Taipei, we realized we had enough time, so a friend recommended a Japanese tonkatsu place called "Rantian" where we could have a hearty meal before catching the train. Following Google Maps from Tiehua Village, we walked for about 20 minutes to reach the rather secluded-looking storefront. Since we arrived early, the place wasn’t crowded, and we got a seat without a reservation. The waitress brought water and menus, and we started browsing.
A state banquet chef teaches you to cook auspicious New Year’s dishes for the Year of the Rooster—smoke-free Ginseng-Soaked Chicken is healthy and delicious!
The Year of the Rooster is here, so of course you should eat chicken for good luck. Want to learn how to make the smoke-free, healthy, and tasty “Ginseng-Soaked Chicken”? Or how about the colorful, high-fiber, appetite-boosting “Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork”? This time, renowned state banquet chef Chen Qiwen—who has won the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Golden Chef’s Hat Award—is going to teach everyone how to easily make state banquet–level auspicious New Year’s dishes at home, bringing you good fortune and prosperity in the Year of the Rooster!
Irresistible charm: Lady M sold out in less than 2 hours on opening day
On the first day of its opening, the popular New York dessert brand Lady M attracted over 100 people queuing up. At 12 noon, staff began tallying up each person's order quantity and issuing small cake order cards. By 2 PM, all the cards had been handed out and the store announced it was sold out—no more cakes were available for those who came after 2 PM. On the second day of opening (the 13th), there was again an early queue, with the earliest arrivals showing up as early as 8 AM to grab a spot. Reporters who arrived after 9:30 AM saw nearly 50 people already in line. However, unlike the opening day, the store will now start selling at 10 AM every day going forward.
Journey to Japan’s Roof – Explore Tateyama Kurobe & Marvel at Towering Snow Walls!
The biggest mountain news in Japan every spring is undoubtedly the opening of “Tateyama Kurobe”! Stretching across Japan’s roof, the continuous peaks of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route offer a chance to ride six different types of transportation while taking in the majestic natural scenery of towering mountains. It’s Asia’s only alpine sightseeing route—have you tried this mind-blowing experience yet?
Any design you want, you got it ! Taichung custom latte art plays with creativity and coffee
Drinking coffee has almost become a habit for modern people. Located at Jingcheng in West District, Taichung, “Impish Coffee” takes the concept of playing with creativity, coffee, and food to overturn everyone’s impression of coffee. It even offers a custom latte art service, bringing extra fun to your coffee experience.
Only available in Kaohsiung: A gradient beauty “Matcha Latte” with super chewy white pearls
Drinking tea is a lifestyle attitude. The tea shop “Yongfu Family” in Kaohsiung doesn’t let 50 Lan steal the spotlight. With its stunning gradient matcha latte and sesame latte, it’s taking over Instagram feeds. The rich flavors have also made it a must-try local drink in Kaohsiung.
Taipei’s Famous Pig Trotter Shop Fills the Street with Aroma – You Can’t Get Any Without Queuing
On a chilly winter day, a steaming bowl of soup paired with fragrant, juicy pig trotters is truly one of life’s great pleasures. This popular spot, “Old-Fashioned Zhang’s Pig Trotters,” located on Minzu West Road, is a top choice for foodies. If you come during meal hours, you absolutely won’t get any food without waiting in line for a while. And although the prices are a bit higher than usual, once you taste the deliciousness of the trotters, you’ll find it’s all worth it.
Taiwan’s first free seaside campsite café — right here in Pingtung!
I’ve always had a wish to fly under the night sky. Travel the skies freely with you, own the galaxy with you. Because of you, my camping dream is so different, so extraordinary.
Practice beforehand to stay calm: 8 key situations to watch when traveling abroad with kids
Many people ask me, “What if my child gets sick while we’re abroad? What if something unexpected happens? How should I deal with emergencies?” That’s where practice in Taiwan comes in. Before you leave, pay attention to everyday challenges you might face when traveling with your kids—like what problems you’ve encountered during domestic trips.
Rich in local charm: 10 budget bites in Kaohsiung’s Nanhua Shopping Area
Transformed from the Xinxing Market, this is a living market for locals—10 NT sugar, 20 NT grass jelly, and nameless eats where heartfelt street food stays timeless.
The latest bullet train to launch in June this year allows you to travel from Seoul to Busan in under 2 hours!
Traveling around South Korea now lets you visit both Busan and Seoul in one trip. According to Lonely Planet, the newest high-speed bullet train will connect these two major Korean cities — and it’ll be faster than flying. This service is set to begin in June this year.
It's not just about Badouzi Station—every stop on the Pingxi & Shan’ao Line is perfect for a one-day scenic trip!
The Badouzi Station, reopened in December last year, boasts stunning natural scenery surrounded by mountains and the sea, reintroducing travelers to the Pingxi & Shan’ao Branch Line of the Taiwan Railways. Though the line may not sound familiar, it leads to well-known attractions such as Jiufen, JingTong, and Wangyou Valley. Since the two sections were connected in 2014, the Pingxi & Shan’ao Line has become an ideal choice for a one-day trip—with every stop offering breathtaking views!
Wang Wude, General Manager of Yuechuan Hotel: “Unique Features and Cost-Performance Ratio” Are Key to Boosting Domestic Tourism
Many people believe that accommodation costs in Taiwan are too high, and when combined with other expenses such as transportation, the total can be no less than traveling abroad, significantly reducing the willingness to travel domestically. How to attract and increase the domestic tourist base has become an important issue for tourism operators across Taiwan. Wang Wude, General Manager of Yuechuan Hotel in Yilan, believes that for hotel and lodging businesses aiming to boost domestic visitors, having “unique features” and a good “cost-performance ratio” are two key factors.
Newly opened dumpling specialty store in Taipei: exploding-juice leek dumplings!
Located on Lane 437 in Neihu, Northern Dumplings & Noodles has only been open for just over two months. This area is also known as one of Taipei’s food battlegrounds. Originally, I (Old K) didn’t have high expectations for this place, but since I really enjoy eating dumplings, and there aren’t many good dumpling spots nearby, going all the way to Donghu or Shilin just to eat dumplings can be a hassle — so I came here to give it a try.
5,000 servings of "Eight-Colored Xiao Long Bao" sold in 30 days – 500 NTD off Lotus Dynasty’s festive set menu
Known for its Eight-Colored Xiao Long Bao, Lotus Dynasty not only serves delicious dim sum from both northern and southern China, but its diverse stir-fried dishes are also popular. To welcome the Lunar New Year, the restaurant has launched its first-ever Chinese New Year menu designed for family and friends gatherings. In addition to signature dim sum, new dishes such as Sweet-and-Sour Mandarin Fish, Wuxi Braised Pork Ribs, Crispy Lantern Skewers, Garlic Butter Prawns, and Plum Sauce Bamboo Shoots—Shanghai and Jiangsu-Zhejiang style gourmet dishes—are now available. ETtoday readers can enjoy an exclusive set menu discount of 500 NTD when ordering by presenting the app!
Europe’s First Underwater Museum at 12 Meters Deep — You Need to Learn Diving to Visit
Europe’s first underwater sculpture museum has officially opened, featuring 300 life-size sculptures on display in the North Atlantic Ocean. Visitors not only need to buy a ticket but also must learn how to dive first — isn’t that cool!?
"Crab World’s Yao Ming!" Taipei’s Freshly Caught King Crab: Two Ways to Enjoy – Grilled and in Soup, Even the Broth Cooked into Congee Is Delicious
I found out about 89 Live Seafood because a long time ago, I saw an incredibly enticing report on FTV News that made me drool uncontrollably in front of the TV!(Click the link to watch the news report) Later, I made plans with friends to check it out, and we realized we could never go back to the way things were~~ This time, I came back for a second visit. In the past, I’ve had all-you-can-eat king crab, and even the frozen crab legs were enjoyable. But after trying 89’s live king crab, going back to all-you-can-eat crab buffets just feels... wrong. It’s like: This isn’t king crab~ This isn’t king crab~ This isn’t king crab at all!! 89’s king crab is absolutely, genuinely delicious!! Definitely don’t try it lightly!! (Highly addictive—proceed with caution)