Travel: Taiwan - Taipei

[anx]

Hi caroline3sg


Thanks for your review and comments. I am appalled at what you have experienced with Mr Xu. That’s not very pleasant. I think Meeky covers Shifen right? And I would expect Mr Xu to do the same too.
Did he say why he did not want to go there? Did you, at the start of the day tour, discuss with him the places to cover? I have also booked him and what you have shared is making me think twice.
I appreciate your advice. Thanks.

[caroline3sg]

anx

At the start of the trip, I did tell him where we want to go (1. Yehliu, 2. Jinguashi - Gold Ecological Park which includes the Benson tunnel & 220kg of gold bar, yin yang sea, 3. Jiufen, 4. Shifen, 5 Pingxi to release heavenly lantern. We do not want to go Keelung).

He said that we have lots to cover and need to control our time. We departed at 8.30am and reached Yehliu at 9.30am. He said meet at 10.30am. We then move on to Jiufen because he said Jiufen comes before Gold Ecological Park and we can take lunch too. We reached there at 11.30 and he gave us up till 2.30pm but I said till 1.30pm is enough.

We reached Gold Ecological Park at 1.45pm and he said finished touring call him. We finished at 2.45pm and this was when we had problems contacting him. We used 2 phones to call him. One S’pore phone no. & another local no. which he knows. He didn’t pick up our call for more 30 times. Tourist information centre can’t help us call his handphone no. We then seek help from police (there is police station there). He checked Mr Xu has valid licence but the taxi is not like our taxi can use satelite to locate by calling taxi company. Police station tel call he also never pick up. Then he called back at 4.30pm. He apologised to say his phone don’t know why went on silent mode.

Along the way we went to Golden Waterfall and he said it is too late to go Shifen if we want to go to yin yang sea. I told him we only take 5 min to snap photos. So he reluntantly brought us to yin yang sea and Shifen. By the time we reached Shifen, it was 5.15pm (it closes at 6pm). But at 5.15pm, it is like our 7pm. There are dim lights and not bright enough for photo taking.

Then we saw people release heavenly lantern. We also release lantern there for convenience. It was about 6.15pm then. We asked him where is next destination. He said Pingxi to release lantern. But he saw us releasing lantern at Shifen. We told him we have done that. We asked to go Miaokow since still have time. He said no time. In the end, he relented. On the way, he grumbled he wasted petrol.

So from the above, he originally did not want to go Shifen. I think Keelung is the usual itinery instead of Shifen. He didn’t expect us to touch and go. So he played politics. If he had originally said petrol is an issue, we would have no problems to give extra tips to cover his expenses. And why he gave us up till 2.30pm (3 hrs) at Jiufen? We don’t need so long. From golden waterfall, it is only 5 min to yin yang sea, why he said too late to go Shifen when in the first place I said we do not need Keelung? Another gaveaway is he said go Pingxi in one moment and another moment he said Shifen is in Pingxi?

If have a choice, don’t use him. If not, then you got to specify what time to meet at each destination.

In tripadvisor forum, there isn’t any single negative comment on him. But I have just wrote a bad review on him yesterday.

[caroline3sg]

Anybody wants to change NT?


I have NT7000 left. Pls PM me.

The rate at Taoyuan airport yesterday was 23.14 (SGD to NT)

[caroline3sg]

TransAsia airways service bad. They put all the pillows and blankets inside the overhead compartment. So when passengers embark, they cannot find place to put their hand luggage. There was delay & disorder as the stewardess then give out the pillows and blankets at the same time as people locate their seats.


When serving food, it was very slow. Front rows already finished eating and mid rows have not been served and those who had finished eating, they start going to toilets. The crew have to shift the serving trolleys to & fro thousand times to let people pass at the expense of those who haven’t got their dinner.

And their smiles are damn fake.

[anx]

Hi Caroline3sg,


Thanks so much for the detailed sharing. I am sorry to hear abt the bad experience. I would expect the driver to be more accomodating as well as open in discussing the route and options. To leave you all in the gold ecological park while not answering your phone calls is not acceptable! I think I will also switch to someone else. I really appreciate your sharing.

[dimsum]

argh! caroline, i just changed half an hour ago at arcade. The best rate was only 22.88. Taoyuan airport rate is really much better.

[Pen88n]

Dimsum,

I’m going end Nov / early Dec period. When are you going?

[MMM]

We are going in beginning December.... with chan brothers. Hope the weather is good. :xedfingers:

[caroline3sg]

Any of you need to change some NT?

[Pen88n]

I’ve called Taiwan Tourism Board. They said to bring airticket and hotel booking confirmation (email) to their office and they will give out coupons / free gifts. They don’t promise anything, just said you will get whatever they have in stock and giving away at that point of time.