Sports
Golf
The most popular game in Taiwan, favored by the President, Lee Teng-Hui and most captains of industry. Golf has become a status symbol for Taiwan businessmen. The only way to get to any of these courses is to drive as (from the costs it will be apparent) if you can afford the green fees, you can afford a car.
Costs are for non-members:
Peitou Kuo Hua Golf Club (18 holes)
23-1, Hsiao Ping Ding, Ping Ding Li Tanshui Town, Taipei County
Tel: +886-2 2621-2882
Rates:
|
Green fees |
Monday-Friday before 9 a.m.--NT$1,950; after 9 a.m.--NT$2,300; holidays/weekends--NT$2,800. |
|
Insurance |
NT$20 |
|
Shoes |
NT$50 |
|
Golf clubs rental |
NT$500 per set |
|
Cart rental |
NT$700 |
Tan Shui Village Golf Club (18 holes)
309 Shang Gung Road Tan Shui Town
Tel: +886-2 2621-3271
Rates:
|
Green Fees |
Monday--NT$1,400; Tuesday to Friday before 9 a.m.--NT$1,75%; after 9 a.m.--NT$2,100; Saturday, Sunday and holidays--NT$2,800 |
|
Bag fee |
NT$100 |
|
Service |
NT$50 |
|
Foundation |
NT$20 |
|
Clubs |
NT$350 |
|
Shoes |
NT$50 |
|
Caddy |
NT$600 |
Hsin Tan Shui Golf Club
300 Ba Shih Road Tan Shui Town
Tel: +886-2 2809-2466
Rates:
|
Green fees |
Monday to Friday before 9 a.m.--NT$1,500; after 9 a.m.--NT$2,000; weekends and holidays--NT$2,500 |
|
Caddy |
NT$650 |
|
Clubs |
NT$500 |
|
Shoes |
NT$200 |
Tennis
Municipal courts are available for use free of charge. But tennis is not popular in Taiwan and if you are traveling alone, you will have a hard time finding someone to play with. Major universities (Taiwan Normal University and Taiwan National University) and the Taipei American School have hard tennis courts that are rarely occupied. The few tennis clubs do not really encourage non-members.
Taipei City Tennis
10, Nanking East Road, Section 4
Tel: +886-2 2579-6557
Facilities: Six tennis courts
Rates:
|
5 to 7 a.m.. |
NT$30 per 30 min. |
|
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
NT$70 per 30 min. |
Jogging and bicycling
Jogging is almost impossible inside the city unless you do it during off hours. As for bicycles, Taipei City has ruled much of the city streets off limits. There is hope for bicycling outside the city, however. Bicycles are not for rent unless you can hook up with a club that has an activity planned for the weekend you are in the city. If so, and if a member has an extra bicycle (which they invariably do) you will be invited to participate.
You can call Giant Foundation at +886-2 2719-2025 or the Taiwan Bicycle Foundation at +886-2 2721-6802 for information as to when the next route is planned. Some routes can be quite strenuous, climbing mountains. etc. These routes will take you from inside the city to the wilds of Taiwan and are highly recommended. The people are pretty friendly too.
Bowling
Chia Chia Bowling Center (24 hours)
223, Sung Chiang Road
Tel: +886-2 2503-7216
Facilities and rates: Two stories of lanes available before 9 a.m. for NT$50; after 9 a.m.--NT$60.
Yuan Shan Bowling Center
3rd Floor, 6 Chung Shan North Road Section 5
Tel: +886-2 2881-2277
Hsin Chia Bowling Center
2F, 287 Chang An West Road
Tel: +886-2 2552-7159
Sung Lung Bowling Center
2F, 327 Sung Lung Road
Tel: +886-2 2762-0256
Swimming
Swimming is not as popular on Taiwan as you might expect on an island. A small percentage of the population swims regularly, and half the people cannot swim at all. The dearth of space in most hotels means that many do not have pools, including some of the five-star hotels in Taipei. As with tennis, more swimming pools per capita are located in South and Central Taiwan.
Tung Men Swimming Pool
1, Hsin Yi Road Section 1
Tel: +886-2 2321-0943
Facilities: Outdoor pool that is only open in the summer, May-September
Rates:
|
Adults |
NT$50 |
|
Children |
NT$25 |
Ching Mei Swimming Pool
50 Roosevelt Road, Lane 176, Section 5
Tel: +886-2 2932-9926
Facilities: Outdoor pool open from May-September.
Rates:
|
Adults |
NT$50 |
|
Children |
NT$25 |
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Recreation
Taipei Municipal Library
125 Chien Kuo South Road Section 2
Tel: +886-2 2755-2823
One of the best places to do research on Chinese society and culture, the library is also home to a number of periodicals and newspapers that are useful to the traveler once he has the chance to catch up. Free, but believe it or not, a passport is required to get in.
Wisteria House
1, Lane 16, Shin Sheng South Road Section 3
Tel: +886-2 2363-7375
A Taipei Historical Site, the Wisteria House is an old Japanese-style house located in the middle of the city. Now a teahouse that also serves food, it is an oasis of tranquility in bustling Taipei.
Peitou Hot Springs area
Located at the very end of the MRT, the business traveler might enjoy getting off and finding a place to take a natural hot springs bath. Hotels are available as is a Hot Springs Museum and Hell Valley, where the hot springs bubble up through the ground and where the water temperature might reach 90 degrees C. A former favorite spot of the Japanese soldiers and government officials in the colonial period.
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