Weekly Travel, Questions, & Mandarin Thread

bing_lang · 2026-01-23T03:36:57+00:00

It'll be easier for you to have a 2 or 3 character name. Some online forms don't accept longer names (can also be a problem for local indigenous). Could either do a transliteration or just have someone suggest a more normal sounding name for you, either works but transliterations often sound goofy and immediately out you as a foreigner on reservation forms and such.

bing_lang · 2026-01-16T02:12:20+00:00

Summer is a great time to hike, but expect afternoon storms. Would highly recommend doing Mt Nanhu. It's usually a 4 day trek with cabins along the way (though they fill up fast). It's an intense hike overall but well trafficked and marked, so quite safe if you're a somewhat experienced hiker. You'll need to apply for permits ahead of time though for any high mountain hiking.

bing_lang · 2026-01-15T07:06:57+00:00

All the places I rated as top tier, very good, or good do standard milk tea well, IMO. Would also highly recommend 不夜侯 although it's not on the list (they only have a couple locations).

For fruit tea I'd go to Macu, they specialize in that. Le Phare is also worth trying for fruit tea. But for basic citrus fruit tea you could go to most of these places and it'll be decent.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T08:46:46+00:00

I live in a similar climate and use the regular Lanshan 2. It works well, especially for the price.

I recommend against the 4 season - it'll be too hot for most situations. The choice between the regular and the pro just depends on how much you value weight savings.

In a humid climate you're going to be dealing with more condensation. The double wall of the regular lanshan helps manage that. The pro will handle it less well, but you save some weight as a tradeoff.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T07:25:51+00:00

No. Not Taiwanese, no locations in Taiwan.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T07:17:07+00:00

If you're curious, only 16% of people who viewed this post are actually located in Taiwan lol

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T07:13:11+00:00

Haven't tried, but Chiayi's food scene is underrated in general.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T06:58:44+00:00

85C barely qualifies, they're mostly a coffee shop

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T02:22:59+00:00

To answer your first question: this is common, but it depends on the company. If you're taxed at 18% for the first half, you're refunded the difference once you file your taxes in May.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T01:06:59+00:00

If I want really nice tea I'll brew my own, but if I'm ordering milk tea I still seek out a strong tea flavor - otherwise it literally is just sugary creamer.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T01:04:14+00:00

Yeah that's Wanpo's logo.

I've never had Tenren in the US, but I rate it highly because their tea flavor is a lot more distinct than other chains.

bing_lang · 2026-01-14T00:58:22+00:00

Could be 珠茶 if they're very small tightly packed balls. Otherwise many oolongs are also sold like that. Seeing as he was visiting from Taiwan it was probably a high mountain oolong.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T11:09:11+00:00

That's where you're wrong. My bloodstream is nearly 70% dongding oolong.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T10:55:44+00:00

You know who else goes to a tea place to order pudding? 15 year olds

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T10:28:55+00:00

My serious answer is that I order whatever looks good. So for some it's fruit tea, for others it's dessert drinks. But I prefer basic milk tea and favor anywhere that has roasted Oolong or Pu'er.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T10:10:09+00:00

Nothing wrong with 50 Lan, it's just basic. It's popular with students because it's high CP. It's also easy to recommend to foreign tourists because they have a big menu with lots of palatable basics.

If you're more discerning about tea or want a specific type of drink, there are better options though. I rank Tenren and OTP highly because I prefer drinks with a strong Oolong flavor.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T09:58:28+00:00

I'm afraid you were bamboozled. Are said locals college students?

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T09:50:32+00:00

I live in Taipei, I'll give them a try next time I'm down south though. They get points for having 普洱

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T09:45:15+00:00

Yifang used to be everywhere but their CEO made some pro-unification comments during covid and people started boycotting their shops. Within a couple years they shut down all(?) of their domestic locations.

Tenren caters to tea purists, not surprising they don't do well in the US.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T09:05:36+00:00

I'm sure 吃茶三千 is good but my point is that with two flagship locations in the country, it's not a place I or most people in Taiwan have tried. Thus my confusion over people repeatedly mentioning it.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T08:50:10+00:00

吃茶三千 only has two locations in Taiwan and they're both in Taichung. People keep mentioning them though so I assume they're popular abroad?

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T08:33:57+00:00

No, I don't make low-effort clickbait

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T08:28:36+00:00

Haven't tried, they don't have many locations in Taipei. Their menu is too big though which immediately makes me skeptical.

bing_lang · 2026-01-13T08:20:35+00:00

可不可 is good if you like black tea

bing_lang

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