Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter '13/14

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Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter 13/14 Day 1 

TaoYuan Airport - XiMenDing

Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter 13/14 Day 2 

LongShan Temple - Mengjia Night Market - Taipei 101 - ATT4FUN - Shi Lin Night Market 

Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter 13/14 Day 3

Dan Shui - Xi Men Ding  (Massage, Convenience food, dinner, late shopping)

Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter 13/14 Day 4

TaoYuan Airport - Changi Airport (Paradise Inn)

Conclusion: Wheelchair-friendly CNY in Taipei - Winter '13/14

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Conclusion
For the places that we went in Taiwan, I would say it was really convenient for us to bring our grandma around with wheelchair but some locations might be limited. Let me conclude for you:

Taking plane to Taiwan- I wouldn't recommend budget airlines because space is really an issue when the elderly gets up and down the seat when going for toilet trips and when leaving the aircraft. Remember to request from the airline staff when checking in at Changi Airport for airport staff to bring the passenger on wheelchair with one adult to a special counter for custom clearance. They will push the wheelchair for you till the aircraft and board first. When flying back to Singapore, they will pick you from the aircraft last and push you all the way for custom clearance too.

Taking train in Taipei - Most stations have public and handicap toilets where you do not need to get out of the stations. There are train staff at some of the doors which will guide the wheelchair in. There is ample space in the train station to place wheelchairs. Lifts are also available at most stations to the platform.

    

Hotel - We choose Tomorrow Hotel (https://www.facebook.com/tomorrowhotel) which was very near to Xi Men station exit 6 and they have two entrance/exit point - one along Chengdu road(top picture) and one at the back alleys of Xi Men Ding. The lobby is huge and there are lifts to our hotel room. Buffet breakfast area will require staircase climbing to the lower level (no lifts available) but the hotel staff will allow you to dine at the lobby :) We messaged them on Facebook for booking.

Xi Men Ding - excellent choice for shopping. eating and accommodation because there are early breakfast shops, busking, shopping (mostly opened after 11am till pretty late) and night markets. However, take note that some restaurants were located at level 2 which might not have lift access. We dined at Victoria Hong Kong restaurant (https://www.facebook.com/victoria.restaurant#) which was at the alley opposite Sasa. It can be quite crowded so maybe let them know before hand to prepare your arrival.

Taipei 101 / ATT4FUN - Very accessible by train to Taipei 101 station but require bridge crossing to ATT4FUN. Taipei 101 shopping wasn't really ideal because the lifts are filled with visitors most of the time and it is impossible to balance wheelchair on escalator too. The view of Taipei 101 is fascinating for a visit and can't be missed though!

Shi Lin Night Market - Not much difficulties to get to Shi Lin night market from Jian Tan Station. If you really want to go, I wouldn't recommend to go on weekends and probably around 4pm on weekdays because of the huge crowd. You will have a lot of problems squeezing especially when the night falls.

Dan Shui - No issues to arrive here from Dan Shui Station and pretty easy to go around Dan Shui since it is such a long stretch of shops. It can get crowded in the ïn-between" alleys but it shouldn't be much of an issue during weekdays. The sea view is fantastic!

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These are the places that I went and I think it is alright to arrive with public transport. For other interesting places like Jiu Fen, Shi Fen, Yang Ming Shan, I recommend private hire of drivers. Market rate is around NT4500 for 8 hour engagement, which is less than SGD200. I didn't try private hire for this trip because it was during Chinese New Year period and I heard most of them were booked so I didn't bother asking around.

I will be going Taiwan again with my God-family for Winter 14/15 which is around one year away this trip! Our accommodation is through airbnb.com with free&easy trips to more destinations, and we booked a private hire driver for a one-day trip! Please look forward to that post!