hojacat

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.

That's for sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone there more than 15 times.

Maybe he was referring to a post about Candy Land ( a dance party held monthly in Taipei) that I did posted in another thread. It's a short Youtube video I found of it. Now about the debate regarding gay venues in Taipei: when it comes to bars, dance clubs, drag shows, circuit parties, I have zero or almost zero interest in them, no matter the size or quality so will let others argue about them. Yeah, I have been to most of the bars and clubs in Taipei(Abrazo, G*star, etc) but that's because I have been so many times and can't say no to my local friends when they want to bring me with them.
The only two types of gay venues I really care about in Taipei and every other city I visit are: saunas and cruise/sex clubs. Now, I guess there is general consensus that Soi13 can compete against  the best saunas of any Asian city like BKK (R3, Krubb), HK (Hutong), Tokyo (24 Kaikan), etc in terms of size, venues, quality of guys, action happening, etc.
Also while it is true that cruising clubs like Commander or the Hunt are much smaller and less hardcore than the same kind of venues in other places like The Lab in Berlin, SBN in London, GBU parties in NYC and LA, given that in those places I'm only into 10-15% of the crowd while in Taipei that number goes to 80-85% (yes, a shameless and unrepented rice queen in here) I still find patronizing those venues in Taipei a damn good way of spending my time.
At the end, I guess, different strokes for different folks. Taipei has a good and solid base of admirers which is only getting bigger (witnessed first-hand during pride the enthusiastic reactions to the city of people visiting for the first time).
On a note, is there a proper sex/cruising bar in BKK (not counting go-go bars)?
 

That's for sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone there more than 15 times.

Maybe he was referring to a post about Candy Land ( a dance party held monthly in Taipei) that I did posted in another thread. It's a short Youtube video I found of it. Now about the debate regarding gay venues in Taipei: when it comes to bars, dance clubs, drag shows, circuit parties, I have zero or almost zero interest in them, no matter the size or quality so will let others argue about them. Yeah, I have been to most of the bars and clubs in Taipei(Abrazo, G*star, etc) but that's because I have been so many times and can't say no to my local friends when they want to bring me with them.
The only two types of gay venues I really care about in Taipei and every other city I visit are: saunas and cruise/sex clubs. Now, I guess there is general consensus that Soi13 can compete against  the best saunas of any Asian city like BKK (R3, Krubb), HK (Hutong), Tokyo (24 Kaikan), etc in terms of size, venues, quality of guys, action happening, etc.
Also while it is true that cruising clubs like Commander or the Hunt are much smaller and less hardcore than the same kind of venues in other places like The Lab in Berlin, SBN in London, GBU parties in NYC and LA, given that in those places I'm only into 10-15% of the crowd while in Taipei that number goes to 80-85% (yes, a shameless and unrepented rice queen in here) I still find patronizing those venues in Taipei a damn good way of spending my time.
At the end, I guess, different strokes for different folks. Taipei has a good and solid base of admirers which is only getting bigger (witnessed first-hand during pride the enthusiastic reactions to the city of people visiting for the first time).
On a note, is there a proper sex/cruising bar in BKK (not counting go-go bars)?
 

Personally, spent around 6 days in Kaohsiung this January. Loved the city and its people. even in Taiwan, people from that area have the reputation being overly friendly. 
Stayed at Indigo hotel near Central Park. Modern hotel that offers great vies and a very convenient location. Didn't have a problem meeting 1-2 guys every day and not just for sex. a couple of them took me around the city on their motorbike and at their favorites cafe and dining places. You can check my reviews about Hi-Man sauna in a previous post. It's kinda small but has theme nights. Friday was so-so but Saturday was actually quite decent. A good number of twinks. I still keep in touch with a guy I met in there and he even came to meet me in Taipei last month. Didn't explore much bars or gay clubs as I'm not usually into them.
Should you go or not? Depends on you. Not sure about your age and body type but if you're popular in Taipei, rest assured you will be in Kaohsiung also. If it's your first time in Taiwan, i would just spend more time exploring Taipei and enjoying the pleasures that the gay venues and apps can bring you in that city. However, Kaohsiung is definitely a valid destination that I recommend to all the Taiwan-lovers in this forum.

Quite a few airlines have implemented facial recognition solutions, when you can go from checking your bags to boarding the plane without having to take a boarding pass out. Emirates and Delta are two that come to my mind right now. At The international terminal at LAX, where I usually fly from, most of the times you board the plane just by having a picture taken.
Yeah, leaving TPE is usually a quick process. They take a picture of your face and scan two fingerprints at an automated gate. Entering through TPE though is such a pain. The immigration process is extremely slow. I've had to wait between 30-75 minutes during day hours. They should automatize that process, especially for countries that don't require a visa or at least increase the number of immigration agents. Such a shame for an advanced country like Taiwan. Makes BKK looks quite well-run in comparison.

There is a known belief among the students of the University of Bologna ( the oldest continuing one in the world). Never climb la torre degli Asinelli (the taller one) before an exam, as you will never be able to graduate. For the older crowd though, it's probably not recommended to climb as you might never be making it down. Even being from that region, I only been on top of the tower once, in high school and found it exhausting.

You don't have to stay in Ximending but doing so gives you the same advantages as when staying in Silom in BKK.
First, it's the best place to do some "twink watching" as it's not only a gay area but truly the center of the youth culture in Taipei. Second, as you said, gives you the possibility to be able to simply walk in most of the gay venues and third, as a consequence of the second, you make it very convenient for the guys you meet in bars and more importantly on apps to come to your place. In Ximending, I would recommend the WestGate hotel, which is right at the MRT exit. CitizenM is also pretty good and quite new. Popular with young crowd. It's about 10 minutes walk from the RedTheater. I have also stayed at a hotel inHouse Heritage. it has good reviews on Agoda and the rooms are pretty decent but they don't offer much view. Plus, didn't really like the breakfast in there. I was surprised to hear it was one of the hotels recommended by the Taipei pride organizers. Don't recommend Airbnb in Ximending as buildings tend to be quite old.
If you end up not staying in Ximending, the area around Taipei Main Station has a few hotels. Probably the most famous is Palais de Chine, which also hosts the only 3-star Michelin restaurant in Taiwan. Never stayed in their rooms though, so can't really tell you. I have stayed a few times in Zhongshan., a relatively big neighborhood north of the main station with a mix of residential and commercial parts. It's pretty enjoyable walking at night over there. Especially the area close to the Soi13 gay sauna.
If you really want something modern, then definitely stay in Xinyi, which contains also Taipei 101. The area attracts big crowds of all ages during the day. Most of the big 5-star chains are located in there though I would recommend the     W Hotel. Super popular both with the local and the visiting Asian gay crowd.
The good thing is that hotels in Taipei, no matter the number of stars, never have a problem with you bringing over any number of guests😉. Plus most of the staff I've encountered has always been very polite and friendly.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Taiwan @vaughnAs most of the people in these post said, it's truly an amazing place to visit.
Most of the local people go to Soi13 between 6:30-7:30PM as that can get it for only 300NTD and yes Saturday is the busiest night. They apply the same discount from 12:00-1:00 AM, so probably the crowd might bet bigger late at night.
Not sure if you have to pay again if you want to enter again later, my local friend said you can go out and get in.I never made it past 11:00PM in there. I get completely drained.
I didn't go to the sauna in Taichung but kinda had the same experience as you in the Kaohsiung one. Went on Friday and there were only 15-20 people, mostly old but then on Saturday there were around 40-50 people with many young twinks. ended up messing with three different guys. 
I'll be in HK in two weeks so will create a post in the coming days about the different saunas in there that I know from my previous visit in there and from doing research online. HK has one of the highest numbers of gay saunas for a city not just in Asia, but probably in the whole word so picking which one to go to can be tricky.
I would still encourage you to consider visiting Taipei again during pride. If you thought Soi13 was busy on a normal weekend you would be in awe during that period. There are at least #X more people. It's really incredible. Plus you can treat yourself to so much eye candy just by strolling the streets of Ximen and other areas of Taipei.
 

Not really, though it's true that knowing Mandarin might lead sometimes to a higher success rate cause if you start a conversation in local language the guy might be less shy.
Overall, It's mostly a game of glances and touches. If there is a match most guys know top or bottom, or you can just use hands to mimic 1(top) or 0(bottom) as these are the terms used in some Asian countries to refer to the sexual position.
Sometimes guys starts speaking and explaining themselves in Mandarin when they don't want to go with you, so I guess knowing the language  helps learning why you are getting refused 😄

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.

I still can't believe they didn't break the record of 2019. Both me and my Taiwanese friends agreed that they have never seen so many tourists going to the pride:
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/29/taiwan-pride-march-east-asia/

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.