Experiential Gift, Canada -> Taiwan

December 8, 2016 2:28 PM

My late-30s brother is a Canadian living in Taipei. I would like to give him a gift certificate of some kind for Christmas. What can I buy from Canada (so, online, preferably on a website with English) that he can use in Taipei? I prefer to give experiential or consumable presents. I'm thinking of some kind of gift card or gift certificate. He loves music, reading, and food/drink. I do not know Taipei or Taiwan well at all.
posted by monkeymonkey to Shopping (7 answers total)

Hot springs? Near Taipei, not in the city. Super fun! Here's some info.
posted by TheGoodBlood at 2:42 PM on December 8, 2016

The hot springs TheGoodBlood mentions are very accessible - some in that area are walking distance from a subway stop, others require a connection to a bus.

There is an amazing pottery museum in Yingge and a bunch of nearby shops where you can make your own pottery. It's about an hour on a local train from central Taipei.
posted by asphericalcow at 2:49 PM on December 8, 2016

Response by poster: Beitou looks lovely, but how would I buy any kind of pass or gift certificate from Canada?
posted by monkeymonkey at 3:21 PM on December 8, 2016

Hmmm this is tough. Taiwan still runs on cash for the most part - there aren't nearly the selection of e gift cards you'd find in North America. Concert and event tickets often need to be purchased at a 7-11 and can't be bought from home. iTunes and Netflix are two sites that you could buy gift cards for that would still be usable in Taiwan. A little boring but that's all I can think of
posted by horizons at 3:52 PM on December 8, 2016

Not a gift certificate, but certain common drugstore products in North America are not sold / highly overpriced in Asia. In particular, multivitamins are expensive and are not considered as high quality as those sold overseas. Other medicines like ibuprofen can be hard to get over the counter, especially if you don't have the vocabulary to ask for it.
posted by perihare at 3:53 PM on December 8, 2016

monkeymonkey, that Tripadvisor page has a big "Book in Advance" button for the Yangmingshan National Park and Hot-Spring Half-Day Tour from Taipei, clicking there you go to more info, where you can seemingly book and pay from Canada.
posted by TheGoodBlood at 5:18 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: You're right, TheGood, my comment was hopelessly unclear: I was hoping there might be a way to access the hot springs without going on the tour. My bro isn't a tourist. Thank you for this good idea.
posted by monkeymonkey at 8:58 PM on December 8, 2016