Hey, did anyone have any issues when using corporate VPN from Taiwan?

No problems using VPN. There's no restrictions here in Taiwan like that

I'm torn between doing my entire 16 days in Taiwan or doing 1 coast and then a couple days in Hong Kong. I'd be solo traveling so I just wanted to see what people's thoughts were.

I understand that Taroko national park is (partially?) closed due to earthquakes. I want to do outdoorsy stuff but I'd also like to socialize with other travelers.

Chatgpt gave me some ideas about potentially doing both coasts... For example, going down the entire east coast and then ending in Kaohsiung before heading over to Hong Kong. Or should I just attempt to do the entire loop in 16-17 days?

Taichung appears to be a foodie destination too and I wouldn't want to skip that. So many paths/choices 😅

its a bit hard to travel whole Taiwan in 16 days
personally i would suggest enjoy a slow ride, take your time

Mountain areas in eastern Taiwan are a mess right now. Be sure to check the weather forecast before doing anything outdoorsy in northern Taiwan too.

Ah good to know. My flight arrives in Taipei on Nov 14.

YouTube content creators might make it seem like a small country but it's really not!

He got hired by the Tourism board to make a video. This is one of the "Taiwan in 2 weeks" videos I saw

https://youtu.be/bLiJOiTrt0w

Technically he's not lying, but its such a tight schedule, im sure it can be done, but not sure it's enjoyable.

Just skimmed and I agree. He had to cut some places short too (Alishan, Hualien). Still, pretty good video compared to how these things often go.

Is it not easy to meet locals at meetup events and such like?

If you're extroverted and go to events you'll meet people!

If you had to rank the destinations around the island, what would you put at the top for first timers?

If I had to pick only 5 (and you rely only on public transit):
- Taipei: Elephant Mountain, Taipei 101, Dihua Street/Dadaocheng, Hell Valley in Beitou, Yangmingshan, Ximending and the Red House, etc., you won't run out of things to do here
- Northeast coast: Jiufen/Jinguashi, Keelung for the incredible night market, maybe Yeliu and that semi-abandoned UFO village in Wanli, the easy bike trip through Old Caoling Tunnel from Fulong station, Pingxi branch line when it's in service (was just knocked out by a landslide)... these are all easy day trips out of Taipei or you could stay in one of those places
- Tainan: endless temples and historic sites, great local food, plenty of artsy/hipster type shops and things to do, though you may get tired of walking around; you can get your entire dose of "vintage Taiwan" and southern hospitality by visiting this one city for however long you have
- Checheng in Nantou, since it's easily reached by train; you can also take a bus to Sun Moon Lake if you're interested in seeing more of the interior, but it's not really much of a "wow" destination the way Taroko is (too bad it's not really open these days) [edit: Alishan is another good way to see the rugged interior, and if you don't mind waking up super early and handling the logistics, it's more impressive]
- if you want a taste of the east without heading all the way out to Hualien try staying in Luodong and take a bus out to Nanfang'ao (fishing port) one day and Taipingshan (high mountain forest) another

Youtube just suggest this video for me lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9I85veqN2Q

Jade hunting is pretty niche 🤔 but I really enjoyed picking some out of the river last year.

Anyone out here in Taichung or Kaohsiung?