Alphabetical Guide To© Taiwan

The Alphabetical Guide To . . . concept is Copyright © 2002-2004 John Fulwider. All Rights Reserved.

Traveling to Taiwan? Look up all the information you could need, conveniently organized by topic.

Climate: I've visited in May and June, when it's hot, humid, and frequently overcast. Periodic droughts force water restrictions in the cities. There's air conditioning of varying effectiveness in many stores and some restaurants. Buses are frigid. Taxi drivers will adjust their air conditioning to your comfort.

The heat, while uncomfortable, is not as bad as a concrete jungle like New York City where one can be soaked with sweat from head to toe mere minutes after exiting a building. Big cities like Taipei are dense with people, but many of the buildings aren't that tall and breezes can get through.

Heaters are almost nonexistent in Taiwan because they're unnecessary by the average person's standards, even in winter. Those people who torture their spouses or significant others with perpetually chilly hands and feet may want to bring a space heater for an extended stay. Taiwan uses 110-volt current and two-prong outlets. American appliances with two-prong plugs will work just fine.

Consulate: For Americans, there is no consulate or embassy in Taiwan because China, a country which the United States does not wish to anger, views Taiwan as a renegade province. You'll find the "American Institute in Taiwan" at #7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi road, Section 3 in Taipei and at 5th Floor, #2 Chung Cheng 3 Road in Kahohsiung. Both function as consulates in everything but name.

Drugs: "Drug trafficking is punishable by death in the R.O.C." reads a sign placed just off the jetway from your arriving plane, so you can't miss it. Don't take any package from anyone, and watch your bags closely so you don't become an unwitting mule.

Prices: Prices, blessedly, are exactly as posted. Price not posted? Say "dwo shau chien" and wait for the person to say it Mandarin or English. If you get Mandarin, hold out one hand, palm up, and poke it several times with your index finger, as if you were using a calculator. The merchant will then pull out a calculator (everyone has one) and punch in the price.

Scooters: Fairly powerful 150cc motor scooters are everywhere in overwhelming abundance. They are the only intelligent mode of transportation for short and medium-range trips - bicycles don't have the quick reaction speed necessary to survive on the roads, and there are no bike trails. Riding a scooter, you'll grin with glee as you glide through the gridlock cars, buses and trucks endure. Licenses aren't required for 50cc and smaller scooters, which means you'll be sharing the road with kids. Licenses are technically required for bigger motors, but the law isn't noticeably enforced. There are very, very few policemen out on the street. If you do get stopped, produce the driver's license from your own country and smile a lot. It's worked for friends before.

Many of the more recently built roads have scooter lanes, which you are advised to use. Don't be surprised if a taxi joins you in the lane to evade the gridlock.
Some scooter drivers don't seem to obey red lights when they're in the scooter lane (always the right-most lane) and they're at a T-intersection where there's no lane going to the right. You should stop anyway; a few natives will join you, and a few won't.

A seemingly legal maneuver you'll see performed often is the three-point U-turn. That's where scooters will turn right at an intersection, driving in the crosswalk to get to the opposite lane so they can then turn left and get going back the way they came. Frequent raised medians between lanes make this move a necessity; city blocks are all different lengths here, but seemingly always long.

Smells: Taiwan is a place of constant strong odors, many of them unpleasant to the western nose. A chief offender is "pungent tofu," blessedly prepared only in the evening and served at many a roadside stand. It smells like strong sewer gas. The sewers smell like regular sewer gas; compare the two if you doubt me. Plenty of westerners get used to and develop a taste for the "tea eggs," which are eggs boiled in tea-filled crock pots for greatly extended periods of time. You can't escape them, as every 7-11, Hi-Life, and other convenience store sells them. On a recent 13-day trip, I did not get used to them.

Starbucks: Yes, they've got them here, too, in impressive abundance. I'm of mixed feelings about corporate coffee shops, but in Taiwan I was glad to have Starbucks. The local brew leaves something to be desired in taste and value (it's expensive). Prices, with exchange rates considered, are similar to what you'd pay at a Starbucks elsewhere.
Restrooms note: If you're looking for a clean, Western-style restroom, Starbucks is the place. They have working sinks, full soap dispensers, and real paper towels.

Taxis: Taxis were amazing cheap reliable transportation in the two northwestern cities I tested them, Taipei and Hsinchu. The Taipei meters start at 70NT (about $2.05 US) and the Hsinchu meters start at 90NT (about $2.65 US). The meter advances ever so slowly, meaning you can go a long way on not a lot of dough. The most expensive trip I took was a many-kilometer journey from the Taipei Main Train Station to the National Palace Museum, which is actually in another town. Total: 220NT, or about $6.47.

Best of all, tipping cab drivers isn't customary.

Tipping: Tipping isn't customary for anything except hotel bellboy services. That's right, your cab ride and your dinner will cost exactly what you think, no multiplication by .10 or .20 necessary.

Toilets: People who have a compulsive need for clean restroom facilities may want to consider another country. While Taiwanese culture can be heavily influenced by Japan, the meticulously clean Japanese have not made their mark on the Republic of China's bathrooms. Expect untidy "squatty potties" in many areas, even the cities, which put to unwelcome test one's aim and balance. Worse, many of the plumbing systems (again, even in the nicest places) aren't designed for toilet paper. That means you must dispose of it in the small trash can conveniently located near your posterior.

On the bright side, functional public restrooms are in abundance - no purchase necessary, unlike the infamous "Restrooms for customers only" custom in New York City. Subway stations and bus stops all have them, often in multiple sets. Bring wet naps, though, because the water faucets produce barely a trickle, there's no soap, and the electric dryers don't work. There are no paper towels.
Toilet Paper: You must bring your own, as restrooms don't often supply it. Convenient travel packs smaller and thicker than a pack of cards are available at the store. If you're in Taiwan for an extended stay, note that toilet paper for home use comes in a plastic bag about the size of a Kleenex box (the ones that are long, not tall).

Visa: As a visitor, you can get a free 14-day entry visa by presenting your passport and customs declaration form to one of several clerks in the "non-citizen" lines of Chiang Kai Shek International Airport's immigration area. The clerks speak English, and are understanding of slight omissions on non-critical areas of your form.

Water: Everyone buys filtered or bottled water, either from stores or roadside machines that pop up in the oddest places. The water in northwest Taiwan is said to be relatively free of biological contaminants, but rich in heavy metals.

An 8-ounce bottle of water usually costs around 20NT, or about $0.60 US.
It's hard to find ice-cold water, even at the convenience stores. Reach far back into the cooler to get the best bottles. Filtered water at the tap in people's homes will be very slightly cool at best.