Tutorial Taiwan: Taiwan, A Brief and Rough Guide

Taiwan, A Brief and Rough Guide

Outline, but there isn't a great reason for the order:
Intro
Basics
Night Markets
Transportation
Randoms
Cities (Taipei, Hualien, Taitung, Tainan, Taichung, Lanyu)

Intro:

The title should you a basic idea what this is all about. A forewarning on what information is included is that this guide isn't meant as a replacement for the guide book(s) you might buy at a store. My guide will be more of a supplement with some overlap to your normal guide books. The main things I will try to focus on are topics and information missed in guides, anything I found confusing on my travels, and/or anything else of interest to me.

If you find any information I give incorrect, I apologize now for misinformation but give no warranties or guarantees on the accuracies or usefulness of my guide. Safe travels and have a blast.




Basics:

Staying Somewhere...
If you plan on going to Taiwan you might want to save a buck by staying somewhere other than a hotel. You also might want to meet new people...maybe? Either way check out CouchSurfing, which is a site trying to connect people so that they can both host people and find places to crash while traveling. I've used the services and like all things you just have to be smart, read reviews, and error on the side of caution. I've only had good experiences.
Another site is Air BnB but this isn't a free service like CouchSurfing is. The benefit is most of the listings will be cheaper than a hotel, but make sure to do the math as this isn't always the case. I've used the site several times and had mostly good experiences. I've found some hotels will try to dup you into staying with them though this site, which is supposed to only be personal homes, apartments, condos, and the like. If you stay in a nicer apartment or condo you might find an emergency button. I'd recommend not pressing buttons without thinking first...*cough, *cough, like myself, *cough
WWOOF, is World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. I haven't WWOOF'd in Taiwan but so far only in the Philippines and have had only good experiences. The main site is http://www.wwoofinternational.org/ and specifically for Taiwan: http://www.wwooftaiwan.com/ WWOOF'ing is fun and cheap. You have to work for some time during the day but are provided food and a place to stay. You might have cooked meals or will need to cook for yourself. Each place you'll stay is a new experience, which makes generalizing WWOOF difficult. If you like farms, people, and good work than you'll enjoy your time with WWOOF. You'll need to join WWOOF specifically to the country you want to WWOOF in and then email farms to arrange staying there. There is some leg work with WWOOF but it is worth the experience and if you'll on a budget a great option.
And of course you can always use Google to find more hotels or just stick with the name brand ones. Hotels are what you'd expect and you'll get what you pay for. Most hotels will have WiFi but you might want to confirm things before you pay. I never had any surprises while staying in Hotels.
If staying in someone's home is too sketch for you and hotels cost too much for your budget than Hostels might be your solution. I had very good experiences in the hotels I stayed in and all were very reasonably priced. Hostel World is a good source if your guide books are leaving you wanting.
        The place I stayed via Air BnB...






Power Outlets...
If you're like me you'll have things that require recharging. Know your outlets!!! If you're coming from America you'll be safe in Taiwan as they have both the same outlet plug-ins and power source (110V, 60Hz). The one thing to watch out for is if you have a three pronged device you need to plug in because they only have non-grounded outlets (two slits), and in this case you'll need a three pronged to two pronged adapter. If you're concerned about not being able to plug in the ground, just know that the ground is only there to keep you from electrocuting yourself if the device is short circuiting...in any case it won't hurt your device not to have the ground. If you're coming from a place that uses different standards for their outlets get a power adapter, converter, or transformer depending on your needs. You can check out this link for more information on power and outlets: http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=276


Water...
Some of the major cities has “safe” drinking water. I say “safe” because even those that do most locals don't trust it because of all of the old piping in buildings or some times just the pipes connecting the main lines to buildings. I'd recommend drinking bottled or boiling. Most restaurants will server you filtered water, but I never had a problem drinking water from any restaurants or the tap the few times I did it not thinking about it...used to using tap water in the US.


Speaking and Communicating...
The main language in Taiwan is Chinese and if you didn't know there are more than one dialect of Chinese. In Taiwan they speak mainly Mandarin in the north and in the south you'll hear more Taiwanese, which uses Chinese characters for the written with some variations. If you don't already speak a form of Chinese your best option is to learn how to say stuff in Chinese and to get a phrase book. In the North I hardly needed anything but English and in the south knowing more would have been nice. Here are a few sites for trying to figure out the pronunciation of Chinese when they put it in Roman Characters, and sadly you'll soon find out there is more than one system for this so you'll see somethings spelled differently from the map to the street sign and in extreme cases even differently on street signs just traveling along a street...agh, yeah the sites:
&
If you use an Android device or an Apple device there is also a great mobile application you might want: Pleco (translator) Android Market Link:
It is free and works offline, but if you buy some of the modules you might find it worth it, like the advanced pronunciation, which gives you a larger database of examples of how to say words, or the camera to translation module, which allows you to use your camera to look at Chinese Characters and the app will try to translate on the fly for you.



As you've guessed it, there are a lot of misspellings into English as you'll see, which make for some fun finds or interesting grammar scenarios.



Mosquitoes...
Yes, like just about every country Taiwan has mosquitoes, but I didn't have too many run ins with the pests. If you find yourself getting bit a lot here is some more information on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito


I found some Green Oil at a 7-Eleven which helped a lot with the itching from some bits Meg and I got while going around.


Money, Receipts...
In Taiwan they use money...which by itself isn't very interesting, but the receipts I received from most places while there are very different from those I usually get in the US because of their shape and not because they are in Chinese or contain any unusual information.
Also, I'd wait to exchange your currency until you arrive in the country as you usually get a better exchange and the fees in Taiwan are usually very low.




Security...
I actually felt very safe while in Taiwan. I brought locks with me for my bags but never used them. I think I would have looked more of a target if I had used them. Just keep your head up, eyes open, and think about what your doing. You shouldn't have too many issues while in Taiwan unless you make bad choices or go looking for trouble.
The security for some apartments is a little over kill. If you went by how serious people take their security in Taiwan you might be led to think you should be worried too but relax and be smart.



You won't need locks for the zippers on your bag,
and in fact it will just make you look more a target!
An emergency button in one of the places we stayed at.
Taiwan seemed to have emergency buttons all about.


US Travel Info...
If you're traveling to a country from the US the US Government (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html) keeps a watch list for counties it considers dangerous to travel in and keeps information available for other countries. Taiwan isn't on the dangerous list!


Consuming and Disposing...
Trash cans can be hard to find, so plan ahead and bring a bag for fruit peelings or what ever you might not want messing things up. You could litter but it really isn't that hard to pack around your trash until you can dispose of it properly.



Ink Stamps...
First get them! Second you mostly only see them at temples, museums, historic sites, etc... If you get to know a local you can ask them for their stamp as well. Everyone has a stamp that acts like a signature you might be accustomed to in the US or in a lot of European countries. Bring a note book to keep your stamps in while traveling around.




Maps...
You should note that post maps will usually try to orient the map with where you're at and not with the North Pole. Keep an eye out for maps with North not always up, because you'll get lost easy if you make that mistake...not that I've ever done that :) Here are some general maps of the country and a few with biking information.














Bathrooms...
You'll see many variations on bathroom equipment while in Taiwan. Squaty Potties as I like to call them will be a fun treat when you see one for the first time, which I won't spoil with showing you now. There isn't much to tell other than some bathrooms has indicators for stalls outside of the bathroom. The indicators will let you know when a stall is empty so you can queue up outside of the bathroom for longer lines. If you need to use a urinal just walk in and queue up if need be. The indicators aren't always reliable and if you're next in line just keep your eyes open.




Restaurant Menus and Ordering...
You'll find a lot of restaurants will be similar to those in the US or in Europe. For the rest you will be given a menu that you mark what you want and how many of each item you want. The waiter will take your menu and get you what you want. It is a nice system for waiters to not mess up what you want. The only snag will be if the menu is in Chinese only, at which point you'll either need something or someone to translate for you.





Some restaurants in Taipei as examples:




I ate a lot of street food and didn't have any digestive issues with it. I'd say the street food is pretty safe but just don't eat something if it looks old or you have doubts. Some restaurants look like street vendors because they keep their cooking equipment out on the street. Don't let street vendors confuse you with the restaurants.


7-Eleven...
7-Elevens provide a lot of services other than snacks when you go inside them. You'll find there aren't a lot of large grocery stores and convenience stores are more common in neighborhoods. Much like a StarBucks in the US, It is also important to note that 7-Elevens are not a good reference point for finding your way around because they are everywhere...usually at least.
7-Elevens and other such convenience stores will give out stickers based on how much you spend. You can use these stickers to redeem things. I never earned enough to make good use of them. I either stuck my stickers on random things or gave them to locals.


Phone Home...
If you need to call while in Taiwan to another phone in Taiwan you might find some information on this helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbers_in_Taiwan
Skype will help you call into the country but this isn't free. If you only need to call out of the country you can use Skype to call to another Skype account for free. Other options include Google Voice, which is free to call to the US from anywhere and all you need is a Google account. Google Voice gives you your own number to both receive calls and texts. You can also call and text from Gmail. There are other services as well depending on which country you need to phone to and all you need to do is ask a friend or ask a smart friend like Google.


Travel Guide...
I'd recommend having an offline guide even if you have something downloaded to a mobile device because batteries run out! Also, a book is less likely to get stolen than a phone or tablet or laptop or what ever you use. Other than this guide and guide book a great free site is Wiki Travel, which I reference some for the below cities. Main site: http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page, and for Taiwan: http://wikitravel.org/en/Taiwan


Night Markets:



Night life is more of a party scene if it exists in most countries but in Taiwan they have a night culture. If Taiwan has one thing I wish all places had that would be their night culture. In Taiwan walking around at night doesn't seem unsafe because so many people are out and about. People have good reason to be up and out in the night and late night. In Taiwan they have a lot to do at night that doesn't include drinking or partying. Night Markets are a great example of things to do at night. Most Night Markets won't even start to open until around 6 P.M. and will stay open until around midnight or later if business is good. There are other things to do at night like the Night Markets but few places or events offer you so much to do. At a Night Market you'll always find food and clothes to purchase, but what makes them fun is each Night Market has its own personality and unique shops. Some of the Night Markets in the south have more of a fair feel because they have games similar to those you'd see at a fair. Some Night Markets are just a bunch of booths propped up in a large lot and some are a large network of shops weaving between buildings. You need to check them out if you come to Taiwan, and just watch out for locals trying to drive through them.


Randoms:
LED...
LEDs are very awesome, and if you don't know much about them check out the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEDs You'll also find that Taiwan makes great use of them. They are so common all across Taiwan you might want to wear shades at night :)




Stacks on Stacks on …
Or in Taiwan's case, houses on houses...I'm sure there are practice reasons for putting a home on stilts on another building, such as space, view, security, and possibly for keeping the place cooler? What ever reason I found I saw this more commonly in the south than the north.




Mirrors...
Taiwan had a lot of convex mirrors around blind turns for safety. I've seen them in use in other countries but I'm sure they are used much more commonly than in the Philippines and the U.S.A. They make for some photos so take a few if you walk by some.




Fruit, Guava...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava, I had heard the name of guava and even had drinks or bubble tea flavored with it but didn't know what one looked like. I had only known the Chinese name for the fruit, until later when it was pointed out that was what they were called. The ones I had weren't the best but when they are juicy they are great! Guava in Taiwan is very inexpensive when in season.

          



Interesting Bags...
This picture of a bag isn't the most impressive but what I found inspiring was that it was a clever design to a problem. The bags are flat in come in paper thick sheets and then pop out so you can hold hot items with out having to risk burning yourself. Taiwan has a lot of novel approaches to finding solutions to problems I hadn't thought about, well at least novel to some one from Seattle.






Transportation:

Driving...
You don't have to drive to get to most places but if you do you'll want to get an International Drivers License, check it out at http://www.idlservice.com/ You might want to walk around congested areas or take some cab rides to get a feel for the traffic flow before embarking in the melee. Taiwan has traffic laws and most are followed, but most are also bent. If you honk before running a red light it makes it okay...or at least that is what people do.


Taxi...
Taxis are plentiful enough in cities and are cheaper than most western countries but aren't so cheap that if you're on a budget you can use them often. Public transportation is clean and safe so I go that route.


Bus...
Buses are a great way for getting around most cities or from getting to city to city if you want to save a buck. Buses are not as fast as the trains but are less than half the cost usually. Not all buses will say your stop or display it in English, but when you find yourself in this case you'll find someone near by to help you if the bus driver doesn't speak any English. Some buses are pay on arrival or departure, just look for the somewhat upside down looking T for paying on arrival and the right side up T for paying on Alighting (departure), http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Alighting




Some buses but not most will put a sticker on your bag and stow it under the bus. You'll get a copy of the sticker ticket so you can get your luggage on arrival to your destination. For the charter buses between cities there will usually be a restroom/bathroom and on a bumpy highway it makes for an adventure to relieve yourself.



While Taiwan has a lot of information that is reliable online their Websites don't always work well in English. The best transportation website is Taiwan Transportation http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/taiwan/transportation/


Train...
The train is the most relaxing way to travel in Taiwan and if you opt for the high speed train it is a fast way to get from tip to tip of the island. The train require a little planning but even if the train is full there is usually standing space for sale. Just find your way to the correct platform and you'll probably make it to your destination :) You should be aware that there is usually an emergency button near the sink in the restrooms that you might think is the button for the sink water...*cough, *cough, like myself, *cough




Walking...
Walking at night or during the day was always a great time for me. Most places are very well lit at night and usually have plenty of people around. I never felt uncomfortable walking around at night or during the day. You should be aware that most narrow passages between buildings are usually good ways to find tasty hole in the way restaurants or shortcuts and shouldn't scare you. Pads/cushion for the pushing, or really the walking are recommended if you're out of walking shape. I found some extra bar pads suitable until I was used to walking again. If you have real issues with walking distances I'd recommend getting some proper footwear.


Superman...AKA Airplanes...
There are a lot of websites that try to make booking flights cheaper and easier. I've used http://www.orbitz.com/ before and similar type sites. I've recently found http://www.kayak.com/ and this is a great site because it searches Orbitz and a few others all at once. If you can try to find a local airline to the country it may save a lot of cost. It wouldn't hurt to double check the price directly through the airline as well if you use an airline search engine. Truth be told no matter what you use just make sure you factor into the cost if the airline charges for checking luggage.




Cities:

Taking a look at some of the basics I learned while spending time in a few specific cities and skipping over the cities that I didn't spend enough time in to gleam any points of interest or knowledge. First thing you should know is why so many cities start with Tai is because it means city and often the last part has to do with where the city is, for example Taipei is North City.


Taipei

Basics
The first resource I found was http://wikitravel.org/en/Taipei. It is a good place to get more detail than I can give you but I also recommended getting a guide book for the things I can't or don't cover and like wise for the website, plus an offline source will most likely be eminently valuable at some point.

I also have some pics of guide books (provided by the government) that I found useful...first the links I found in them because searching for sites that are in Chinese is very difficult when using only English:
(note: some of the documents have phone numbers too but I'm not including them because I didn't find them useful, but if you zoom in on the images you'll be able to see the numbers)


Note a very good for general information on Taipei,
and list of airlines that bring you to Taiwan



















http://www.cdc.gov.tw/mp_asp?mp=220 a map and list of hospitals in Taiwan


http://2012taiwanlantern.net/ for the lantern festival, and I imagine that it will still take you to current lantern festival information or just change the year in the address. They also have apps for Android and iPhone. I didn't try the apps and judging from the flyer the apps are in Chinese.








http://www.taiwan.net.tw the link for tourism provided by the Taiwanese government.


Transportation
Some links from the above guide book pictures...
http://trtc.com.tw Taipei Rapid Transit
http://thsrc.com.tw Taiwan High Speed Rail
(02)2799-4818 (no website) English Taxi Driver Association
http://railway.gov.tw Taiwan Railway Administration


MRT
If you go through the Taipei guide book pictures they give you some basics on the MRT and the trains in Taiwan. The first thing you should know is that if you plan on being in Taipei for a while you should get one of the re-loadable cards and not use the one time fairs because it will save you money.
I didn't get a re-loadable card and missed out on the savings but it is easy to find one of the machines for them or ask a clerk at one of the stations.
If you only opt for the one time fairs then just find your destination on the maps at the station you're in (they all have the station you're in as the zero marker) and once you find it there will be a number in the center which tells you the fair. Go to a machine and buy a one time fair for the amount you found on the map.
Getting on the MRT is the same for a re-loadable card or a one time token. You hover your card/token by the entrance of one of the gates. You're hear a beep and the gate will allow you to pass. Walk down/up to the platform and make sure you're going the right way! Make sure you're not in one of the priority seats, unless you're old, disabled, pregos, with children, etc...
Once you get off your top you're hover your card again or if you have a token you'll deposit it and then you'll be on your way again!!!
Some pictures from the MRT (note the trains work basically the same)

    

    

    

    


Randoms
Some nightlife ideas...




A few pics from the National Palace Museum's pamphlets and such...

    

And some fun ones...






Hualien

Basics
The information on the basics is about the same as it was for Taipei...so no cheating and skipping that section, because I don't want to repeat myself too much. The basic travel link for the city: http://wikitravel.org/en/Hualien
The place isn't a metropolis like Taipei but has buses and such. I didn't go to the tourist center so I don't have any guide books to show you, but I do have a little information on one of the hostels (Amigos)...





Transportation
You can take a train to the city and then you'll have to get around bus, taxi, car.


Randoms
Thought it was neat to see a design in the glass...





Taitung
Basics
First it is pronounced different than it is spelled. Pronounce the city as if it were spelled TaiDung. Great place with plenty to do for a few days but not more than that for me unless it is warm and you like the beach. Not a great beach but hey, it is a beach. Travel link: http://wikitravel.org/en/Taitung and the government's page: http://www.taitung.gov.tw
The tourist center, which is located at the old train station (also a cool tourist spot) is super helpful.






Transportation
You can take a train to the city and then you'll have to get around bus, taxi, car.


Randoms
Taking a photo with the information center staff...



Never seen bed covers wrapped in a design before...



Some shots in and from the hotel room...


Pictures from the old train station...




Tainan

Basics
I loved this city even when I was getting lost. A lot of things to see. I wish I had spent for time in this city. The people are great and seemed more eager to reach out and talk to you or ask if you need help. In the south more people will speak Taiwanese and less Chinese, and less English so it actually was a little harder to communicate. Communication issues aside, I recommend you visit Tainan if you're in Taiwan.
The pictures from the map I got was from our hostel and the places circled are things you should see, and I did. Shen Long St. is the longer oval on the map that has been marked which is closer to their art district. Shen Long St. is a nice place to see some art or find a dinning/bar establishment at night.











Transportation
You can take a train to the city and then you'll have to get around bus, taxi, car. I suggest biking if you can find a place to rent from or go to the Bike Hostel, which can be found on Hostel World


Randoms
None




Taichung

Basics
Travel link: http://wikitravel.org/en/Taichung. Was a fun city but I didn't get a chance to really experience it. The city seemed to have more art in it than most, which I found refreshing. The government's link for the city: http://www.taichung.gov.tw and here are some guide book pictures.




    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    


Transportation
You can take a train to the city and then you'll have to get around bus, taxi, car. The government's travel link: http://travel.taichung.gov.tw


Randoms
None




Lanyu

Basics
I didn't acutally go to this island but really wanted to from reading about it. It doesn't have its own page on the wikitravel like most of Taiwan's other cities, but I do have these links:
http://lanyu.taitung.gov.tw Lanyu Township Administration
http://lay-tth.doh.gov.tw/pub/lit_6.asp Lanyou Township Health Office
I did get a guide book on the place...


    

    


Transportation
You'll need to get a ferry to the island, and once you're there you can take a train to the city and then you'll have to get around bus, taxi, car. As for the ferry to get you there I never found much information on it but rather told about it through the Taitung visitor information center. I recommend you spend the time and plan this one out.


Randoms
None

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