Things to know about Taiwan

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TAIWAN

Taiwan (officially Republic of China) is 180km east of China and separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's closest neighbours are Japan to the north, China to the west and The Philippines to the south. Taiwan has a population of approximately 24million people, with nearly 3 million living in the capital Taipei.

The country of Taiwan is known for modern cities, traditional Chinese temples, hot springs resorts and dramatic mountainous terrain. The capital, Taipei, is known for it's busy night markets, as well as Chinese Imperial art at the National Palace Museum. Taipei 101, a 509m-tall, bamboo-shaped skyscraper with an observation deck which rises above the city, great food, toilet restaurants and amazing scenery as it is surrounded by mountains.

Taiwan has a rich history and until 1642 was inhabited by Aboriginal Taiwanese people, after this period colonisation by first the Spanish, then the Dutch and Han Chinese before being ousted by Koxinga a loyalist of the Ming empire which had lost control of the Chinese Mainland. The Qing dynasty defeated his forces and remained in control until the Sino-Japanese war when the island was ceded to Japan. After Japan surrendered the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China led by the Kumintong took control of the government and in 1949 when they government lost control of Mainland China to the communists Chiang Kai Shek was exiled here and declared martial law. Chiang Kai Shek was a controversial figure who ruled Taiwan until his death in 1975, as he was seen in some aspects as a dictator who ruled with an iron fist suppressing all his opponents (especially the Communists) but they still honour him today. During this period there was a lot of economic growth in Taiwan and Taiwan became the manufacturing powerhouse it is today. After Chiang Kai Shek's death there was political reform in Taiwan and finally in 1980s the president was elected by the people.

Taiwanese people are friendly proud, passionate about their country and their way of life, and have some wonderful stories to tell if you are willing to listen.

As far as tourist destinations go I don't think Taiwan is a place that a lot of Australians have on their bucket list (I know I had a lot of people go huh Taiwan/Taipei? Why? see blog entry Taipei bound and you will find out why) which is a shame and if you get an opportunity to go jump head first into the amazing country that is Taiwan. It is fast paced and hectic, but spiritual and relaxing and even if you only go for a short time like we did it is well worth a visit.

Food can be as cheap or as expensive as you wish it to be- there are many cheap options there are amazing market stalls, toilet restaurants, sublime dim sum. Michelin star restaurants, whatever you fancy. Be prepared to take risks because sometimes an English menu is hard to find-but it's fun and you may be surprised with the best meal ever (or you could have stinky tofu and......well let's leave that for those that want to try).

The official language is Taiwanese Mandarin and Mandarin and although English is quite widely spoken (and thankfully on signs in a lot of the train stations) don't expect to hear it much outside of the major cities and tourism sites, so try and learn a few basics even if just please, thank you, hello and good-bye. However you will find a lot of people willing to try out the few words they know to help you out if you need it.

The currency is the New Taiwanese Dollar NT$ (currently exchanging at around NT$ 21 to $1 Australian) and has coins of $1, $5,$10, $20, $50) with notes of $100. $200. $500 $1000, $2000.

Credit cards are widely accepted in most major cities, but like most places in the world may not be accepted in smaller places so make sure you have enough cash on you.

ATM machines can be found in most places-the best is probably the 7-11s so if you can't find a bank check out the convenience stores (great food to pick up there too)

TRAIN TRAVEL IN TAIPEI

If you are planning on spending a lot of time traveling the metro in Taipei consider getting a Easy Card (an Easy card you can top up as you need to use it or Metro Pass which lasts one, two, three or five day pass and costs between NT$180 and NT$770 as each train trip can cost between NT$25 and NT$60 I think a pass is worth the cost and we certainly used ours well. We used an Easy card and it was great not having to worry about tokens to put in the machines and there is a slight discount on rides using the card as well. It is also convenient to use for other things as well, we used it for the Maokong gondola ride and for purchasing food at the 7-11.

3/ELECTRICITY

Make sure you have a US/Japanese plug convertor so you can recharge all your batteries/chargers. Most hotels will offer the use of an adapter if you don't have one for a small charge (which will be returned to you when you hand the charger back to them)

WHILE IN TAIWAN

1/BE POLITE AND RESPECTFUL OF CUSTOMS

Taiwan is a country where bowing shows respect (the bow is only slight and not as deep as a Japanese bow) and maybe you are uncomfortable with it but a bow will become second nature to you.

Placing your right hand over your left fist and raising both hands to your heart is a greeting of respect for the elderly.

Do not touch someone on the top of the head this is considered rude.

DON'T point, if you need to use an open hand to gesture. DON'T count change in front of people as the Taiwanese would be offended that you do not think that they are honest in their dealings-if you really need to check do it out of eyeshot!!!

Shoes are not worn in some parts of the temples, private homes, some restaurants,(if you are not sure just follow the people around you-Taiwan is not a country to be wearing nasty socks so if you need to pick up a couple of new pairs there are plenty of amazing markets in Taiwan to stock up on a few pairs.)

In Taipei, signs and recorded messages encourage commuters to think twice before annoying fellow passengers with loud conversations. A sign depicting a talking cellphone suggests that phone users consider sending a text message rather than talking and, if they must converse, urges them to keep things brief and and use a quiet tone.

TOILETS

There are Western toilets and squat toilets in most public toilets within cities (outside of them Western toilets are not as common so use the opportunity to improve your core and thigh muscles because when nature calls there's not much you can do about it.)Make sure you carry tissues and wipes because toilet paper may not always be available. Be prepared though, because in a lot of the toilets you don't put the paper in, you put it in the bin next to the toilet and that can be a bit confronting, just get another piece and wrap it!!!

MOST IMPORTANTLY WHEN YOU ARE IN TAIWAN HAVE FUN AND SOAK UP EVERY EXPERIENCE THERE AND YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE OF IT!!!!!!!

#tAiwAn #tRavEltIps