25 Things To Remember When Traveling To Taiwan

I don't know about you, the thing is I heart to travel! I received this euphoric feeling from traveling, Iam actually down for around a week when I make it home. I with out a doubt love talking to uniquepeople, seeing unusual places, experiencing different journeys.

Here is a great content I organized about traveling!!!!

Having visited Taiwan more than a dozen times over the past two decades, I've learned a few thingsabout the island which aren't obvious to newcomers, and which are often left out of guidebooks.Generally speaking, Taiwan is an exceptionally welcoming society. The people are friendly and open-minded, and tolerant of outsiders doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Inpart, this is because of the sheer diversity of Taiwanese society. People trace their ancestry todifferent parts of China, and multiple faiths are followed.

1. In upmarket restaurants and hotels, a 10% service charge will be added to the bill. In other placestips aren't necessary or expected.

2. Every neighborhood has a buffet-style restaurant where you help yourself to meat, fish,vegetables, tofu and other items, then take them to a counter where they're counted or weighed andyou're told the price (seldom more than US$4). Grab a bowl of rice, some soup and maybe somesweet black tea, sit down and eat. If you can, go to such places just before midday to get the freshestmorsels.

3. Taiwanese eat every part of an animal. If you order fried noodles, you may well find chunks ofpig's lung among the pork, onions and seasonal greens. Pig's lung isn't this writer's favorite food, butit's said to be good for you on account of being rich in iron.

4. Those on a halal/kosher diet will struggle because pork gravy is used as a garnishing on manydishes. It's so ubiquitous it's often referred to simply as "meat" and not identified as porcine inorigin. Vegetarian restaurants are a good alternative.

5. When buying cakes, be prepared for anything. What look like sweet cakes are often filled withazuki beans, dried pork or something else savory.

6. The water won't kill you. Almost all Taiwanese

drink boiled, filtered or mineral water, but if it's a hot day and you've run out of water, don't beafraid to swallow a few cupfuls of what comes out the tap. In most places it's good enough to drink,and nowhere will it seriously threaten your health. When washing fruit (Taiwan has superb freshfruit), it's fine to use tap water.

7. Taiwanese aren't especially nationalistic but some do believe their cuisine is among the world'sfinest. Try to find something positive to say about local cooking, especially if a Taiwanese person istaking you to dinner.

Shopping

8. Most places are open seven days a week, often from 10am to 10pm. Few stores close for lunch.

9. Unlike in many other Asia countries, there's little scope for bargaining in Taiwan. However, whenbuying electronic goods it's often possible to get extra freebies such as memory cards.

10. Few shop workers speak good English, so be patient or enlist a Taiwanese friend to help ifbuying expensive/complex items.

Clothing

11. Go clean and casual. It's fine to wear T-shirts, short pants and sandals when on vacation, butTaiwanese expect clean clothes and clean bodies. The grunge look is not appreciated.

12. It's OK to show quite a lot of bare skin. In summer many young women wear the shortest pantsimaginable and halter tops. Men only strip off their shirts at the beach or if engaging in hardphysical labor.

13. Not long ago, tattoos were synonymous with gang membership. Nowadays it's quite fashionablefor young people of both sexes to sport small tattoos. However, if you meet a man with tattooscovering most of his calves, his back, shoulders and upper arms, you can assume he is (or was) mobmuscle.

14. Political movements in Taiwan often adopt a particular color, so you might want to ask localfriends if there's any reason to avoid wearing a special color. Visitors who are obviously notTaiwanese needn't worry about this.

Safety

15. Taiwan is very safe, but as in every other country, pickpockets favor dense crowds. Keep yourwallet in your chest pocket when attending festivals. When parking your car, put valuables in thetrunk or carry them with you.

16. Some Taiwanese drivers are less than considerate, and outside Taipei you'll often seemotorcycles and bicycles on the wrong side of the road or using the sidewalks. Before crossing anyroad, look in every direction.

Transportation

17. High-speed services (THSR) are far quicker than the conventional (TRA) trains, but becausesome of the THSR stations are far from city centers (especially Tainan and Chiayi), you may not saveany useful amount of time, even though you're paying more than double for the ticket.

18. Long-distance buses between the major cities are a good deal, especially mid-week, and almostall are very comfortable. Air-conditioning is standard; some have entertainment systems built intothe seats.

19. In places like Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, local buses (all air-conditioned, but sometimes socrowded you won't find a seat) have bilingual signs showing their destination. However, do notexpect drivers to understand English. On most, eating and drinking are strictly prohibited.

20. Taipei and Kaohsiung's mass rapid transit (MRT) rail systems are slightly more expensive thanusing local buses, but they're quick and highly efficient ways of getting around those cities.However, because most routes are underground you'll miss a lot of interesting views. Never smoke,eat or drink on the MRT.

Language & Culture

21. The Mandarin Chinese spoken in Taiwan is a bit different to that spoken in mainland China.There are variations in pronunciation and word usage, and traditional "long-form" characters areused in Taiwan, unlike the simplified "short-form" script used in the PRC. However, overall thedifferences are no greater than those distinguishing British English from American English.

22. Few people have the confidence to speak English, but a fair number of people understandEnglish, so think twice before launching into a bad-tempered rant about Taiwan or its people.

23. Taiwanese people can't read hanyu pinyin. Unlike mainland Chinese, Taiwanese don't learnhanyu pinyin at school. Most will recognize the English words for "Taiwan" and "Taipei" but won'thave a clue if you write down your destination in hanyu pinyin and it's somewhere obscure, likeXinhua in Tainan.

24. People talk about you like you're not there. You won't notice this unless you speak Mandarin orone of Taiwan's local languages, but because foreign visitors are few and far between, a lot of localswill find you very interesting... and discuss your clothes, hair, height or girth with their friends,assuming you understand nothing.

25. Taiwan is exotic, yet also just the same as your home country. Raucous temple parades in whichspirit mediums slash themselves will grab your attention. However, if you ask local people what theylike to do in their free time, most will give the same answers as your friends at home: Watch TV, playcomputer games, relax with friends over beer or coffee.