So we’ve been in Taipei for a few days already and I’d say we’ve been done a pretty good job of being on the move. We’ve both walked a fair distance and used public transport to move about the city, 20,000 steps per day isn’t unusual. Taipei is an easy city to walk around, though I’m not sure you’d want to walk the entire city, I’m sure it could be done. There are push bikes for public use, but apparently they have to be deposited into certain locations and sometimes those bike bays are full.
Anyway, some observations of Taipei so far:
Right from the get go at the airport it was easy to communicate with people both in English and Chinese. I was wondering whether or not my Mandarin skills would be of any use here in Taiwan and I’m glad to say that they have helped a little, about as much as in the mainland. Since I’m travelling with a Chinese friend most people often defer to her quite quickly but if it remains simple enough, then I’m able to manage.
There have been a few times, however, when I’ve been talking to a shop clerk, typically in English, and then when they speak to her in Chinese I’ve noticed a bit more of a sharpness. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the Chinese dialect or language, but I get the sense that they know she’s not from here.
It was easy enough to get a SIM card and transport card, both of which we picked up at the airport. Prices aren’t bad, $750 NTD for the SIM which includes unlimited data and voice calls, and another $100 deposit for the “Easy Card”, which is the public transport card.
We’ve taken the subway a few times and, surprisingly, there aren’t nearly as many people as in the Mainland! The only time we encountered massive crowds on the subway was at peak rush hour at 6 pm on the Bannan Line. Other than that, it’s pretty easy to get a seat.
The hostels are huge! We looked through a few different places on hostelworld.com before heading out. I’m pretty bad with committing to hostels because they often lose reservations or we somehow can’t find the place. So, in picking a hostel, I’ve always gone by the creed of findability, cleanliness, and then how much the cheapest dorm room costs. In any event, the hostels we were seeing were all located within the Taipei Main Station area and, surprisingly, we found several along the way. Many of them are huge spaces, clean, and look to be of good value. By the looks of it, Taipei has quite the travelling community.
And shame on me for getting a data connection because guess what happens once we’re on public transport? Like everybody else, we’re on out phones, looking down, and leaving the world pass by. But doesn’t that beg the question, what else would we do with our time? This actually makes me think that if you don’t have a cell phone and aren’t staring at it then you really DO look like a foreigner!
We tried the local beer, appropriately named “Taiwan Beer”. Some cans tasted much like Heineken while other cans tasted like regular lite beer. I’m sure there is a reason behind it’s brewing method but I haven’t looked it up. Also tried Taiwan “fresh beer”, which apparently only has a shelf life of 18 days.
Walking out in the morning is when you can see, feel and smell the crush of the people. It’s not crazy busy, but you can tell people are on the move. I mentioned before that I wanted to see if Taipei still had that “pulse”. I’m not sure I can make an evaluation just yet, but I can’t say that it’s not there. People are friendly, willing to say “Good morning” and willing to help when necessary with no strings attached.
Further, when walking outside on the streets there’s a smell you find that isn’t on the Mainland: gas. What does that mean? The motorbikes they use here are still gas powered whereas on the Mainland they use electric bikes mostly.
Interestingly, in the subway stations, there are lines painted on the ground for people to follow into the subway cars. A very orderly affair.
Lots of cafes. Many of these cafes seem to roast their own beans. I didn’t know that Taiwan grew its own beans so that means that the coffee is literally among the freshest in the world. (I’ve been frequenting Cama Cafe by the hostel cause it’s close by.)
For street food, I was surprised there was no youtiao (fried dough sticks) to be found. Apparently it’s because youtiao is more work-intensive than other morning foods so the shop keeps prefer to make the easier food rather than get up early to fry dough.
In taking the bus you’ll notice something you don’t see in other countries’ buses’: seatbelts! Why? I can only imagine because Taiwan receives its fair share of earthquakes and typhoons so roads can become hazardous.
Unlike the Mainland of China, Taiwan uses other, more “Western” methods of digital payments, ie, Mastercard, Visa, etc. The mainland favourites of Alipay and WeChat are sometimes used but not as often. I have seen some advertisements for LINE pay (which is a Japanese company) but not many.
Finally, one of the more frustrating things about walking the streets in Taipei is the relative lack of garbage cans. So, in buying a coffee to go, I can never seem to find a place to throw away the cup. The good thing is that there are water fountains so the cup can be reused for some time.
All in all, Taipei is a bit more grittier than the mainland, similar to Hong Kong in that regard but with shorter buildings, at least in the older part. The newer part of the city has the taller, more modern business buildings, though we have yet to get that part of the city. So far the impressions have been good and it’s been a good travel experience.