Impressions of Taiwan

During November and December of 2001 I traveled for the first time to Asia.  I spend most of the time in Taiwan, mainly in and around Taipei.  The trip was very affordable, the ticket from Los Angeles to Taipei was just $525 with China Airlines.  The flight itself is a bit hard on most travelers, it took from takeoff to landing 14 hours and 35 minutes.  The long flight plus the time difference of 15 hours will cause some jet lag for most people.

Nov 18  2001 Leaving town to go to LA and than fly to Taipei, Taiwan.  I visited Winnie, did a round trip and spent some time in Hong Kong and Macau.

My trip was a special because of Winnie, Szu and other people I already knew before I arrived in Asia or met while I stayed in Asia.  Winnie and her sister picked me up from the airport and we went to her apartment which became my home for most of my stay.  Winnie transferred to Taichung for work and offered me her apartment in Hsien Tien, a suburb of Taipei.  Not only that, she also left her car in her garage for me to use.  Even so it was not my home, I did not feel like a tourist at all.

My car, generously provided by Winnie.  Before you drive in Taiwan, take a cab and check out the traffic.  It is a bit different here...

Szu gave me some quick driving instructions, mostly related to the rules (what rules?) and the meaning of Chinese symbols painted on some lanes in the city.  Over all, traffic is very crowded and some participants seem to bend the rules as they see fit.  A STOP sign for example appear to mean "Slow down unless it is inconvenient or you are in a hurry".  You can see the Police often.  They always drive with the emergency lights on.  Guess it means "Look!  I am a cop!" but no need to pull over or make room if they show up behind you.  Be aware of cops on foot, they take photographs should you make an illegal U-turn or run a red light. 

A whole family on one scooter.  The most I have seen quite frequently been 4 people on one scooter but I was told that up to 6 people may fit on one.  Scooter pilots either seem  to believe in a better life after death or are convinced to be invincible and drive accordingly.

To find my way easier around I had a map with English street name.  How cool I thought...

However, most streets except in the center of Taipei are only labeled in Chinese, so to find out where you are without help is more or less impossible.  People are always friendly and willing to help but you may run in to language barriers unless you speak Chinese.  But than, you would not need help in the first place.

Yeah, exactly my thought. You need to be able to read about 1000 different characters and you can get by here quite well.

On most trips I took I learned a bit of the local language.  With Chinese I failed, did not make it beyond "Thank you".  I learned a few symbols I mainly needed for driving.  For example "North", "South" and so on to navigate on the local highway system.  Maybe next time...

A Taiwanese mini truck on a local market.

I took a round trip in to the northern half of Taiwan. The country is very green, over 50% are covered with forest and there is plenty of water.   I took 3 days to travel the central island crossway.

These images where taken on the Central Island crossway at around 3000m or 9900ft elevation in the early morning. Most of the lower elevation is sub tropical, the mountains also have broad leaved trees and beautiful fall colors, even in December.

It is a comfortable day diving from start to finish but to enjoy it you should take some more time.

A flower on the side of the road.   Forest on the Central Island crossway.  There are lots of hiking opportunities all over the island.

From Taipei you can reach Wulai for a day trip.  Wulai has a very beautiful waterfall and is a hot spring area with places to bath in the springs as well as the opportunity for fishing in the nearby river.

Visiting the mountain area to the south west of Taipei.  The image is the Wulai waterfall, about a 1h drive from Taipei.

	Nov 23 2001 Lungshan temple in Taipei.
	Nov 24 2001 Temple gate near Taipei.
	Nov 25 2001 Farmer on East coast.  No ox here anymore... Taiwanese people bury their dead family members similar to western believe.  But after 10 years a "bone digger" will open the grave and put the remains in an urn which will than be placed in a family temple like this one.

<no image>	Nov 26 2001 After a few days in Taiwan, I will do a quick trip over to Hong Kong and Macao.
	Nov 27 2001 Hong Kong Clock tower during a rare sunny moment.  Honestly, HK isn't that great unless you have $5000US left over to spend on tech gadgets.
	Nov 28 2001 Leaving Hong Kong, going to Taipei again.  Even the weather is a bit British in HK...
	Dec 9 2001 I traveled from Taipei to Taichung to stay with Winnie for the next few days. The fish market in at the harbor has a great selection of sea food.

Dec 10 2001 Visiting Lukang which used to be an important town in the past.  Lukang did not have the same growth as Taipei or Taichung, so many old places and traditions are better preserved as in bigger cities. Top to bottom: Musicians outside the Long Shan temple in Lukang. Long Shan temple Smaller temple with drying vegetables spread out on stairs. Cat (you guessed it)