Tips for Traveling Taiwan

It has been four months since I landed in Taiwan. I have had bumbles and stumbles, but managed to succeed. Getting by mean I had to learn a few things. I have developed a little bit of advice for anyone else that decides to travel over here. Some of it is good advice for any traveler. A bit of it is probably more specific to Taipei. So here is a little wisdom gleaned from what I have seen and done, experiences first hand and second.

Don’t flush the toilet paper. Probably the single hardest habit to break when I got to Taiwan was not throwing used toilet paper in the toilet. Taiwan's plumbing is not as robust as in the states. So instead there will be a trash can to toss things in.

Beware of squat toilets. While most places have western style toilets, some may only have traditional squat toilets. They are suppose to be cleaner and more efficient, but can be intimidating if you’ve never used them.

Patriotic dogs

Keep some toilet paper handy. As per the squat toilets above, you may find some restrooms don’t keep toilet paper in the stalls.

Be prepared to bust your own table. If you eat at smaller restaurants and some fast food places you will have some cleaning up to do after you eat. There will be separate bins for leftover food, paper, plastic, and even liquids.

Stand to the right on the escalator. The right side is if you are just riding. The left is kept open for people that are walking up or down the escalator.

The Grand Hotel.

Don’t litter. They are pretty strict on litter laws here. If you have some trash, keep it in your pocket till you find a recycling bin. Taipei is a pretty clean city.

The only “pedestrian only” space is inside your room. Once you step out of a building, right of way is given to the biggest vehicle. Bikes and scooters both drive up on the sidewalks. If you are going down a narrow street, keep an eye out for the fast moving, compact trucks.

Show no fear crossing the street. With the crazy traffic, things can be dangerous. The trick, though, is to just keep walking without stopping or changing course. They will generally move around you. Keep alert, and cross the street when everyone else does.

Paramedics get souped-up scooters for if there is traffic I guess.

Stay hydrated. Taiwan can be hot and humid. In the summer the heat index can easily exceed 40 C (104 F). He stroke and dehydration are serious risks. I try to carry a water bottle with me anytime I step outside. If I cannot get it refilled, I just pop into a convenient store and buy another.

Bring a sweat rag. As I mentioned above, it is pretty hot at times. For most of us, that means sweating. If you do not want to look drenched, having a small towel to wipe your face off when you go into a building is handy.

Those aren't alleys, they are small streets. In the USA we tend to think of ally's as dark, dangerous, and of little interest. With space at a premium, none gets wasted in Taipei. Dozens of little shops and restaurants often line these narrow side streets. They are often the place to find good, cheap, local food.

So these giant snales all over the place are suppose to be edible.

Watch out for bones. If you go to a buffet, don't be surprised if you find some bits of bone in your food. It can be a bit of a surprise to be chewing on a bit of chicken then have something go crunch in your mouth.

You can get along by pointing and smiling. I do not speak much Mandarin, but get along just fine most of the time. A smile is a good way to put people at ease. A dopey smile makes you look like you need help so people will be more patient. Pointing to what you want may not be refined, but people can figure it out pretty quick. With a bit of practice you can turn pointing and a few other gestures into a kind of international sign language.

If you have a question, ask a teenager. Most younger Taiwanese have had at least some English. They may not be fluent, but most know enough to answer simple questions or provide directions.

Be polite. A pretty simple thing that you really should do to begin with. However, some extra effort as a foreigner can go a long way. Politeness in Taiwan is not always the same as in America. Learning a few local niceties is usually appreciated.

A lego farm at the art park.

Get the address of the place you are staying/going written down in Mandarin. If you can show a card of your destination, most people will happily point you in the right direction. In fact, a lot of the time they will take you right too it. The name and address are really important if you want to use a bus or taxi.

Don’t ask what the food is, at least until after the meal. Simply put it is easier to try things when you do not know what they are sometimes. I probably would not have not tried fried squid (don't care for it) or the vegetarian place down the street (I do like it) if I had known what it was.

You are a new size. I discovered that I went from being a medium or large in America to being an XXL in Taiwan. Ladies, unless you are an A cup, bring your own bras.

The MRT is your friend. The MRT is usually the best way to get around the city. It is fast and efficient, not to mention air conditioned. Most tourist sights in the city are along the MRT lines as well.

Learn a little Mandarin. It is true that you can get by with English most of the time. It does limit options though, and makes it hard to go get anything detailed done. Knowing a handful of words and phrases, though, can help you fit in. Help, yes, no, please, thank you, you’re welcome, and sorry are a good starting point.

One of the old city gates.

Keep an umbrella on hand for sunny days. Remember that heat I keep mentioning? Well, a portable parasol is the way the locals beat the heat. I have hardly had to use my umbrella for rain, even on rainy days. Just walk under awnings.

Smells like delicacy. At some point you will be walking through a night market and smell something like raw sewage. No, a toilet did not get backed up. It is a local delicacy called stinky tofu. It is suppose to be great...if you don’t mind the smell.

Signs are in English, if you can find a sign. One thing Taiwan is pretty good about is putting things in English for any foreigners stumbling around. This includes street signs. However, I have noticed actually finding a street sign can be a bit hard. So far as I can tell, the locals just know what street is what.

Wifi is everywhere. You can get wifi on the MRT, some buses, and just about every 7 Eleven in Taipei. There are even wifi telephone booths. This means that unless you are using a lot of net, you can carry a phone or tablet around and still check your email or look something up pretty easy.

Walking will be involved. The main way to get around is foot power.  Even if you get a ride to the bus stop, you will likely be hiking at least a short distance.

Good luck finding a pay phone in the US, let alone one with wifi.

Get a ubike. All around Taipei are places where you can rent orange public bikes. The first half hour is free even. They are a great, cost efficient way to see the city.

Watch your step on rainy days. The sidewalks outside many businesses are polished stone. It is very pretty. It is also very slick when it gets wet.

If no one else is doing it, you probably should stop. You are not going to learn all of a culture's norms, and people extend a lot of leeway to foreigners. That said, one of the best clues that you shouldn't do something is looking to see if the locals are. For instance it is legal to walk down the street drinking a bottle of liquor, but I see more foreigners doing that than Taiwanese.

Watch what you say, people can understand you. It is easy to forget that a lot of Taiwanese can speak English. Keep that in mind if you are about to say something that you may not want people to hear.

They really like One Piece.

It isn't monopoly money. At first it is easy to feel rich when you see what you can buy with one bill. However, that money has real value and it you did not triple your wealth. Do the math and keep in mind what something is worth in your native currency.

Things are closed on Monday. In America, you will find a lot of things are closed on Sunday. In Taiwan, things are more likely to be closed on Monday. Lots of things are real busy on the weekends, so Monday is the day off for a lot of attractions.

No, there is not a holiday every weekend. Weekends are called holiday, even if it is just a regular Saturday and Sunday.

Up is not always north on the map. I was quite surprised to learn that maps around Taipei are not always oriented so that up is north. Always check the arrow to see which way the map is facing.

If you want good food you will have to stand in line. You can tell a place has something good if people are queuing up outside of it. If you don’t mind a wait, you may find something really good.

If you don't see a temple, bakery, or 7Eleven, then you aren't in Taiwan.

The Taipei Hostel

I feel that after two months at the Taipei Hostel, I can offer a fair appraisal. It is tad hard to rate given that it was my first experience staying in a hostel. However, it left quite the impression on me.

I arrived at the Taipei hostel in fairly desperate straights. I had just left my former hotel because I need someplace cheap to stay while I sorted out my life. At that unfortunate time I was suddenly unemployed and homeless in a country where I did not speak the language. I had a lot of luggage to deal with. I had packed to move into a new apartment, not for a short vacation. In short, a bad situation.

The staff: Lilly, Tony, and Anna.

The Taipei Hostel had come recommended by several sources so I called a cab and took the short ride to it. What I found was acceptable, and frankly better than the hotel I had been at. While there were private rooms available, I elected for the cheaper option of staying in the dorms. This came out to NT$300 (about $10) a night.

The common room with two of the guests.

The common room has several couches and a TV. A computer was provided for those that did not have a device of their own. Wifi was provided throughout the building though. A collection of books sat on a shelf for those that needed to kill time, along with maps and brochures of the area. I spent enough time on the one couch (the one that did not get baked by the noonday sun) that I placed it in a permanent state of dibs.

Across from the common room is the kitchenette. A stove and microwave along with some sparse dishes are provided for cooking. Far more important to my mind though, is a water dispenser that could provide cold or boiling hot water instantly. Given that you are not suppose to drink the tap water and bottled gets expensive fast, this is a real money saver in maintaining proper hydration.

The kitchen starring Anna and Ron.

The front desk has a rotating staff. The person I saw there the most was Lily. She was always helpful about providing information, and translations. She enjoys watching Korean dramas in the evening. After a while I found myself watch too. I could not understand what was being said, but I was not going to get off of my spot on the couch so I made up my own stories. I listened to Lily tell the story of the hostel’s history one night. She told me and several others that it was the first hostel in Taipei. She had been working there ever since, and as you can imagine had seen quite a lot. The longest border had been a man that stayed over a year.

My dorm.

The dorms are segregated between male and female, in theory. There were around twenty beds for men, and about eight for women. Not many women stay at the hostel, and those that do usually get a private room or a group room. On the rare occasion that there is an abundance of female patrons, they overflow into the men's’ dorm. My only problem with this was having to check before changing my pants.

The bunks were not so bad. The pads were actually pretty comfortable I thought. It would have been just fine if I slept on my back, but I prefer my side. If you needed the linens changed you just had to let Anna, the housekeeper, know. Each bunk had its own fan and light, a small shelf, and a rod to hang things on. They also have a curtain you can close. Each dorm has its own refrigerator to store food and a bathroom. The bathroom is the Taiwan standard wet room with a toilet and shower.

My bunk.

A quick walk up some stairs takes you to the rooftop. There is a washer and dryer to use, as well as clotheslines. A few weights are there for those who want to work out. A lot of guests like to go up there in the early morning or evening. I preferred the morning because there was less likely to be smokers up there. It provided a nice spot to rest, if not the most amazing view.

The hostel has a really good location. It is just minutes away from an MRT station, and the Taipei Main Station is the next stop. There is a nice park nearby with a track to run on. There are plenty of places to eat. I prefer local food, better and cheaper, but now and then I would hit up the McDonalds. Mainly for ice cream. There is an obligatory 7Eleven nearby plus a supermarket within walking distance.

Up on the roof.

I only had two real problems during my stay. The first was the limited air conditioning. In the dorms they only run the AC from 11pm to about 7am. In the middle of the summer that means the dorm rooms are unbearable most of the day. Once the weather cools down it is not so bad, but on a 40* C day you will not even want to be in there long enough to change cloths. During my first month there, I spent a lot of time in the common room because they would turn the AC on in there sooner if it was sweltering.

The other problem is related. There is no vent in the bathroom so it turns into a hotbox pretty quick. Even taking a cold shower I would be sweating before I had time to finish shaving. Again, once the weather cooled, this was less of an issue.

So on a five star scale, I would rate the Taipei Hostel at 4 stars. It has decent accommodations for a reasonable price. Its centralized location is a great selling point. I would probably stay there again if I needed a place to stay in Taipei, though I might opt for a private room with AC in the hot part of the summer.