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Thread: Touring Taiwan

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    Touring Taiwan

    Hi all, I'm now in Taiwan, in the city of Hualien. It's on the eastern side. It's my annual holiday - I try to travel outside of my country at least once a year. I'll go on a tour of the Taroko Gorge today, but later. It's raining (drizzling) outside and I was lazy to catch the early trips. So I figured that I might as well pass the time by writing/blogging and make use of the fast wifi of this hostel. I'm posting from a phone, so pardon my spelling or grammar mistakes. (Attention: grammar nazis! Heh) I don't know if I'll be able to post pics of this trip, since when I get back home, I'll be very busy and have to attend a training. So this blog will have to suffice for now. After all, it's the fad now on TD. Heh.

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    Will you be going to the Taipei night markets?

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    It's my second trip to Taiwan. First trip was last year, before the Chinese New Year. In that trip, I only toured around New Taipei city. I stayed with a close friend, so my accoms & some of my meals were taken care of. Friend had work during the day, but she pointed me to some sights and I looked around during the day.

    I saw the usual sights - Taipei 101, Longshan Temple (a big old temple), night market near it, Chiang Kai Shek & Sun Yat Sen memorials, the botanical garden, etc. It was interesting to see & observe the Taiwanese people. They are very disciplined and organized. City is very clean. MRT has several lines and public transport systems are very good. I find it similar to Singapore in that way, but not as pricey.

    Taiwanese are disciplined and they queue everywhere. Not like the mainlanders who don't queue, or spit, pee & poop anywhere. Maybe it's bcos Taiwan was colonized by Japan for 50 yrs or so (before WW2). After WW2, Japan surrendered, and their forces left Taiwan and
    PI. I read some of these info when I toured the CKS & SYS memorials last year. I could've linked to wikipedia for more details, but am on fone & can't be assed. Heh...

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    Snubby, I'm not in Taipei anymore. Was in Taipei from Sar to Mon. Am now in Hualien, it's the countryside. But yeah, I went to night markets.

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    After my Taipei trip last year, I've often wondered how the PI would be, if we had more years of Japanese rule. PI was under Japan from '42 to 45, so 3 yrs only. Maybe we (as a ppl) would've been more disciplined & organized? In my history lessons, the Jap rule was always portrayed as a horrific era. That there were killings, rapings, etc. That MacArthur and the GIs were saviors. The Spanish rulers were very lax (and that can be seen in many Spanish-colonized countries in the Americas). In culture, PI is more similar to Latin American countries than to their SEA neighbors, who are either Buddhistor Muslim.

    As for the Americans, they taught us the language, among other things. Some say it's a bastardized form (as I've read from the Poms here). In my view, English.is English. As long as you can communicate w/ each other, it's fine.

    In this hostel, there's a Swiss-German girl, some Brit guys, a Chinese guy. We all speak English with each other. Except for the Brit guys, we are all non-native speakers, so we're not particular w/ what type of English is written or spoke. To the UK-english snobs, ypu can go eff yourselves. Heh.

    More later. Tschuss!

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    get some photos up woman, surely they've got 4g simcards there

    this is boring as hell

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    Nice, never been there, but on my list

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    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    get some photos up woman, surely they've got 4g simcards there

    this is boring as hell
    Yeah, what was that sociolinguistic twaddle about? Where's the t 'n a on scooters?


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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23
    To the UK-english snobs, ypu can go eff yourselves. Heh.
    Heh...Your English is commendable, Katie...

    Look forward to more of this thread...

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    [QUOTE=katie23;3506659]

    As for the Americans, they taught us the language, among other things. Some say it's a bastardized form (as I've read from the Poms here). In my view, English.is English. As long as you can communicate w/ each other, it's fine.

    To the UK-english snobs, ypu can go eff yourselves. Heh.

    More later. Tschuss!
    ^ I'm liking you more and more na Miss

    PS- I've found that The Filipinos often understand many Spanish words. Mesa, camasita, barrio all commonly used Once in Davao, al older Pinay asked me "Hablo Espanol Senior?"

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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post

    Taiwanese are disciplined and they queue everywhere. Not like the mainlanders who don't queue, or spit, pee & poop anywhere. Maybe it's bcos Taiwan was colonized by Japan for 50 yrs or so (before WW2). After WW2, Japan surrendered, and their forces left Taiwan and
    ...
    Good point. I also think the Mao unleashing the Red Guard on institutions like schools created an attitude of "I'll do as I damn well please, because I can!"

    Some of the younger mainlanders are rediscovering manners, but the Mao generation is beyond hope

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    Some of the younger mainlanders are rediscovering manners, but the Mao generation is beyond hope
    The problem is those old fogies are babysitting the adults of tomorrow, while their parents slave away. It's a mess of ultimate proportions.

    Kate, do enjoy the East coast, with its dramatic mountain falling to sea scenery, and the likability of the locals. If time permits, hit Kending National Park and surrounds.

    Public transport is a breeze in Taiwan.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    get some photos up woman, surely they've got 4g simcards there

    this is boring as hell
    You can go eff yourself, ya chubby Pom.

    I'll do this thread my way, when I have time. This isn't a pic thread (yet). Pics will be downloaded in my laptop, when I get home. For now, this is a "word" thread, similar to my first one abt Myanmar. It will contain thoughts & impressions of the places I'm visiting.

    This is a PG-13 thread, not an x-rated one. Lol.

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    Random thoughts...

    There are different types of Pringles here! There's a seaweed flavor & a braised or roasted chicken flavor. I bought the seaweed one yday & ate it at Taroko Gorge. Bought the chicken flavor today. I had a larf when I saw the Pringles, so I bought it. Coz I can buyy own Pringles & aircon room. Heh.

    Here's to you, SP. Thnx for the idea of Pringles!

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    Onya K-Pop.


    Once you go Pringle, you'll never be single.

    Looking forward to the thread.

    And of course the bikini shot.

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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23
    You can go eff yourself, ya chubby Pom.
    charming


    chubby indeed, im in better nick than Simon43


    Last edited by Dillinger; 12-04-2017 at 08:01 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    get some photos up woman, surely they've got 4g simcards there

    this is boring as hell
    You can go eff yourself, ya chubby Pom.

    I'll do this thread my way, when I have time. This isn't a pic thread (yet). Pics will be downloaded in my laptop, when I get home. For now, this is a "word" thread, similar to my first one abt Myanmar. It will contain thoughts & impressions of the places I'm visiting.

    This is a PG-13 thread, not an x-rated one. Lol.
    that's you told dill.

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    Good thread Katie...have fun with your trip...

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    Foking 'ell Podge.

    You're gonna be like Brad Pitt in Fightclub on that yacht next week.

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    Tomorrow mate


    Bottoms up




    Word blog to follow

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    Bottoms up
    Indeed.

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    ^cheers, dill. Kampay! Save a glass for me.

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    Taroko National Park (words from the brochure)

    It's famous for its gorge landscapes which feature marble rocks on both sidea of the Liwu River valley from Taroko to Tianxiangalong, the Central Cross-Island Highway. In addition to its historic sites, such as prehistoric relics, ancient tribal relics and ancient &current road systems, the beauty of the pristine Taroko never fails to wow visitors.

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    Some thoughts on Taroko:

    It's very beautiful. The mountains & cliffs are breathtaking. The mountain air is cool & crisp. Temps were in the low 20s, so was nicely cool. A little drizzle here & there, which made for slippery times in some trails.

    I took the 1-day pass tour, which costs 250 NTD. New Taiwan Dollar is slightly higher than the Th baht. When I exchanged usd, 1 usd = 30.31 ntd. Prices of food (street food) - slightly higher than Th prices too. In a mall, a set meal (rice, viand + soup) costs ~150 ntd. A bowl of streetfood noodles costs ~60-80, depending on contents. Prices of hotels/hostels are slightly higher too, but not as high as SG or HK.

    For the Taroko tour, you can either get a 1-day (250 ntd) or 2-day (400) ticket. It's a hop on hop off type of bus & there are designated pickup times for each station. Most tour agencies offer a 1-day tour (book from your hotel) for 700 ntd.

    If travelling w/ family (esp kids), you could opt to rent a car so that you can go to the sites at your own pace.

    If travelling alone, you could hire a motorbike - there are rental shops. The Brit guys in my hostel had a motorbike. The Swiss girl also suggested that if you're confident on a motorbike, it's good to hire one, since there's no entrance fee & you can leave the sites at your own pace.

    I suggest to bring snacks & drinks, if on a day tour. There are places to buy food (cafes) but some points don't have. Some of the sites are a bit far from each other too. Lack of food might be a problem if you have to wait for the bus to arrive & kids are hungry. The bus intervals range from 30 min to 1.5 hrs, depending on the station.
    Last edited by katie23; 12-04-2017 at 10:09 PM.

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    Travelling through Taiwan is fairly easy. Public transport system is very good & efficient. There are 2 kinds of long-distance trains: the HSR (high speed rail) and the ordinary one. I took the ordinary train from Taipei to Hualien. It was around 2 hours. It was nice & comfy, spacious, 4 seats per row, with sufficient legroom. Cabins had a/c, there was.also a footrest below (similar to the train I took in the US). Ticket price: 440 ntd.

    Re: weather: Sat, Sun & Mon were very hot days. Temps were in low 30s. I was a bit dispappointed bcos I was expecting it to be cooler than PI. (I wanted it to be cooler, since it's scorchy hot in PI already). Last Mon, since it was sunny, I wore a cotton dress. As I was touring the CKS memorial, it was a bit windy, and I was worried abt a "Marilyn Monroe" moment! Lol

    Tues & Wed (today) were cloudy, drizzly days. Temps were in the low 20s.

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