Graychalk.com | Misplaced Pieces
Tips For Visiting Taiwan
Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 10:12 pm
An old friend called me yesterday and said she wanted to come to Taiwan for a visit, which completely made my day as I hadn’t seen her in over 5 years. She would be flying out to the Philippines and thought she’d drop by Taiwan to see good ‘ol me for a few days. Since she had never been here before, she asked if there was anything she needed to bring or be aware of. I mulled over that for a bit and ended up with a list of miscellaneous tips potential visitors to Taiwan might want to keep in mind.
Quick Do’s and Don’ts:
1. DO bring a foldable, lightweight tote of some sort.
For environmental purposes, there’s a law in Taiwan restricting the distribution of plastic bags, so many people bring their own bags when they buy stuff. Clothing shops and department stores do give you paper shopping bags for your purchases, but convenient stores like the 7-11 won’t do so automatically. As a last resort, stores that don’t give you a bag will still sell you one for cheap (under NT$5) if you ask for it.
2. DON’T throw away your receipts.
Taiwan has a receipt lottery, where the prize goes anywhere from NT$200 to NT$200,000. Basically, there’s a number printed on all the receipts handed out in Taiwan, and every couple of months, they release a set of winning numbers. I actually knew someone who came for a visit and ended up winning the grand prize! If you’re not interested in trying your luck at the lotto, you can always drop them off in charity donation boxes around the city. Or, of course, you can also give them to me. ;p
3. DO keep some tissue paper handy.
This will become quite useful when using the public restrooms as a lot of them either don’t provide any or they’re perpetually out of them.
4. DON’T flush toilet paper down the toilet.
For some reason that I still don’t quite understand, toilet paper is notorious for clogging the toilets here. Either that or they just don’t go down at all, hence the reason you’ll see signs (usually in Chinese only) in most bathrooms telling you to throw the toilet paper into the waste basket provided.
5. DO keep your hotel’s card with you at all times. (Important!)
This might sound like a general travel tip, but I found that this is especially important in Taiwan. I’ve noticed that people here (cab drivers included) never seem to know the English names of the hotels… and I’m talking about even famous international chains like Hyatt or Sheraton. If you can’t speak Chinese, the hotel’s card is crucial if you’re asking for directions or taking cabs. Seriously.
6. DON’T just rely on your credit card.
While major establishments like department stores and nice restaurants do take most credit cards, you’ll find that many smaller boutiques or eateries don’t. Additionally, if you plan on shopping at bargain stores or those shops that sell electronics for cheap, you’d be better off paying in cash since they tend to charge more if you’re paying by credit card… that is, if they even accept them at all.
Other miscellaneous things to note:
There’s probably a few other things I could include… like seriously watching yourself when you cross the street because the idea of pedestrians getting the right of way is a laughable joke. Plus the country is scooters galore. They’re all over the place, including the sidewalk. Oh and if you’re coming from Europe or any other country where the right side is the driver’s side, keep in mind that Taiwan is the same as America (where the driver’s side is on the left), so don’t be looking on the wrong side when crossing the street!
As for other possible things to bring- If you’re so inclined, I might add in an umbrella and some form of mosquito repellent as things you can consider bringing as well. Honestly, I have no idea when the rainy season is supposed to be in Taipei even after living here for 5 years… but in my experience, it rains much too often for my liking and it happens whenever it wants to! Though fear not if you’d rather not lug an umbrella around, since you’ll find plenty of stands that sells them here if you should get caught in rain.
Mosquito repellent, on the other hand, you might really need especially if you come during the summer. It isn’t uncommon to get an armful of bites within mere seconds. You won’t even know what hit you until you’re itching all over.
And that’s all for now. I’ll add on to it if I think of anything else. In the meantime, happy visiting!
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