Also, this very brief sketch of Taiwanese politics obscures a large amount of complexity. Taiwan has both Chinese physicians and Western doctors, both of which are taken equally seriously. However, as a foreigner, the assumption queenwin casino would generally be to direct you to a Western doctor. The quality of the hospitals in Taiwan is excellent and on par with, if not better than those found in the West.
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Hong Kong and Macau residents born outside of these territories and have not been to Taiwan before HK/Macau residents must apply for a permit online before traveling to Taiwan (NT$600). Hong Kong and Macau residents who also have another passport (except BN(O) or a Portuguese passport obtained before the handover) must use the other passport (and apply for the correct visa, if required) to enter Taiwan and not their Hong Kong/Macau passport. Macau residents using a Portuguese passport may enter visa-free like other Portuguese passport holders. Citizens of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau must apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit (入臺證), a de facto e-visa issued by Taiwan, to enter Taiwan.
People of Taiwan
Many KTV establishments partner with restaurants and buffets to form all-encompassing and elaborate evening affairs. Tour busses that travel around Taiwan have several TVs, primarily for singing karaoke. The ROC is able to participate as “China” in organizations in which the PRC does not participate, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000.247 However, Chen lacked legislative majority. More than 1,000 homes were flooded in the harbor town of Suao, which received 648 millimeters (25 inches) of rain on Tuesday, a record for the month, weather officials said.
Taiwanese Minnan and Xiamen Minnan are both mixtures of the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou accents, so as a result, Taiwanese Minnan sounds very similar to Xiamen Minnan. There is also dialectal variation in Taiwanese between different parts of the island; the Tainan dialect is generally considered to be the prestige dialect. An increasing number of pro-independence Taiwanese are opting to speak Taiwanese exclusively and shun Mandarin as a political statement, though they completely understand if foreigners are not able to speak Taiwanese.
Taiwan’s healthcare system is considered to be one of the best in the world. Legal residents with a National Health Card can avail themselves of the very convenient and efficient national health service, which covers treatment and medication using both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. However, this service is not available to short term visitors on tourist visas; nor does it cover major hospitalization expenses. Still, hospital visits and medicine in Taiwan tends to be far less expensive than in Western countries.
Climate of Taiwan
While driving may be the best way to get around the countryside, in larger cities, traffic jams are a problem as is the difficulty of finding a good parking space, especially during the rush hour and traffic tends to get chaotic. Other larger cities, such as Taichung, can be a tricky case – while the downtown traffic may as chaotic as in Taipei and Kaohsiung, their public transport, which usually relies on buses, isn’t as convenient as in Taipei and Kaohsiung. For such cities, a scooter, or public transport with rental bicycles is a choice in downtown.
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- Ferries connect the main island of Taiwan with some of the outlying islands.
- Otherwise, your card will be blocked with “incomplete journey” (for all bus companies), and you will have to settle this issue with the responsible bus company.
- The indigenous people of Taiwan are separated into Lowland groups who lived on the plains and Highland groups who lived in the mountains.
- Train timetables and online booking (up to 2 weeks in advance) are available on the TRA website.
- Standing tickets are 80% the original ticket price and may be useful for last-minute travelers.
- With just a few hours of practice, you can learn to pronounce Mandarin words accurately using pinyin.
These are sold at most major TRA stations, and on board most long distance TRA trains. Both meat and vegetarian options are available, with the pork chop bento being particularly famous and iconic. Some smaller towns that do not have TRA bento stalls at in their stations have privately-owned shops selling bentos near to the railway station, and these often feature some local specialties. The towns of Fulong and Chishang are particularly famous for their local versions of the railway bento. Citizens of mainland China residing in Hong Kong, Macau or overseas, can apply for the entry permit online for multiple purposes including tourism.
Urban transit systems include Taipei Metro, Kaohsiung Metro, Taoyuan Metro, New Taipei Metro, and Taichung Metro. Duties of local governments include social services, education, urban planning, public construction, water management, environmental protection, transport, public safety, and more. The East China Sea lies to its north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest. Smaller islands include the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, the Kinmen, Matsu and Wuqiu islands near the Chinese coast, and some of the South China Sea islands. Music in Taiwan reflects its multicultural influences, with traditional Chinese music, folk songs, and pop music being central to Taiwanese culture.
- Perhaps due to its political ambiguity and lack of global presence, Taiwan has traditionally not been a significant destination for Westerners, though this is changing.
- Taiwan is largely mountainous with a chain of mountains running from north to south at the center of the island.
- Often this will be a LINE (a Japanese messaging app similar to Whatapp) contact.
- You can also pay for the tickets you reserved at your local train station or post office to actually receive it.
- These are often found on the first or second floor of buildings and equipped with very comfortable chairs and large screens.
Banknotes come in denominations of NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000, while coins come in denominations of NT$½, NT$1, NT$5, NT$10, NT$20 and NT$50. The NT$½ coin is rarely seen or accepted because of its low value, and the price of raw materials used to make the coin is more than the face value of the coin. The NT$20 coin, the NT$200 banknote, and the NT$2,000 banknote are not as common as others. The 20, 200, and 2000 are legal currencies that should be accepted, but stores that are unfamiliar with them sometimes do not accept them. In international sporting competitions, such as the Olympic Games, Taiwan is called “Chinese Taipei” (中華臺北) for political reasons. An attendant will put a payment slip under your windscreen wiper, you can pay at convenience stores.
It is brewed with fragrant penglai rice in addition to barley giving it a distinctive flavor. The beer is served cold and recognized as an especially suitable complement to Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine, especially seafood dishes such as sushi and sashimi. While a relatively newcomer to the scene, Taiwanese whisky (威士忌) has been making waves in the 21st century, with local whiskey brand Kavalan having emerged from obscurity to win numerous prestigious international awards. The usual traditional Chinese taboos when eating with chopsticks apply in Taiwan as well. For instance, do not stick your chopsticks straight up or into your bowl of rice.
Popular culture
Several bike paths have been built, and recreational cycling has become quite popular amongst locals, especially on weekends. However, you should also be aware that local drivers have a well deserved reputation for recklessness. As such, you should exercise extreme caution when cycling outside of designated bicycle lanes and trails. Google Maps is a quick way to find a route to your destination, but is not always reliable, especially for trips with changes and for longer distance (like in the south and southwest). Often it will highly overstate bus travel times, because it will consider each stop while the bus might only stop at every third or fourth.
Hotel beds in Taiwan are generally much harder than in the West because of the old Asian tradition to sleep on a wood board. Modern mattresses can be found in most hotels, but only in the most upscale Western style hotels will you find beds in a real western style. Small fruit-juice bars make them fresh on the spot and are experts at creating fruit-juice cocktails (non-alcoholic, of course). Zong-he (mixed) is usually a sweet and sour combination and mu-gwa niou-nai (木瓜牛奶) is iced papaya milk. If you don’t want ice (though it is safe in Taiwan, even at road side vendors) say, chu bing (去冰) and no sugar (wu tang (無糖)). The cafe culture has hit Taiwan in a big way, and in addition to an abundance of privately owned cafes, all the major chains, such as Starbucks, have a multitude of branches throughout major towns and cities.