Taipei -- some cultural observations

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Wed Jan 2 2013 Taipei very clean and orderly. People very correct, polite, and helpful. In restaurant, packaged hand wipe at place. When we didn't use them, waiter handed them to us to use. People pass items (paper, documents,food etc) using 2 hands. Pedestrians crossing street are respected. Traffic lights indicate countdown times (green lights as well as red lights) as high as 70 seconds. Nice to know how long you have to cross or to wait. Masks: it seems as if about 5% of Taiwanese wear masks, young and old. We were told that it is a courtesy to wear a mask if you are contagious to protect others, or if you are concerned about pollution to protect yourself. Metro (MRT) efficient and cheap (20-30 NT$) depending on distance. Trains very long - 10 cars? Machines give clear instructions (& change) in English. Signs easy to follow. Roads, sidewalks, buses, not very handicap friendly. New MRT (Metro) and HSR (High Speed Rail) better. No tipping (ie restaurants, cabs, hotels) unless bellhop or porter help you with luggage. Spent 3 hr in National Palace Museum on outskirts of Taipei. Pretty setting in hills. Museum contains an overwhelming number of artifacts--too much to absorb in 1 session. Displays change every 3 months, so it would take 12 years to see the entire collection! Went through the Shilin night market--as expected, it is a series of crowded streets and alleyways filled with all kinds of merchandise and food stalls. One fellow tourist said to us: "Whatever the part of the animal, they eat it ". We saw a lot of unidentifiable items being cooked, some more unpleasant smelling than others!We chose to eat in a restaurant-style place with perhaps a higher standard of hygiene. We sat on stools at a long stainless steel stove and saw the food being cooked in front of us. A bit of Mongolie Grill showmanship. Very good, simple, fresh food. Our first taste of Taiwanese beer--a better bet than the wine here.

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