Taiwan Quirks

Got to check out Jiufen the past weekend. Its a beautiful place in the northeast corner of Taiwan. Its about a 40 minute ride by a "special" van. Originally my friends and I wanted to take a bus, which would have taken 1 hr and 40 mins. But a couple with betlenut juice teeth (you'll know what I mean if you've visited or live here) near the bus stop asked if we wanted a ride. The wife pointed to her sign which said we could save an hour by taking their van. It costs 200 NT, which we thought was a good deal to save time. Getting in, we find out one of us has to sit on a stool, while another had a seatbelt missing. Normally, I would bail out of this situation, but hey, its Taiwan and they often say "go with the flow".

The ride was pretty smooth, and once we got all the way up a winding road, you will see spectacular views of ocean. It was very packed with weekend visitors from Taipei or tourists from the Mainland, and Japan. There are many teahouses on the hillside, so we found one that gave us great views while we drank tea. The weather was sunny and perfect, so I could see all the way out to Keelung, a nearby city. So you begin walking down a narrow path, so if you're claustrophobic, don't come.. its seriously crowded. Keep in mind this used to be an old gold mining town a la SF during the Gold Rush. Along the path you will find all kinds of snacks, drink and trinkets to buy. Food is so cheap in Taiwan that you basically go to any stall that strikes your fancy and order. I got to try a gelatinous covered pork "bun". It kind threw me off because they looked like circular jellyfish. I will just say it had an interesting flavor.

The next morning, I woke up with what felt like flu symptoms. Whole body aches, sore throat, fever, and lethargy. Somehow I made through my day at work, but I rushed to a doctor for some meds. The nice thing is most doctors, well the Western style ones, speak good English, so I didn't have the added stress of language issues. I arrived at the doc's office by 4:30pm, seen at 4:33pm, diagnosed and provided a prescription at 4:40pm, walked next door to the pharmacist, and left with meds at 4:50. All this cost me 150 NT ($5 USD). Umm this would NEVER happen in America. What also amazed me was that they scanned my medical insurance card into a card reader that uploaded my personal stats on to their computer. The doctor already knew my age and other basic info without me having to write that information down. Amazing.

On the opposite spectrum, I was shocked at how much is charged for eyecare. I was hoping contacts and glasses would be subsidized, but no. I spent 14000 NT for new glasses, frames, and a year's supply of contact lenses. I was told that this is normal. So if you have perfect vision and occasionally get sick, then you will have the lowest medical expenses. 

Nothing is perfect. There are times I miss America. I miss Trader Joes, I miss DSW because Nikes or Western branded shoes are hella expensive here. I miss fresh, EPA monitored air. I miss my FRIENDS and FAMILY. I miss the separation of work and play because the Taiwanese just work, and work, and work. But slowly I am feeling more comfortable here, and am keeping a possibility of staying another year... We'll see...