Travel: Taiwan - Taipei
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amylqf:
right. we didn't went to the right place
no lah, no other meaning, i am just here simply sharing some of the exciting shopping areas in Taipei
for those who are interested to go taipei to shop. -
A few facts:
1. Taipei definitely can go free and easy
2. Shopping is definitely fun in Taipei and you can be on feet all day and not feel it.
3. Other than shopping, it is one of the most colourful places I have ever been, just the signboards alone can laugh till you drop.
4. People are very helpful and approachable too
5. Child-friendly place. -
I came back from Taiwan on a free and easy self drive trip with my 2 kids, driving from Hsinchu, Taichung, Sun-moonlake, Hualian and return my car in Taipei. This was from 6-20 December 2009. Overall it was fun for the kids, seeing the mountain, the sea and the city. We stay in 民宿, and the owner of all of them were very friendly. First time driving in Taiwan, so need to get use to it and subsequently was ok. But the mountain drive, which is where most of our accomodation were, it is still quite hairy at some places.
One not so nice experience was when we were in the MRT train in Taipei. My 2 kids were conversing in english and over my shoulder, someone was calling my kids 假洋鬼子. I look back and stare at the guy that call out the name. And after which, I started conversing with my DH in mandarin to let the guy know that we do understand them. We are just bilingual, and why is he faulting my kids by saying such a thing. -
TwaTau:
Becos his English cannot make it?? sour grapes. :x :x
One not so nice experience was when we were in the MRT train in Taipei. My 2 kids were conversing in english and over my shoulder, someone was calling my kids 假洋鬼子. I look back and stare at the guy that call out the name. And after which, I started conversing with my DH in mandarin to let the guy know that we do understand them. We are just bilingual, and why is he faulting my kids by saying such a thing.
Then those caucasians that can talk in mandarin leh? -
We have travel enough to realize there are these people around. Got called Chinky when I was in Australia, and being young and restless, cross over the road with my friends to confront them, and the angmo actually walk away when they saw us coming.
:celebrate: -
Taiwan do have earthquake, and they are quite often. We were in the train when we suddenly realized that the train has slow down somehow. It was announced over the PA that there was an earthquake of 6.4 in Hualian. But we hardly felt it in the train. 3 days before, we were staying near the seaside in Hualian and we could have being affected. Counting ourselves lucky in this case.
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Yes earthquake is frequent there, but if you are on the road, you will not feel it, only if you are in a building.
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One not so nice experience was when we were in the MRT train in Taipei. My 2 kids were conversing in english and over my shoulder, someone was calling my kids 假洋鬼子. I look back and stare at the guy that call out the name. And after which, I started conversing with my DH in mandarin to let the guy know that we do understand them. We are just bilingual, and why is he faulting my kids by saying such a thing.
Most Taiwanese don't know English. They only learn English in university. They are in the process of improving the situation by starting English lessons for their high school students. They only learn their ABCs then and their pronunciation is very different. I guess that person must be feeling very inferior when he/she called your kids name. Sort like sour grapes. I brought my DS3 to Taiwan when he was in K1 or K2. My students' parents run a childcare centre in Taipei. When we were at the centre during a weekday afternoon when all the kids came for tuition, they and their parents looked at DS3 with big, round, admiring eyes cos he was speaking very fluent English.
Only children from affluent families who can afford tuition get to learn English when young. Taiwanese parents are willing to spend on their children's education and their tuition fee is more than 3 times of what a private tutor charges in Singapore. -
TwaTau:
Good for you!We have travel enough to realize there are these people around. Got called Chinky when I was in Australia, and being young and restless, cross over the road with my friends to confront them, and the angmo actually walk away when they saw us coming.
:celebrate:
Once, I was in Taiwan at Snake Street with some angmoh colleagues. One of the street vendors turned hostile and started to shout at the angmohs. We just walked away. On that same trip, I saw Wang Lee Hom with an entourage at a hotpot restaurant. Quite cute in real life for sure!
Typically though, I just love Taiwan! The people there are very warm and friendly. I still deal with them on a daily basis, and I really feel that I've made friends for life there :). -
tutormum:
Only children from affluent families who can afford tuition get to learn English when young. Taiwanese parents are willing to spend on their children's education and their tuition fee is more than 3 times of what a private tutor charges in Singapore.
oh yes, i remembered during the last trip, our tour guide told us that he has spent a big partion of his salary on his kindergaten son just to learn english.
he also added that the locals are very envy of others who speaks fluent english.
he praised singaporeans for being bilingual.........
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