Taiwan trip : Metro cheap and fast!

So sorry , my taiwan trip happened so long ago(oct 2008) and i’m still not done talking about it. Partly due to the fact that i’ve always been putting it off. Anyway , today going to talk about the experience i had while taking their metro line. Also i’m a bit embarrassed that my sister is in taiwan yet i didn’t really provide her with information about taiwan. So now digging through my photos and put up articles for future traveling resources!

First thing first, if you notice the metro map, 2 languages are available. Both english and chinese(traditional) so if you can’t speak or read chinese you still have an english option. Just don’t try to speak english to the average taiwanese , its better to have some pre-writen words like your hotel name or place of interest you intend to go in chinese instead. It could be a general observation but i think the average taiwanese english is really elementary. Probably the only asian city that have majority of citizens understanding both chinese and english is here, Singapore.

Secondly, it really is cheap(from a stronger currency point of view) riding the metro. Not just conversions alone but i believe even for taiwanese the metro really is affordable. If i were to convert the ticket price to my own currency, that will be just about SG$0.80 or US$0.60 for the 20NT ticketing. Believe me, taipei is no small place. Lets take a 20mins benchmarking, from where i am to a 20mins away station i would pay around $1.30?. From the Taipei main station to Shiling station is about 20mins, all for 20NT or $0.80. So conclusion, metro is quite affordable there.

Lastly, really fast traveling method. For all my travels in asia , taiwan certainly ranks as one of the top for a great city train experience. Train isn’t jerky although it is really fast.