Viva Taipei! Viva Taiwan!

industry, or as you might say, the motherland of motherboards. The people are friendly, kind and talkative when compared to other Far Eastern countries.

Taipei, which has its origins in the natural topography of the unique basin-shaped landscape in which it stands, is today an international city with a flourishing social scene, modern, convenient facilities and a welcoming tourist environment.

Despite the obvious Western influences in the big cities, the Taiwanese maintain their own brand of courtesy and friendliness. One query you'll hear a lot is, "Have you eaten?" This is the American equivalent of,"Hey, how are you?" It's merely a greeting rather than a critical question requiring an explicit response.

The good news is that there's no tipping. Seriously. Not for waiters, cab drivers or maids. None. The one exception is for hotel porters. That should help your cash flow a bit.

Airport 

Most visitors to COMPUTEX TAIPEI will enter at CKS International Airport, which has up-to-date facilities, including currency

exchange on arrival. C.K.S Airport welcomes all passengers to enjoy the many facilities at Terminal I and Terminal II. Immigration and customs clearance procedures are generally quick and convenient for foreigners arriving in Taiwan. It takes between 45 to 60 minutes to travel to downtown Taipei, and there can be traffic congestion. Most of the larger hotels operate shuttle services.

Downtown Taipei can be reached by air-conditioned bus, taxi, or rental car, from CKS, but as yet there is no train connection. Buses run from CKS Int'l Airport between 5:00 am to 2:00 am. The cost of 24-hour taxi service to the city is between NT$1,000 and NT$1,500. Further information and assistance is available at the information center at the airport. Some hotels will make transportation arrangements for you.

A valid passport with six months' validity and a ticket out of Taiwan are needed for an entry visa. Most travelers, including diplomats, can apply for an entry visa, good for two weeks, on arrival at the airport. Citizens from mainland China require special entry visas.

Visa-free entry for a period of 14 days is granted to citizens of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, France,

Greece, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (Holland), New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K. and U.S.A, if they have passports valid for six months and onward or return tickets.

Currency

The unit of currency is New Taiwan dollars (NT$). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at government-designated banks. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged, and these must be presented to reconvert unused NT dollars before departure. Click here for currency conversion. 

Credit Cards

Major credit cards, such as American Express, Carte Blanche, Master Card, Diners Club and Visa, are accepted. 

Tipping

It is standard to add 10 percent to restaurant and hotel bills. Give porters NT$100 for carrying luggage. It is not necessary to tip cab drivers. 

Electricity

110 volts, 60 cycles, AC 

Time Zone 

GMT + 8 hours, just as in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore 

Climate 

Northern Taiwan is semi-tropical with a touch of snow, in winter, at mountain altitudes, while southern Taiwan enjoys a

tropical, oceanic climate. Summers (May to September) are usually hot and humid with daytime temperatures from 27 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. 

Dining

Taiwan is unique in that there are restaurants, cafes and street food vendors literally on every corner in urban areas, many of which stay open 24hrs! In addition, because of its international contact, Taiwan has almost every type of food available from every country in the world.

The choices are literally endless, from NT$1 on up. Food courts in malls (in the basements of many) and entertainment centers, as well as night markets, offer alternatives to traditional restaurants. Pubs/Bars often serve food until midnight and most mini-marts are open 24 hours.

Aside from Big Macs and the Colonel's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, bigger cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung offer plenty of Italian, Thai, Chinese and Indian options, though many restaurants are pricey. Most locals eat from street vendors serving various concoctions of noodles, rice, vegetables and meat.

Good regional dishes include Chinese dumplings (vegetarian, pork, crab and shrimp), beef-noodle soup, curried chicken and fried rice -lots and lots of fried rice. Whatever you do, skip the pizza; it's probably not as good as the worst pizza you had in college.

Forget the frappuccino. Taiwan's cold drink of choice is Boba, which roughly translates to "pearl milk tea." Think tea and milk with big chunks of tapioca at the bottom. Yum. It comes with a big, fat straw to slurp it all up.

Taiwan Beer is actually pretty decent, despite its plain and simple name. Make sure you order the draft variety in the green bottle. Much better.

The best International Cuisine in Taipei 

The Prime Rib, Taipei

12F-001, 138, Section 4, Ba-De Road
Tel: +886-2- 3762-1312

Hours: Mon-Fri, 5:30-10:00 pm; Weekends 5:30 pm-11:00 am

Located on the 12th Floor of Core Pacific City's "The Living Mall." 

Lawry's The Prime Rib has 1,800 square feet of magnificent architecture.

The Main Dining room features 6 meter high ceilings, with 3 crystal chandeliers suspended from the uniquely shaped tiered domes.

With a seating capacity of over 150, the Main dining room's classic design includes huge glass mirrors, elegant paintings,

Javanese wooden mirror frames, and Middle Age era shields. Lawry's also has 5 private dining rooms, each named after a different Lawry's location, and offering spectacular Taipei city views.

Since it's founding in 1938, Lawry's has been proud to serve only Prime Grade Beef (only 2% of all cattle are graded Prime). Together with Lawry's exclusive Seasoned Salt, and a slow roasting process, the Chef proudly offers Roast Beef cooked to perfection, and carved for you tableside.

Along with your prime rib, you will also be treated to the restaurant's famous "spinning bowl" salad - Romaine, iceberg, watercress, shredded beets, chopped eggs, and croutons - which the waitress will literally spin with great deftness right at your table. In addition, you get puffy and golden-brown Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, and whipped cream horseradish.

Din Tai Fung (Zhong Xiao Branch)

218, Zhong Xiao (Chung Hsiao) East Rd., Section 4 (enter from Lane 216)
Tel: +886-2- 2721-7890
Hours: 11:00 am-2:00 pm; 4:00 pm-10:00 pm

In 1993 the New York Times named Din Tai Fung one of the world's ten best restaurants, and the decade since has seen

expansion, with six franchises added in Japan and one each in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Arcadia, California.

In Taipei, The first branch of Din Tai Fung is located in the busy Zhong Xiao commercial area. The 30-year-old restaurant expects to provide a brighter, more spacious and modern dining environment and to serve more customers in its branch. It also hopes to attract a younger clientele. The specialty here is steamed buns (hsiao lung bao). The ingredients are prepared in the restaurant's central kitchen with exacting precision. The outer flour skin has a standard weight of 5 gm, and is stuffed with 16gm of filling. Eighteen folds are then used to seal each bun.

It is much better for you to make reservations, unless you want to wait for seats for more than half an hour. 

La Famiglia 

No. 77, Lane 177, Dunhua S. Rd., Section 1
Tel: +886-2-8771-4163

"La Famiglia" Italian restaurant centers itself on a theme: traditional Italian food in a comfortable setting. The restaurant's

interior decor is that of a living room.

Most of the dishes are "things that my Mom would cook," says the host, Antonio, who has experience at a five-star hotel. The home-style minestrone soup also comes on the list of recommendations. He insists that he wants all the dishes to stay true to the traditional Rome style.

There are notes written in Italian on the drinks menu. No matter where you are, in Italy, Taipei or other city, there is always a place to make you feel at home.

Shopping

Taiwan has numerous local and international chain stores, department stores, electronics stores, computer stores, malls and supermarkets big and small. In addition to the foreign stores are the local night markets, which offer items ranging from food to videos to pets. Many large stores take credit cards and have reliable warranties on electronics and other goods, as well as refund policies good for up to 30 days as long as you keep the original packaging and receipts.

Many visitors will wonder what they will be able to find around the TWTC complex, which houses COMPUTEX TAIPEI. You will find out there are department stores, restaurants and cinemas, quite close to Hall 3, itself conveniently adjacent to the Hyatt Hotel. The world's current tallest building, Taipei 101, dominates this area of the city. Another attraction of this area are the Warner Village Cinemas, which play movies in both English and Chinese. 

When you visit Taiwan, you can find most anything you are looking for (from no-class to high-end) and usually at a deep discount compared to similar products overseas - plus there is no additional tax added on sales items, generally speaking, in Taiwan!