Tuesday, April 23, 2002. 9:18PM.
Taipei, Taiwan.
It was a disappointing night in the electronics market. I normally find good deals on computer components when in Taipei. This time the market was pretty light, both in traffic and selection. Computex last year proved to be better bargain hunting. Many of the prices were no better than what I could find in Atlanta. None of the vendors had the small-sized USB I was looking for for a reasonable price. I should have bought one in Tokyo.
It was Yosi’s idea to take the subway to the electronics market. he thinks that taking cabs everywhere spoils the view of foreign culture. Yosi is one of the Intel engineers I work with. He’s a seasoned world traveler from Israel, who likes to get a real feel for the local culture when heading abroad. I do agree that the subway is a good place to learn about a culture, but I have learned some bad lessons about Americans on the New York subways. Since Yosi knows his way around the route, I don’t feel too bad about the journey. Besides, it’s a lot cheaper than a cab.
The train system is smaller than that of Tokyo, but it seems useful. Unlike Atlanta’s MARTA, The Taipei subway takes people to places they actually might want to go. The system isn’t as broad as Tokyo’s subway or JR Lines, but it’s also a lot cheaper (my ride was 20 NT dollars, about $0.60). It’s a clean system, with signs printed in Chinese and English.
The difference between these subway trains and the Japanese reveals some subtle differences in culture. When the doors are getting ready to close on a Japanese subway train, the train plays a happy little song. When the doors on a Taiwanese subway train, the event is marked using a harsh alarm tone. I guess the Taiwan trains lack the polite nature inherent in Japanese society.
I have to rise early tomorrow. My flight for Macau leaves at 9:45AM. This means I have to be on the road before 7:AM to beat Taipei rush hour.
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