Taxi fares in Taipei going up

For the first time in several years, taxi fares in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung are going up. In theory, all taxis should have started charging the higher rates on October 1, but because the majority haven't yet been able to adjust their meters, many are still using the old formula. Some, it seems, are using unadjusted meters then referring to a printed price list to calculate the right fare. If you're taking lots of taxis around the capital, be prepared for drivers who ask for a bit more than what's shown on the meter, and expect some confusion.

Here's the mathematics if you want to work it out for yourself: There's no change to the basic NTD70 charge for the first 250m, but from now on NTD5 will be added for every 200m, not 250m as before. When the taxi is stationery (at red lights or during a traffic jam), NTD5 will be charged per 80 seconds, instead of 100 seconds. 

According to media reports, typical journeys will be about 14% more expensive. Given that Taipei's public transport is pretty good, it is ever worth taking a taxi? It depends where you're going. If you're heading to the National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine, for instance, a taxi ride from Yuanshan MRT Station will certainly save you some time. But for many other destinations, the MRT is likely to be just as quick. If there's three or four of you, a taxi may still work out cheaper than taking the MRT.

It's unclear whether certain set fares to more remote spots - such as from Wulai's bus stop to the village of Fushan - will also rise. 

Shinto ruins in Taiwan

During the latter part of the Japanese colonial period, the authorities promoted Shintoism and ordered the construction of Shinto shrines in several locations. Most of these places of worship were obliterated soon after Taiwan became part of Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China in 1945, and none of those which survived is in good condition, with the qualified exception of what's now Taoyuan Martyrs Shrine.

The most picturesque Shinto ruins are those above Jinguashi, near Keelung on Taiwan's northeast coast. The steps and base of another shrine (pictured above) can be found a few hundred metres from Fenqihu Train Station, in the highlands of Chiayi County, beside a short but delightful forest hiking trail. A different kind of quasi-religious relic from the Japanese era, now known as the Feng An Sanctum, stands in Tainan's Xinhua District.

Shenao Branch Railway reopens to passenger traffic

From this weekend, tourists will be able to take trains along the short but scenic Shenao Branch Railway (深澳線) for the first time since passenger services ended in 1989. The railroad was originally built to carry coal to power stations; freight services didn't cease until 2007.

The line has been restored as part of a development plan centered around Badouzi (八斗子), a little fishing port near Keelung. Trains will start from Ruifang (瑞芳), a nondescript town already well-known to railway enthusiasts as a place where they can begin to explore Shifen and the Pingxi Branch Railway (平溪支线). The Shenao Branch Railway is 4.2km long and provides good views of Taiwan's rugged northeast coast. Trains, of which they'll be 20 per day, will take just 8 minutes to reach the new National Museum of Marine Science & Technology. Another nearby and worthwhile attraction is Houtong Coal-Mine Ecological Park.

Keelung, old and new

Ershawan Battery, also known as Haimen Tianxian, is a sprawling ridgetop defense post established by the Qing authorities during the First Opium War (1839–42). Little remains of the original encampment but the views over Keelung harbor are good and bilingual information boards provide some details for history enthusiasts.

The area around the fishing port at Badouzi is being transformed into a major tourist destination. The almost-completed building above will be an exhibition hall.

Clear skies on the northeast coast

Just after Typhoon Trami drenched Taiwan, I got up to the northeast coast and had a good look around places like Badouzi (八斗子) and Longdong (龍洞). Badouzi, near Keelung and where I took the photos above and below, is the site of the new National Museum of Marine Science & Technology.

Sailing to Matsu

The Taima Ferry (臺馬輪) leaves Keelung six evenings a week and sails through the night for the Matsu Islands (馬祖列島), an ROC-controlled archipelago around 150km northwest of Taiwan.  

There are various ticket options, the cheapest being nothing more than a padded seat in one of the lounges. Most people opt for a berth in one of the bunk-bed dorms; at NT$1050 per person one-way, it's almost half the price of flying from Taipei to Nangan. These bunks are fairly comfortable and you have a curtain you can draw across for some privacy. Unfortunately, all the lights are left on throughout the voyage, which takes eight to ten hours. There are also first- and business-class cabins, but from what I saw they aren't worth the extra money unless you've a great need to watch TV. In the lounge you can buy beer, tea and instant noodles.

It's worth staying outside for the first hour or so as you get good views of Keelung Harbour and its impressive freight-handling facilities [see above and below]. Also, the ocean is dotted with fishing boats using dazzling carbon-arc lamps to attract fish.

The vessel is quite substantial - the car deck can take more than a dozen small trucks - so even if the weather is poor, the pitching and rolling are tolerable. 

I woke up around 5am and went outside. We passed several small islets; officially, the Taiwan-ruled portion of Lienchiang County consists of 19 islands, but that tally doesn't include several isolated rocks.

Matsu's docks depend on military personnel. Each time the Taima makes a stop [such as Nangan (南竿), pictured left], teams of soldiers tie the ship up. Note that the man closest to the water's edge is held by the fellow behind - a wise precaution, I'm sure.

At Nangan the Taima [bottom picture] paused for two hours, during which we hit the island's main market for some breakfast. Then we reboarded the ferry for the two-hour voyage to Dongyin (東引), where we spent the first night.

Fresh Facts VI: Taiwan's first railway

The Sino-French War of 1884-85 underscored Taiwan's vulnerability to foreign invasion, and was a factor leading to the construction of the Keelung-Hsinchu railroad. Work on the railway started in 1886 but it wasn't until early 1892 that a short stretch (about 45km) was open for traffic. 

The project was delayed because Qing officials ignored or overruled the European engineers hired to supervise construction; requests to divert the line for reasons of fengshui had to be dealt with; and many of the pegs marking the proposed route were removed by locals who used them for firewood.

Spelling of stations and towns according to Taiwan Railways

The Taiwan Railways Administration, the central government agency that runs Taiwan's conventional rail network, has clarified which station names are to be spelled according to hanyu pinyin, now Taiwan's official system for rendering Chinese words into the Latin alphabet, and which are to continue to be known by their old spellings.

The rationale, it seems, is that to change the spelling of Taipei, Kaohsiung and other places well known outside Taiwan would confuse non-Taiwanese. Ten cities fall into this category. Here they are, with the spelling in parantheses is hanyu pinyin:

From north to south: Keelung (Jilong); Taipei (Taibei); Hsinchu (Xinzhu); Taichung (Taizhong); Changhua(Zhanghua); Chiayi (Jiayi); Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong); Pingtung (Pingdong). On the east coast: Hualien (Hualian); Taitung (Taidong).

Of course, it's by no means certain that other government agencies, such as the Freeway Bureau, which administers Taiwan's motorways, will do the same. When driving, be prepared to see Taizhong, Pingdong etc.

2011 UPDATE

According to reports in the Chinese-language media, such as this one, the government has decided that hanyu pinyin will not be universally applied to smaller towns. The town previously known as Lukang (鹿港) will retain that old spelling - rather than Lugang - while Danshui (淡水) will officially be Tamsui, a rendering of the place name as its pronounced in Taiwanese.

Festivals in Taiwan

This article I wrote for the government's Taiwan Review looks at three of the island's major festivals: the Songjiang Battle Array in Kaohsiung County, Hsinchu City's Glass Art Street Carnival and the Mid-Summer Ghost Festival in Keelung.