Advice for Americans visiting Taipei for the first time

I moved to Taipei three years ago, and I've compiled a list of important things to tell my friends who visit here.  

Some dangers for clueless foreigners in Taiwan

1. Dangers for pedestrians:  Bikers and electric motorcyclists in Taiwan tend to sneak up and pass you from behind at a distance of inches, so a careless step in an unexpected direction without looking can get you run over even if you remain on a sidewalk.  The rules of the sidewalk are much more like the rules of the road in the USA:  If you're going to move sideways or change direction then look behind you to make sure there isn't a biker or motorcyclist (motorcycles sometimes come up on the sidewalk) about to run you down.  Another thing to avoid is stepping out from behind a post on the sidewalk, because you can get run over by a biker or motorcyclist.  (Buildings often overhang sidewalks, so there are lots of posts around supporting them.)
   
   My first week in Taiwan I was standing at a food stand in a narrow alley, one too narrow for cars, and a silent electric motorcycle blew by me at such a close range that I would have been hit if I had taken a step back.   Similarly, I'm frequently startled walking on the street (in many places there is no sidewalk) when the first hint I have of an electric motorcycle passing me is the shockwave in the air.   
   
   Here is a news article about pedestrian conditions in Taiwan:  https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4848107
   
   Added note: An uncouth American might be tempted to cuss out the first biker or motorcyclist who nearly runs him over.  Don't do this, because you can get sued for violating the public insult law:  https://youtu.be/CCfTzwGuRhQ?si=wFaziFIOHBkpCwsE
   
   
2. Particular Dangers for pedestrians at intersections:  Unlike in the USA, motorcyclists first jig right to to turn left.  This means that there is a box drawn in the street between the sidewalk and the intersection where motorcyclists to stop after jigging right, while waiting for the light to turn so that they can complete their left turn.  If you accidentally walk into this motorcycle zone at a busy intersection you can end up in a swarm of motorcyclists who don't expect you do be there.
   
   
   

   

   
   

   
   
3. Dangers for Drivers:  An American friend who has lived in Taipei for years warned me not to even try driving here.   (He tried once, but immediately decided never to do it again.)  The problem here is that there are swarms of motorcyclist here don't respect traffic lanes at all, and they crowd many aside in one lane and pass between lanes.  I'm afraid with my American driving habits I would kill a motorcyclist if I drove here, and I don't think it would be worth it for a tourist here to rent a car.
   
   A friend who visited here a few months ago said he hired a car and a driver for a pretty good rate to take him to visit the south.
   
   
4. Poisonous snakes: Taiwan has several species of poisonous snakes, including aggressive nighttime ambush predators:  https://www.snakesoftaiwan.com/home.html.    You won't find them in the built-up areas of Taipei, although they're more important to know about in the south and in wilderness areas.  That said,  I encountered 3 cobras in Taipei next to a bike path down by a river.  (One of them saw me first, and I didn't know it was there until I heard the hiss it makes when striking!  Fortunately, I was just out range.)
   
   A common way to get bitten in the South of Taiwan is to open a gate without looking, because (venomous) Green Tree Vipers like to climb up on fences.   Another danger is that you can be bitten by a highly venomous Many-Banded Krait and not immediately notice, because the snake only needs tiny little fangs to deliver its potent neurotoxin.

Some other things to know about

1. Water: You can not drink the water here.
   
   
2. Garbage: A hotel will have garbage collection, but if you're at an airBNB in a small building then you may have to dispose of garbage by putting it in the truck directly.  The garbage trucks play music when they come, and the whole neighborhood comes out to hand their garbage over.  There are very few garbage cans around, so if you get some food on the go then you may end up walking around with the wrapping if you don't give it back.
   
   
3. Street crime: Taiwan is generally extremely safe as far as street crime goes.  I see women running at all hours of the night (even 3am) alone in a park next to the river here (which is completely separated from civilization by a floodwall).   There are lots of stray dogs around, but they tend to be tame. 
   
   It was immediately obvious to me that there was little crime when I arrived here, just judging from the flimsy locks on the bicycles parked at the racks here at NTU.  (Often the owners don't even bother to lock the bikes to anything.)  Similarly, people leave helmets and jackets overnight on their motorcycles overnight in parking garages. 
   
   Another indication of how safe it is here is what makes it into the crime section in the local news, which is a beyond tame (and a bit laughable) by American standards.  For example, 
   
   https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/01/05/2003770771
   
   https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/taiwan-news/crime/240112025/notorious-tainan-food-thief-finally-apprehended
   
   
4. Getting along without Chinese: Google Lens on your cellphone can translate photos of signs or menus to English for you. Of course, the Google Translate extension to Chrome can translate webpages for you.  The google translate app on a phone can also translate speech.
   
   
5. Cabs: Cabs are very cheap in Taiwan.  Uber is here, so you can get around without trying to speak to the driver in Chinese.  Resist the temptation to get chatty with an Uber driver in a language other than Chinese: He will stress out if he doesn't understand English and thinks you are giving him directions.
   
   
6. Restaurants: Restaurants here often accept only cash.  The fish here often contains 100 times more bones than encountered in western countries, so watch out.  (I impaled the roof of my mouth the first time I ate fish here.)
   
   
7. Ordering food and other things: Restaurants tend to be closed here at night, but you can find the places open at night if you order from https://www.foodpanda.com.tw/, which is a bit like https://www.ubereats.com/.  Foodpanda will let you order lots of non-food items from shops as well, for immediate delivery by motorcycle.    UberEats is also here, but their website often blocks Google Translate, so it's hard for an English speaker to use.  A grocery store I often order from on foodpanda is called carrefour.
   
   
8. Noise: The streets can be a bit noisy, because the trucks play an alarm when their turn signal is on.  (Apparently this is to alert the motorcyclists passing between lanes.)  For this reason, it's best not to get a hotel room or apartment facing an intersection.
   
   
9. Earthquakes:  Earthquakes happen all the time here.  Don't freak out if you've never been in one.
   
   
10. Attack by China: Americans (particularly my parents) are often worried about Chinese invasion.  Note that even when Putin most recently invaded Ukraine there was a fair amount of warning while he completed his military buildup, and he didn't even have to cross water to get to Ukraine.  Wake me up if China starts building landing craft.  Well, China could blockade Taiwan without much notice, but I don't expect a sneak troop landing.