In Search of Taiwan History

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Confucius – Sept 28th – his 2563rd birthday

TAIPEI, 9 am, 29 Sept: I have had a very busy three days in Taipei. Our American education system teaches very little about this part of the world. Practically nothing about Taiwan. Thus, everything is new and I struggle to put this island and it’s people into historical perspective. I have read about China, the Mao/Chiang rivalry, the second Sino-Japanese war and Chiang’s ultimate loss of Mainland China to the Communists. Known as the Republic of China or ROC, Taiwan is not recognized as an independent country by most of the world, having lost its UN seat to People’s Republic of China in 1971. About every president since Eisenhower has visited, but recognition is informal. The PRC is acknowledged as the sole legitimate representative of all China, though ROC would wish the opposite.

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Earned a Pin in My Map

Travel is a destroyer of narrow, individual views of self-importance and of your culture.

How much time must I spend in a country to justify putting a pin in my world map: a week, days, hours, overnight? I’m not counting Singapore because I slept on the plane during its stopover. I am counting Japan’s overnight stop. Here’s why.

Sure I didn’t see a museum, monument or garden. But one can learn a lot about a country by spending a few hours in its airport and sleeping over in a hotel.

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Travel Tips I Must Remember to Follow

Kayak.com, Hipmunk, Momondo, Onthefly and Skyscanner are a few sites to begin my search for airfares. Aggregators work efficiently to provide fares on most airlines, then send me to the individual site for purchase. Consolidator CheapOAir sells directly; not many sites carry China Southern but I found a great price for a Taipei-Kathmandu flight. Google for local airlines flying to my destination’s airports as many aggregators do not cover these foreign airlines. I track fares using Airfare Watchdog and Kayak; check Bing for buying advice, and Seat Guru for seating suggestions. When I see the flight, convenience and price I want – book it. Period. I lost a great direct flight to Taipei by puttzing around waiting for something better.

Before I purchase my airfare, I either clear my cookies or use a second browser to check on the airfare. Airlines have been known to track the traveler and charge accordingly. I don’t want to pay more for a ticket because I search on a Mac.

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