My Odyssey Called Life

TAIWAN

2011-07-24T23:12:00.011+01:00

Welcome to Taiwan:

Shaped like a sweet potato, Taiwan is one of the most populated islands in the world housing well over 23 million people. Surprisingly not a very popular travel destination for the western world, Taiwan has a lot to offer from its bustling cities, landscapes and culture. Formerly known as Formosa, Portuguese: Ilha Formosa or 'Beautiful Island' is situated in the south east of China in the pacific ocean. Regarded by the IMF as one of Four Asian Tigers, Taiwan is a high income economy with advanced technological capability.

Taiwan VISA:
Visa is not required for nationals of most countries. However Indians would need a visa to travel unless you have a residency from USA, UK, Canada or Australia. You can apply for a visa waiver online at https://nas.immigration.gov.tw/nase/ctlr?PRO=PRO_Task12Application
A sample copy of the letter of approval looks as below.

A multiple entry visa with a 30 day duration of stay is granted.

FLIGHTS:
Taiwan is well connected from Hong Kong with a number of flights every day. The national carrier is Eva Airlines. However from Hong Kong you have Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Hong Kong Airlines and China Airlines operating. The flight time is 1:00 hour and cheaper on Eva or China Airlines mostly. Try the search engine www.zuji.com/hk for best fares.

ACCOMODATION:
Accommodation should be easily found online using www.hotels.com or www.hostelworld.com Taipei City is generally a good place to stay and travel around. There are all varieties of hotels available depending on your budget. Costs vary from 800 TWD (1200 INR) to

IMMIGRATION:
Immigration at the airport is straightforward. Staff are friendly. However like in India do expect to be stopped by a customs officer before exit at times.

TRANSIT AIRPORT-CITY:
There are buses operating to most destinations in Taiwan from the international airport. Tickets must be purchased at counter in the airport terminal before boarding. There is a ticket counter just on the exit after customs where they sell tickets at the face value of 125 TWD to Taipei main station. The journey is about an hour and at times you could be subject to heavy traffic.

Taxis can also be taken from the airport to the city. Expect to pay anything above 600 TWD.

INTERNAL TRANSPORT:
Public transport in Taipei in Taiwan is excellent and most people use the MRT. Plenty of taxis and buses are also available in the city. There are a number of 2 wheelers on the road as well.
Inter-city connectivity is excellent by the high speed trains, alternatively there are buses to most places from the main bus stations.

Taiwan - Travel

GEOGRAPHY, REGIONS:
The Republic of Taiwan is situated 180 km off the southeastern coast of China, across the Taiwan strait. With an area of a little over 36,000 sq km the island has 2/3rd of rugged mountains in east and plains in the west.

CLIMATE:
Climate is marine tropical as Taiwan lies on the tropic of Cancer. The climate is hot and humid in the summer months from June to September. Temperatures rise up to 40 deg C. The rainy season lasts from January to March.

TIME ZONE:
UTC + 8

CURRENCY & ECONOMY:
Taiwan Dollar
1 TWD = 1.58 INR (24 July 2011).
1 HKD = 3.71 TWD
1 GBP = 47.4 TWD
1 USD = 28.96 TWD

Withdrawing money from the ATM machines may be the cheapest method to exchange currency. Else there are a number of exchange shops in the city and the airport.

Taiwan's quick industrial growth has been called the Taiwan miracle and is one of the four Asian Dragons (Tigers). With a growth rate of over 10% in 2010 Taiwan prides in leading technologies in nanotechnology and electronics.

PEOPLE & CULTURE:
98% of the people are of Chinese ethnicity. Most people are helpful. At times language could be a barrier.

Taiwan - People

ETIQUETTE:
Taiwan does share a number of cultural values like in most parts of East Asia. Respect the elders, removing shoes before entering a home or temple are a few.

FOOD:
There is a snack shop every three steps and a restaurant every 5 in Taiwan. All varieties of Chinese food can be obtained. Foreign food from all over the world is also available now. Taiwan also has its own native cuisine and is well known around the world.

LANGUAGE:
Mandarin is the official language. Taiwanese is spoken by 70% of the population. English is spoken widely by most of the young people. Most people tend to speak Japanese as well.

MUSIC:
Instrumental music such as beiguan and nanguan is found across the island. Taiwanese puppetry and opera are popular.

MOBILE PHONES:
+886 is the country code.
The standard prefix for international dialling from Taiwan is 002.
The major mobile providers are Chunghwa Telecom ,Taiwan Mobile,Vibo and Far EasTone

ELECTRICITY:
USA Plug. 110V/60Hz.

TOP THINGS TO DO IN Taiwan:
1. Go up the 101 Taipei tower.
2. A day out hiking and cycling in Danshui.
3. Explore Taiwan's ecological environment.
4. Asia's version of Hawaii in Kending.

TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN Taiwan:
1. Taipei
2. Danshui

TOP SOUVENIRS TO BUY IN Taiwan:
1. Chiang Kai Shek artefact.
2. 101 Tower artefact.
3. Sun Yat Sen memorial artefact.
4. Various Taiwanese souvenirs in the night market or street markets.
5. Electronics. HTC is Taiwan's biggest brand.

MOST UNIQUE FEATURES IN Taiwan:
1. A very lively and touristic city in Taipei.
2. The number of two wheelers on the road.
3. World class underground (MRT) in Taipei.

TAIWAN TOURISM:
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/

TAIWAN - DANSHUI

2011-07-24T18:33:00.002+01:00

Taiwan - Danshui

TAIWAN - BEITOU HOT SPRINGS

2011-07-24T16:24:00.001+01:00

Taiwan - Beitou Hot Springs

TAIWAN - LONGSHAN TEMPLE

2011-07-24T14:01:00.000+01:00

Taiwan - Longshan Temple

TAIWAN - PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE

2011-07-24T11:16:00.000+01:00

Taiwan - Presidential Office

TAIWAN - CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL

2011-07-24T10:56:00.000+01:00

Taiwan - Chiang Kai Shek Memorial

TAIWAN - SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

2011-07-23T23:41:00.001+01:00

Taiwan - Shilin Night Market

TAIWAN - 101 TOWER

2011-07-23T22:10:00.003+01:00

Taiwan 101 Tower

TAIWAN - SUN YAT SEN MEMORIAL

2011-07-23T14:46:00.004+01:00

Taiwan - Sun Yat Sen Memorial

HONG KONG - HEADLAND CATHAY CITY

2011-07-10T22:40:00.004+01:00

HK Where I live

HONG KONG - CATHAY PACIFIC

2011-07-10T22:33:00.003+01:00

HK Where I work

AROUND THE WORLD IN 54 DAYS

2010-01-11T13:15:00.003Z

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - St. Augustine

My grandiose for life and having been stuck on country number 49 for over 10 months, i set out on one of the most exciting adventures i have been on all my life. After some dillydallying i decided to go with my affair of travel for travel's sake and complete my country number 50 in a grand way. After sorting out all the necessary visas i went up in the air starting from London on the 20th November 2009 on a journey of a lifetime.

'An odyssey is best measured in friends than in miles', and this was what made my Round the World trip all the more exciting. An opportunity to re-connect with some of the nicest people you can meet on this planet, and having someone you can trust in every corner of the world made it even special.

My first stop was New York in United States of America, where i not only lived the fast life of the city but also got to meet my good childhood friends Muralidhar Tejomurtula, his wife Vijaya Iluri, Sandhya Menon and Arun Raghavan. A journey to Boston and a day attending lectures at Harvard Business School challenged my intellectual ability and the desire to strive harder to go a long distance in life before being content. Thanks to the hospitality of Varun Gupta an ex colleague from KPMG India at HBS and thanks to facebook i was able to meet my batch mates from KREC Suratkal; Raahul Hassan and Srihari Narasimhan.

I then flew from NYC to Los Angeles and spent 4 days with my brother Vinay Keerthy and sister in law, Padmini Keerthy in Irvine, Orange County. The comforting feel of family and one of the sweetest & nicest couples i know made this short time feel heavenly. Losing myself culturally in the mexican tunes on a trip to San Diego, shopping and a big bang from behind to our car hours before my flight summed the rest of my special love for Sunny California, which is high on places i want to migrate to next.

This was followed by the most intriguing journey i have ever made. My flight to Fiji from LA, erased the existence of 29th November in my calendar. A day of sun, sand and water in Fiji brought back the adventurous me.

Entering New Zealand made me feel like i was in the UK. But further exploring Auckland and the heart of this God's country i fell in love with NZ and would easily be the highlight of my travel. Understanding the Maori culture and witnessing some sheer beauty of nature i spent time in Rotorua, Waikato and Hamilton. After spotting a Kiwi bird for the first time ever, i met my old neighbor for over ten years from DRDO, Bangalore; Deepthi Radhakrishnan and her husband Baruk Feddabonn. The only person i could not meet in the whole trip was Alia Kapoor my HR from KPMG Bangalore. New Zealand is a place i would surely want to live in for a few years, I love this country.

I then flew into Sydney, Australia where i got a taste of the outgoing Australian lifestyle. A very special thanks to Aloma De Souza and Tony Moriarty for their wonderful hospitality and Mandeep Chanana and Balija Raghuveer for their company. Spent a couple of days in the worlds sports city, Melbourne where i stayed with Murali's brother Manohar Tejomurtula. A journey to Melbourne Cricket Ground and Rod Laver Arena, made me rue about my missed opportunities in sports. I may probably be the best example of Jack of all, Master of none. Due to a paucity of time i also missed catching up with ex colleagues Andrew Baldock & Steven Green from Amdocs Consulting. A day trip on the magnificent Great Ocean Road, taking a helicopter ride and having an encounter with a Kangaroo, a Kaola and bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor concluded a wonderful day in the Victorian province. After visiting the Blue Mountains and the Tauranga Zoo, one of the best Zoo's i have ever seen i left Australia to my next destination HK rich with memories.

Hong Kong swept me off my feet from the very beginning. A city with a vibrance better than Mumbai and much more modern than most western cities there was life everywhere in this fast paced hometown of Jackie Chan. They have the best airport and underground trains in the world in my opinion. I met my dearest Mom and Dad the following day to my arrival and there is no better feeling in this whole world than being with your loved ones. Any bond in this world can be replaced, but never that with your parents. A packed schedule visiting Hong Kong and its attractions mainly in Disneyland, largest sitting Buddha statue, Ocean Park, Peak, Symphony of Lights and many others kept the adrenaline going.

A day's visit to Macau from HK made it my 54th country. Experiencing the rich side with the casinos strewn and the poorer side of the chinese region before returned to my serviced apartment in HK the same day.

The penultimate country on the itinerary was Singapore where i spent some time before flying to Mystical India.

Arrived into Mumbai, India and later reached Bangalore my home city. There is nothing like home and your city where you have grown up. A series of business meetings for my own venture and catching up friends concluded this joyous journey. I met up with my best friends from school; Avinash Ganesh, Harish Krishnan, Roopa Nair, Tapasya & Akhila Ganesh and relived those glorious fun filled days with not an iota of stress. Caught up with friends from St Josephs; Swaroop Shekar and Maitreya Bhoopalam and then with friends from engineering in KREC Suratkal; Rahul Bohra, MS Kiran, Bharath Raj, Vibhor, Puneet and Shashikiran. India is a country where people and food consumes most of your time and while enjoying myself to sumptuous food i also met up with other friends and family in Brunga Bahubali, Sushma Kumble, Sahana Radhakrishna, Varun Gupta, Sneha Divakar, Mihir Nayak, Chetan Sudheendra and Chanveer Kadapatti.

After having a gala time with people in my family namely my first cousin Sowmya Abhi, Abhichandran Madanakesari and their lovely son Ruthvik, Vidyananda BJ, Prakruthi Vidyananda and their adorable daughter Viviktha, my mom's elder brother and his wife (Athe and Mama) and also my mom's younger brother Prasad Mahaveer, and last but not the least my dearest mom and dad who are the most down to earth and humble people.

With great pleasure and confidence i can state that all the people i have interacted with on this wonderful adventure of mine are the true 'Salt of the Earth' and i am proud i am a part of their lives. I thank each one of you for your help at all times.

I returned to London on the 11th January to conclude 54 days of sheer bliss knowing all those who wander are not lost. We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

Click on the Photo for the Best Photos from Round The World:

Around The World in 54 Days

Personal Regards
Vivek S Keerthy

INDIA - BANGALORE HOME

2010-01-03T18:52:00.000Z

INDIA - BANGALORE - RUTHVIK'S BIRTHDAY

2009-12-19T20:26:00.008Z

Ruthvik on his 6th Birthday with Viviktha.

Ruthvik with parents Soumya Abhi and Abhichandran Madanakesari.

Click on the Photo for the Album:

Ruthvik's Birthday

INDIA - BANGALORE

2009-12-18T11:00:00.002Z

INDIA - MUMBAI

2009-12-18T02:32:00.002Z

SINGAPORE

2009-12-17T20:31:00.002Z

HONG KONG

2009-12-17T16:27:00.002Z

HIGHLIGHTS WITH HONG KONG MUSIC:

YOUTUBE - Coming Up

Hong Kong,is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. Situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The city's population is 95% ethnic Chinese.

HONGKONG VISA:
All citizens of India and commonwealth nations are entitled to free visa on entry.

FLIGHTS:
Cathay Pacific.

ACCOMODATION:
Look for Serviced apartments. They are reasonable and the best way to live in the city.

IMMIGRATION:
Quick and straight forward.

TRANSIT AIRPORT-CITY:
Buses and fast trains.

INTERNAL TRANSPORT:
Public transport in Hong Kong is one of the best in the world. Get an Octopus card and you can travel on any mode of transport.

GEOGRAPHY, REGIONS:
Hong Kong
Kowloon
Lantau
New Territories

CLIMATE:
Climate is great all through the year. The temperature was 21 deg C in winter in December.

TIME ZONE:
UTC + 8

CURRENCY & ECONOMY:
Hong Kong Dollar
1 GBP = 12.68 HKD
1 INR = 0.17 HKD

Credit cards are widely accepted but for Octopus cards.

PEOPLE & CULTURE:
People are warm and speak good english.

ETIQUETTE:
High on moral values and etiquette.

FOOD:
Chinese and all international cuisines. There are many places where only vegetarian food is available.

LANGUAGE:
English and Chinese

MUSIC:
Eclectic mixture of traditional and popular genres.

MOBILE PHONES:
+852 is the country code.

Network is excellent all through and works even in the underground.

ELECTRICITY:
3 Pin Flat (UK Plug). 240V/50Hz.

TOP THINGS TO DO IN HONGKONG:
1. PEAK
2. DISNEYLAND
3. NGONG PING
4. SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS
5. CITY TOUR

TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN CYPRUS:
1. HK City
2. Lantau
3. Kowloon

TOP SOUVENIRS TO BUY IN CYPRUS:
1. HK Flower
2. Peak Shops

MOST UNIQUE FEATURES IN CYPRUS:
1. City with a vibrant energy and very modern.

HONG KONG - PEAK

2009-12-16T22:25:00.003Z

At the Peak overlooking the brilliant city of Hong Kong.

Click on the Photo below for Album:

20091216 HK-Peak

HONG KONG - OCEAN PARK

2009-12-16T13:12:00.003Z

With mommy dearest at the Ocean Park in Hong Kong.

Click on the Photo for Album:

20091216 HK-Ocean Park

HONG KONG - CITY

2009-12-16T11:04:00.001Z

Overlooking the city of Hong Kong from the Golden Bauhinia Square, where the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Click on the Photo for Album:

20091216 HK-City

MACAU

2009-12-15T20:28:00.000Z

MACAU - CITY

2009-12-15T19:00:00.001Z

Click on the Photo below for Album:

20091215 Macau City

MACAU - ST PAULS RUINS

2009-12-15T18:51:00.002Z

By the backdrop of St Paul's ruins in Macau.

Click on the Photo for Album:

20091215 Macau St Pauls Ruins

MACAU - A-MA TEMPLE

2009-12-15T12:55:00.001Z

Click on the Photo Below for Album:

20091215 Macau- A-Ma Temple