Taiwan (Country Guide)
by Robert Kelly
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert KellyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-01
ISBN: 1741045487
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Book Reviews of Taiwan (Country Guide)
Book Review: Buy It Used
Summary: 3 Stars
With international travel booming, the travel book industry churns out books like this, short on historical perspective, long on mother hen nagging, and eager to show political correctness at every turn. Worst of all is the hype. When are these people going to figure out that we buy the book because we're Going To The Country? We don't have to be Sold On The Country. Let me now join the international call for a moratorium on the following words in travel books: vibrant, boasts, awesome, enjoy, proudly.
If you think I'm exaggerating about Mother Hen, just turn to page 23. There, you are advised not to leave home without tissues or tampons or shoes or clothing. It's hard to pinpoint the exact time that travel book companies got the idea that the bulk of their readership was under the age of ten, but social scientists have theorized that it was in the early eighties when many leaders of the Nanny States in the US and UK lost their jobs in government and went into publishing.
Mother also wants to remind you to be "out of any river by 3pm or 4pm." (p.141) It seems "afternoon showers are a daily occurrence and rivers can become swollen very quickly. Also, be on the lookout for snakes." If you forgot to bring your shoes to Taiwan a snake could bite you on the toe, and if you traveled to Taiwan without health insurance against Mother's advice (p.354), "emergency evacuation is expensive...over US$100,000". Page 72 boasts a sermon on recycling as well as an admonition to refrain from "extensive gawking" at the aboriginal locals, who've complained that tourists "treat the locals with less respect that the locals would prefer".
In addition to not venturing to Taiwan without clothing, readers should also not go there without reading the LP guide to its very end, because some of the advice given at the beginning changes by the end. For example, page 63 touts local food and drink: "Fresh fruit stands selling juices are all over Taiwan...wonderful thirst quenchers on a hot summer day. All you have to do is point (not gawk) at the fruits...and the person standing behind the counter will whiz them up in a blender for you after adding water." You might be gullible enough to fall for this seduction (clearly offered in jest) if you don't read all the way through to page 358, which sternly warns: "Avoid fresh juices--they may have been watered down."
Well! Dear reader, you KNOW they have been watered down! By that local person behind the counter!
But all kidding aside, Taiwan offers much more than just the fetishization of aboriginals and opportunities to protect yourself against foreign danger. A quick look at Wikipedia reveals that the aboriginal languages of Taiwan are thought by many linguists to be the source of the Austronesian language family which comprises over 1200 related languages spread over an area from Madagascar to Easter Island and from Taiwan down to New Zealand. Is it too much to ask that the makers of the LP travel guides dig up some striking vignettes or anecdotes relating to the Austronesian language family? Must we beg for fascinating information regarding the fifty years that Taiwan was a part of Japan? What about the childhood home of Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese American scientist who was falsely accused by the FBI of espionage? Why isn't that included in this guidebook? How about some locations of tea plantations where one could go see how it is cultivated? And considering Taiwan is less than half the size of Ireland and has an excellent circumferential railroad, wouldn't it make sense to discuss a few walking tours, which have long been acknowledged by seasoned travelers to be the best way of seeing a country? I could go on, but I've gone on enough.
Summary of Taiwan (Country Guide)
Discover TaiwanTake your tastebuds touring around the buzz of food stalls at Taipei's Shilin Night Market
Soak yourself in the steaming, smooth waters of the Taian hot springs
Hike the Walami Trail to the sound of monkeys crashing through the jungle canopy
Emerge from the temples of Penghu straight onto some of East Asia's finest beaches
In This Guide:
Two resident authors, 42 helpings of stinky tofu, 15 swims in waterfall pools, 1 run-in with the police
New coverage of places and activities along the east coast and a fresh chapter on Taiwan's islands
Visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-date information
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