Keelung / Taipei, Taiwan 90+ degrees with rain, clouds and some sun.
As we approached the port we were met with a new entertainment. No bands or dancers but a port fire boat celebrating our arrival with water cannons. It was a gray cloudy day and based on the weather reports, I had resigned myself to another day of being wet.
Whenever we are docking at a port, a tug will always meet us before the entrance to the port and a pilot for that port transfers to the ship. The ship's captain relinquishes control, and the port pilot is responsible for moving the ship through the port and docking. This port was very interesting in that the Keelung port is very long and the pilot not only backed the ship through the port waterways but also had to make a left hand turn into a waterway to the cruise terminal. I think we were backing up for about 20 minutes – very impressive and no wonder ports require their pilots to maneuver the boats.
Once we dock there is a minimum of 30 minutes before we can disembark. If we are lucky that time is spent with the crew setting up the gangways and getting all the Costa equipment in order. However, since we have started through south east asia, immigrations have taken at least an hour to clear passengers before anyone can disembark. And then we have to go through a ‘face to face’ where we present special landing cards, passports etc. There is always some FOMO that someone will miss out by having to wait and there is kind of a stampede, once the all clear is given (FOMO runs rampant on the ship. Like the way people will crowd the dining room doors for 15 minutes before they will open. Everyone has an assigned seat – I’m not sure what they think waiting at the door achieves.)
While we were waiting for the immigration clearance, we had the most intense storm. The rain was so heavy, the buildings around the port were not visible. Repeating thunder and lightning were so close to the port and ship, you could feel it. It was so close and so bad, I decided that if this was still happening when we were cleared, I wouldn’t go out even if it meant I missed my tour. But it was all over in 30 minutes, the skies cleared for a while and only as we returned was there further light rain – whew.
I was interested in Taiwan – I don’t know anyone who has visited it and the extent of my knowledge is the contentious political environment exists with China. There had been some insults and warnings traded the week before we arrived, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Taiwan’s territory consists of 168 islands with approximately 14,000 square miles. Taiwan is the largest island with about 13,800 square miles with a population of approximately 24 million inhabitants making this one of the most densely populated countries.
Taiwan is officially the Republic of China (ROC) and has transformed over the years to a multi-party democracy. Taiwan was occupied by Japan from 1895 to 1945. During that time the Republic of China was formed in mainland China in 1912. As part of Japan’s surrender in WWII, Japan surrendered Taiwan to the ROC. A Chinese Civil War followed and by 1949, the communist uprising had created the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China. Several months later, Chaing Kai-Shek evacuated the ROC government to Taiwan, with Taipei as the capital.
Both the ROC and PRC claimed sovereignty over ‘all of China’. The PRC claims that Taiwan is Chinese territory and that the PRC replaced the ROC government in 1949, becoming the sole legal government of China. The ROC however has its own currency, passport, stamps, armed forces and constitution with an independent elected president. Neither side has renounced it’s claim to the mainland. Due to the Cold War, most of the western countries and the UN considered the ROC to be the governing party. However, in the 1970’s the PRC refused to do any trade with any country who recognized the ROC and support eroded. Taiwan who was a founding member of the UN no longer has a seat or observer status.
Taiwan is another country that has no natural resources except for its citizens. This led to the cultural influence that education is the only way to improve the socioeconomic status. The economy today rests a good deal on science and technology. From manufacturing microchips and semiconductors to other science and technology businesses (Acer, Asus), Taiwan products reach around the world.
While we docked in Keelung, it was about a 45 min ride to Taipei. Our first stop was the Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial Hall followed by the National Palace Museum. These stops took a chunk of time from the tour without the ability to take pictures. I have a few of the Memorial Hall.
The main gate to the hallMemorial Hall
The Memorial Hall
A fair number of Buddhist monks were visiting that day.
We made a quick stop at the Temple honoring their ‘Unknown Soliders’ and saw some of the changing of the guard.
Then it was downtown to see the Taipei 101 building. It was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010.
Another downtown picture.
On the drive back the guide was asked about earthquakes since Taiwan is part of the Pacific ring of fire. She was very confident in saying that earthquakes are a common occurrence in Taiwan and most of their buildings have a strict earthquake building code. It wasn’t something that they worried about on a daily basis.
We arrived back in Keelung in time to walk around the port. I hadn’t been rained on yet that day so why not? Keelung presented less urban skyline by the port, but the city still had some taller buildings.
The Buddhist Temple of Keelung was part of the downtown. It is always nice to see that not all old buildings are torn down for progress. You can also see how deep the temple is based on the figures on the roof.
Narrow street with businesses below and apartments above. Only scooter traffic will fit.
Scooters are by far the most common mode of transportation in many countries. Cheaper to buy and maintain and believe it or not can fit the whole family, a package and the family dog. This scooter is half loaded. The dad and dog must have stayed home.
By this time, it was raining and time to get back to the ship.
I am a little disappointed in this post - it feels like this is more surface than usual. Don't lose interest as things are just getting exciting.
Zài Jiàn !
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