Chunghwa Telecom recently mailed me a copy of their English-language 2008-2009 Telephone Directory. If you have not received one, I strongly recommend calling 0800-050-580 to request your copy. While the actual listings are pretty thin (Taiwan apparently has one KTV island-wide, Kiss 99 in Kaohisung), the directory has a great deal of useful information including emergency numbers, listings of foreign organizations, and details of Chunghwa’s extensive telecom services.
But what really makes the Directory a must-have is a 20-page section by long-time Taiwan resident Jeff Miller entitled Paths Less Taken: An Insider’s Guide to Taiwan. While not as extensive as a full-fledged travel guide, Jeff has judiciously chosen a few topics such the Kenting area, Penghu, and bicycling in Taiwan and provided an in-depth, very up-to-date, and meticulously edited guide to each. For example, Jeff has all the latest Taiwan Railway regulations on transporting bicycles by rail, which is important because these rules have been changing quickly over the past year in response to Taiwan’s cycling boom. The guides to Penghu and Kenting are both more extensive and contain more topics than you will find in the Lonely Planet Guide to Taiwan. Jeff also lightly weaves in a considerable amount of historical background that should enrich your sense of these places in time as well as space.