I confronted a friend of mine who recently visited HK and Macau. Her Facebook posts showed her maskless for the period she was there yet as soon as she returned to Taiwan the mask was on. Her response was that she didn’t take the 2 kids with her so everything is ok la. She even picked up a splattering of Cantonese for good measure
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Weird peer influenced behaviour.
That said I’m sitting in a coffeeshop here and just 1/10 have a mask. One is just half on. Maybe some of them have a cold so I’m good with that !
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When you disembark into TPE and into the long hallway to immigration, walking about as fast as you can without feeling like you’re coming out of your Nikes, and you’re getting left in the dust by tiny, determined, short-legged women. What is this, the olympics?! … Oh yeah, Asia. 
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Usually I land in Taiwan after a grueling 32 hour, 3 airport, long layover stops, guarding my luggage like a dragon hoarding gold. Parched as foreign airports do not readily give water away and honestly, them water fountains are icky. Not having properly relaxed nor slept. I repeat it: I kiss the ground when I arrive. Finally, safe!
Nevertheless, it is the little things that make it so nice to be HOME in Taiwan: stepping off the plane, restrooms every 50 meters, usually one of the amah cleaning ladies ushering people to be evenly distributed further down the line of toilets, not en masse in the first one.
The security people concerned with friggin sausages and ham sandwiches, not bombs or cocaine packages. Or looking for anyone feverish or sick.
The cute MRT card sell point kitty corner to the ATM machine.
The never works for me e-gate yet I always get the friendly immigration officer in spite of the unholy hours I usually land.
The finally getting out of customs area and having access to normal priced vending machines with all kinds of drinks to quench your thirst, a few steps from a convenient store or even a water fountain.
The ride through the devastated industrial landscape of Taoyuan rapidly being intersected with fancy buildings. The city lights, then finally getting off the highway and back into the chaos of New Taipei city traffic.
Then unloading the luggage at the entrance of the market. Maybe if lucky there is one of the ladies who can keep an eye while I haul one by one through my alley. If not, the stray cats will do and it would be just as well. Otherwise I’ll face the interrogation of how was the trip.
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For me, I know I’m back in Taiwan when I see the large ROC national flag as the plane is landing. I’m not sure if other airports do the same, but I find it interesting. It’s more common to see the name of the airport rather than the flag of the country
Photo source 2018
Photo source 2020
other airports for reference:
Haneda Airport photo
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When you stupidly leave your wallet stuffed with a not insignificant amount of money on a chair in Starbucks, realize this three hours later, and make a made dash to said Starbucks only for the employees to calmly give it back to you like it was the most natural thing in the world.
So relieved….
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My wallet never leaves my front pant pocket, unless I need to pay for something. Putting it on a chair is asking for trouble.
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I had a similar experience in 2002 (so that’s a generation of making fine human beans in Taiwan).
For me it was my passport. The back seat of my taxi was a vast plain of Scotchguard-ed vinyl, so slick I felt my butt slide around under my seat belt at every turn. Somehow the passport I’d had in my back pocket wasn’t there when I woke up the next morning in my hotel.
I was beyond frantic when the front desk rang to tell me they had it. The driver had found it and driven across town to turn it over to the hotel late at night. I couldn’t even thank, or tip, the driver. The desk handed it over nonchalantly, no big deal. WHEW, sigh.
I feel your sense of relief.
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Agreed. Also a front pocket wallet guy. I don’t understand why the back pocket is so standard – it sucks to sit on it, and more easily stolen/lost.
This. Whether at the airport, the zoo, or the movies, there just really isn’t price gouging here regarding food. I really hope it stays that way. Really don’t miss how insanely expensive food/beverage is in the U.S when you are a “captive audience” in an airport/zoo/amusement park/theater etc.
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Or my preference - wear jackets with secured inner pockets. Phone on the other side and you have a nice clean body line top to bottom! 
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Personally I think that only works during winter in northern countries. Need a thick winter jacket as a thin jacket looks a bit strange when having a wallet there. I changed from pants back pocket wallet to front pocket wallet when I left my home small town and started to travel internationally to major cities
Or Taipei in the rainy season. 
But yeah, not so much in the summer. 
I keep most everything in a small pack slung over my shoulder then. (I will put passport and larger cash in front pockets if I have a pack though, even w/inner compartments in the pack in case of a slash and grab.)
That’s one of the things I love about Taiwan, all the stuff I do normally when travelling just seems superfluous here, like I was wearing full body armor while sitting on the couch at home! 
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These days I wear dri-fit hiking pants that stretch and have zippered pockets on or next to my thigh. Passport is secure and super easy to fish out whenever.
No go for most of the year in Taiwan. Not that I have much better solutions.
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Actually, even the boarding area has bottled water and drinks for 10 NTD at vending machines. And decent free hot and cold water dispensers.
It is coming in when you gotta wait a bit to solve the issue. TBH China Airlines flight attendants do roam the cabin with glasses of water regularly but due to the plane’s dry air I always end up parched. I need a full 2 liter bottle.
And on that note, I start feeling home when I am standing in line 6 hours before departure in LAX or other airport, waiting for the counter to open, along with at least a dozen Taiwanese and assorted luggage. “Kinne! Ayioo!” are music to my ears.
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I feel the same way when I land at Leeds/Bradford. (51) Yorkshire Airlines - YouTube
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