Danger in Taiwan!?!?!

I have to admit, for the most part Taiwan is safe but there are some dangers to be mindful of...and no, armed robbery is not one of them. This is one of the safest places I have ever been in my life. I think I could leave my wallet sitting on the ground in the middle of a busy market and come back in an hour and either find it sitting in the same place or find out that someone has picked it up and is frantically looking for the owner. With that said there are some dangers worth noting.

Before I arrived I was warned that there were a lot of mosquitos in Taiwan but I had no idea how serious I should have taken that warning. I expect to see mosquitos in the summer time and I expect to be bitten a few times if I stay outside for a long period of time without wearing mosquito repellant. First of all, mosquito repellant doesn't work on these mosquitos. They drink Off! for breakfast. Secondly, not only do you have to worry about being bitten by a mosquito outside but you're not even safe inside. They are everywhere. In the apartment I am staying in I find mosquitos in every room, including my bedroom. Even places like restaurants and coffee shops aren't safe. I can't tell you how many times I have been lit up by mosquito bites while studying at a coffee shop...and yes, I was inside.

Next on the danger watch list are the scooters. I find that in many countries scooters are the preferred transportation. They are cheap, take up little space and can be parked almost anywhere. Because they are so small they can also be riden almost anywhere, including the sidewalk. Watch your back because some of these people will fly full speed down the sidewalk and dare you to get in their way.

The next danger hasn't resulted in anything too bad recently but it has in the past and could in the future. This danger is the earthquakes. I have only been in Taiwan about four months and I have felt at least 5 earthquakes. Now, these weren't massive 8.0 quakes. They were more in the 4.0-5.5 range but they happen so often that I feel on edge like very soon the big one is going to hit. A 5.0 earthquake will not destroy a building but whenever the ground is moving under your feet, that event doesn't produce a feeling of security and it will make you spill hot coffee on yourself so watch out.

Warning! For the most part people in Taiwan are very friendly but make no mistake, the Grandmas have sharp elbows and they will elbow you to death. On many occasions I have had an older lady elbow me in the ribs in order to move me out of her way. This is usually not followed by an "excuse me" but rather a look of scorn, which says "how dare you be in my way". Hide your wife, hide your kids!

There seems to also be some sort of unknown plaque rolling through the country as everywhere you go you see people wearing surgical masks. This is so prevalent that fashion designers have created their own lines of surgical masks for the ultra trendy yet still cautious. Most people just have a basic reusable mask that they keep with them but I am always amused when I come across the woman with the Chanel handbag and Chanel surgical mask to match. Anything less would be uncivilized.

The last danger is the danger of playing chicken. I'm not sure why this is but I feel like the way people drive on the roads, or the sidewalk for that matter, walk down the street, gather into lines and really any interaction, which requires one person to yield to another in order to avoid a collision, always turns into a game of chicken. If you're walking down the side walk people will walk toward each other until the very last second and then someone will move just enough to avoid a collision. Many times people will walk in front of you or pass you so closely that they almost (and on occasion do) knock you over. People will try to squeeze through the smallest gaps in a crowd or line to get around someone else. If your standing in a line waiting for the train and there is any space in between you and the person in front of you in line or you are at the edge of the train platform, rest assured that someone is going to jump in front of you and fill that gap. This is the case in any line. People will see you standing in line waiting to order food and will just step right in front of you or if they see you walking toward a line that they also want to get into will sprint full speed to beat you to the line. I guest I could look at it in a more glass half full way and see this as a more efficient use of space. Why let a perfectly good gap go to waste, right?

What's worse is that many people drive the same way that they walk, which makes for some very close encounters for pedestrians and other drivers. I have witnessed my fair share of scooter accidents but I'm actually surprised there aren't more. To put things into perspective, the close calls aren't nearly as bad as what I've seen in India or Indonesia but it's still something you should be very aware of. Watch your back...and your front and side.