7 ways that Taipei beats Singapore
Singapore likes to think of itself as a modern and high-end Asian city. We are cleaner, greener and leaner than our Asian neighbors, we are constantly reminded by our media and our government.
In subtle ways, our media draws attention to the flaws of our neighboring countries. Look at Malaysia and their church burning religious zealots! Look at Thailand and the instability caused by the Red Shirts versus the Yellows Shirts! Look at Taiwan and their politicians who constantly fight in Parliament!
"Aren't you glad you live in Singapore, where things are better?" seems to be the message.
It was the mental image of chair-wielding politicians that I carried with me when went to Taiwan recently. The wife and I and some friends flew to Taipei (on Singapore Airlines, of course, because it is better than any Asian airline) and spent a week there on holiday.
I was surprised by what I found. Let me share some ways Taipei kicks Singapore's behind.
Mala noodles, a spicy speciality of Taipei1. Taiwanese street food is good and cheap.
Singapore used to be known for cheap food. We still have it here and there but really, food prices have been rising to what we call "air-conditioned food court prices". Where we used to pay SGD2 for a bowl of noodles in a hawker stall, it is now SGD3 minimum. At the food courts, it is hitting S$4.50 for that bowl.
So much so that when we hear of a wet market or hawker centre undergoing renovations, we expect prices to go up and the food quality to drop.
In contrast, in Taiwan, you would find a meal for less than NT$50, which is about two Singapore bucks. Sometimes with a free cup of tea thrown in.
Needless to say, we totally pigged out at the night markets. We made the mistake of having a full dinner on the first few nights. The trick is to just snack your way through the stalls at the night markets and not have one big meal first.
2. Taipei has a kick-butt MRT system.
Singapore has always prided itself as having a world class public transport system. But with a growing population, mostly from the influx of "foreign talent" is stretching our transport infrastructure.
The best that the Singapore MRT can do is an interval of 2 to 5 minutes between trains during peak. We are told it is due to the signaling system that needs to be upgraded to decrease that interval.
Trains in Taipei come as frequently as 1 minute apart during peak hour. The trains never feel as packed as Singapore trains, even though our populations are about the same (actually Taipei has about a million more people).
Which brings me to my next point...
3. Taipei people stand to one side when riding escalators.
The thing that struck me when I took the trains was how well-behaved people were. At the escalators, people automatically stood to the right (they drive on the right there, unlike us), so that those who wanted to move ahead can use the left side of the escalator.
Singaporeans have never understood the concept of standing to one side of an escalator. It is almost as if we believe that by not giving way, we win. Letting someone else go faster than we do, even if we just want to stand all the way down the escalator, is against our religion.
This escalator behavior of the Taipei folks was not just confined to the MRT. Everyone behaved in the same way even when riding escalators in shopping malls. How refreshingly civilized.
4. Taipei people don't pretend to sleep on trains while sitting in reserved seats.
We were traveling with a child and an elderly person most of the time (they were our friends' toddler and her grandma), and we never had any problems getting a seat for them. Passengers in the Taipei trains automatically gave up their seats for you, with a smile too.
Try being pregnant, disabled, elderly or with a kid in a Singapore train. You will discover the talent that the typical Singaporean commuter has for falling asleep precisely when you show up in front of their faces.
mrbrown and wife tries the High Speed Rail5. Taiwan has a fantastic High Speed Rail.
You can travel from the north to the south of Taiwan in 90 minutes using the Taiwan High Speed Rail express train. It is fast, clean and comfortable.
I am told it has its share of financial troubles and scandals but riding it was a pleasure. The only complaint I had was that the stations tended to be located somewhat out of the way.
Buying a ticket was painless and the stations had all the amenities you would expect from an airport terminal.
On the trains, food and drinks were sold at reasonable prices and the food was actually tasty. In Singapore, if we had a service like this, with a captive customer, you would most likely be buying a soft drink at triple the street price. Hey, you are on my train, there is no where else you can buy a drink, so I am going to sell you a drink at restaurant prices.
Not in this Taiwan bullet train. I found that buying a drink from the THSR train food trolley to be about the same as getting it from their 7-Elevens.
To be fair, we don't need a high speed rail for our tiny Singapore city. But it would be nice if we could travel from Singapore to Penang or even Bangkok via high speed rail. That would mean collaborating with Malaysia and we all know that it is not going to happen. We can't even agree on simple things like a crooked bridge connecting our straits.
6. Taiwan has freedom of speech
I was struck by how freely people discussed politics and current events in Taiwan. The taxi drivers spoke with passion about what they felt about their government and political parties (do check whose side they are on before you start whacking). TV and newspapers ask tough questions and grill politicians daily.
While it is true that truth can sometimes fall by the wayside in the pursuit of sensationalism and media ratings, I found it refreshing to see this lively exchange of ideas and opinions.
I am told this was not always the case and things improved only after the lifting of martial law in 1987 and even more so, after the KMT lost their dominance at the 2000 elections.
The chaotic energy of its culture is infectious. You feel it even walking through shops run by entrepreneurial young people.
7. Taipei is really, really clean.
I know this is odd but the air in Taipei smells cleaner than even Singapore's. Perhaps they don't have neighbors who burn forests every year willy-nilly, and perhaps their leaders have really cleaned up the city's air. Regardless of the reason, I am impressed.
And the streets! They are so clean! And they manage to do it without having a dustbin at every corner too. We tried to look for a place to throw our rubbish when we finished eating our street snacks and could not find a trash can easily. Yet we noticed people did not litter. When I asked the hawker where I could dispose of my litter, he just said, give it to me.
Singaporeans have to be fined into submission before they can stop littering. Even with the trash cans and cleaners at every corner. And we are so repressed, we become littering monsters in other countries, like Malaysia.
And the Taiwanese seemed more conscious of recycling too. The convenience store clerk asked me if I wanted a plastic bag because it would cost extra. And shops also gave out less disposable chopsticks.
In Singapore, we use styrofoam plates and wooden single-use chopsticks and Disposable Everything like our lives depended on it. You have to beg the supermarket auntie not to double-bag your groceries.
There you go, seven ways that Taipei is better than Singapore as a city. I can keep going, like how their cabs don't have as many ridiculous surcharges, and how much swankier their karaoke chains are but I won't. I don't want to be accused of being unpatriotic.
And don't have to remind me, I know, I know...
Singapore is still better because our politicians don't fight in Parliament by throwing chairs.
