Taiwan facts and observations, Part II. With pictures

As I promised, I've been diligently gathering observations about Taiwan to add to the post earlier. Some of you (my Taiwanese friends especially) reading this will undoubtedly recognize that I got the idea through a conversation, or interaction, with you. Don't take it personally :)

What else is there to say about Taiwan then?

• Vast majority of girls are super slim (at least by European standards), but still want to lose weight (please don't!)
• Speaking of beauty perception, the idea here is that the whiter the skin, the prettier and better, especially with girls. This is a complete opposite of Europe/America/Australia, where people are crazy to have a tan. This is also a reason why girls here open their umbrellas when the sun is out.
• The Taiwanese often play drinking games in bars and clubs.
• Not everyone here is a kung-fu master, contrary to the Western stereotype.
• Each person seems to have their own unique way of holding and using the chopsticks.
• Apparently, there is a "haunted tunnel" somewhere close to the university. People prefer to take the slower and longer way and drive around, rather than go through.
• Out on the street, two girls holding hands are seen almost as often as a guy and a girl holding hands.
• Couples are never, ever, seen kissing out on the street, or in a club, or any other public place.
• Elementary and high school students wear school uniforms, which are usually not very flattering.
• There are very convenient lockers in night clubs, mrt stations..
• I have yet to see a public toilet that you have to pay for.
• At 4 a.m., the young people are returning home from clubs and bars, and the old people are already up, walking around and getting ready for their morning exercise.

Now for some pictures:

V signs in pictures!!! (This particular one is from Hong Kong, but it's exactly the same in TW)

Hello Kitty, aneb Pitomá kočička. There's no escaping it.

Colorful plastic raincoats and rubber boots are a common apparel, even for shopping in the city center. Question for the TSU Bermuda people: Who does this remind you of?

Imagine you're out in the streets of Taipei, in the middle of the day, and suddenly become very very tired. What options are there to solve the problem?

A) Look for a public library, and go sleep there, as everyone else does.

B) Look for a hotel, which offers either accomodation for the whole night, or a "rest" (休息) for an hour or two. Even if the translation really means "to have a rest", somehow I doubt most people use the service to take a nap.

C) Be creative in finding a place to sleep, like this guy below.

These signs can be seen in the MRT. The fair-haired foreigner is causing trouble, not adhering to the rules and gets mad when the attendant tries to get him to behave. I can only hope this is just accidental, and not a common perception of foreigners in Taiwan. Although I've just recently heard that the local students are very annoyed by the behaviour of foreigners here in the dormitories, and there have been some rather serious warnings posted (Behave yourself, or else..!)

The last pictures doesn't really tell much about Taiwan, but I like it. No entering the zebra ass.