Two years ago, I came to Taiwan for the first time and stayed for eight weeks to study Chinese. During these eight weeks, I was not allowed to ride a scooter because the program I was a part of forbade it, deeming it to be "too dangerous." So instead, I biked to and from school. Two years later, I am finally back in Taiwan and living the scooter dream with my license!
In Taiwan, scootering is the main mode of transportation. What is a scooter 摩托车? Think of a motorcycle but less powerful and smaller. In Kaohsiung, taking the metro is also very convenient. There are two main lines (red and orange), and a light rail that can take you anywhere in the city. Kaohsiung also has city bikes for rental near major metro stations that you can check out and easily return after using. In other big cities, buses are popular as well. Traveling longer distances requires taking the trains, which connect you to the major cities of Taiwan. For example, if you take the train from the northern end of Taiwan (Taipei) to the Southern tip (Kaohsiung), it will take around five hours. If you want to shorten that time in half (to around two hours) take the high speed rail, which can run at speeds of up to 205 miles/hour!
