Greetings and I hope everyone is Keeping Safe and Having Fun!
Covid-19 Update
:
The outbreak first spread to Taiwan on January 21st.
As of May 20, 2020:
Taiwan confirmed cases = 440, recovered = 409, deaths = 7
Taiwan has gone 38 days without a new local infection and 13 days without an imported case. Out of 440 total confirmed cases, 349 were imported, 55 were local, and 36 came from the Navy's "Goodwill Fleet."
Why are the Covid-19 numbers for Taiwan so low?
Taiwan was Ready, Waiting and Acted Fast:
The main reason Taiwan’s Covid-19 numbers are so extremely low is because Taiwan was not only prepared and ready, but the Taiwan National Health Organization and Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center were also waiting for the next outbreak. When I first visited Taiwan in 2016, before I could get my passport stamp, I had to pass through the “health check” zone, where they are checking for people with fevers and people who appear ill. During the current Covid-19 outbreak, passengers are not able to disembark the plane until a health check is performed. Taiwan also has one of the best health care systems in the world; no one is ever scared or frustrated to see a doctor because everyone is covered by insurance and the country has “state of the art” medical facilities. The health care education system teaches people to get treatment fast and wear a mask when you feel sick, even if it is “just a cold”. And it also greatly helps when Taiwan’s Vice President is a Johns Hopkins educated epidemiologist and an expert on viruses.
Prior Outbreak Experience, four factors:
1) Taiwan’s close physical proximity to China, 110 miles. 2) Taiwan is technically the “Republic of China” and not a country. 3) The fact that 85% of the Taiwan population identify as Han Chinese. 4) Tourism and travel between Taiwan and mainland China is frequent and abundant; historically about 4 million Chinese visit Taiwan each year. All these factors have put Taiwan at high risk for outbreaks in the past, such as SARS.
Conflicts with China:
Although Taiwan is not considered its own country because it is a territory of China, it is still a very independent democracy and Taiwan’s “self-governing” has increasingly angered China and China has retaliated by trying to hurt Taiwan financially. In recent years there has been a significant drop in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, due to travel restrictions place on the Chinese people; even dropping nearly 60% after Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected on January 11, 2020 as Taiwan’s president (China views her as a secessionist and disapproves of Taiwan’s good relationship with the United States). Since 2010, Taiwan has purchased over $8 billion in military hardware and arms from the United States, to the disapproval of China. And although China retaliated by limiting Chinese tourism, that huge drop in travel from China certainly helped Taiwan in regards to the spread of Covid-19 in Taiwan.
Putting Numbers in Perspective
: Taiwan has a total population of 24 million people and 9.3 million people live in the Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area. New York City's five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island), have a total population of 8.4 million and a land area of 303 sq. miles. The Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area is 875 sq. miles. The New York City area is about 3 times denser in population than the Taipei urban area. I have visited Manhattan a few times in my life and staying 6 feet from anyone would seem impossible. Taiwan is about 1.5 times bigger than New Hampshire, which has a population of 1.4 million people. Taiwan is about 1.6 times bigger than New Jersey, which has a population of 9 million.
Time to Travel to Taiwan
: It is one of the safest and best places to be, even in the midst of a pandemic. No visa required, officially bi-lingual with English as the second language, and non-stop flights from many cities in the United States. Check out more info about our tours and travel to Taiwan:
Taiwan
is a very special place and is one our favorite places! If you are a birder, in Taiwan you will find 27 endemic species, with over 650 species in total. If you are a nature lover, besides the beautiful birds, you will find wonderful forests, canyons, mountains, stunning coastlines, lots of butterflies, fantastic local people, many interesting mammals and great food!! If you are a hiker, you will find great trails through the forests, mountains and river canyons. On this tour we will have two guides; one for birding and one for hiking and so you can choose your activities for the day.
Taiwan is a small island located 110 miles off the coast of southeastern China. Although Taiwan maintains its own independent government, it is officially: “The Republic of China”. Taiwan is about 1.5 times larger than the state of New Hampshire and has a population of nearly 24 million people. Taipei is the capital city and is located in the northern part of the country and 9.3 million people live in the Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area. Artifacts dating back 30,000 years have been found on the island and the Taiwanese Aboriginals have lived in Taiwan for 6,000 years. Over the past centuries, there have been many occupying forces; the Dutch, Spanish and Japanese, with China having the most control and influence. Today 85% of the population identifies as Han Chinese. Most Taiwanese are either Buddhist or Taoist and freedom of religion is in the constitution.
Taiwan is a mountainous country with over 268 peaks above 9,800 feet across the subtropical zone. Yushan (Jade Mountain, Mount Yu) is 12,966 ft, 3,952m. Taiwan’s culture is a blend of indigenous, Chinese and Japanese influences that travelers can actually experience through tasting the island’s creative culinary scene. Taiwan is also an advocate for human rights and is the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Enjoy a vacation in this scenic paradise. Don’t miss out on this colorful and vibrant travel destination!
Through all the years of changes, the one thing that has not changed is the Taiwanese people's love of nature. Taiwan has 10 national parks covering a total of 1.9 million acres and every county has local forest preserves and parks. Taiwan is dominated by forested mountains and has 18 National Forest Recreation areas. The island is criss-crossed with a network of well-maintained hiking trails. Taiwan has 65 different fire-fly species, which are a beloved insect and protected in the country. Taiwan is home to abundant bio-diversity. Over 650 different bird species, 61 mammal species (including the endemic Formosan White-throated black bear), 92 reptile species, 30 amphibian species, 400 butterfly species and over 4,000 vascular plant species.
Taiwan is a very modern and developed country with all the conveniences and luxuries anyone could need. About 10 million foreign tourists visit Taiwan every year and the country has the best hotels and restaurants for a great travel experience. It is a free, democratic and progressive society. You can visit Taiwan without having to get a visa in advance and much of the country is bi-lingual with English as the second language. Taiwan has a fantastic infrastructure including a wonderful rail system with bullet trains traveling 185 mph. We will take the train several times on the Taiwan tour and it is a very nice and relaxing experience to travel on the trains. According to the U.S. Department of State, violent crime against foreigners is unusual, and overall violent crime rates in Taiwan are among the lowest in the world. Taiwan has modern medical facilities, with state-of-the-art equipment available at many hospitals and clinics. For many of the other countries we travel to, these things are not always the case and so there are no excuses not to go to Taiwan!
You can find the
Itinerary
with more details here:
Taiwan Tour
You can find a
Map
of the travel route here:
Taiwan Map
You can find the list of
Birds
that we have seen on this tour here:
Taiwan Trip List
