A Gracious Society

I have not blogged because in the Baguio Hotel where I stayed for the last three days, there is no internet. Here I am back in my own home in lovely Singapore. No matter how interesting and great another country is, home is still always the sweetest place!

When I came back, I told everyone how gentle and gracious Taiwanese are. Most people are surprised, because the television programs on Taiwanese politicians have presented a different picture. These politicians have often appeared to be somewhat aggressive and pugilistic. I was also very surprised myself when I personally saw how lovely and polite the Taiwanese were. We Singaporeans can learn from them..... they excel in service. From the shops to the hotels, from the restaurants to the tour groups...... their service is really excellent. My buddy from the States, Mo Shin who is from Taiwan, was quite pleased with my report. I had also read in an article how the Taiwanese are shifting from being mercenary people to people who are more cultured and spiritual in their pursuit of successful living! This is shown in the way they carry out their daily living.

Rubbish bins are few along the streets and buildings; yet there is hadly any litter. It is so wonderful to know that the people can be so civic minded that they are proud enough to keep their country clean even though there is no fine hanging over their heads! The street hawkers would collect the styro foam and paper plates and cups and recycle them when the rubbish trucks come along.

The hotel staff at Baguio is so wonderful. They go to great lengths to explain to me how to get around the city. I like one particular dish that was served at breakfast, and asked the waitress for the name. She in turn verified with the manager, and gave me the name. Not satisfied, she even went to ask the chef. To my pleasant surprise, the chef even brought out the box containing the stuff with the Chinese characters! To make sure that I bought the right stuff, the waitress wrote on a piece of paper for me! The hotel staff helped me to put all my four bags on a trolley and even pushed them across two roads to the bus stop so that I could catch the airport bus!

It was 6a.m. on 1st January and as I was at the bus stand waiting for the airport bus, a taxi pulled up. To my surprise, the taxi driver said he would drive me to the airport for NT300 since he already had two passengers at the back. I told him I did not have enough Taiwanese currency and asked if I could pay him ten Singapore dollars. To my surprise he acceeded with my request. The two ladies are Taiwanese who are now living in Calcutta! The amiable taxi driver was very chatty. He was obviously enjoying his work. In his taxi there was also a floral display of fresh white lilies which also gave off a fragrant smell. I found out later that the two ladies paid the taxi driver the full fare..... they were the ones requesting the taxi driver to pick me up for an extra small fee to the driver! How generous and gracious. I gave them my name card, telling them to read my blog if they have the time. They speak good English, having been in Calcutta for some years. They were tickled pink when I spoke to them in Tamil and was impressed when I spoke Hindi. What an amusing picture. Here were three Chinese from Singapore and Taiwan, speaking to one another in Tamil! The two ladies and the taxi driver told me that they had heard how multi-lingual Singaporeans are, in general. I told them to contact me in Singapore should they come here for a visit so that I could also extend my hospitality to them.

Yes, I will definitely be back again to Taiwan. This time, I would like to visit Kaoshiung and Hualien. Now that I understand the Taiwanese people more, perhaps I would like to think of their politicians in more euphemistic terms - they are passionate and convicted in their views and beliefs just as the mass of the people are in making their lives more cultured, refined and spiritual.