"It's this unbelievably classic building in Taipei," he explained. "If you stay somewhere else, you must go and visit it. It's not in downtown, but it is this unbelievable structure.
Added his wife, "It's the big building with the Chinese roof on top."
Taipei also features Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. It has 101 floors, Daniel Nolet said.
Daniel Nolet said, "If you are going for tourist stuff, you don't really need a visa. With us going a week at a time and for short trips, we don't need visas. They're OK with Americans coming and going like that."
Added Teresa Nolet, "I think you can stay 30 days without a visa. I actually have a visa that I can stay 60 days at a time but I never have for that time."
One of the biggest challenges when they arrive in Taiwan, the Nolets said, is the jet lag. The 13-hour time difference can take a toll.
Teresa Nolet said they mostly work when they're in Taiwan. "We get on the bus at 7 in the morning and work all day. Then we catch the bus at the plant at 6 at night. We get to the hotel at 7 at night, and if we have enough energy, we go out to eat or eat at the hotel. But during the week, we mostly work."
Said Daniel Nolet, "Our going out mostly is dinner. ... On the weekend, we've tried to do more cultural things."
Added Teresa Nolet, "If we get a free weekend, we try to go to various museums. In Taipei, we've been to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the National Palace Museum."
Interesting 'cuisine'
One of the interesting local items they've tried is "bubble tea."
"It's bubbling tea," said Daniel Nolet. "It's tea with solids - tapioca pudding or gelatin.
"Funny story - we had a friend who stopped and got iced tea in the afternoon. He got a big cup with a very big straw. We didn't make anything of that, but the first sip our friend got from the tea, there was a big lump. He didn't touch it again, but we kinda liked it."
To get around in Taipei, the Nolets primarily use cabs or the subway.
"We could rent a car, but we don't over there," said Teresa Nolet. "It's a cab, walk, or the subway.
"There are a lot of scooters, and that is part of the reason we don't drive over there. If you are involved in a scooter accident (and you're driving an automobile), you are automatically at fault."
The Nolets say entire families will pile on to one scooter and zip down the road. Daniel Nolet said the worst he'd seen was a guy with a mattress on a scooter.
Holiday celebration
One of the important holidays in Taiwan is the Lunar New Year, which was going on while the Nolets were in Taiwan.
"It was a big deal - this is their big holiday," Daniel Nolet said. "Lunar New Year is like our Christmas. Families get together and spend time, and it goes on for multiple days. People try to take more of a break."
The Lantern Festival is held at the first full moon, about two weeks later and after the new moon, Teresa Nolet said. The Nolets saw the Lantern Festivals in Taipei and Tainan.
"Every town has its own Lantern Festival," Daniel Nolet explained. "The national one was in Tainan this year. We went to that one as well - it was amazing. There are huge constructions that are two or three stories tall."
"I have seen the one in Taipei in years past. The national one moves around in different cities year to year."
For those whom museums lack interest, shopping is a fun activity, Teresa Nolet said.
"There's all kinds of shopping, and lots of department stores - some are very upscale," she explained. "Some are more for younger people - more hip-modern. Also, most of the cities have a jade market that operates usually on weekends. It's like a flea market, with rows of vendors. "In Taipei, it is under a highway and is huge. In Tainan, (the jade market) is in a building. You can get very expensive jade, and at all different prices" and different colorings of the jade, she added.
Unique aspect
Daniel Nolet said the Taiwanese culture is "pretty open with stuff," and, as with most cultures, has unique aspects.
"If you are giving somebody things, never give anyone four of anything," he noted. "There is an association of the number four with death.
"Maybe the characters of death and four are similar (in Taiwanese writing). With teacups, you give three or five - never four. A lot of hotels don't have a fourth floor. Four would be a superstitious thing."
Added Teresa Nolet, "That is common in many Asian cultures."
She noted when she travels tries not to call attention to herself. Her husband said they try to avoid being "the ugly American. "But they're very friendly people - the people in Taiwan are happy," he added. "You see a lot of families out and about. People in conversation laugh easily, joke with you. They're not a reserved culture like, perhaps, Japan would be considered to be reserved."
