最近我的捷克學伴來台灣旅遊，他以英文寫下對台灣的觀察，以下是我把原文翻譯成中文的內容：
我是來自捷克的馬瑞克，近期來台灣旅居 2 個月。在此之前，我從沒造訪過亞洲，也從未在國外待這麼久，所以這次的經歷對我來說非常新奇。
我想從一個「第一次造訪亞洲國家」的歐洲人角度分享我對台灣的看法。首先從正面的部分開始，我將分享台灣令我感到驚艷的地方！
令人驚嘆的大自然
乍看之下，台灣似乎很小，面積只有捷克的一半。但來台灣逛了一圈後，不得不說，台灣比地圖上看起來大很多。
這或許是因為台灣幾乎涵蓋大自然的所有風貌：海灘、河流，以及可與阿爾卑斯山媲美的高山、懸崖、雨林、湖泊，以及一望無際的稻田，甚至還有許多未曾見過的地景；總之，台灣的地貌相當多樣化。
當我在地圖上看到台灣中部與東部有大範圍的高山綠地時，喜歡登山健行的我自然沒放過這個機會；而在實際拜訪後，我必須說，它們果真沒令我失望！更特別的是，這些 2,000 多公尺的高山，居然只要一兩個小時的車程就能抵達，我們甚至能在一天之內上山下海，這讓我感到非常驚喜！
台灣的登山路線發達，沿途有餐廳、廁所，且路徑維護良好，沿著山路就能抵達桃園的拉拉山、嘉義的阿里山等美麗的地方，我在這裡看到高聳入雲的神木，有些樹齡甚至超過 1,000 歲！
此外，由於台灣位於亞熱帶與熱帶氣候區的交界處，台灣的生態比我成長的溫帶地區更具多樣性，高山有森林、平地有花草。在台灣的日子， 我也看到許多特別的鳥類、爬蟲類動物與昆蟲。對於喜歡大自然的人來說，台灣無疑是個值得一去的地方！
東西價格合理，甚至免費
我大部分時間住在布拉格附近的城鎮，如果想在布拉格的餐廳吃飯，一餐通常要花至少 250 元台幣以上，越靠近市中心賣的東西越貴，因此多數捷克人只有在慶生或遇到節慶時會去餐廳吃飯。以我自己為例，為了省錢幾乎都是自己煮，大概每兩週才會在外用餐一次。
而且在布拉格吃飯，點主餐就只會上主餐，凡是飲料與甜點皆須額外付費。這也是為什麼當我來到台灣的牛排館、火鍋店，發現這裡居然提供多種免費的飲料、冰淇淋、湯品，而感到相當驚訝！
自從來台灣後，我幾乎每天都去餐廳吃飯。雖然份量少了點，但同樣花 150 元台幣，在台灣就能享用美味的一餐，這個價錢在捷克恐怕只能吃一份開胃菜。當然，我並不是說台灣所有東西都很便宜，台灣的物價跟捷克相比雖然沒有低很多，但整體來說價格是更合理的。（不過有些東西例如牛奶、雞蛋與啤酒，台灣就比捷克貴了好幾倍。）
在台灣，不只有像前面提到餐廳裡的冰淇淋是免費的，就連遊客中心的地圖與旅行指南，甚至最重要的「廁所」都不用付錢。
台灣人來歐洲旅遊，對於「上廁所要付錢」這件事恐怕難以適應。在捷克上一次廁所約要花 15 到 30 台幣左右，用於維護廁所的整潔，但這往往導致人們為了省錢、省麻煩，而在附近的公園隨地撒尿，讓市容變得髒亂。
生活的一切都很方便且容易取得
來台灣前，我曾經聽過許多有關台灣便利商店的傳聞。人們不僅在 7-11 買食物與生活必需品，還會在這裡提款轉帳、領包裹、上廁所，或者把這當作「辦公室」，幫手機充電甚至睡覺。最神奇的是，便利商店竟然24 小時營業！
捷克的商店，或者說整個歐洲的商店，相比之下沒那麼多功能，且大多在晚上 7 點到 9 點間就結束營業。此外，目前捷克有許多地方，便利商店仍不普及；在台灣，光是我住的那條街，就有 3 家不同的便利商店，步行不用 5 分鐘即可到達。我擔心自己在台灣住久了，會變得懶惰。
當我第一次在便利商店，想請店員幫忙加熱微波食品時，我問台灣朋友加熱服務是否需要額外付錢？她笑著回答我說當然不用！我想，在台灣生活基本上所有的日常所需都很容易取得，或許也是為了讓人們能盡快回到工作崗位。當我回歐洲後，恐怕會有點難適應沒有便利商店的生活。
台灣人對外國人很熱情
當我還在捷克時，遇到兩位來自台灣的交換學生，他們都跟我說因為我是外國人（更準確地說，是西方人），台灣人會對我很好。一開始，我覺得他們或許有點誇張，但目前為止，我在台灣還沒遇過任何對我不好的人。
當我遇到台灣人時，大家通常會有 3 種不同的反應。第一種也是我期望的反應──把我當作普通人一般看待。不過大多數情況是，有些當地人一看到我便展露笑顏，迫不及待地問我對台灣的看法，這種情況在比較偏僻或鮮少有外國遊客的地方特別明顯。去餐廳時，有時阿姨會拍拍我的背，問我會不會說中文，稱讚我是「帥哥」，盯著我彷彿在看某種奇特生物，我準備離開時還會揮手和我告別。
有次，當我來到一個小鎮的教堂，當地牧師看到我，便興高采烈地向我展示通常不開放給一般人看的教堂秘密通道，牧師甚至送我一個袋子當作禮物，彷彿把我當成重要的外國代表，並在門口為我拍照。和我一同參觀教堂的台灣友人開玩笑地說，她有些嫉妒，因為當她到其它國家時，不會像我一樣受到格外友善的對待。
除此之外，當天氣變冷時，台灣人也會關心我穿的夠不夠暖；如果我不小心犯了一些錯誤，大家也會寬容我。
第三種台灣人見到外國人的反應，尤其在從事服務業的台灣人身上比較明顯，這些人看到外國人時會有點恐慌，我想或許是因為他們害怕說英文。
但總體來說，我在台灣從未有過不被友善對待的經驗，也從未有人把我當作討厭的觀光客。台灣人的友善讓我賓至如歸，大家希望我對台灣抱有正面看法，我也深深贊同台灣有許多優點！
下篇：【中英雙語】捷克人的台灣觀察（下）：「丟垃圾與步行在街道上，讓我難以適應。」
原文（撰文：馬瑞克）
A Czech’s Perspective: What I Appreciate about Taiwan
My name is Marek. I’m from the Czech Republic and I’m staying in Taiwan for 2 months. Before this trip, I had never traveled to Asia, nor have I stayed abroad for so long. So this whole experience is very novel to me.
I would like to share my observations about Taiwan from the perspective of a European who is visiting an Asian country for the first time. And to start on a positive note, I’m going to talk about some of the things that surprised me pleasantly, and some things that might be better than what I’m used to in my country.
The nature is stunning
When seeing the map of Taiwan, I couldn’t help but notice the large green area in pretty much all the central and eastern parts of the island. I was wondering what it looks like there. And when I finally visited a few places in these parts, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
At first glance, Taiwan might look quite small. It’s only half the size of the Czech Republic. But after arriving here and traveling around, I have to say it feels much bigger than it looks on the map. Maybe because it has almost everything: beaches, huge rivers, high mountains that can rival the European Alps, cliffs, rainforests, lakes, endless fields and possibly much more that I haven’t seen yet; it’s quite diverse.
The most interesting natural sights also seem not too difficult to access. I like to go hiking in the mountains, so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that there are mountains over 2,000 meters tall just an hour or two away from the city. You can visit high mountains and a beach in just one day.
The hiking trails are well developed, with restaurants, well maintained pathways, and restrooms along the way. And they lead to beautiful places; for example, it was amazing to see the giant trees at Lalashan and Alishan mountains, some of them being over 1,000 years old.
Since Taiwan lies on the border of subtropical and tropical climate zones, it’s no surprise that there’s much more biodiversity than what I’m used to in the mild climate zone where I come from.
Forests can grow even high up in the mountains because the temperatures stay warm enough throughout the year. In the lowlands, there are jungles where I can often see plants which I have in flower pots at home, just growing freely in the wild. And I met so many interesting birds, reptiles, insects, and other animals along the way. For someone who likes nature, Taiwan is certainly a place worth visiting.
The prices are reasonable
I have spent most of my life close to Prague. If you want to eat lunch or dinner at a restaurant there, it will probably cost you almost NT$250 (or even more the closer you get to the historical center). And don’t expect any free tea or even ice cream; drinks and desserts might cost you well over a hundred in addition to what you already paid for the main dish. This is why I was quite surprised when I saw that steakhouses and hot pot restaurants in Taiwan offer a variety of free drinks, ice cream, and soups.
In the Czech Republic, I see going to a restaurant as a somewhat special event that I can afford maybe every other week. Most of the time, I will just prepare food at home to save money.
Since coming to Taiwan, I have eaten at a restaurant almost every day. The portions may be a little bit smaller, but I can have a good meal for NT$100, which would barely cover the costs of an appetizer in a Czech restaurant; not just in Prague, but almost anywhere in the country.
And this doesn’t just apply to food. The apartment I’m staying at is comparable in size to the apartment where my buddy lived when she was in Prague, but it’s for half the price (granted she was in the capital city, while I’m in Taoyuan suburbs, but still, I was pleasantly surprised with the price). A bus ticket to the center is also roughly half of what I would pay at home, and if I want to visit some tourist attractions in Taiwan, the entrance fee is an even smaller fraction of the average Czech prices.
Now, I don’t mean to say that Taiwan is cheap. The prices usually aren’t that much lower, they just overall seem more reasonable. (But some things, for example milk, eggs, and beer, are more expensive here in Taiwan, and by a significant margin.)
There are also many things for free, like the aforementioned ice cream in some restaurants, but also maps and small travel guides in hiking areas, or, most importantly, toilets. One of the annoyances Taiwanese tourists have to deal with in Europe are the prices of visiting a public restroom. In the Czech Republic, it’s usually around NT$15 to NT$30. The reasoning for this is that the money will be used for the maintenance, but what this often leads to is that instead of the restroom, people will use any nearby park, which certainly doesn’t make the city any cleaner.
Everything is convenient and easy to get
Before arriving, I heard many stories about the fabled Taiwanese convenience stores, where people can not only buy groceries and other necessities, but also use bank services, pick up the mail, enjoy many kinds of hot meals, use the restroom, or just sit at the desk while working, charging their phone, or even sleep there; all of this, 24 hours a day.
Czech stores or, possibly, stores all over Europe, are nothing like this. They are definitely not as multifunctional and most of them close somewhere between 7pm and 9pm. And in most places, they are by far not as widespread. In Taiwan, there are three different convenience stores in my rather short street, within less than 5 minutes of walking distance. I’m afraid that if I live here for a long time, I might become lazy.
When I was first trying the hot meals in a convenience store, I asked my Taiwanese buddy if I had to pay extra for having the clerks heat my food. She laughed at the absurdity of my question. It seems that daily necessities in Taiwan are designed to be very convenient, perhaps to make sure people can get back to work as soon as possible. For all I know, it might be a bit difficult getting used to life without convenience stores when I come back to Europe.
The Taiwanese are usually welcoming towards foreigners
Before traveling here, I met two exchange students from Taiwan in my country and they both agreed that I would be treated nicely in Taiwan because I’m a foreigner, or, more specifically, a westerner. At first, I thought perhaps they’re overexaggerating a little bit, but as of now, I can say that I haven’t met anyone who would treat me poorly.
I’d say that when meeting a Taiwanese person, I’ve experienced three kinds of responses. The first is normal – they simply act like nothing extraordinary is happening and treat me like just another person, which is a response I would generally expect from every stranger.
However, many locals start smiling as soon as they see me and are eager to ask my opinions on Taiwan. This is true especially in more rural areas, or in areas that are not visited by foreign tourists very often. When visiting a restaurant, Taiwanese aunties will sometimes pat me on the back, ask me if I speak Chinese, call me “handsome guy”, keep looking at me like I’m some strange exotic creature and then wave at me when I leave.
One day, I was just looking around a church in a small town, and when the local priest saw me, he was happy to show me all the secrets of this church that are normally inaccessible for visitors. He even gave me a small bag as a gift and took photos of me like I was some important foreign delegate visiting his workplace.
My Taiwanese friend who visited the church with me joked that she was a little jealous, because when she was in other foreign countries, she was not treated as nicely as I am.
In addition, when the weather gets cold, Taiwanese people will show concern and worry that the clothes I wear are not warm enough. If I go somewhere I shouldn't go, or make some mistakes, they'll be a little more lenient with me.
The third type of response is that people get a bit scared; some Taiwanese working in customer service will show signs of panic when they see a foreigner approaching, probably terrified of the idea that they will have to speak English. But, in general, I can say that I don’t feel unwelcome in Taiwan at all. I have never encountered anyone who would treat me like I’m just another annoying tourist, and the friendliness of Taiwanese people makes me feel at home. The Taiwanese want to make sure that I have a positive opinion of their country, which, for the most part, I certainly have.
執行編輯：林鈺芩
核稿編輯：趙思涵
