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Jackass I think. It was on MTV 20 years ago, a show about idiots doing dumb things (not being judgmental; I think the people in the show would describe it that way too). I never watched it but I remember some quotes.

I'm so sorry. That sucks!

We should just call it making a "bike-free car lane" and do the exact same thing as putting in a bike lane and then these troglodytes would love it.

Not if people don't watch it, it won't.

But, sigh, people will watch it, won't they?

Oh, good, I bet that they would on the prediction markets.

Just kidding. I didn't do that. But I wonder if somebody did.

Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and its Struggle to Survive by Chris Horton. Being a student of Taiwan history, there not a whole lot in it that I wasn't already aware of, but the writing is simply excellent. He's a great explainer and he deftly weaves the events that shaped history into a compelling narrative. Also, he was able to get sit-down interviews with some of the giants of Taiwan's democratization movement before they passed away, so the stories are first hand. This book is a gem so far.

Yeah, cost is one of the issues they discuss. Taiwan is generally pretty affordable, especially for food. But compared to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and maybe South Korea, the motels aren't really such a great value. I've stayed in some nice ones in Taiwan, but they can be pricey. I've also stayed in a lot of cheap fleabags. 😁 Another issue they talk about is labor shortages in hospitality. I believe that is also a problem in Japan. The solution is so easy: just let more migrant labor come in to work the hospitality jobs, but both Taiwan and Japan seem a little hesitant to do that. It also talks a bit about medical tourism, and how Taiwan doesn't open their medical system up to this possibility. Although if you need medical attention here, it's pretty affordable even without the state insurance.

If I'm not mistaken, the ferries from China only run to Kinmen Island, which I've never been to. I think if you want to get to Taiwan proper, you'd have to fly from there. There is a whole lot to see in Taiwan. I've been coming here for 25 years and lived here for 2 and I still haven't gotten to everything I want to. If you have a short time, there's not much need to stray too far from Taipei. You can catch a train or a bus to lots of great places in new Taipei City like Xifen and Pingxi. If you like the beach, Tamsui is worth a visit. Yangming Mountain is also very scenic and accessible from downtown Taipei.

Yeah, I don't doubt that is depressing current tourism numbers, but this is more about Taiwan's relative under-performance to nearby destinations over the past several decades.

Jesus, man. What a cynical take. Wish I could find more to disagree with, though. 😀 Taiwan's natural resources are absolutely stunning, but we haven't had anything like the investment in hospitality infrastructure that could support visitors in numbers comparable to Vietnam or Thailand.