I lived in Taiwan for two years and loved it; we just visited again this summer. It's a very foreigner-friendly place, and you'll be able to get by well, even i

I lived in Taiwan for two years and loved it; we just visited again this summer. It's a very foreigner-friendly place, and you'll be able to get by well, even if you don't speak Chinese - although I'd suggest learning, especially to read menus if you want to eat something other than McDonald's or TGI Friday's. Also, taxi drivers will love you if you can chat about their kids in Mandarin during the trip. If you're looking at Taipei, take a look at Tianmu (which is part of Shilin district - there's a Tianmu rail station) - it's the North American expat capital of Taiwan, and you can find just about anything you'd miss elsewhere, such as Mountain Dew. If you have kids, there's also an excellent "American school" there, though I understand it's pricey. If you're not used to humidity and heat, you may have a tough time at first - the humidity is very intense, especially when it gets hot in the summer.