Just like depositions anywhere in North America, occasionally you’ll go somewhere unexpected while on an assignment here in Asia. Recently I had the opportunity while in Taiwan to travel to… Douliu City? Wikipedia tells me it’s the political and economic (physical) center of the country and the main city in Yunlin County, population: 100,000. Back home, 100,000 is not exactly a slouch as far as city size goes, but here in Asia that’s downright tiny. I was quite excited to see what a small city in Taiwan might look like. I was not disappointed.
The main event I was excited to see I learned about from the wonderful concierge at our hotel. Taiwan is famous for night markets, and locals and tourists alike can be found swarming the streets of many Taiwanese cities looking for eats, drinks, bargains, and fun almost any night of the week. Turns out Douliu has one of its own, though there are a couple unique differences. Due to its location and relatively unknown reputation outside of Taiwan, this is really a locals-only market, and yet it ranks as one of the best in the country even though it only sets up once a week. Lucky for me, I happened to be there that day!
As I wandered the market I took in the smells and the sights, but what I found most interesting was the energy. I was welcomed by everyone, and people were excited to share their wares and products with me. I was quickly full eating homemade gyoza dumplings, various meat on a stick, and fresh-squeezed vinegar lemonade. I love trying new things. Douliu was a really neat experience and just one more place that Planet Depos covers in the great, big continent of Asia.
When scheduling depositions in smaller towns overseas, it is easy to blunder. Big name cities like Hong Kong, London and others offer a wide range of recognizable hotel names, making choosing a location for your deposition fairly simple. But smaller towns don’t always have the larger chains or English-speaking staff in their hotels. This is where an on-the-ground team really proves their value. Better than referring you to the best location, they can reserve it on your behalf, and take care of all related details, from security to catering.
They not only know which locations can handle the technical aspects of the deposition, they will take care of test calls, printing and shredding needs for your exhibits, and can offer advice as to how to reach the smaller towns from the big ones. They can even (as they have in the past) escort you to the train station and ensure you have the correct ticket and are on the right track. This level of dedication to clients, of course, includes providing high-quality realtime to attorneys, either on their own laptops or loaners courtesy of the reporter. As well, the videographer is a skilled technician who can step in to resolve any technical difficulties, in addition to recording the proceedings in high definition.
