Long time stalker, first time poster, Hi everybody, as others have pointed out there’s something just NQR about the original poster. Perhaps they are Greek Cypriots? But that English ain’t British English…
I noted that fact , but with 8 million citizens in the UK born in other Countries, I guess that some are still learning the language. My Mandarin is terrible after 7 years in Taiwan , so I am reluctant to point out these things.
1 Like
They have the time to learn 
2 Likes
I went to school with a few Taiwanese girls and even they felt embarrassed at the level of Mandarin some of the westerners at ICRT spoke as their second language. Language, apparently, is closely related to the frequency level a person can hear. I’ve been here over a decade and my Mandarin is ok enough to have a basic conversation, order food, swear at people, and those sort of things.
Order a beer?
These are the kind of opportunities to practice in Taiwan. It’s the deeper level conversations that most people, like me, have problems finding and practicing.
Beer is easy. Whisky too. But I don’t drink…
1 Like
A lot has changed in the last 7 or so years here. People used to be more open. These days if anything goes wrong it always seems to be blamed on the wai guo ren. A lot of the older Taiwanese don’t like how the younger people have adapted to Western culture. Even if it’s the TV that’s teaching them.
You don’t need to ‘drink’, you need to enjoy a beer.
1 Like
Possible confusion with Thailand?
Not necessarily – OP mentioned Kenting. 
heres what i think about that.
op sees a pic of Kenting, Taiwan, thinks Kenting is in Thailand and there you have it.
1 Like
OP has never returned since posting to check all the awesome answers to his/her/its questions either. Not saying OP is a bot, but I’m surprised he/she/it didn’t include a spam link.
1 Like
May have read the stupid internations survey and been misled.
I read the OP’s message and it sounds like taiwanenglish to me…
1 Like
Jeez Tommy, you mean I wasted hours of time , compiling a sincere answer , all for nothing ?
1 Like
-
No retirement visas in Taiwan. You can’t retire here if you do not live here. There are investment visas, work visas, study visas… etc, just not that option.
-
Kenting is as said a sh******. Sorry, no sugarcoating it. It is a commercial, overdeveloped nightmare. Plus, it sits next to a nuclear power plant. Yes, there is a nuclear power plant spewing hot water into delicate coral reefs and nearby marine life at the beach.
-
Most livable coastal areas are in Taidong, maybe Pingtung, Yilan or Hualien. Prices are not as high as in the cities but certainly not cheap.
-
Yes, Taiwan is very safe and medical care is outstanding and affordable from a Western point of view. But nothing is perfect.
lol. Not from my point of view, not at all.
I’ll split the baby here. Medical care IS affordable… it’s dirt cheap. But is the care itself really that outstanding? They don’t rush you like when you see an American GP, and you don’t need to make appointments months in advance. But they overprescribe like crazy and often misdiagnose simple illnesses. My baby daughter was given a very strong multi-antibiotic cocktail for a bad cold, which we stopped after about two days since it made her into a non-responsive zombie. Plus he prescribed antibiotics for what turned out to be a virus. It wasn’t even bacterial. So I question the judgement and overall competence of the doctors here, tbh.
1 Like
That is the catch. At 150 to 500 patients a day, a doctor’s abilities are quite stretched. So it is amazing what they do in spite of all limitations. One just saved a friend’s daughter with quick attention and speedy sending to the OR. My own emergency also tells me there is good and there is the could be better.