Life on Penghu - Advice?

Hello!

My wife and I will be moving to Penghu next year.
She has a huge family on the island and we have a young son so she would like for him to spend his toddler years in Magong. If anyone with experience living in Penghu reads this please help answer a few questions if you can.

  1. Western hangouts, what are some popular western restaraunts/bars?

  2. Sports, where do people play Bball on the island? Is there a community gym?

  3. Housing, what websites are used to find decent housing in Magong?

  4. Jobs, how many public schools hire certified teachers? How many buxibans/kindergartens hire foreign teachers in the island?

  5. Buy a scooter/car? What websites can be used to buy used scooters OR cars?

  6. Public transportation, are there frequent bus routes and what app or bus map is used?

  7. Party, how do people party in penghu? Like houseparties? KTV? Boat parties?

  8. Kids, what are some kid friendly activities or community events? Is there a FB forum for that stuff?

  9. General advice for surviving in Penghu, anything I should know? Tips for finding cool people n cool places, things to do, etcā€¦

Thanks in advance!!!

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I donā€™t think Iā€™ve talked to or met any foreigners that live or lived in Penghu or the other islands. It would be really interesting to hear from someone with experience.

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Something tells me a lot of the stuff youā€™re looking for simply isnā€™t there. Please tell us all about it when youā€™re living there. Youā€™re going to be some what of a trail blazer.

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Iā€™m pretty sure that for point number 4 you will get paid more for working in Penghu, on account of it being a bit dull there.

So far Iā€™ve found 4 buxibans/kindergartens that hire foreigners. They pay 550-700. There is one public school that I know of that does the FET program for certified teachers, ideally I will work there since I have a teaching certificate.

Crap. After reading that there are 60,000+ people living on the island I was hoping that Penghu would be a little more diverse than it is appearing to be. I arrive tomorrow and will explore for a few weeks. Iā€™m hoping to find a decent gym, some bball pick up games, some western food options, and a pub. Ill post my findings here. If anyone has any leads please share!

If youā€™re looking for a public school, look into the FET program:
http://www.fettaiwan.com/
I just recent finished my In-Service training for the MOE in Taichung, and I know of at least 5 other teachers that live and work in Pengu. Almost went there myself for the program, but my wife and I would rather not live in that level of isolation.
If you have Line, you can contact some people who live there now, and ask plenty of questions.
Teaching wise, Iā€™d recommend private over public if you were working in or near a major city, but in areas like Pengu and Nantou, public treats the teachers better and have stable work.
Check out the site and see if it interests you. If it does, connect with the FET program and ask away!
Good luck!

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Thanks Squishy. Iā€™ve applied via the website a few weeks ago and was told to reapply March of next year. The woman I spoke with said they will ā€œmost likelyā€ have positions available in Penghu next school year. Wish me luck! You said you know people currently teaching in Penghu? Can you ask them to add me on Line ā€œbrandontaipeiā€.

Day 1 in Penghu was semi-productive. I found an app to help me track bus routes called ā€œibusā€. I used the app to catch a bus to downtown Magong and introduced myself to a buxiban I found online, ā€œEmmanuel Englishā€. While the school was not currently hiring I did meet several foreigners at the school. We exchanged Line IDs and they wished me luck. While walking back to the bus stop I saw movie posters with a website and phone number for the local cinema. I found the theatre, watched ā€œDownsize Meā€, then caught a bus back home. Find a bus app-check, meet a few English speakers-check, find a cinema-check. Tomorrow Iā€™ll focus on finding a western restaraunt, a gym/pool/sauna, a pickup game basketball court and a decent bar/pub. The guys at the buxiban I met said ā€œPenghu doesnā€™t have those things.ā€ I refuse to believe that!!!

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Google Maps works for bus also. It even includes ferries back to the big island :wink:

If it doesnā€™t have some of them you can always open your own :wink:.

Thereā€™s a uni in Magong maybe you can find a gym , swimming pool and pickup games there .

I do like Penghu quite a lot. Taiwanā€™s best beaches.
Have you lived in Taiwan previously ?

By the way is it windy as hell right Now or just raining like the rest of Taiwan ?

Is it windy in Penghu? Lol, when isnā€™t it?

Seriously, Iā€™ve been to Penghu at least eight times, at different times of the year, and itā€™s always a struggle to keep my scooter from being blown off the road. Thereā€™s a reason all the farm fields are surrounded by those low walls :wink:

To the OP: Iā€™ve seen some Western eateries come and go on Penghu during the past ten years, including a great Mexican place, and a brick oven pizza place that the owner turned to an All-Chinese food place (dear God why?). It seems there are always brave souls trying something new. Anyway, itā€™ll be a challenge finding nightlife.

That said, some of the points of interest I like there are:

  1. The ā€œMoses Walkwayā€ to Chiyu Islet at Kuibishan Park (儎ē’§å±±åœ°č³Ŗ公園)
  2. The massive Tongliang banyan tree at Baoā€™an Temple (äæå®‰å®®)
  3. Zhuwan Dayi Temple (ē«¹ē£å¤§ē¾©å®®) with its unique underground grotto.
  4. Whale Cave (小門éÆØé­šę“ž)
  5. Erkan Old Village (äŗŒå“ę‘)

I used to consider Neiā€™an (內垵) beach my ā€œprivateā€ beach but itā€™s gotten quite built up and touristy in the past few years. Of course, as a resident youā€™ll have time to drive around and find your own secluded spots.

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Brian itā€™s sooooooo windy here haha. Shockingly windy. Iā€™m listening to the wind howl now, it is kind of peaceful I guess.

Thanks for the list Steve, Iā€™ve already checked those places out during previous visits but they are all worth multiple trips.

Hey Brian I lived in Taipei for 5 years, this is my first attempt at small town living in Taiwan.

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It would be interesting to hear about the history of foreigners and activities on the island too. I have the impression that Penghu was more lively maybe 20 years ago and then itā€™s kind of become more quiet and family-oriented over the years.

They keep voting down the casinos for one thing.