I am a newbe to the country, and have been living n Taoyuan for the simple that this is where my partner works. But I want to look at living somewhere else, preferably further south for the climate and near the HSR because I need to travel frequently out of the country. And ideally somewhere with clean(ish) air.
Where do most westerners tend to end up, apart from Taiwan?
[quote=“Stretch”]
Where do most westerners tend to end up, apart from Taiwan?[/quote]
So you are asking where Westerners live who are not living in Taiwan?
Anyone with a clever answer on that one?
“at home”?
I think he meant ‘Taoyuan,’ not ‘Taiwan.’
[quote=“Stretch”]I am a newbe to the country, and have been living n Taoyuan for the simple that this is where my partner works. But I want to look at living somewhere else, preferably further south for the climate and near the HSR because I need to travel frequently out of the country. And ideally somewhere with clean(ish) air.
Where do most westerners tend to end up, apart from [strike]Taiwan[/strike] Taipei?[/quote]
Taichung: South, West, and North. Not East.
Uh, the West?
I can’t think of any HSR that are near places with clean air. Nor are any stations particularly convenient except Kaohsiung, Taipei and Banqiao. The rest are in the boonies. I suppose when the Hsinchu HSR in connected to the Neiwan line you might be able to able to live somewhere fresh and clean down the line.
Taichung would be about the most conveniently close to a station. Air would be okay though at least sunny all the time and there are lots of new communities not far from the station.
Not sure with all the transfers needed to get to the airport it would be very convenient though.
Other than the rainy weather southern Taipei (Muzha, Xindian) is convenient for getting the airport (50 minutes in a taxi) and has good air being close to the mountains.
[quote=“Mucha Man”]I can’t think of any HSR that are near places with clean air. Nor are any stations particularly convenient except Kaohsiung, Taipei and Banqiao. The rest are in the boonies. I suppose when the Hsinchu HSR in connected to the Neiwan line you might be able to able to live somewhere fresh and clean down the line.
Taichung would be about the most conveniently close to a station. Air would be okay though at least sunny all the time and there are lots of new communities not far from the station.
Not sure with all the transfers needed to get to the airport it would be very convenient though.
Other than the rainy weather southern Taipei (Muzha, Xindian) is convenient for getting the airport (50 minutes in a taxi) and has good air being close to the mountains.[/quote]
Taichung to airport is no problem, if you’re not carrying tons of luggage. The free buses* from the Taichung HSR station get you to and from most places in the city.
*Not sure how long they’ll stay free, but they’ll be convenient at any standard bus fare.
[quote=“Chaon”][quote=“Muzha Man”]I can’t think of any HSR that are near places with clean air. Nor are any stations particularly convenient except Kaohsiung, Taipei and Banqiao. The rest are in the boonies. I suppose when the Xinzhu (Hsinchu) HSR in connected to the Neiwan line you might be able to able to live somewhere fresh and clean down the line.
Taichung would be about the most conveniently close to a station. Air would be okay though at least sunny all the time and there are lots of new communities not far from the station.
Not sure with all the transfers needed to get to the airport it would be very convenient though.
Other than the rainy weather southern Taipei (Muzha, Xindian) is convenient for getting the airport (50 minutes in a taxi) and has good air being close to the mountains.[/quote]
Taichung to airport is no problem, if you’re not carrying tons of luggage. The free buses* from the Taichung HSR station get you to and from most places in the city.
*Not sure how long they’ll stay free, but they’ll be convenient at any standard bus fare.[/quote]
Which airport? TPE? Not really. Bus or taxi to HSR. HSR to Taoyuan station. Shuttle bus to airport. Blah!
[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Chaon”][quote=“Muzha Man”]I can’t think of any HSR that are near places with clean air. Nor are any stations particularly convenient except Kaohsiung, Taipei and Banqiao. The rest are in the boonies. I suppose when the Xinzhu (Hsinchu) HSR in connected to the Neiwan line you might be able to able to live somewhere fresh and clean down the line.
Taichung would be about the most conveniently close to a station. Air would be okay though at least sunny all the time and there are lots of new communities not far from the station.
Not sure with all the transfers needed to get to the airport it would be very convenient though.
Other than the rainy weather southern Taipei (Muzha, Xindian) is convenient for getting the airport (50 minutes in a taxi) and has good air being close to the mountains.[/quote]
Taichung to airport is no problem, if you’re not carrying tons of luggage. The free buses* from the Taichung HSR station get you to and from most places in the city.
*Not sure how long they’ll stay free, but they’ll be convenient at any standard bus fare.[/quote]
Which airport? TPE? Not really. Bus or taxi to HSR. HSR to Taoyuan station. Shuttle bus to airport. Blah![/quote]
Which transportation method to CKS airport are you comparing this to?
The OP’s current, which I assume is a couple hundred NT taxi ride to the airport from his apartment in Taoyuan.
My point is that moving further south is fine if you want good weather, but living near a HSR is not really anymore convenient for getting to the airport than living elsewhere. You are looking at multiple transfers no matter what so maybe don’t consider this is an important criteria. Living near any train station would be just as convenient. Living near the bus station even more and many cities have direct buses to the airport.
Where do foreigners live in Taiwan? Mostly in Taipei, or in parts of Taipei County close to Taipei.
The OP’s current, which I assume is a couple hundred NT taxi ride to the airport from his apartment in Taoyuan.
My point is that moving further south is fine if you want good weather, but living near a HSR is not really anymore convenient for getting to the airport than living elsewhere. You are looking at multiple transfers no matter what so maybe don’t consider this is an important criteria. Living near any train station would be just as convenient. Living near the bus station even more and many cities have direct buses to the airport.[/quote]
As someone who has lived near the Taichung HSR station, I have to respectfully disagree. But maybe that is because I detest the airport buses. If I went to the airport from my apartment here in Zhonghe, I would have the exact same number of transfers as if I came from Taichung. Except that the bus ride in Taichung would be more pleasant.
The OP’s current, which I assume is a couple hundred NT taxi ride to the airport from his apartment in Taoyuan.
My point is that moving further south is fine if you want good weather, but living near a HSR is not really anymore convenient for getting to the airport than living elsewhere. You are looking at multiple transfers no matter what so maybe don’t consider this is an important criteria. Living near any train station would be just as convenient. Living near the bus station even more and many cities have direct buses to the airport.[/quote]
As someone who has lived near the Taichung HSR station, I have to respectfully disagree. But maybe that is because I detest the airport buses. If I went to the airport from my apartment here in Zhonghe, I would have the exact same number of transfers as if I came from Taichung. Except that the bus ride in Taichung would be more pleasant.[/quote]
You are missing the point. Yes, both are equally inconvenient. Pretty much anywhere you live is going to be fairly inconvenient getting to the airport (by which I mean multiple transfers). So I am suggesting to the OP that maybe living near a HSR station shouldn’t be a critical issue if he travels out of the country a lot.
The OP’s current, which I assume is a couple hundred NT taxi ride to the airport from his apartment in Taoyuan.
My point is that moving further south is fine if you want good weather, but living near a HSR is not really anymore convenient for getting to the airport than living elsewhere. You are looking at multiple transfers no matter what so maybe don’t consider this is an important criteria. Living near any train station would be just as convenient. Living near the bus station even more and many cities have direct buses to the airport.[/quote]
I do it often, my company pays for the taxis either side of the HSR trip and it works out about 1.5 hours to the aiport from my place in Taichung. The taxis are a bit steep if you were paying yourself…about 500 NTD total, there are shuttle buses too of course but would probably make it2 hrs to airport. You can park at the Taichung HSR which is another option I use and that’s very cheap (hint: having a car is cheap and convenient in most of Taiwan outside Taipei!). You don’t need to live near the HSR in Taichung as there is a very convenient ring road to it from West, North and South as previous poster mentioned. Living in Zhubei (North of Xinzhu City) would be an easy one too for getting to Taoyuan. Kaoshiung has more international flights so it’s something to consider, certainly lots of flights to HK and then on from there if long distance. Taichung airport has quite a few direct flights to the mainland, join the beetlneut chewing Taiwanese laobans and Chinese tourists.
The OP’s current, which I assume is a couple hundred NT taxi ride to the airport from his apartment in Taoyuan.
My point is that moving further south is fine if you want good weather, but living near a HSR is not really anymore convenient for getting to the airport than living elsewhere. You are looking at multiple transfers no matter what so maybe don’t consider this is an important criteria. Living near any train station would be just as convenient. Living near the bus station even more and many cities have direct buses to the airport.[/quote]
As someone who has lived near the Taichung HSR station, I have to respectfully disagree. But maybe that is because I detest the airport buses. If I went to the airport from my apartment here in Zhonghe, I would have the exact same number of transfers as if I came from Taichung. Except that the bus ride in Taichung would be more pleasant.[/quote]
You are missing the point. Yes, both are equally inconvenient. Pretty much anywhere you live is going to be fairly inconvenient getting to the airport (by which I mean multiple transfers). So I am suggesting to the OP that maybe living near a HSR station shouldn’t be a critical issue if he travels out of the country a lot.[/quote]
But the inconvenience of multiple transfers pales in comparison to the inconvenience of the airport buses. By the way MM, how many years did you spend in Taichung, and how much of that time was spent living far from the HSR station there?
OP, listen to Uncle Chaon. Live near an HSR station (and as per Headhoncho, calculate “near” in terms of how long it takes you to get there, not actual kilometers).
How long before the airport MRT is finished?
Mucha Man is an Eastern Westerner. They can be a little uppity.
[quote=“Chaon”]
OP, listen to Uncle Chaon. Live near an HSR station (and as per Headhoncho, calculate “near” in terms of how long it takes you to get there, not actual kilometers).[/quote]
Yes, by all means, do listen to Uncle Chaon.
However, do not, under any circumstances, come sit on his lap. :no-no:
Even if he has candy.
Especially if he has candy.
Mainly wherever they want, usually in an apartment or house, sometimes in hotels, motels, or hostels. If they’re in Taiwan they should live somewhere. 
I personally live beside Tainan.
[quote=“kjmillig”]Mainly wherever they want, usually in an apartment or house, sometimes in hotels, motels, or hostels. If they’re in Taiwan they should live somewhere.
I personally live beside Tainan.[/quote]
Tainan is pretty sweet. If I fail my Probationary Period here and get kicked out of Taipei by the chief, I’m gonna move to Tainan and open a new age gem and mineral shop.
The OP want clean air, sunshine and (presumably) convenient transport to the airport. And he has not specified living in Taichung. Do try to stay on topic.