Somehow I have survived (physically) intact after my first 18 months here in Taiwan. How time flies! Not necessarily whilst having fun either.
Anyhow… I need to start looking at my next destination.
The first few months here were spent in Wu Qi (Taichung County) which was bloody horrible. Desolate, ugly, stray (angry) dogs and not much to do.
I made a slight upgrade by accepting a job here in Tung Shih (again, in Taichung County). ‘Real Taiwan’ or not, after a year here I can’t wait to see the last of this place. Sure, some people are very friendly, and the air is clean but arghh kill me with a spoon…
So - here are my (basic) needs. I want to live close to Taipei, but not in Taipei. I grew up on a farm in rural Australia and never really enjoyed city life, but do like the social life and mod cons that a big city can offer.
I’m thinking a 30-45 minute train ride to Taipei would be brilliant. Maybe even an hour away. It takes me an hour to get from here to Taichung and I enjoy the commute (bus/train combo).
My girlfriend may be getting a job in Xinzhu (Hsin Chu? hshin choo?). After doing a search on here, it seems the common consensus is that Xinzhu is awful, can anyone share any more info both positive or negative?
Do any of you live between Taipei and Xinzhu? Care to share your ideas or suggestions? Cheers
It might be hard to believe, but you can get more “country” in some Taipei suburbs than you can living in some of the industrial wastelands you’ve been in. Fresh air, green environs, hills, hiking, are all yours to be had within 40 minutes of Taipei. Just ask Mucha Man!
In which case the choice is quite clear cut. Taipei.
Many will disagree with this statement.
I’ve been living here in Hsinchu for almost 8 years and I’m very content here. I’ve often said that living in Taipei must be “awful”. Don’t take me wrong: I enjoy going to Taipei for a weekend, but at the end, I’m happy to come back ‘home’. Even with all the convenience of the MRT and the public transportation system and so on in the capital I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to live and work there. But that’s just me.
To come back to Hsinchu, I don’t live in the city itself, I live out south in the more rural part… in the foothills of the mountains. Even then, my morning and afternoon commute to the Science Park take no longer than 15 minutes. I’m not much of a bar man myself so I couldn’t tell you anything about the nightlife here other than that I have colleagues who seem not to have a shortage of places to go after work.
I’ve only ever visited Xinzhu for the odd night here and there, but it seems like quite a nice city. There’s always plenty going on around the train station area and along the canal in the evenings (at least when I’ve been there) and there’s some nice hiking nearby, plus it’s easy to get into the Aboriginal towns in the nearby mountains. I’m not a bar person, but if that’s your thing, Xinzhu seems to have quite a few nice looking bars. If/when I ever move away from Zhanghua, Xinzhu will be a place I’d consider living in.
Thanks for the insight, guys. I will go and check out Xinzhu over the Chinese New Year break. My gf says it’s a very pretty city and she likes it very much, so I really should go and check it out.
How far is it from Xinzhu to Taipei on the train?
I’m not really a bar person either. Can’t stand nightclubs but I do like the option of meeting people in a quiet bar to have a beer or 2. In the last year I was dragged to a club 3 times and did my best to enjoy it… but hmm… maybe I’m getting too old for that kind of malarkey
I heard that a lot of engineers live in Xinzhu. If it’s anything like university, those guys like to party! So I’m not surprised that there are a lot of bars there
Choosing somewhere to live is kind of easy. Finding a good job in that area is going to be more difficult…
Most trains take a little less than an hour and a half, with one express train taking as little as 59 minutes. The high speed rail takes less than 35 minutes.
And as for your poll: If by Taoyuan you mean Taoyuan City, you don’t want to do that to yourself.
Most trains take a little less than an hour and a half, with one express train taking as little as 59 minutes. The high speed rail takes less than 35 minutes.
And as for your poll: If by Taoyuan you mean Taoyuan City, you don’t want to do that to yourself.[/quote]No, you don’t
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Indeed, ask away. Actually, I am quite happy to show you around Muzha during CNY. It really is more like a small county town here if you live by the river. The mountains are literally on the other side with hours and hours of natural trails and you can walk for hours along the dikes or through the university even at night (lit up the whole way). Bike paths that go all the way to Danshui. Lots of tea fields in the hills if you need your country fix. Fulong beach is an hour away.
But it’s also super easy to get into downtown as you are between the brown and green MRT lines.
It’s also nice that because of the walking paths people walk their dogs every night and in general seem to treat them well. We do have stray cats but they are very happy looking as all the bushes nearby are loaded with mice and lizards and other treats.
Look, I can (and do) go for two hour walks at night (10-11pm) and never step on the road. On the back of the uni ring road you get owls hooting and crickets chirping. I even saw a civet a few weeks ago. Up in the hills (10 minutes away) are nice tea shops and restaurants. What better than to have dinner on a balconey in the hills overlooking the city, breathing fresh air and hearing cicadas and crickets, while below you know there is noise, traffic and chaos.
When I work at home and don’t have to leave the neighborhood for days at a time I really feel I am living in the country.
Indeed, ask away. Actually, I am quite happy to show you around Muzha during CNY. It really is more like a small county town here if you live by the river. The mountains are literally on the other side with hours and hours of natural trails and you can walk for hours along the dikes or through the university even at night (lit up the whole way). Bike paths that go all the way to Danshui. Lots of tea fields in the hills if you need your country fix. Fulong beach is an hour away.
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Yup. Taipei has far more green to offer than any of the shitholes you’ve named as your other possible choices, although Hsinchu has some nice areas, I’ve heard.
Mucha, or maybe Bitan, where I live. The river (being re-landscaped as we speak), the hills behind, the bamboo forest,… I too go out every night and while I DO have to step on a road, its only for 100 meters or so before I hit a hillside trail with frogs, lizards, snakes, butterflies, birds, squirrels, etc.
And I’m a 5-minute walk from the MRT.
[quote=“sandman”]Yup. Taipei has far more green to offer than any of the shitholes you’ve named as your other possible choices, although Hsinchu (Xinzhu) has some nice areas, I’ve heard.
Muzha, or maybe Bitan, where I live. The river (being re-landscaped as we speak), the hills behind, the bamboo forest,… I too go out every night and while I do have to step on a road, its only for 100 meters or so before I hit a hillside trail with frogs, lizards, snakes, butterflies, birds, squirrels, etc.
And I’m a 5-minute walk from the MRT.[/quote]
Okay, I have to walk 30m down an alley to start walking off-road.
But yeah, Bitan is a good area too. Really close to Wulai for longer hikes, swims in the river, etc.
Sandman, what’s happening with the reconstruction? I was there a month ago and all the progress I could see was that they had lopped the tops off all the lovely old trees that used to sprout up from the patios of various shops.
Difficult to say. They’re tearing up the entire waterfront but haven’t got as far as rebuilding yet. The shopfront shacks are still there, so I’m not sure what’s happening to them.
Work seems to going apace, though, which is a pleasant surprise. There’s a billboard at the bridge with an artists impression of what it will be like when finished. Evidently the river and Green Lake are not sufficiently “feature-like” so they’re doing some big fountains and cascades and stuff.
One terribly sad note is that Poagao was talking to someone at Wantan who said the bamboo is going to be rooted up to make way for apartments, which will obviously totally destroy that particular slice of countryside. Bastards.
Mucha man - the place you are describing sounds almost too good to be true! I would love to visit and have a look around over the CNY break, if you are not too busy.
Perhaps Llary and I could meet you one day and shout you lunch in return for a quick tour around your neighbourhood.
So far on my agenda is a trip to Xinzhu (may even have a job there already!) and Mucha man’s turf.
My gf will be working in a factory and living onsite in Xinzhu, so that means I will only be able to see her one day per week. That’s why I was asking re: the train trip duration.
It’s all very exciting. Can’t wait to get out of this awful town and start having a social life again
Muzha man - the place you are describing sounds almost too good to be true! I would love to visit and have a look around over the CNY break, if you are not too busy.
Perhaps Llary and I could meet you one day and shout you lunch in return for a quick tour around your neighbourhood.
So far on my agenda is a trip to Xinzhu (may even have a job there already!) and Muzha man’s turf.
My gf will be working in a factory and living onsite in Xinzhu, so that means I will only be able to see her one day per week. That’s why I was asking re: the train trip duration.
It’s all very exciting. Can’t wait to get out of this awful town and start having a social life again [/quote]
If you’re into the countryside, also consider Yilan.
I’ve lived in shithole central Taiwan, Taipei city, and Yilan and Yilan has been my favorite of the three so far. Friendlier people, more natural spots close at hand, way cheaper, and way more beautiful that third of the year when it doesn’t rain incessantly.
If I had to chose between a 600 NT/hour teaching job in Yilan and a 600 NT/hour job in Taipei, I’d take Yilan in a heartbeat.
I would like to live within an hour of Taipei so I can join a few clubs, meet some like-minded (ie: borderline insane) people and just be able to walk around without being gawked at whenever I leave my apartment.
Llary - do you still have my phone number? We also met this time last year but then I got caught up looking for a job.
So far, mucha mans description has been the most appealing, but if my gf gets the job in Xin zhu I will definitely need to check that out too.
Ilan is great if you’re a duck, or enjoy mouldy walls and books and clothes… sometimes the sun shines too, and then it really is nice.
It’s on the east coast, about an hour drive from Taipei, or less if you shoot through the new tunnel. Steep mountains behind a small coastal plain make for a lot of rain.
Hmm… I think it would be too far from Xinzhu then. I’m kind of hoping to find a place between Taipei and Xinzhu. I do love the rain here because it has been so dry in Australia before I arrived. Mouldy clothes/books/walls would do my head in though
I’m house hunting.