Just casting this out to the four winds. Anyone? Pros and cons?
Yes, there are many people living in Shen Keng, including pros and cons.
You should feel at home. :raspberry:
I have had a number of friends who lived out there and I bike out there often. I think it sucks. It’s a really bad case of over-development in a small area and the traffic is bad making it tough to get in and out of the city. Shen-keng proper is one of those miserable Taiwanese towns with no sidewalks, tons of crappy auto body shops, and half the town’s business scattered around the street. You won’t be lacking for a good selection in betel nuts though and it’s closer to Bob’s than Xindian, so I guess there’s a bit of a silver lining.
That said, there is a hillside community called something like Feicui Community that seems pretty nice on a sunny day. But it is on the far side of town.
Also, like Muzha, it seems to be especially damp and clammy in the winter. Why not try Wanfang Community just past the tunnel on Jungong Rd?
That’s the one. I can’t stand the “town” either, apart from the tofu. But the traffic’s supposed to be much better now that you can get directly into Xinyi on the freeway.
Anyway, it’s just an option for a possible shift for the Sandcastle.
I don’t notice much traffic here aside from Sundays, but then I’m on a scooter. I have enjoyed being in this area being that I appreciate quiet, fresh air and what feels like a smaller town environment than a lot of what central Taipei offers.
They have recently made the park look considerably better with new sidewalks, there is a new mini-super store which took over the space of an old grocery store which is helpful for miscellaneous items, and I think the people here tend to be pretty friendly and unobtrusive. I never stand in line when paying bills and all the offices I need to visit for this are within 3 minutes on foot. The hills are very nice to wake up to and with the mountain air and no ac, the summer was bearable. I can drive easily into the hills and tour around and the bus runs often by here. Rents are also cheaper although I don’t know how much is available right now.