I think it is more noticeable in cultures that put a lot of importance on face and hierarchy. I was in a not very big provincial capital in Thailand living in a not very nice building that was all single rooms. Lots of BMWs, Mercedes in the parking lot.
Not just here, but very noticeable here
Dunno about you, but I am getting fed up with the Teslaās parked wherever they feel like. If itās illegally parked, in a very visible place, itās going to be a Tesla.
Last week I saw one execute a maneuver right in front of the President Office that left me and the guards with our mouths open. And that is not a compliment. Instead of going straight, he turned right on a left lane, jumped on the sidewalk and continued on the same direction as if had been driving straight. Not as if he lost control but rather purposely. What purpose? Unknown.
You can drive both, at the same time.
And here we got another reason, why I resolutely refuse to drive in this country.
I made my license in Germany, the country of cars. If we do know one thing, it is how to properly drive cars - and that is what you need to know, if you have an open speed limit on highways and donāt want it to end in a massacre.
Taiwan does not recognize this driving license. Instead, they want me to make one in Taiwan. But when I look around, all I can see are people who donāt know how to drive properly, sometimes even to a degree, where I would consider them to mentally disabled, and I mean this exactly the way I am saying it. The example you stated, is one such case.
I have seen cars driving into the little box for scooters to turn left, thinking they are a scooterā¦ So yeah, noā¦ I donāt want their license, maybe it makes me also lose IQ/EQ when getting it.
Definitely donāt move to Taoyuan if you think Kaohsiung is bad. It seems unlikely given you prefer the countryside anyway.
Driving here is mostly an expression of the bad parts of the culture and I loathe it. I was never a fan but living in sanchong has really pushed me into the āseething hateā catergory.
Ferrari has workers who have families to feed too. And salesmen who sell them who have families to feed too.
The cars are a livelihood for many people . Thank God for the dummies and assholes as mentioned who buy them
Stupid as rocks people who probably buy Rolexes and montblanc pens and stay at the 4 seasons
The hell !! They can drive a frickin Toyota and wear a timex and stay at motel 6 Stupid as rocks people !!!
( I wish I was as stupid as them and as much of an asshole and owning one and staying at 4 seasons etc)
Isnāt the typical New Taipei Man or Taoyuan Man equivalent to the Florida Man?
Canāt imagine why I would ever go there besides leaving the country via TPE
Good for them, you donāt need to be smart here to become rich, all you need is guanxi and a (sometimes very) flexible conscience.
EDIT: I always wondered: Could it be, that surrounding oneself with luxury products is a way for people here to feel international or metropolitan? I canāt pinpoint it, but sometimes I got the feeling this is a huge part of the motivation.
Yes
SanChong thatā makes this understandable
To stay safe here you have to learn how they drive and watch out accordingly
Yes, I know. But I also tend to road rage (I am the typical overly correct German dude) and really try to keep my sanity and bloodpressure in a healthy range. Taiwan is better off without having me on the streets and so am I.
You know you
Me my blood pressure drops when I drive
I go Zen on me
I just mean in terms of luxury sports cars they are about 10x more prevalent in Taoyuan than Kaohsiung. Probably because many are factory owners or their sons.
Just a reminder that a lot of those fancy cars are rentals. Would not dare to say most but a significant percentage. So it is wannabes and fake players on the wheel. Thatās why they crash a lot.
Makes sense. Kaohsiung is a workers city while most big businesses usually settle up north. I guess this partially helped create the Sky Dragon City perception in the south.
Some say some who look rich are poor who want to be rich while many who look poor are actually rich
Corollary :
Some who look poor actually are poor while some who look rich actually are rich
So basically you have no clue
Or itās as simple as they can afford it and they like it.
Or they canāt really but still want it 