WELCOME to TAIWAN!!
Im not sure if its always like this but my southern born and raised gf says the food in tainan and kh is sweet . ( i have only been down a couple times but def noticed the food leanin … as a recovering US of A sugarholic i avoid it at all costs)
If you choose south, think do you like sweeter?
And heavy heavy pollution…
i could never live south because of these two things. Mostly the dirty air…
Not sure your age but when your out try “triangle dance club, Check the fb about which dj ( they have gay night sometimes, not that there is a problem with that but it effects the vibe and music)
Weekends are normally pretty fun and the expo center is a covered outdoor partying area with foreigners about( china sickness has affected the spot a little) the club is like nyc in the fact sometimes it doesnt get busy till 12:30-1am and goes to 3:30-4am so beware .also Thursday brass monkey ladies night dancing starts about 11-12:00
Imo bars and clubs kinda really suck here
But if you like to drink some offer all you can drink (limited menu) and some offer smoking which is tough for some
With apartments it will be tough without a friend to help unless you find an agent or renter that speak English… i couldnt figure out 591 (Do they have English?)
Try to use booking maybe to find a hostel hotel to get you by untill you can find a spot , most are 1 year lease
Correct me if im wrong thats fine , but these are my opinions
Our company has a different outlook and no need for US$. We get US Dollars but change to Taiwan Dollars ASAP as expenses all in NT$ and biggest companies get US$ income but expenses in NT$, with big NT$ bonus payments for new years we look for NT$ to stronger.
I think after your in South or where ever you will be there will be less need to visit Taipei as you settle into local life. I seldom now travel to Taipei, only for work as I have local life here built over time with lots of nice friends and activities.
Welcome to Taiwan. I live in Kaoshuing area. I do like Tainan Kaoshuing and Pingtung which are great places to live. Taipei-Hsinchu are a great place to make money or for Western food ect. Wages in general are lower outside of Taipei-Hsinchu but so are the living costs. In the South ,Tainan has a large Science Park along with good Uni which makes the talent for the Science Park and Kaoshuing does have a small software centre. The reason like living here is I can live in single unit house (no gardens/yard but room for a car(s) and large rooms) and more relaxed living. People are nice both old and young. Many of the younger people travel a lot or I found a lot lived in Aussie or other places and they are less into the Taipei work culture and more relaxed, a bit like Hawaii. Its nice to be able to go the beach or waterfront. I do not like nightclubs but find nice people at cafes, coffee shops or common activites. If you look different I think people will try to chat with you.
Weather, air is not as good as north but much better than ten years ago and this year has been good. Warmer in the winter and cooler (but still hot and humid) in summer than Taipei.
First of all, welcome to Taiwan! Hoping you’re doing ok in quarantine, I hear it’s rough, but be glad that Taiwan makes it mandatory!
In terms of finding a place to settle in, Taipei is actually the smallest city (in square kilomters) in Taiwan! However, it does have the highest population density.
I will mention one factor that others haven’t is any city, outside of Taipei and New Taipei, you will need to drive! Taipei mass transportation is world class in terms of cleanliness, speed and affordability. Your most expensive fair on the Taipei Metro, is not even close to the flat rate of the NYC metro! If you are making enough, taxis, whether they are yellow cabs or uber, are a in alvailable in all major cities.
Netflix. Video games. Exercise.
Go the route of your interests. If you have a favorite sports team, prefer a certain genre of music or like to run marathons, there’s a FB page for it. It is always easier to make a connection, whether you speak the language or not, if the base of the connection is an interest both you and the other person share!
@Andrew0409 mentioned 1001 nights in Taipei having a lot of black and latin people from overseas. That place used to be my old watering hole and yes, walking in there is like walking into a completely different world where Taiwanese are sometimes the minority!
@Hygge I had lived in the states for 8 years. went to college there and worked there. just wanted something different and flexible. since I qualified for the gold card, I figured out why not. Yeah, when I say affordable I mean rent. like on a comparative basis. I don’t wanna be paying for a shoebox in Taipei, when I could get a bigger place in a smaller city. right now, I don’t know what my budget could be I just want a decent place at a good price lol.
Yeah, I just realized this. and ordered one. It will get to the US first, then I will have someone send it to me. thanks as this is smarter, since most of my liquid assets are in USD.
@tommy525 not so worried about who likes me or not. everywhere you go some people will like you, some will not. that has never bothered me at all. unless of course it’s a danger to my life lol.
can you please let me know about the New Taipei suburbs ? I know you mentioned something about air quality that matters a lot to me. if in the south, I’m breathing exhaust fumes half the time. then of course the cheaper rent ain’t worth it. lungs are expensive lol
Thinking Tamshui at the end of the REd LINE MRT.
Or Pitan on the other end , at the end of the blue line i believe. OR Muzha at one end of the Brown Line MRT
Im sure others with more current knowledge can chime in .
oopsies how things change color…lol…wasnt there a time the red line went from pitan to tamshui?? OH yeah the blue went to taipei 101 and then to what now? panchiao?
Panchiao is another good place. Lots of new buildings i think. .And you can get to TAipei either with MRT< HSR or regular train?? all from the same modern station. IIRC
I think it was always green to Xindian. That’s right about the blue. Pretty easy to get around Banqiao now, yep. I remember when I first stayed here I stayed at the edge in “Shoude New Village”, it was a trip back and forth and a trip in general.
My apartment in wanli still stands abandoned, left exactly the way it was when i left it in 1999. My friends all thought that was the dark side of the moon.
more buses from keelung and the hourly nonstop from taipei to ginshan stopping at wanli and then a 300feet walk up the mountain. That was a long ass trek when one doesnt have a car. I dont think transport has improved any for people living in Wanli. but Keelung is becoming better i heard. But 290 days of rain a year ! Yikes .
my sister who owns the place never rented it out or did anything with it. she showed me the place in 2009 when i came for visit and man everything was exactly as i left it UGH. But the water doesnt run anymore and the power failed as well. I told her to dump everything in the apt, strip that sucker out, down to the concrete and redo. But apparently rents dont justify the cost. Such a shame. I need to buy the place back from her (which is possibly what she wants). and tear out the insides of that joint. Can you imagined a closed off apt in the humidity and rain of a hillside in wanli??
sorry veering off subject again… Well at least OP , do not live in Wanli, transport has not improved and the place is still a dump. mostly. Do tamshui . Many nice apts, nice local train now i think. MRT to taipei proper.
Welcome.
I’m from Austin and rent in tpe is cheaper. I have a sizeable rooftop garden that I love (kitchen sucks, but I think they all do) and tpe is small enough that i can walk or bus anywhere I want to go fairly quickly. I chose tpe for ease of getting around, craft beer hotspots, variety of food, and business opportunities.
which is tough for some