I’m scheduled to fly to Taoyuan in about 30 hours from Canada. I’m very seriously no-showing my non-refundable flight.
When I was younger, I had extensive throat exposure to formaldehyde (I worked in a scientific lab in Taiwan and wasn’t told of any safety protocols). It’s made my throat extremely sensitive to air pollution (I’m probably a throat cancer ticking time bomb). I was in Taiwan in 2013 and I recall how unimaginably disgusting the air was that year.
How are things this year? Is it average, below average, or above average air quality for this time of year? My other option is to shorten my trip (currently at 3 weeks), which I am also considering. This air quality issue is a make-or-break matter for me.
Winter pollution issues on the west coast are not a new phenomenon. I wonder why you would book a nonrefundable ticket from Canada to Taiwan during this season, then consider bailing? Honestly this just looks incoherent to me.
If you want to come to Taiwan, just come to Taiwan. If you don’t want to come to Taiwan, don’t come to Taiwan. If you want to avoid most of the pollution issues, then perhaps Taipei City or somewhere on the East Coast (I’m fond of Taitung) would be possibilities to consider. However with your posts in this thread, it’s not clear what your purpose is and why you wish to (not) come here.
OK I can speak to this. With more youbikes (a nearly ubiquitous bike sharing scheme), more Gogoros (electric scooters), more electric buses, the urban areas are less polluted compared to twelve years ago. There are other regional issues (sand particles from the Gobi desert for example) that are beyond what such policy changes in Taiwan can help to improve. But over all I’d say that the situation seems to be better than before.
Yeah none of this makes any sense, hates air pollution but usually goes to Kaohsiung which is well known for air pollution, especially in Winter. Books ticket without checking first.
If coming now, stay north. SW Taiwan is always poor air quality, especially in the dry season (call it winter or whatever, it’s really that the rains don’t wash it into the soil and water instead of lingering in the air).
In winter, due to winds, stay north. Even the east coast (more extreme the further south you go) can have massive dust storms due to high winds, eroded lands and more or less dry. = dust.
Northern Yilan, keelung etc seems to be in your future. Don’t mess around with your lungs. Loads of us are broken already due to the insane air pollution in this country. And NHI doesn’t cover cancer very much. Be aware, take care of yourself. No one else will.
These places get hit by the northeast monsoon, also carrying heaps of particles. Plus you get the crappy cold winter rain compared to the sunny calmer weather in the southeast. I am sorry, I think this is bad advice.
Well, his issue is drier air borne pollutants. Go somewhere with more rain = less lightweight particles in the air. Not saying none, but WAY less than kaohsiung. By orders of magnitude. Not giving advice on whether this person enjoys rain or not, but it is easier on the lungs for sure. Caveat: avoid buildings with mold problems in the wet areas. But out and about, night and day as far as quantity (not talking quality of) of pollutants that are air borne
Always up here on the north coast. Dry cool/cold weather with heavy winds always brings that shit here. My cars were just covered with that yellowish Gobi sand a couple days ago.
There is sand from everywhere. Including domestic. Small particles go airborne. The finer and lughter, the longer it takes them to settle…hence rain helps out with the air pollution. Making it water and soil borne.
Spores, sand and so on travel the globe. Nothing new. What’s new is what is in the sand. The domestic sand, for example, is filled with industrial chemicals, agricultural chemicals, septic tank flushes, household waste and cleaners and so on. I think this has been discussed in more depth in another thread, but can’t remember which one.
