I don’t have a choice really… I am stuck in this hellhole whether I like it or not. I would leave in a heartbeat if I were allowed an immigration visa anywhere else.
You don’t need to worry about gangsters unless you’re planning to sell drugs or prostitutes for a living.
And the traffic is a little crazier than in Taipei, but also lighter.
Do you think Kenting is an area to live in and to make sufficient income to sustain a living? Is it more like an island or a little town with its own shops…etc.?
One more thing…there are houses to live in there right? What I mean is I know there are lots of hostels and b & bs, but what about houses or apartments? Thanks!
We were rented-house-hunting down there earlier this year. There were some crappy studios for rent, and some shopfronts along the strip, but we didn’t find anything we liked (ideally we wanted a house or condo away from the main street).
We also looked around HengChun, ErLuanBi, CheCheng, and the various villages up in the hills, but again, just dirty old places in crowded areas. It doesn’t seem like there are really any holiday / retirement type houses down there.
I guess quite a few foreigners end up buying houses there and turning them into hostels, but that seems like the only worthwhile option.
I love Kending, and have spent some time down there … but yes it’s difficult to find a decent place to live there. Saw some old houses in need of serious renovation (one local that lives with his family in an old house up on Guanshan), that would need a lot of time, effort and money to make them liveable. There’s no rental apartment market down there because locals just go to visit. Sure, if this was in Europe/ USA the place would be full of real estate agencies and apartments/ condos selling a place in the sun - but there’s just no call for it here.
I hear that there are some studios/ apartment for rent in a complex near Hengchun airport, with a pool- might check it out next time I go.
Anyway, viva Kending !
Tragedy in Kenting.
Guy
Curious, did you?
For reference: @Belgian_Pie 's hankering for Qingdao was expressed in this thread in . . . 2007!
Guy
Yes, so there is room for an update!
I wonder why Taiwan News chooses not to provide Chinese names of locations.
小巴里島岩
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Was down in Kenting for the Ironmen Triathlon this weekend. Been quite a few years since I’ve been down and have to say that while most of Taiwan has progressed not much has happened down there. Sad to see how run down the place is.
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I haven’t been there for a few years, but it’s astonishing how nothing improves.
I went to Pompeii this summer and was amazed how little effort the locals had put into the overall experience. I think it’s a case of people getting handed something really good, and then just sitting back on it.
Why remove the abandoned cars when you’re making easy money?
I don’t find Kenting any more run down than Liuqiu or Green Island or Orchid Ialand or any other tropical beach town in southern Taiwan. I also don’t find it any more run down than most small beach towns in Hawaii.
Green Island is an unregulated debacle.
If and when Kenting improves, we’ll REALLY know that Taiwan has turned the corner. 
Guy
Isn’t the rustic and laid back nature part of the charm?
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I’m also confused by this. Are people in Taipei coming down to southern Taiwan expecting the Maldives or something? I don’t think Kenting is any more run down than the rural parts of other counties I’ve been to in eastern and southern Taiwan.
That is far more polite than the words I would use.
Guy
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I’m sitting on the train right now passing Pingtung City and just noticing for the first time all the neon signs along the major road next to the TRA station. Kinda reminds me of Hong Kong. I hope they don’t get rid of them.
I wish the rest of the island wasn’t all bombarded by boring and ugly LED signs.
The typhoon just hit and destroyed signs and kind of wiped a lot of stuff out. Destruction was unbelievable.
They’re still cleaning up but making repairs and bring things back to presentable will take some effort. But it’s an individual thing and some people will do nothing. Maybe they’ll get some assistance from the government.
I just spent 3 days Kenting.
It’s the worst I’ve seen it in over 15 years.
But the night market is thriving so that’s all that counts.
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Orchid Island—smashed.
Acapulco—smashed.
By incredible autumn storms, when ocean temperatures are supposed to have cooled down. 
Guy