Especially when you get to know the vendors, you can pop in get a few items and practice your language skills.
All items are there to be inspected before buying, no need to buy anything that looks past its best.
If i had to give one piece of advice it would be to get an Air purifier, and a decent one. Not some budget xiao mi crap. Get a couple if need be.
Unless you live on the top of a mountain or something the air here is awful.
About needing an umbrella…
They’re also useful to block out the sun. The sun here is like Godzilla’s breath or something. Just blocking that out will cool you by at least 10 degrees.
Hence my comment WHICH WAS EDITED
The very offended upset tone made no sense in the context of fucking wet markets
Free my comment @tempogain
Get a prepaid phone card with unlimited internet. Get a smart TV and mini computer. Make a hot spot on your phone. Voila: you now have phone, computer, and TV all sorted with no bills in the letterbox. Just have to top up the prepaid card when it expires (Mine is once every 180 days).
Traditional markets are hit or miss for me, and it totally depends on your lifestyle. With how much I cook and the options I have around me, apart from bananas, I don’t see myself saving much by going to traditional markets.
As someone mentioned, TPASS! My commuting expenses went from 3,000 NT to less than 1,000 NT.
Shopee, with all the promotions, usually offers free delivery, and almost everything is cheaper than in-store. It’s also a good place to try something new.
If you don’t want to commit to a data contract, 台灣大哥大 offers 80GB for 120 days for 1,399 NT. I’ve been using it for four years.
Lastly, the 7-11 app. I like their coffee, so I buy it in bundles and usually pay half the store price per cup. Plus, if I’m not lazy and carry my tumbler, I get an extra 5 NT off.
Oh , and use sunscreen.
This is bad for your phone.
It also comes with no open ports.
Not only is it more expensive than a regular contract like the $999 cable/4G bundle from Taiwan Mobile, the cable Internet has open ports if you get your modem set to bridge mode.
I just have a a cheap Redmi, I noticed it warms up if you are doing the hotspot and using the phone at the same time, didn’t notice anything else. I can’t remember the exact price but it’s significantly cheaper than 999 a month. It’s like 2500 or something for 180 days. Speed is ok, again it slows down if you are doing multiple things at the same time: like if you put on a HD movie and then open YouTube videos at the same time on two devices. I consider it a hack as I have no bills in the post.
It’s bad for the battery. It can cause it to degrade faster and eventually swell and become a fire hazard faster.
You should just get a dedicated router that supports cellular networks.
Ah ok, thanks for the tip. I noticed the phone warming up alright, I’ll look into it 
It’s not going to happen today, but the extra power usage, extra heat, extra charge cycling etc… all of it causes it to degrade faster and especially on a cheap phone, can cause problems down the line. Hotspot is useful, but it’s not meant to be used in this way sustainably.
Those fires don’t look like fun. I’ll ask about the cellular router as I like the prepay aspect. Pain in the backside going to 7-11 to pay fifty million different bills every month, and there is always one that beeps as unpayble for lateness, so I like minimising that.
Your phone literally becomes a hot spot…
TPass is essential if you use public transportation more than 3 times a week. Danshui to Taipei main station, plus bus, and whatever else can add up to over 3000 a month without it.
Yes. I know. I already explained that.
I dont understand where I needed to know this. I didn’t talk about Tpass in my post.
And your point is wrong too. Where are you going that you use $3000 a month? lol
Apparently from Danshui to Taipei station three times a week. That’s like 250 NT a trip. MRT hyper inflation is a thing!
Nahh apparently the Zhuwei snobs are taking uber to Taipei Main Station
How can you come to Asia and not like the wet markets? They are one of the joys of being here. If its too crowded or unsanitary… go to a different part of one. I walk a long way to get to the right markets… 20-30 minutes if I have to.
Plastic wrapping causes food to sweat and go off quicker.
The only thing about wet markets is you have no idea what sort of fertilizers and pesticides they’re using. I’d rather buy somewhere where there’s accountability for quality.
Depends which ones. Those indoor wet market centers are nasty. I cannot deal with the smell, plus I’ve seen seen some stuff.
Yeah, true. Also they’re a bit unhygienic in general. I remember buying coriander from my preferred coriander guy at the Wanhua wholesale market. I accidentally knocked a bunch onto the very gross floor, whereupon he picked it up and put it back for the next customer. 