Taipei vs Kaohsiung

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
21

[quote=“headhonchoII”][quote=“tsukinodeynatsu”]Food in Taipei’s terrible. It’s more expensive than the south and tastes worse.

If you want to pay a fortune for a really good meal, though, it’s better than you can get anywhere on the island! But we’re talking world-class really expensive meals here.

There’s a lot to do and discover around Taipei, and it’s nice to be next to places that sell things like bagels and cereal and whatnot, but I don’t think I could hack living there. The best thing about Taipei is really the ease with which you can LEAVE Taipei to do something fun.[/quote]

I couldn’t disagree more. Food in Taipei is excellent, especially Chinese and Asian food. There is a fantastic food culture in Taipei. I think it comes from having a lot of mainlanders, mixed with Taiwanese and Japanese influence and then well established ethnic restaurants. Taipei’s kuai chao restaurants are streets ahead of the rest of the island. In fact it is one my ‘dreams’ to open an overseas chain of Taiwanese kuai chao modelled on the reataurants on the street in Xindian where I used to live. I travel in China regularly and just cannot find the same quality fresh food and great fun ambience. Regular Chinese restaurants are still reasonably priced in Taipei, especially if you consider the quality is higher.

Taichung is all about eating big meals and all you can eat and Hot Pot, terrrible compared to Taipei. Most of the mom and pop restuarants don’t seem to care about the quality of their food., very different to my experience in Taipei, where restaurants have often been in operation for decades and they really know how to cook.

Down South they like heavy gloopy food with that terrible red sauce on everything. Do you want ‘geng’ with that?
:wink:[/quote]

I guess my taste buds are permanently warped now. I love heaping on the red sauce. :laughing: :laughing:

22

This thread seems to come up every six months or so.

  1. summer temps - it might be a degree a two cooler in Kaohsiung but it gets warm a month+ earlier than Taipei also. The heat doesn’t bother me and I would hate Taipei’s winter.

  2. Kaohsiung has very, very few mass transit options for good mountain hiking. If you have your own transport then there are a lot of great places to go but most are usually 1-2 hours away Taipei has awesome mass transit day trips into the mountains. It’s really, really easy to get to some great places and a lot less stressful (and cheaper) than driving a car.

  3. I’m not really sure what bike lanes Hans is talking about in Kaohsiung. It’s possible that he’s talking about the nice scooter/bike lanes where you have to ride as close to the park cars as possible because the scooters are passing you. I have found exactly one really nice route (25ish km) inside the city. Follow the Love River from Wenzao (near KArena) down to the Harbor and then one branch takes you past Singuang Pier (near the 85) and a couple of kms past the dream mall (recently extended). The other branch (cross the ped bridge south of Wufu) takes you past Pier Two Art Center and follows Gushan Rd until you hit the train tracks. I’ve heard that there are plans to extend this a lot farther when the train tracks go underground from Love River past the Art Museum. But you still have to deal with the biggest problem. Crossing busy intersections where traffic rarely stops because most traffic doesn’t stop for bike crossing regardless if there is a red light. I love the Taipei bike paths with pretty much zero road crossings although they don’t help for commuting.

  4. Pollution. I’ve seen dan make this comment a few times recently.

the skies are clean and full of blue skies everyday during the summer and they are smoggy almost everyday in the winter. It has to do with changing wind patterns although I also believe that overall the pollution levels are getting better. Here is a photo from this winter. This was one of the worst days that I had seen (and why I took the photo) but it’s rare not to see smog during the winter.


Kaohsiung, Taiwan by abacus07, on Flickr

23

to abacus

That picture is pretty nasty. I don’t remember it being bad in the winter before but I probably just didn’t pay any attention.

In Canada, it is the summer that is the most polluted due to the humidity keeping it all in. The winter is usually the cleanest due to the cooler weather. I am going to watch out for this phenomenon this winter though.

24

[quote=“dan2006”]to abacus

That picture is pretty nasty. I don’t remember it being bad in the winter before but I probably just didn’t pay any attention.

In Canada, it is the summer that is the most polluted due to the humidity keeping it all in. The winter is usually the cleanest due to the cooler weather. I am going to watch out for this phenomenon this winter though.[/quote]

If you look straight up in the winter you will see mostly blue skies but if you have a skyline view it’s rare not to see smog. it doesn’t even matter if you are next to the ocean. I’m sure that it is partly water vapor but the skies definitely aren’t beautiful like they are during the summer.

25

The whole of the west coast of Taiwan (and China) is covered in smog in Winter and parts of Spring too. Well actually China is covered in smog all the time, so it could be worse. But air pollution in Taiwan is bad.
Taichung is only a bit better than Kaoshiung. You can see the smog build up over days until rain washes the particles down and your hair starts falling out.

26

I went down to K-Town for the first time in my life recently. Been in Taipei for 3 years or so now.
K-town disappointed me a lot, to be honest. I spent the best part of a day wandering around and I wasn’t “feeling” it.

To me Kaohsiung just looked worn out, old and industrial. Didn’t see any areas with an artsy/hipster vibe. I usually gravitate to those kinds of areas to empty out my wallet.
My Taiwanese friend from Taipei made a cruel joke that the MRT looked like a low budget copy of Taipei’s MRT, and I kinda have to agree.

27

[quote=“bumclouds”]I went down to K-Town for the first time in my life recently. Been in Taipei for 3 years or so now.
K-town disappointed me a lot, to be honest. I spent the best part of a day wandering around and I wasn’t “feeling” it.

To me Kaohsiung just looked worn out, old and industrial. Didn’t see any areas with an artsy/hipster vibe. I usually gravitate to those kinds of areas to empty out my wallet.
My Taiwanese friend from Taipei made a cruel joke that the MRT looked like a low budget copy of Taipei’s MRT, and I kinda have to agree.[/quote]

Have fun with your 4 months of cold and rain. :slight_smile:

28

I was only giving my honest feelings! There was no malicious intent.

29

[quote=“bumclouds”]I went down to K-Town for the first time in my life recently. Been in Taipei for 3 years or so now.
K-town disappointed me a lot, to be honest. I spent the best part of a day wandering around and I wasn’t “feeling” it.

To me Kaohsiung just looked worn out, old and industrial. Didn’t see any areas with an artsy/hipster vibe. I usually gravitate to those kinds of areas to empty out my wallet.
My Taiwanese friend from Taipei made a cruel joke that the MRT looked like a low budget copy of Taipei’s MRT, and I kinda have to agree.[/quote]

It’s a big city, it has a good music and art scene in the pier warehouses area on the harbour. The harbour is what makes Kaoshiung stand out in my opinion. Rent a bike and cycle along the harbouraide or riverside is a good way to get around.
The lack of subway lines doesn’t help but it will improve in future.
Much of the city is industrial like you said, no doubt about it (and you could say the same about all of taiwan including large parts of grotty Taipei) but it also has nice areas with decent wide pavements and good parks.

30

I like Ktown. Its got a different vibe to the place, but its pretty cool. You just have to get to know it better.

The first time there you maybe don’t like it, but it grows on you.

31

Taipei is miles ahead of Kaohsiung with what’s on offer food wise, culture wise, nightlife wise, activities wise etc. and its a much better jumping off point for international travel.

Not to say Kaohsiung is shit, its laid back, super laid back in an end of the road kind of way, so if that is your vibe, you will be better off down there.

Yes Kaohsiung has better weather, but Taipei has so much more going on it more than makes up for it.

32

Sounds like my first visit to Taipei.

33

sounds like my first trip in Taipei (Tainan or Taichung) when I came to Taiwan. If someone just showed up in any major Taiwanese city and just wandered around then I think they would reach the same conclusion as you. And if anyone is going to base their preference on social scene then there is no way that Kaohsiung or any other city will be their choice. Not only do you need to know where to go in Kaohsiung but you also need to know which night to go on.

34

Sounds like my nth visit to Taipei/Tainan/Ktown/Vancouver/Beijing/Kuala Lumpur/ etc. Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don’t.

35

I’m bringing this back to ask if anyone has ever made the move from Taipei to Kaohsiung? I guess that’s pretty unusual. I spent 1.3 years in Taipei so far. I like it for the restaurants, nightlife and mountains close by but the weather sucks, most foreigners here get on my nerves and sometimes I feel things such as rent are insanely overpriced considering the town still has this tinge of crappy. I just visited Kaohsiung for a couple days and while I mostly roamed around the area surrounding Central Park / Sanduo and did not see all that much, I liked what I saw just in terms of general vibe: Sunnier weather, broader streets, more actual city planning, seemingly friendlier people, cheaper obviously, and the pollution also wasn’t as bad as I’ve been reading, unless I hit a really lucky period.

Now I’m contemplating making the move to live there for a bit perhaps in the fall. But of course I still feel uncertain whether I’d actually be happy there long-term. I know that KHH can’t compete with Taipei in terms of Western restaurants, nightlife etc. but I’d like to hear some more opinions if they are available. Are there at least a handful of good Western restaurants and bars? Maybe 1-2 clubs that are not total shit? What would be the best and most convenient area to live if budget isn’t an issue? Any interesting spots just outside the city - what’s the Danshuis, Yangmingshans etc of Kaohsiung? Would there be an OK (it’s the west coast so I am not expecting anything) beach somewhere close by or would I have to go all the way to Kenting for that?

I’ll go back for a few more days maybe in March to verify my first impressions, but until then I’d love to hear some more comments.

Edit: Also jobs etc aren’t an issue, I work freelance

36

[quote=“mprey”]I’m bringing this back to ask if anyone has ever made the move from Taipei to Kaohsiung? I guess that’s pretty unusual. I spent 1.3 years in Taipei so far. I like it for the restaurants, nightlife and mountains close by but the weather sucks, most foreigners here get on my nerves and sometimes I feel things such as rent are insanely overpriced considering the town still has this tinge of crappy. I just visited Kaohsiung for a couple days and while I mostly roamed around the area surrounding Central Park / Sanduo and did not see all that much, I liked what I saw just in terms of general vibe: Sunnier weather, broader streets, more actual city planning, seemingly friendlier people, cheaper obviously, and the pollution also wasn’t as bad as I’ve been reading, unless I hit a really lucky period.

Now I’m contemplating making the move to live there for a bit perhaps in the fall. But of course I still feel uncertain whether I’d actually be happy there long-term. I know that KHH can’t compete with Taipei in terms of Western restaurants, nightlife etc. but I’d like to hear some more opinions if they are available. Are there at least a handful of good Western restaurants and bars? Maybe 1-2 clubs that are not total shit? What would be the best and most convenient area to live if budget isn’t an issue? Any interesting spots just outside the city - what’s the Danshuis, Yangmingshans etc of Kaohsiung? Would there be an OK (it’s the west coast so I am not expecting anything) beach somewhere close by or would I have to go all the way to Kending for that?

I’ll go back for a few more days maybe in March to verify my first impressions, but until then I’d love to hear some more comments.

Edit: Also jobs etc aren’t an issue, I work freelance[/quote]

Yep, I have, after about the same amount of time as you. Prefer it much more here, as you said, weather is better, you don’t get those 3 days of depressing continuous rain, city is more spread out and less congested, city planning is really good and forward thinking, rent is cheaper, people are more laid back.

On the downside there are a just a handful of western style places to eat, though enough…clubs I really don’t know much about though. Kending is obviously pretty close if you want to get away, same with Taidong (train ride is 3 hours or so but it’s beautiful there). Pollution can be an issue on some days, this is moving in the right direction though.

I don’t live in the city but I’d say Zuoying area (where the HSR stops) is one of the better areas, all the way down to the area around Kaohsiung Arena. Or you can go a little further north than Zuoying too and stay along the MRT line and maybe get better rent bang for your buck, nothing is that far.

37

if a freelancer just make the move and try it for a year at least, a change is usually good after such a long time. I’d love to be able to try Taidong or Kaoshiung or Tainan for a year but work prevents it.
Taipei will always be there waiting if you don’t like the move. I always Taiwan is a LOT more than Taipei and you can realize that in a good way or bad way but it’s all experience!

38

I’ve lived in Taipei most of my life. And I know that there is no place like Taipei. But I think that living in Kaohsiung would be better now. Just visit Taipei every now and then. The HSR gets you there fast.

Taipei weather is really very depressing.

39

I have been to Kaohsiung four or five times now and never feel good about being there. I’ve explored some of the artsier areas but just wasn’t feeling it.

Tainan, however, still still pretty special to me. I spent three months living there earlier this year and I’m back for the new year’s. The first time I came here it didn’t take much to find real history, culture, and good food. Now that I’m much more experienced I still find it to be a rather vibrant place. The main downsides (for me) are the lack of much of an underground nightlife scene and the remoteness from real mountains… but apart from that it should be on anyone’s list of places to consider outside of Taipei. It’s not just Taipei or Kaohsiung; there’s a fair number of sizable population centers in between that are worth a look. I just happen to mention Tainan as I consider it the most interesting of the lot. (I have a similar level of antipathy toward Taichung as I do for Kaohsiung.)

All that aside, if you’re mobile I highly recommend hacking the winter weather by getting out of the north for a few months. That’s what I did this season by relocating to Changhua City. Haven’t brought an umbrella out more than once.

40

Kaohsiung rocks.
If western style food is your thing, then fine, but you are in Taiwan. And if we are really honest, western food in Taipei isn’t much cop - its never quite the real thing.
Kaohsiung is the real Taiwan. It’s heaps better than Taipei and in actual fact offers a much more varied, cheaper range of local food than Taipei does. 15 years ago, it was a real dump, but I even liked it then. Now it has improved it is great. People are nice. Weather is nice. Countryside is nice.
It’s just better.