While I consider myself gay-positive , that statement alone negates my entire list of reasons to live here. I’ll be on the next plane out once I see that horror.
[/quote]
This is also another huge plus - tolerance of all sexual orientations. I’ve not witnessed anyone being demeaned because they’re gay/TG.
Likewise, a variety of religious faiths with no infighting / graffiti / burning down of their places of worship… 
[quote=“tmz_99”]
This is also another huge plus - tolerance of all sexual orientations. I’ve not witnessed anyone being demeaned because they’re gay/TG.
Likewise, a variety of religious faiths with no infighting / graffiti / burning down of their places of worship… 
[/quote]
I’ll feel better about that aspect of Taiwan when it becomes the first Asian nation to allow same sex marriage.
I forgot to add ubike to my original list. In Taipei its a great system. needs a little tweaking and about double the amount bicycles at each station. Quadruple at stations near universities or schools.
Yeah but there is a lot of burning.
Yeah but there is a lot of burning.[/quote]
It’s surprising that more don’t burn their own places of worship down.
Yeah but there is a lot of burning.[/quote]
It’s surprising that more don’t burn their own places of worship down.[/quote]
They do. All the time. Latest victim is the Qingshui Temple near Longshan. Burned the whole front end out last fall during a festival.
I’ve read the history of dozens of temples and they read like a Monty Python sketch: burned down, then rebuilt; then razed in a rebellion; then rebuilt and gutted by fire again; then rebuilt and destroyed in a flood; then rebuilt and damaged by a fire and then leveled by an earthquake before repairs could be finished.
While I consider myself gay-positive , that statement alone negates my entire list of reasons to live here. I’ll be on the next plane out once I see that horror.
[/quote]
This is also another huge plus - tolerance of all sexual orientations. I’ve not witnessed anyone being demeaned because they’re gay/TG.
Likewise, a variety of religious faiths with no infighting / graffiti / burning down of their places of worship… [/quote]
Very true. I had the pleasure of visiting the Gay Rabbit God Temple in Yonghe last week and spoke to a few of members of the congregation. They were young, ‘out’ and pretty happy with life, except for requiring the god’s help in finding love.
Cor, really, MM? My bezzie mate lives very near that temple.
There’s a gay rabbit temple? Moon connection? 
[quote=“Mucha Man”]The fire:
taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003577419[/quote]
Now that’s a bad omen. :s
DP
[quote=“Icon”][quote=“Muzha Man”]The fire:
taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003577419[/quote]
Now that’s a bad omen. :s[/quote]
I know it’s awful, but that made me laugh. In the context of Taiwanese culture, it’s hilarious on so many levels. I assume nobody was hurt in the fire?
So everybody’s talking about theft in Taiwan on this thread, and I’m thinking…
People have these massive steel slab security doors, and they leave their shoes outside the doors. Do they not mind if their shoes get stolen?
Motor scooters parked everywhere. What’s to stop two guys from driving along in a van and tossing a scooter in?
I grew up in a high crime neighborhood. My attitude is, don’t have anything worth stealing out where people can see it. Having lots of fetal alcohol knuckleheads around made junk disposal simple: just leave your busted VCR out and some poor fool would come along and rip it off.
Just some really fine wood carvings and a plafond ceiling all of which are going to be replaced with utter shit work despite, or maybe because of Hau’s promise.
[quote=“rowland”]So everybody’s talking about theft in Taiwan on this thread, and I’m thinking…
People have these massive steel slab security doors, and they leave their shoes outside the doors. Do they not mind if their shoes get stolen?
Motor scooters parked everywhere. What’s to stop two guys from driving along in a van and tossing a scooter in?
I grew up in a high crime neighborhood. My attitude is, don’t have anything worth stealing out where people can see it. Having lots of fetal alcohol knuckleheads around made junk disposal simple: just leave your busted VCR out and some poor fool would come along and rip it off.[/quote]
I’ve seen people robbing scooters by throwing them into a blue truck, so yeah, it does happen. They go for the nicer ones of course.
Yes, but what you do not see here in Taiwan is a Wild West shootout between robbers and owners. Or some guy in a fancy suit getting down from his Merck, slamming his briefcase against the windshield of the vehicle next to him and ripping out the stereo. Or someone attacking a house/hotel/bank with semi automatics, AK-47s are so 80s. Or restaurants guarded down with armed personnel wielding guns half their height.
And those are robberies, don’t get me started on random violence, drunk drivers, rapes, drug turf wars, etc.
I love Taiwan, I love Taiwan, I looooooovee Taiwan. Every time I come back I do the papal salute.
[quote=“Icon”]Yes, but what you do not see here in Taiwan is a Wild West shootout between robbers and owners. Or some guy in a fancy suit getting down from his Merck, slamming his briefcase against the windshield of the vehicle next to him and ripping out the stereo. Or someone attacking a house/hotel/bank with semi automatics, AK-47s are so 80s. Or restaurants guarded down with armed personnel wielding guns half their height.
And those are robberies, don’t get me started on random violence, drunk drivers, rapes, drug turf wars, etc.
[/quote]
Yeah. I’ve been to Manila too.
[quote=“rowland”][quote=“Icon”]Yes, but what you do not see here in Taiwan is a Wild West shootout between robbers and owners. Or some guy in a fancy suit getting down from his Merck, slamming his briefcase against the windshield of the vehicle next to him and ripping out the stereo. Or someone attacking a house/hotel/bank with semi automatics, AK-47s are so 80s. Or restaurants guarded down with armed personnel wielding guns half their height.
And those are robberies, don’t get me started on random violence, drunk drivers, rapes, drug turf wars, etc.
[/quote]
Yeah. I’ve been to Manila too.[/quote]
I get it!! :roflmao:
Come on. There is a lot of crime here. Homicide rates are about he same as back home in the States. You only have to pick up a newspaper to see how much shit goes down here. I know the news is sensationalized and over the top, but crime stories are easy to report, especially when you have witnesses, CCTV and police talking about what happened. Just today, it looks like a guy was cut up and put into plastic bags and thrown out with the trash by his ex-girlfriend. Stories like this emerge every couple of weeks, and every day there is a stabbing or rape or hit and run gracing the front page of the daily tabs. Society is sick, and there are some crazy people out there.
Crime is rife - the statistics speak for themselves. Us foreigners are in a big, well protected bubble.
I’ve been coming to Taiwan every year for more than a decade which is obviously not the same as living here, but it does make it easier to notice changes. In my opinion, these changes are mostly positive. Taiwan has improved in a lot of aspects and keeps getting better. Is it perfect? No. Are some things still pretty bad and shocking? Sure. But I believe that Taiwan is one of the few countries consistently moving in the right direction.