What about Longtan

No this is nothing obscene. My wife and me looked at 1000 crappy houses near factories or junkyards so far and whenever there was some untouched green the sales lady assured us we do not need to worry it would be removed within the next weeks. :s

But then I found Longtan.

A green area, clean, almost sterile. Looking like a sleepy town in Denmark.

Empty clean streets.

Even the streetdogs are cute.

An empty shopping centre with a 7/11 that really opens between 7 and 11.

Parks, parks parks …

Green tea fields, cloud covered mountains in the distance.

The smell of green and grass, dead frogs on the sidewalk. Yeah, I said SIDEWALK.

But when you use it two police cars will surround you and the security guards will look concerend out of their huts.

And housing is not too expensive.

But is it so goddamned moist that the humidity will make the furniture rot? What about that. My wife claims this, as she wants to move on a junkyard in Taoyuen…

Taoyuan is also damp certain times of the year. How about a de-humidifier in a couple of rooms? Works for me! :slight_smile:

[quote=“bob_honest”]
The smell of green and grass, dead frogs on the sidewalk. Yeah, I said SIDEWALK.

But when you use it two police cars will surround you and the security guards will look concerend out of their huts.[/quote]OMG, you went outside without wheels?, like in walking around?? :loco: No wonder the cops think you’re dangerous. :help:

[quote=“redwagon”][quote=“bob_honest”]
The smell of green and grass, dead frogs on the sidewalk. Yeah, I said SIDEWALK.

But when you use it two police cars will surround you and the security guards will look concerend out of their huts.[/quote]OMG, you went outside without wheels?, like in walking around?? :loco: No wonder the cops think you’re dangerous. :help:[/quote]

Hihi. The area is a bit strange. On the streets are only gardeners and security guys, traffic mostly police cars. Guess if I move there, I have to hold a fork in my hand when taking a walk.

I’m surprised you could see any of LongTan. Whenever I go there it’s full of clouds. It is nice though. Mostly military bases - they have the military hospital there and some other stuff and there are plenty of places to go out and walk around in. Long Tan is nice, I’d move there.

I think Mingshah lives out there in the ACER complex. Ask him. I lived in Wanfang (Muzha) for a year and it was very humid. Lost half my books in he first few weeks. But then we got dehumifiers and aircon and everything was fine.

I lived in Longtan back in '97 and again when I returned in 2002. Its a country town by any standards but if you have a motorcycle there is some excellent places to ride to. Fu Xing Xiang Aboriginal Village in the mountains was a fave of mine, as the scenery is second to none, hte air is clean and it is just brilliant. There are a few decent small bars there and more in Jung Li which is a 20 min ride away. I miss the simplicity of life there occasionally, its quite an endearing little place. The famous ‘Temple Bar’ as we called it has some of the best local food I’ve had here,and its cheap!

Thanks! So will need a dehumidifier…

A good dehumidifier, aircon, anti spider spray (they’re big down there!) and a tolerance for rednecks.

Well, bob, the place sounds like Mingshah’s area. Was it gated and close to some TFT-LCD plants?

Now, you were very very close to our sunny forest hill, so better pay us a visit too. i am serious, or you will regret it.

Well, msot of Taiwan is humid at times. I don’t think that our place is much worse than the rest of the island.

As I said before, if you are buying make sure that your wife does not get you into Taiwan countryside hell. Call the shots on that one.

Me love you Long Tan.

Now wife mobilized her whole family and they all say that sooooooo moist and bad for health and we will die early and her uncle has once done woodwork there and everything was rotten after 5 years.

Etc. etc.

So what can I say against Taoyuen? She wants me to buy a beautifull house there, but the neighbours are farmers who take part in this “how to make a beautiful place look like a garbage dump” competition…

which is running in Taiwan for a while now.

Ponds, little old houses, it would be paradise in Europe.
And it is a Junkyard in Taiwan.

but what about vacation? Dehumifiers do not run and furniture and books rot?

My wife just mentioned that, the beast…

As a fair amount of taiwanese are doing a fair amount of time - they are talking out of their asses. If you live down in the Acer area, then it’s a bit humid, but not too bad. Up here is a bit more, however the area is so beautiful that it more than weights it up. I only have 1 dehumidifier, and it’s not running most of the time.

Where I live, which is next to Longtan, we have around 20 foreigners living - most are fairly happy here.

And if you agree, you will regret it.

Here’s my solution:

  1. Tell her that you should try out different possibilities, starting with a 1 year lease in either the Acer community or on Sunny Forest Hill.

  2. You sign a 1 year lease on a newer house. That will be NT$14k to NT$20k per month.

  3. Once the year is up, you will either have bought a house in one of the 2 commuities, or you will be about to do so.

  4. If she still wants to try the horrible sheds near the garbage piles, tell her that it’s time to go back to Germany unless… :smiling_imp:

Once a while it is a bit more humid here but we have more nice days too. The weather up here is even better than downton Longtan. A bit more windy too, but thats great on the very hot days.
The only thing is, make sure you do something for the few cold days as this concret things get quite freezing when the tempreture drops and the wind cooles down the outside.
We have 3 dehumidifiers running, in every floor one and it is no problem.

And the area is great, love to walk and bike through the tea fields and drive into the mountains.

Thats from monday, and it is the area around here…will post some pics fom the bike rides soon too:

flickr.com/photos/14874106@N … 122879180/

Even it is sometimes a bit moist or cold but I couldn’t imagine to live in a other area. Maybe I am too spoiled from Austria. :smiley:

Oh, and yes, Taiwanese will think you day soon up here, of course. The air is quite clean and breathable, that must be unhealthy and leading to early death… :loco:

[quote=“bob_honest”]but what about vacation? Dehumifiers do not run and furniture and books rot?

My wife just mentioned that, the beast…[/quote]

OK, simple.

You make sure that the dehumidifiers are plugged via a rubber hose to the drain.

Then leave them on.

Also, books can rot here, however it takes time.

The only mouldy piece of furniture I have is the one outside.

My books are fine, thank you.

dude, don’t buy anything that you are not happy with.

longtan is a great place, especially if you want things a little quieter and cleaner. is there any chance that you can convince her to live there 6 months to a year in a rental? if it’s acceptable, then look for something nearby to buy?

we have a pretty good set up in taoyuan right now (rented house 2 minutes from the mountains). if you are outvoted as to where you are going to spend the $$$ to buy a place, you may at least want to look around here - there are places for sale as well as for rent. gimme a PM if so.

Did I mention that we even have a expat pub now in downtown?
(Wookie, you own me a drink… :wink:

And about the books, well if you have a house dried by dehumidifiers all the time, and you leave it for a while and close all windows it wount be a big deal. You still can do what Mr. He recomended.

So there are things you can do against this, but there is nothing you can do agains this shitty neighbours or rubbish yards around other areas.

I wouldn’t like to change.

PS: forgot to mention, the problem with the neighbours on the “other hillside” is serious, better think it over again :wink:

I concur, you are crazy to even consider living somewhere else.

Seriously, I would only swap this with a similar place very near the center of Taipei.

[quote=“mingshah”]
So there are things you can do against this, but there is nothing you can do agains this shitty neighbours or rubbish yards around other areas.[/quote]Werd.

Who’s going to be paying the mortgage? He who pays decides. /story.