I actually flew from Thailand to here, voluntarily (5 1/2 years ago). What a fuck up that was…! 
(not entirely serious)
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Their bed sizes are not the same as the US. So don’t bother bring your fitted sheets.
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I seem to recall living in a couple of newer places with built-in microwaves in the US, but most places there I just brought my own and plugged it into the wall, same as here. Doesn’t really make a difference except saving counter space. The lack of ovens is a bummer, but I too have learned to get by with a toaster oven. Fancier people buy large convection ovens from Costco. I thought the two-burner stove tops sucked at first, but come to find out I’m pretty sure I never used more than two at once back home even though I always had four. (Does anyone use all four?)
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Have rain gear shoes and jacket.
Find some way to de-humidify your house especially closets.
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If you have a choice of where to live, then think about important things nearby like public transportation including taxi, MRT and bus, grocery stores, a park, etc.
A couple streets, a couple blocks or even one block difference can make a huge difference believe it or not.
Driving a car in Taipei can be a pain. Even though Central Taipei is not heavy traffic, parking can get frustrating to the point of parking your car and then taking a taxi to your final destination.
Heavy traffic going in and out of Taipei and other cities during rush hours
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Uber has made it no longer important to live on a major taxi corridor. (Before Uber, a couple of blocks really did make a difference, especially in the rain!)
Living near key bus routes or an MRT stop will help save some money, though— as long as doing so doesn’t make your rent so much higher that it exceeds your monthly Uber bill, which is quite possible.
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Taiwan mosquitoes are smarter than humans. Chopsticks make good back scratchers. Never telegraph the answer you want when asking a question because that will always be the answer, whether it’s true or not. Scooter riders are suicidal maniacs who don’t look when they pull out in front of you. At company weiyas learn to pretend to drink everytime you toast or they’ll be carrying you home.
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Ain’t that the truth?! I’m still learning that.
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I would, but very rarely with all four turned on - more as extra counter space for something that’s already finished, or yet to cook.
If you do like cooking, ask specific questions here about ingredient availability. Some things are hard to come by here.
Do not assume you’ll be comfortable driving here. It’s … different.
That’s a biggie. Particularly when doing business. Took me years to break the habit.
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Sure, we all do that, but in that case it might as well be two burners with extra counter space where the other two would be. That’s all I’m saying.
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So true. Every single one.
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A really big one just came to me: scooter riders don’t stop at stop signs on back streets so don’t think having the right of way actually gives you the right of way.
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in the last 18 months or so I find uber doesn’t have much advantage over local taxi apps.i use 55688 app or uber and about of half of the time a yellow taxi is cheaper.
Plus, never speak English when dealing with suppliers or potential suppliers. The minute you speak English the price doubles. It’s like a trigger event. If you can’t speak Mandarin — or better yet, Taiwanese — let someone who can do all the talking for you.
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Not haggling over price is a sign of weakness.
(Okay, I’ll stop now.)
- Rains the whole winter.
- Nobody has heaters.
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I was referring to the advantage of having Uber come to your door vs walking to where the taxis are to hail one. Sure, if you have a local taxi app that does the same thing as Uber, knock yourself out. It makes sense that taxis are upping their game to compete now. I’m guessing it doesn’t have English, you can’t pay automatically through the app, and there’s no discount with a monthly pass, but I could be wrong.
Yeah, that’s what I did. They cost next to nothing.
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You can’t leave your problems behind you. Wherever you go, there you are.
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