Hsin Chuang
Jung Ho
Taichung, by Tunghai U
Taichung City proper
Hsin Chuang
Ying Ge
San Xia by Taipei U
1994-2010
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They are now building MRT lines, which will connect Yingge with Sanxia, and Sanxia with Tucheng. Like all new lines, I think this will change the two towns quite a bit.
I did my quarantine in San Xia last Fall and the place has totally changed since 2010 when we left. For the better, but damn…it was fast.
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In the early 90s? wow. That’s impressive.
Remember the large night market in front of Longshan Temple where there is now a park? Went there quit a lot. The whole district was much dirtier back then.
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Indeed it was. HsinChuang in the mid 90s rained fire from the sky. Burned the shit out of my skin.
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There is a chemical plant on the hill behind Fujen University, that might have been the reason?
Most likely. I recall showering in acid, and not the good kind mind you, an then running up to the roof during a rainstorm and noting the the water tower cap had blown off. jaysus…these kids these days…they just dont know!
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The wild and woolly nineties!
Taiwan was a much more, uh, “dynamic” place then.
Guy
Yes it was. Like when they knocked down a block or two of three floor apartments to put up a much larger building and I took pictures of them burying a bunch of barrels under the foundation from my roof. Good time to move…and I did.
Let’s hope that was just toxic waste.
Dead bodies would pollute less.
How did you get to the Southern counties with out passing through? ( Blue option)
This forum used to have a ranking just for this.
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Never lived in Taiwan for real. So I chose “stayed there” for all of them.
Most of these are places where I’ve stayed with family for 30-60 days at a time (central and southern) or get an air bnb and hang out or visit friends (north).
These visits let me enjoy being in Taiwan without actually being stuck in place. This is the “best of both worlds” for me, although my wife says we’re going to retire in Taiwan one day.
That’s an OK retirement plan for me. I like Chinese language, reading books, riding bikes, and simple pleasures. (So long as I can keep the U.S. house and passport, and go back and forth as I please!)
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Ok so apart from the three big cities, I’ve avoided much of the west coast other than passing through on road trips. I always thought Miaoli, Zhanghua, Yunlin, Jiayi would be boring. Change my mind?
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I am not so much drawn to the coastal areas in the west as well. Miaoli especially is much more attractive in the east. Same goes for Chiayi and Yunlin. Chiayi is not boring at all, lots of mountains with tea plantations, bamboo groves, and waterfalls accessible by hiking trails. The greater Alishan area is very nice. The rolling hills of Yunlin are to my liking too, not super special, but quiet and great for bike rides.
Not a fan of the cities in general, but there are always these small places, like cafes, eateries, shops, guesthouses, run by young entrepreneurs with new ideas, those are the places we often visit (for our magazine). So many old houses and neighborhoods (military dependent villages) that have been restored with a lot of expertise and love for details.
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Kinmen is great for cycling. Flatter than Matsu, not as much wind and way more trees than Penghu. You could combine biking with searching for wind lions, great fun!
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