Taiwan thread

Going to Taiwan for the first time this summer. I'll be in Taipei for nine nights; hotel is in Ximending. This is my itinerary:
>Days 1 - 2: Stick to Ximending/Zhongzheng for some museums, night markets, and restaurants
>Day 3: Yingge Old Street, baseball game at Xinzhuang
>Day 4: Visit Keelung and Heping Island
>Day 5: Taichung day trip (~1 hr each way by HSR)
>Day 6: Kaohsiung day trip (~2 hr each way by HSR - looked into turning this into a one night trip, still might)
>Day 7-10: Taipei stuff away farther from the hotel such as nightlife in Xinyi, hot springs in Beitou, and museums in Shilin
Any suggestions? This feels like a reasonable amount of stuff to go on and let other pieces fall into place when I'm there. The big thing is the Kaohsiung day trip. Four hours round trip in one day is painful, but I can't push myself to make it a night trip. There's only a few things I want to do (Lotus Pond, Railway Museum, and Neiweipi) and I'm interested in sightseeing from the train.

>>2778156
>Day 6: Kaohsiung day trip (~2 hr each way by HSR - looked into turning this into a one night trip, still might)
Why even bother? Kaohsiung is just Taipei but more spread out. Your whole itinerary seems to be similar, rush around and see one tourist attraction and then waste the rest of the day.

You get to Kaohsiung, you hop on the bus to Kenting, you spend a couple of days on the best beach in Taiwan and wandering around the nature preserve, and then you head back to Taipei.

You didn't even mention taking the ferry to Matsu. What is WRONG with you?!?!

>>2778191
My itinerary wastes too much time, but your suggestion is the spend days on a beach, after taking a 2.5 hour bus ride from Kaohsiung?

>>2778156
lmao dont bother doing a day trip to kaohsiung from taipei, its not really worth it
i cant really think a day trip to taichung would be worth it either. i did it on my first time there just to stay a night and go to sun moon lake the day after. maybe its a good idea to go out to one of the major nature spots (SML is popular, i preferred alishan, taroko still closed i guess)

actually if you insist on going to those other cities, do it over a couple of days and stay a night or 2. do taipei->hsr to taichung->hsr to kaohsiung->hsr back to taipei
you have limited time, if you insist on planning then at least do it properly

there isnt really much in keelung to bother going for. guess you read the night market is one of the best in taiwan. well now you can read me telling you that most of what they sell is the same all over taiwan. yehliu is a nicer coastal park than heping too

why not jiufen or shifen? they're nice places for a day trip, feels like you are trying too hard to avoid "tourist traps". spend a couple of hours in a nice tea house (but don't buy the most expensive tea because you were distracted by a girl when doing the currency conversion if your head and it was actually 4x more expensive than you thought. what a retard moment)

go national palace museum ofc, definitely the most worthwhile one in taiwan

>>2778486
>Jiufen/Shifen
I actually have Jiufen saved and it's one of those 'if I have time' on Days 7-10. The tea houses look beautiful. Although it seems like a pain to get to from my hotel, ~85 minutes each way with transfers. Shifen wasn't on my radar, but it's even worse (~110 minutes each way). Another little town I had saved was Houtong, know about it?
>Keelung/Heping/Yehliu
Yes, I had read about the night market. But I also wanted to go to Heping island to take some pictures. I'm looking into Yehliu now - that might be more scenic.
>National Palace Museum
I'm definitely going to that. The Chiang Kai-Shek Residence is less than 10 minutes from it. Is it worth going there as well?
>Nature spots in general
Honestly, I'm not interested in spending a lot of time at the 100% nature focused spots like nature reserves, secluded lakes, or beaches. There are tons of those types of places near where I live, and I used to live on a beach. I'm sure they're different in Taiwan and a lot of fun, but this isn't that sort of trip. I've spent the last 9 months learning Mandarin and want to stick to the populated areas where I can practice multiple times per day.

>>2778499
>if I have time
i would upgrade it t b h. it's definitely many places above "day trip to kaohsiung from taipei"

>Shifen/Jiufen/Houtong
I have done Taipei to Shifen+Houtong+Jiufen in one day with public transport, it wasn't my first time to any of those places, if you want to do similar in a day, just cut out Houtong, its not really worth it

- left my hotel at 07:40, got on a train to Ruifeng (this town is a bit of a transport hub for this). Arrived at Ruifeng at 09:10 and then i had to wait almost an hour until the next train on the Pingxli line (one per hour, understandable, but it fucking sucks, maybe you can taxi this lil bit if you get caught out like me but i didn't look into it...) at 10:03, to get to Shifen at 10:30~

- main attraction of Shifen is the street with the train line running through where lots of Koreans (and other tourists) buy lanterns from the souvenir stores lining the street to release into the air. Sometimes the train comes through and people clear out of the way and you can get some nice photos of that. buy a lantern, write your wish and release it if you want (i have never done it). There is some well known local street food sold here too which is rice stuffed into a chicken that is nice. Shifen also has a scenic waterfall nearby and its worth walking the 10 mins or so over to check it out since you came here

- at 12:33 I got on the train back up the Pingxi line to Houtong at 12:56 for a 1 hour stop. eh, cats. it has some free exhibitions on the local mining history (you can find small, free local history museums and exhibitions all over Taiwan. i went to many since i wasn't in a rush for time and i collect ink stamps that they usually have at these kind of places)

>>2778512
- From Houtong I then got on the 13:53 train back to Ruifeng (or the next would be like another hour wait), and from there i made a very short transfer onto a bus ("tourist shuttle bus"~, pretty much just a public bus too) and got to jiufen by 14:30. I did about 90 mins of exploring around the town then hopped into jiufen teahouse around 16:00. its a nice one, has some downstairs displays to check out (dont need to be a customer to go in and look around), a nice enough view from the balcony. ended up dropping 1600 ntd on a small pot of tea which was nice enough but i didnt mean to spend that much, you can enjoy one like 4 or 5x cheaper i think. nice old guy will come and show you how to make the tea how the chi..taiwanese traditionally do it and you can sit there enjoy it for a couple of hours at your own pace

- left the teahouse by about 17:30, did a quick re-photo sweep of a few spots since it was around sunset and lights were coming on, then jumped on a bus at 18:12 right back to taipei (arrived to beimen at 19:23)#

---

>Chiang Kai-Shek Residence
i guess its alright as a museum/exhibition if you want to fill your time with them. the garden/park is quite nice (but so is the one at nal pal museum already)

>>2778512
>>2778515
Thanks for typing this up. I'll do some more research and look at the train time tables. It seems there are a few 'fast local trains' going from Taipei main station to Ruifeng/Houtong which make it a little bearable. Then I can try for a taxi on uber/55688 to Jiufen.
Also, the THSR website is great but the TR website is awful. In English mode it refuses to let me pick a station. I can only select a station in Mandarin for some reason.

Moving to southern Taiwan soon, either Tainan or Kaohsiung, not sure yet at the moment. Anything fun to do around there? Seems like all the cool attractions are in the north.

>>2778156
I spent two weeks in Taiwan last month and did five nights in Taipei, three in Tainan, and three in Kaohsiung. If I could change that I would have spent the whole time in Taipei.

You didn't mention it but I hated Tainan, the city is a nightmare to get around if you don't have a car/scooter. The only thing worth seeing is the Chimei museum. If you decide to go to Kaohsiung I'd recommend you stop at the Tainan HSR station and take the local train two stops to see if.

Kaohsiung is like a quieter version of Taipei. Less to do but still an enjoyable city. If you go I'd recommend getting a hotel for at least a night or two and eating at Old New Taiwanese Cuisine.

>>2778657
>Moving to southern Taiwan soon, either Tainan or Kaohsiung, not sure yet at the moment. Anything fun to do around there? Seems like all the cool attractions are in the north.
good covered basketball courts in kaohsiung

>>2778854
I spent 5 months in Taipei and never got bored. I kept meaning to go south but I never got around to it (laziness). Apparently I didn't miss anything.

>>2778486
Jiufen is too overrated imo the sheer number of tourists ruin it. The trip there was more fun than getting soaked with rain while slowly milling past endless Spirited Away themed souvenir shops.
If you're gonna go over there I recommend climbing teapot mountain.
If you're gonna visit other cities East coast might be more memorable. There are some cool spots in Tainan and Kaohsiung though. You don't need a lot of time to see them.

>>2778191
>You get to Kaohsiung, you hop on the bus to Kenting, you spend a couple of days on the best beach in Taiwan and wandering around the nature preserve
Why the fuck would you bother going to a Taiwan for a beach if you've only got limited time? Every country within a few hours flight have beaches 10x better. If any I'd go to the one in Hualien since it's unique.
tbf Kenting is pretty much the only place in Taiwan proper I haven't been, though. Would probably be fun to explore it on a motorbike.

>>2778499
>I'm definitely going to that. The Chiang Kai-Shek Residence is less than 10 minutes from it. Is it worth going there as well?
I liked it. Worth it if you're interested in the history. His mausoleum is cool too but a bit out of the way.
>I'm sure they're different in Taiwan and a lot of fun, but this isn't that sort of trip. I've spent the last 9 months learning Mandarin and want to stick to the populated areas where I can practice multiple times per day.
I recommend going to the more off the beaten track areas where they are scared of using English because they never use it. Also people seem to be more open for chats (though in general people like chatting to foreigners over there especially boomers) I've had a lot of fun talking to random people in Taiwan.

>>2778657
I like the historical landmarks in Tainan and Kaohsiung. Especially the Qijin/Dagou/NSYSU area. Better access to offshore islands, too.

>>2778854
>Kaohsiung is like a quieter version of Taipei
Different feel imo. Feels more ordered. I think it's a planned city compared to Taipei's very haphazard nature. Also Taiwanese Hokkien culture much more prevalent.

>>2778156
Skip Taichung for somewhere else. It's alright but other places more interesting.
Tamsui is a nice place to take a walk/bike ride in Taipei. Actually lots of great hikes and bike rides around Taipei. Do some hiking if you can Taipei is great for it. Taipei and surrounds has so many places to visit you could have a very fulfilling trip there alone but as I say above if you want to talk to people and practice Mandarin I recommend getting out.

Well I'd recommend spending 3-6 months doing an intensive language program at one of the many university language training centres and exploring on your weekends if you have the means and are so inclined.

>>2778486
>there isnt really much in keelung to bother going for. guess you read the night market is one of the best in taiwan. well now you can read me telling you that most of what they sell is the same all over taiwan
I think the other thing Keelung night market has going for it is the atmosphere.
Speaking of, City God Temple in Hsinchu is probably my favourite market I've been to in TW, and the weekend flower market there is nice, too. Those are both day markets though.

>>2778499
The other thing I wanted to say is that a lot of the places you're considering going to you're not going to get a lot out of if you want to speak to people and practice Mandarin, because it will mostly be fellow tourists and shop operators speaking to you in English. Not anything wrong with going to them if you want to see them, but if you want to talk to people I think you will get the most out of the less touristy and more far flung places.

>>2778566
>In English mode it refuses to let me pick a station. I can only select a station in Mandarin for some reason.
What are you trying to do? Been a while but maybe I can try help

>>2779415
>Well I'd recommend spending 3-6 months doing an intensive language program at one of the many university language training centres and exploring on your weekends if you have the means and are so inclined.
I wish. I'm in my 30s with a full time job where Mandarin is completely unnecessary. Learning Mandarin a personal goal and there's almost no way to use it naturally in my personal life.

>>2779419
>if you want to talk to people I think you will get the most out of the less touristy and more far flung places.
Where would you recommend? There are a lot of places people mentioned in this thread that are away from the cities, but most of them are very touristy. And the farther out, the more time spent in transit.
These are the specific places I have saved near Taipei so far, in order of definitely going to trying if there's time: Beitou, Yingge, Jiufen, Tamsui (+ ferry to Bali), Keelung/Heping, Houtong, Daxi, Shifen, Yehliu
The feedback in this thread has said that Houtong not worth it, Keelung/Heping probably not worth it, and Shifen is worth it. Someone at my workplace mentioned Daxi, but I haven't looked into it much. No one in the thread has mentioned it or Yingge.

>What are you trying to do? Been a while but maybe I can try help
I later found that it worked in incognito mode. I don't know if a browser cookie/extension was messing with it, but whenever I tried to select a station it remained blank.

>>2779419
By "atmosphere" you mean the Keelung night market is crowded asses to elbows with shuffling customers, people shouting orders in Mandarin and harried vendors working at top speed. Too intense for me.
>>2779414
Hualien's beach is gravelly and not suitable for water access. Still pleasant for walking or bicycling alongside...
>>2778486
Riding 600 km from one end of the island to the other and then back in a single day does seem kinda stupid, but if you're a train autist, you might find it cool.

>>2779433
desu I don't remember keelung night market that well but I meant more it looks prettier than most.
Shilin is my idea of hell.

>>2779426
I was high on modafinil writing all that last night apologies I got a bit overexcited (and consequentially now also really want to go back to Taiwan).
Thinking over what I was saying I take it back somewhat. You're travelling halfway across the world and only there for 10 days. Got to the places that interest you the most. There will be talkative people anywhere you go.

I'd say spend most of your time in and around Taipei. Go to the places you really want to and just pick the stuff recommended that sound most interesting to you. None of it is awful. I say a day or two in Kaohsiung is worthwhile so you see more of the island.

IMO Yehliu isn't worthwhile but if you do go there, to memory the abandoned UFO village is nearby.
I didn't find Beitou that interesting myself. Jiufen and Shifen are overcrowded but not terrible. I like the journey there. Local trains are fun. Haven't been to Houtong.
Yingge was pretty touristy but very quaint so I don't mind it.
Daxi is where CKS Mausoleum and the big reservoir is. I found it interesting but it is a bit out of the way.
Nothing wrong with Keelung imo just not top priority.

Personal recommendations:
Teapot Mountain
Su'ao. Very quaint. Not heaps to do though. Could combine with Jiaoxi assuming you like hot springs
Rent a ubike and ride along Taipei river trails. I liked going north towards Tamsui most. To memory I started west of Shilin
Battleship rock is a short hike with cool views.
I like Hsinchu others may disagree. Very easy to get to from Taipei.
If you do go to Taichung I like Gaomei wetlands though that takes you way out into the sticks
Rural Hualien is really pretty but long travel time.

>>2779414
>Why the fuck would you bother going to a Taiwan for a beach if you've only got limited time?
I like beaches. I used to go to Shimen regularly just to sit and watch the waves. I find it very relaxing.

>If any I'd go to the one in Hualien since it's unique.
Is it? It was a rock beach, not a sand beach -- not very comfy, and it made a weird hissing noise after every wave because of the water rushing back out through the gaps. I'll grant that that was kind of neat.

The best part of Hualien IMHO was all the "community" dogs. They're friendly, and people feed them, so they're tame. Taiwan used to be rabies-free so they were safe to be around. I spent a month there in an AirBNB and had around a dozen different dogs fucking me.

>>2778191
>What is WRONG with you?!?!
You expect people to know what they're doing the first time they try it? I feel bad for your relatives.

Dancing white monkey here, wondering if anyone has any experience with the teaching market in Taiwan post-coof? I was looking into the public schools here via Teach Taiwan or something similar. I have my BA, CELTA, substitute teaching license, and 1 year of experience in Korea and I'm seeing salaries for around $60,000 - $100,000 NTD/mo for those quals, which even on the low end is more than I made in hagwon hell.

>>2778512
While watching a youtube video of Ruifang, they showed this sign at the taxi stand. Very helpful for planning.

>>2778156
Jiufen is a must. If you go to Kaohsiung take a ferry to Qijin island. It's a very nice place to roam around and see cool temples. Add Sunfong temple in the evening. Overall Kaohsiung is not bad although the air is worse there and it's hotter. Me and my buddy actually decided to stay there for two days extra to explore the city more but if you skip it completely I won't blame ya. Now I think that maybe we should've visited Alishan instead lol.

I don't know about Railway museum and Lotus Pond is good, you just walk around it if you have time.

Enjoy your bubble-teas.

>>2780525
>Qijin Island
Yes I have that saved. I'm going to take the ferry from Gushan after visiting the railway museum.

>>2780046
ESL in Taiwan is dying for the same reason colleges in Taiwan are dying: there aren't any kids. Taiwan has been at the bottom of the birthrates race for, I dunno, twenty years maybe.

Getting a job at one of the public schools is the way to go, since they will always exist, but even so, if you stay longterm and want it to be a career, you will have to deal with downsizing. If you're young and cute you'll probably be cut last, compared to the older monkeys. But don't expect pay to rise much if at all over your time there.

BTW, from what I remember, pay rate depends on qualifications, not really on anything else. If you have degrees you get paid more, that's it. You could probably do a master's (either online or locally) and up your salary by 15% in a couple of years.

ABTW, expect to work with some completely retarded local teachers, teaching "English", who can barely put together a basic sentence. I knew several of them, and it's really quite disappointing that they're allowed to ruin children's language skills by pretending that they can teach the language correctly when they can't even speak it themselves. I mean, FFS, all of my foreign language teachers in grade school and high school and college were originally native speakers of those foreign languages; my German teacher moved to the U.S. from Germany, my Spanish teacher moved to the U.S. from Argentina, my Russian teacher was a mail-order bride from some shithole village in Russia. I guess there was one exception; my German teacher died and the school had to bring in a long-term substitute for the rest of the year, who turned out to be a former student from our high school and who'd studied under Mrs. Schultz.

>>2780046
>>2780729
>BTW, from what I remember, pay rate depends on qualifications, not really on anything else. If you have degrees you get paid more, that's it. You could probably do a master's (either online or locally) and up your salary by 15% in a couple of years.
Just to clarify this: if you only have the BA, you will be at the bottom end of the scale. IIRC getting a Master's puts you at around $75K starting. Getting a Ph.D. moves you up some more. They don't really care about your experience or anything else, and aren't going to care about your performance unless you screw up so badly (or get a complete asshole as a boss) that they fire you.

>>2780046
Oh, and finally, you can go on Forumosa.com and talk to people who are already doing it. Overall it's a shitty forum with some true fuckups who ran it into the ground before the guy who owned the domain name took back control, but there are plenty of threads on TESL in general and on the public school program in particular. And if some guy named "Brian L. Kennedy" starts talking to you about investing in shitcoins, laugh at him and tell him Olivia says he's a dumbfuck.

>>2780046
I teach at a public school in the south. I was setup with the school through a program called TFETP. I have an American teaching license so getting a job was easy. I make 70k NTD + 5k for housing with only 1 year experience. Keep in mind that you pay 18% taxes for your first year in Taiwan. Oh, and you have to ‘work’ summers and winters too. If you just REALLY want to live in Taiwan this is a good route to do it but if you just want to teach abroad for a few years and save some money there is more to be made in China for less work.

>>2780729
>>2780731
>>2780733
>>2780865
Appreciate the feedback, bros. I'm not married to the idea of Taiwan as a permanent stay for the reasons stated above, but I figured it could be a good balance of CoL/QoL while I try to pursue an online masters and actual teaching license on the side over the next 2-3 years. After that, who knows. I was working like 50 hours a week in Korea and was only getting paid like $1,750USD a month (tbf the studio apartment excluding utilities was subsidized), so I was hoping a public school contract would get me some better hours and benefits. I have a Taiwanese friend in Kaohsiung and I heard shit is much cheaper down there and the schools are probably a little more relaxed so I will probably look for work in the south.

One last question: how much should I be budgeting for my first few months? I have ~$3,000USD set aside for airfare, visa shit, rent + deposit, food, transportation, etc. I tried running the numbers through Numbeo and looking on Forumosa/R*ddit, but a lot of it is either before COVID or for Taipei and a lot of people say Numbeo is bullshit. Would this be enough if I stick to the south or should I try to save up some more?

>>2781002
3k is enough. I would say below 2.5k is when you start to enter uncertainty (2.5k is what MOE recommends for teachers moving to Taiwan). Note that Taiwanese landlords demand many months of rent due as a deposit. Some might be as low as 3, some might want 6.
>I have a Taiwanese friend in Kaohsiung and I heard shit is much cheaper down there and the schools are probably a little more relaxed so I will probably look for work in the south.
I live in KH. Schools are relaxed but kids care less about learning English than their counterparts in Taipei so keep that in mind. Rent is around 10-15k NTD for a good studio apartment depending on where you want to live. Having a kitchen will cost you a good bit more, possibly double. Most Taiwanese eat takeout and groceries are expensive so you would actually be saving money by just eating out. You can eat multiple meals a day for 1k NTD if you're not splurging. Also you will be discriminated against in renting as a foreigner. Don't take it personally. If you get a job teaching you'll get some assistance finding a place before you arrive though.

>>2781002
No idea about rents in Kaohsiung; in Taipei County I was paying $20K/mo for a nice loft with an ocean view (it had a kitchen, not as a separate room, just a counter with a cooktop and a refrigerator on the side of the downstairs living area).

Other guy is correct about the landlords and deposit. I had a coworker who helped me get set up and she had to convince my landlord that I wasn't one of "those types of foreigners" (i.e., English teachers) but rather was a responsible lawyer. You won't have that advantage.

I think my deposit was two months security, first and last month rent, so four months of cash up front. BTW, landlords will invariably try to keep your deposit at the end no matter what condition the apartment is in.

My landlord(s) were great as long as the wife was running things, but when they got divorced, the guy couldn't keep track of which months had been paid and kept throwing tantrums about it. I even gave him a spreadsheet showing what dates I'd transferred money and matching them to the months, and he still insisted I had missed payments -- at first he was claiming I hadn't paid for five months, and eventually came down to just one month missed. It was sad, I really liked them up to that point, but he just would not let it go that he wanted more money out of me when I'd paid everything they ever asked for and even replaced all the lighting in the apartment on my own dime (they had those four-tube fluorescent cans that absolutely sucked, they were dim and kept burning out, and were hard to replace, plus under-the-stairs fluorescent tubes that kept melting their fixtures; I put in all-new LED fixtures and spent probably around NT$15,000 doing it -- the new ones were so bright that I had to disconnect the majority of them and just keep them as reserves, but I bought them for every can fixture anyway because I didn't want to have a mix of fixture appearances).

>>2781097
That fucking sucks, to hear that the cheap apartments in Taiwan are owned by scammy dishonest absentee landlords who do their best to wallet-rape a foreigner.

Anyone try to rent a hotel suite monthly, either through Agoda or by arranging it with the manager?

>>2781116
NT$20K/month buys you a very fancy place anon. If you're not picky $10K at most will get you a 套房 (studio with no kitchen) in districts like Zhonghe, Yonghe, Wenshan, Wanhua and other places 20 mins away from the city center.

2 months rent as deposit is standard fare, but in my experience landlords were willing to rent to me as long as I paid the rent. I speak mandarin, though. But there's plenty of English-language websites for Taipei. Otherwise, FB and 591 are the places to go.

BTW, in the south you can rent a similar studio for 7-8K for now, but this gap is slowly closing.

On a side note, if saving money is a priority, consider taking the scooter exam (it's piss easy) and get yourself a second-hand ride. No matter what city you end up in, it will open up to you like never before. And for the love of god, drive down the Suhua highway or from Taitung to Hualien, or ideally along the entire East coast, you'll thank me later.

(You do need an ARC or a 6+ mo visa to buy a bike or to take the exam, or you can bring your own license and exchange it, or use an IDP)

>>2780733
>Oh, and finally, you can go on Forumosa.com and talk to people who are already doing it. Overall it's a shitty forum with some true fuckups who ran it into the ground before the guy who owned the domain name took back control, but there are plenty of threads on TESL in general and on the public school program in particular. And if some guy named "Brian L. Kennedy" starts talking to you about investing in shitcoins, laugh at him and tell him Olivia says he's a dumbfuck.
kek
you do/used to post there?

I was visiting a few times recently out of curiosity/nostalgia for Taiwan. Seems it's died down a lot and a lot of regulars have died or disappeared.
Better than reddit, still

>>2778151 (OP)
traveling anywhere for less than 2 weeks isn't worth discussing or even formulating an opinion on

layover posters need to fuck off and die to be quite honest with you desu

>>2781116
I'm this guy >>2781097

I wouldn't necessarily say that my landlord was trying to fuck me over, I think he was just unwilling to admit that he was wrong (the ol' "face" thing). He and his wife were wonderful landlords for the first eight years or so that I was in the apartment.

His divorce happened after the WuFlu crap, in part because he was blocked from reentering Taiwan for almost a year between the border shutdowns and his company's demands. I think there may have been an element of him being paid a Taiwanese salary while he was forced to live and work in the U.S. And of course with the divorce, he probably took a huge financial hit while trying to separate assets and all that.

>>2781417
>If you're not picky $10K at most will get you a 套房 (studio with no kitchen) in districts like Zhonghe, Yonghe, Wenshan, Wanhua and other places 20 mins away from the city center.
Oh FFS, no one wants to live there, you may as well tell him to rent in Wugu or Linkou. I was stuck in Yonghe for a year and probably would have offed myself if I'd had to live there permanently. It's nothing but concrete and automotive exhaust. Norilsk is a scenic wonderland in comparison. I don't know if Yonghe is still the second-most-densely populated place in the world after some part of Sri Lanka, but it was when I lived there. I don't know how people do it.

My NT$20K place was near the north end of the Red Line and there was greenery everywhere, and usually fresh air blowing in from the ocean. There were a few weeks when the airflow was from China and full of smog.

>>2781417
>consider taking the scooter exam and get [one]
I would never advise that for someone new to Taiwan. After a year or two of observing traffic flow, you'll understand what absolute third-world maniacs Taiwanese are and will get a sense for how to manage yourself in traffic. Until you've seen it long enough to understand it, you're going to think that the Rules Of The Road apply, and that will kill you.

>>2782372
>you do/used to post there?
Used to. Maoman was a complete and utter scumbag. Seriously, Antony, if you read this, fuck you, you destroyed that website.

Most of the regulars were ESL monkeys and the ESL monkey market has been dying for twenty years already.

It used to be, and still is, useful for newbies to Taiwan. Back then, out of all the people I met through it, nearly all were criminals, such as one who was selling drugs to his students, another who was dodging child support payments back home, one who fled the U.S. ahead of a national security related indictment, etc., etc. Under new management, maybe that's died down.

>>2782885
Im a regular lurker there out of boredom and it is still an ESL zoo. And it always will be, due to the fact that non esl monkeys are usually not anglos, and thus have their own communities and dont necessarily hang out with anglos at all. Its doubtful this status quo will change in our lifetime. Even if Taiwan suddenly starts a mass immigration policy, English will be the lingua franca.

>still useful for newbies
It really isn't. Most threads end up with people not being helpful and downright snarky, save a select few that usually feel like the oldest of the bunch and dont really care about the "community" (as one should)
The rest of the folks there are just proto-redditor boomers and losers.

Sometimes a Taiwanese that doesnt get why white people earn more on average than taiwanese appears and whines a little, but thats really it. Dont go to forumosa.

Look into any private REAL network, family, alumni, anyone thats been there willing to spend 20 minutes to tell you whats what, otherwise ask your questions here or scour the internet, idgaf. For visas, go through every single page of the taipei office website. Dont trust second hand info EVER. And once you're there, find a few foreigner ports of call and ask your questions there -two birds with one stone, making friends and getting info.

>>2778156
I won't do a real write up until I get back, but I'm on day 4.
>Flight was extremely delayed and lost almost the entire first day
>Decided to extend trip from 9 to 10 nights because of this
>Didn't go to Daxi
>Went to Yingge. It was alright but not sure it was worth the transit time.
>Fubon Guardians game was cancelled due to storms after being delayed for an hour. Bought tickets for Wei Chuan Dragons on Friday because I am desperate for some Asian baseball.
>Bought a stamp booklet at the first museum and have steadily collected stamps.
>Currently on a train for Jiufen and Houtong today. Shifen and Keelung are possibilities based on time/convenience.

>>2782879
Coming to Taiwan from Southeast Asia, I was impressed by how orderly the traffic is, and how pedestrians were respected at crosswalks. The principal annoyance was motorbikes using sidewalks as parking lots, sometimes coming in at high speed from the road and hitting the brakes really hard.

You should visit Metro Manila if you think the working-class districts of New Taipei city are crowded. I like cities with tiny hole-in-the-wall eateries on back streets like picrel.

>>2785410
>I was impressed by how orderly the traffic is
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
tell me you've never been to Taiwan without saying you've never been to Taiwan

>>2785410
>I like cities with tiny hole-in-the-wall eateries on back streets like picrel.
Here, this is one of my favorite restaurants in the greater Taipei area (it's in Yonghe near Dingxi MRT):
https://warosu.org/ck/thread/18169499

>>2785760
I'm comparing Taipei to its urban counterparts in Southeast Asia, not to your Gayropean city. Spent three weeks in the country April 2024. In Taipei you can walk across a street confident that cars will yield to you and won't make you scramble out of their way to avoid getting hit. That's definitely not the case in other Asian countries, where crosswalks and crossing signs are a meaningless joke.

>>2785401
Ended up doing Houtong-Jiufen-Ruifang-Keelung
>Houtong: Is it a tourist trap? Yes, but not a souless one. It wasn't crowded with people, the shop owners and museum workers were nice, and there was enough to fill a morning.
>Jiufen: the Jiufen teahouse was nice and the views were great, but otherwise this town was a crowded tourist nightmare. Shop owners were screaming into my face, groups of Americans were standing in the middle of the small street, and the bathrooms were gross. I was happy to escape it.
>Ruifang: was only here for a pitstop and eat a very late lunch, but the food was good.
>Keelung: ended up spending the rest of the day here. I really liked it; it had a refreshing sea air which was nice after the trains and busses. Did a little shopping, drank some beer, and then toured the night market.
As for the posts discussing the traffic situation, I've found Taiwan fine so far. Some of the sidewalks are in bad condition and many intersections are missing crosswalks, but it's way better than my experience in Vietnam. And frankly, better than some of my experiences in America.

>>2785774
>In Taipei you can walk across a street confident that cars will yield to you and won't make you scramble out of their way to avoid getting hit.
And I repeat:
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

>>2785774
The thing that impressed me about going to Taiwan was how scooters would just zoom right down the sidewalk. I also saw more people with limps and clearly massive leg injuries than I have anywhere else on earth.

Even though China has shitty traffic and people parking in the middle of highways, at least you can walk down a sidewalk without being mowed down.

>>2786224
>I also saw more people with limps and clearly massive leg injuries than I have anywhere else on earth.
A lot of that is because of the dogshit level of medical care that Taiwanese get. They think it's great because they can go in to see a doctor any time they want, but in reality the doctors mostly just tell them to go home, take two Tylenols, and come back in three days if they're still alive.

I went in to the NTUH ER feeling disoriented and not knowing what the hell was wrong with me. The quack literally prescribed me a baggie of Tylenol (which is available over the counter, but they get $$$ for every drug they "prescribe" so he wrote it out as a prescription) and sent me home. Turns out, oops, I'd had a stroke. I had to fly to Thailand to get a physician who would bother to actually diagnose me. Of course by then it was far too late to do anything about it, but at least I knew what had happened.

>>2786217
Your Ctrl + V key got stuck again? Clueless fucktard. I repeat, you have no idea what walking in truly hectic traffic is like.

>>2786608
I've been all over SEA, and actually LIVED IN TAIWAN for a decade. Taiwan's traffic is fucking turd-world, you tourist. You probably never set foot outside of Xinyi.

>>2786224
>Even though China has shitty traffic and people parking in the middle of highways, at least you can walk down a sidewalk without being mowed down.
You clearly haven't watched enough liveleak videos

>>2778156
>Taichung and Kaohsiung day trips
My feelings about both are the same: the travel wasn't as bad as predicted (0:47 each way and 1:34 each way, very nice and comfortable train cars, good quality train stations). The issue is that the things I wanted to do were very spaced out and the public transit in those cities was way worse than Taipei. Had to resort to taxis in several situations. If I could do it over I would cut Taichung and turn Kaohsiung into a one night trip.
>Yesterday
Finished up some museums in Taipei before going to Beitou for a hot spring. I've never done a hot spring before and I found it worthwhile; it was thunder storming outside though, so I had to do an indoor room hot spring rather than a more traditional outdoor public one.
>Today
Went to the botanical gardens and history museum. About to go for attempt number 2 for some Taiwan baseball. The feels-like was 113 at 11am and got worse from there. Sucked the soul out of my body and didn't do much today.
The only big item left is Tamsui+Bali. My flight is pretty early on Monday.

>>2787205
>The only big item left is Tamsui+Bali.
What are you planning for those? I literally lived in Tamsui for ten years and there wasn't really a lot to do. You can go out to the north coast, which is nice, and is what I did a lot, but that's not "Tamsui", you actually end up in other districts before you get to the beaches.

Shimen (the rock arch on the coast, not "Ximen" which is what Taiwanese always think foreigners are talking about) is a pretty little beach next to a fishing-boat harbor. I would avoid visiting on weekends because there's an obnoxious old lady who sells beach toys on weekends, and she brings a bicycle/clown horn that she honks every couple of minutes, which is annoying as fuck. HONKHONKHONK, wait a few minutes, HONKHONKHONK, lady will you fuck off I'm trying to relax to the wave noise, HONKHONKHONK, welcome to Taiwan motherfucker this is what these cunts do, HONKHONKHONK.

Baishawan is a little bit before Shimen and is a larger and nicer beach, but I prefer Shimen because less people other than that annoying bitch.

You can take some of the 86X buses out to either beach, 865 or 863 or 862. Check the stops on the map (Google Maps sometimes will show you specific stops and bus numbers that stop at them, sometimes they disable it and it might not work on mobile) carefully because some of them make detours inland. Here, I did a screencap for you.

Also, there's an excellent Vietnamese restaurant along the coastal road, named Lan Phuong. They make an absolutely fantastic shredded chicken salad, it's shredded chicken plus shredded cabbage plus some sort of spicy-sour sauce. The pho is also good there. Unfortunately Google is being a bitch and refuses to find it, but it's on the interior (south) side of the coastal road and IIRC is about 4km before Shimen, almost exactly halfway between two bus stops (not a far walk but you WILL have to walk, or waddle).

>>2787205
Oh, also, you can take the 862 bus from Tamsui (or is it still Danshui) MRT station out to the Yehliu Geopark, which is kind of neat if you're into geology.

>>2787411
Thanks for all of the advice, but I was unable to utilize any of it today. It was pouring rain until 1 or so. Then drizzling for the rest of the day. Decided I wasn't in the mood for beaches or long bus rides. Ended up spending the morning doing stuff in Taipei until the rain let up some. Took the MRT to Tamsui, ate at several stalls, went to the fort, went to the Cha Po-lin museums, and puttered around before heading back south. The weather tomorrow is also looking like rain but if it's good I'll give the beaches another try.

What's up with the dogs in Taiwan? On every road and in every village there are dogs chained up all along the road just to bark and thresh against everyone who passes by. Extra points for dogs put in cages out on the street where they don't even have space to turn around. Are taiwanese literally all psycopaths? They enjoy torturing dogs for nothing? Not to mention the dogs that are running loose. Can't go anywhere without a couple of good rocks ready to throw.
Explain yourselves.

>>2786564
No anon, you just were unlucky and had atypical signs of a stroke. Unless your face was literally drooping in front of him as you slurred your speech, literally any doctor would've chalked it up to a heatstroke or dehydration. And doctors, (especially on-call ones) are going to think horses (i.e "white dude had too much booze to drink and not enough water"), not zebras. When that happens, you have to be pushy.

Either look for ABC doctors or foreign ones. ALWAYS women. Men tend to take it personally when you contradict them.

>they get $$$ for every drug they "prescribe" so he wrote it out as a prescription
Legally in Taiwan, a doctor has to document a form of treatment in order to get paid by the NHI, but that just means he has to give you SOMETHING. That something can be tylenol, but had he ordered the MRI you needed, he would've gotten paid too. Rather, this law is retarded because it prevents doctors from telling patients complaining about a flu to just suck it up because it's a fucking virus, and also why taiwanese people go to the doctor for literally anything, they always get rewarded with a prescription and the doctor never get to tell em to walk it off

The real problem with taiwanese doctors is that they never believe that the aforementioned "zebra" could ever exist. I once had parasites from bad sushi and the doctor literally denied it asking me whether i've been to another country and that taiwan was "too hygienic" for this to happen. Any other doctor in Asia (and elsewhere) would've given you the worming tablet without a second thought, but not only wasn't she content of a picture of my shit having worms in it, she told me that since it wasn't a video she couldn't see them wriggle and thus needed a sample. It was almost as if she was afraid i might sue the country for getting a fucking parasite. I insisted on having the treatment and promised i'd come back with the sample. I took the tablet, got rid of that thing and never came back.

>>2787680
>all the dogs are chained up
>except for the ones running loose
So, just like everywhere else in the world?

>>2778156
i feel like it's a bit hectic and all over the place but here are my two cents :

Day one : Palace Museum + CKS memorial are more than doable in one day. If you're an early riser you can do Palace Museum first, then go to CKS for 2-3 hours (it's a short visit but the spots are nice if you wanna take photos). By the afternoon the weather will get unbearable and that's when you can go to Beimen station and walk through the underground mall all the way to Taipei Main Station, where you can buy some weeb shit, get some cheap ice cream, and even some decent food. You can spend the evening in the ximen nightmarkets and then either call it a day or go for a disco nap, take a shower and go to one of them taipei 101 night clubs.

Day 2 (morning) : Wake up early (at least leave before 10am) and go to Gongguan. Go to Siyuan street and look for a "Laya burger" there. Just google it. From there, use Youbike 2.0, find a bike station (you're next to the NTU dorms so you WILL find a few stations around you), and take your ass down to the Gongguan riverside park. From there, It's a 30/40 minute ride to Xindian station. As you go south, the landscape will go from urban to having a few skycrapers in the middle of a mountainous jungle until you reach the Bitan scenic point. And since you're right next to the green line, you can get back to ximen and the city pretty quickly. Taipei is such a bike friendly city and it'd be a shame not to enjoy this. there are a few nice restaurants down in Bitan, too.

Day 2 (afternoon) : This is where i would diverge with you heavily. Once you're done with Bitan on day 2, you could go straight to main station, take the train to keelung, go to Heping Island and be back on time for Keelung's night market to open. Why ? Because Heping Island won't take long, and Keelung's only "thing" is its night market, so you'd at worst reach heping island by 5pm (worst case estimate), get to enjoy it for a while, then go back.

>>2788041
cont.

Day 3 : I wouldn't do this. Rather, I would go to Yilan and the National Center for traditional arts, which is a far better sight and one very few non-locals know about. It is one of these spots where you get to see ACTUAL Taiwanese regional stuff, too, and get some actual traditional souvenirs. Also, Yilan is super nice during that time of year and you get to visit an extra city. Seriously, fuck the ball game.

Day 4 : See Day 2 afternoon. Seriously, there is NOTHING to do in Keelung during the day, and Heping Island Park is more of a sight than an actual park like yangmingshan

Day 5 : like the other dude said, just turn Kaohsiung into a night trip and forget about Taichung. It's really not worth it, transportation thoroughly sucks, and you've only got one city center that only ever wakes up at night. It's the night market. And you'll probably be shitting night market food from your eyeballs at this point.

Day 7 come back to taipei and make the most of your 3 days visiting whatever you want to.

>>2787680
This is the same anon who thinks Taipei traffic is craaaazy. Now it's babby's first Asian stray dog experience, kek

>>2788055
I would also like to add a few honorable mentions :

>Jianguo Jade market
The jade is nice but don't bother buying anything above 600ntd. Taiwanese people tend to sell grade A jade at 300ntd, but even grade A's got tiers and you'll be on the lowest tiers in general.
>Taipei City Hall//101
It's a nice walk, and that neighborhood (particularly 101) is the closest thing that actually looks like a world-tier city like Tokyo with skyscrapers and shit.
>Ximending
seems like you already know everything there is to know about it. It's basically a small shinjuku with smaller buildings, street food and wa la.
Speaking of which, taipei has this feeling that you don't get in Japan that all these neighborhoods are self-contained-islands, with massive boulevards and avenues inbetween. You know exactly where ximending starts and stops, same with 101/City Hall.
>Shilin
The biggest nightmarket in Taipei I think, so, worth a go I guess.
>Guanghua digital plaza
if you're into electronics. You can and should haggle.
>Dongmen
there's a din tai fung there and some nice stuff.

What I enjoyed doing in Taipei was travelling around the zhongzheng and da'an area and just go around the lanes. Sometimes you find some cool stuff. I once found a steak house that sold big ass steaks for 300 ntd. Another night I found a pizza joint where an old chinese dude that lived 20 years in jersey founded, and it was pretty good pizza. Another day, some dude in a completely random fucking area was selling quiches. Quiches of all kind. He wasn't european or anything, his thing was just quiches.

It's shit like this that, encounters in the rainy night, and overall peaceful atmosphere that made me love the place. But all good things must come to an end.

>>2788055
It's funny how many people told him not to go to keelung but he ended up liking it
There may not be a lot to do there tourist wise but it has a unique vibe/aesthetic and it's nice to just explore it

>>2788185
desu everything and its contrary has been said on this thread. It's just a matter of personal preference at this point.

>>2788041
the riverside from gongguan to xindian is EMPTY, anon. There is literally nothing there. You would have more fun biking from gongguan to main station through ximen and CKS. just like half of >>2788159 's "honorable mentions", this is shit you do as a local, not as someone who wasted a grand and a half to visit what is really just the blandest country in Asia. Especially since COVID, as the only thing Taiwan was actually good at (the nightlife) died as well.

Literally everything Taiwan does another country in EA/SEA does better. Food ? Mainland does better and more varied mainland dishes, japan does better and more varied japanese dishes. Hiking trails ? You got those in both. Nice neighborhoods ? Namba's got more shit going on than Taipei combined, let alone Tokyo's Shibuya or, HK's Kowloon. Wanna coom ? Most taiwanese women look chinese, are just as drama-oriented -but harder to get. Especially since its only saving grace -the nightlife- got utterly annihilated by COVID.

There isn't a single thing Taiwan does better than its neighbors. Prove me wrong. I'm waiting.

>>2788196
>There isn't a single thing Taiwan does better than its neighbors.
lgbtq rights

Now that I'm back, I decided to make a list of everything I found underwhelming/disappointing, because the vast majority of what I did I loved. I'm already thinking about a second trip in 2027 to the east coast - multiple people in Taipei I chatted with told me I should go to Yilan.

>Jiufen: Probably way better in the off-season; it was just too tourist packed for me to enjoy.
>Taichung day trip: Whereas Kaohsiung should have been an overnighter, I shouldn't have gone to Taichung at all. Not to say it had nothing redeeming about it, but it seems like most of the points of interest are far outside of the city proper.
>Milk tea/coffee beverage culture: I was told by Taiwanese people I know that the beverage culture is crazy in Taiwan; plus it seems like there's a stall or shop every 10 feet. I gave them a honest try - trying many different options between tea and coffee. Not for me. And it seems as Taiwan is abundant in drinks, it is lacking in interesting snacks/sweets.
>Fubon Guardians game in Xinzhuang: Not their fault that the game was cancelled due to storms, but I got there a little early and it took an hour after the projected start before they cancelled. It kind of cucked the last third of my day. I grab a ticket to a Wei Chuan game at the Taipei Dome later in the week which I loved.
But otherwise it was a great trip. I went to a dozen or so museums, a couple of temples, five night markets, and some untold number of restaurants and bars. I was able to practice Mandarin here and there My most successful conversations were with a Taipei Railway Museum attendant, a guitar player, and some bartenders.

>>2788421

>>2788073
No, you moron, I'm the one who knows damn well from over a decade of experience there that Taiwan traffic is insane, and I'm also >>2787979 this guy.

I only had problems with one dog in Taiwan, and it was a pretty much fucked up dog that someone else had apparently had problems with, because it exhibited neurological damage from probably having been poisoned before. A friend who goes hiking alone in remote areas also had concerns about feral dog packs out where they could kill her without anyone noticing. Other than that, I found the dogs pretty chill. I'm pretty sure Taiwanese debark most of their housepet dogs, because I don't think I ever even once heard a purse dog or a stroller dog barking its damn fool head off, unlike dogs in the U.S. (Large dogs were a different story, I heard a lot of them barking from time to time.)

>>2788159
>Taipei City Hall//101
I used to go there about once a month for Texas Roadhouse. There are a shitload of malls there, too, if you want normie-high-end shopping (not REAL high-end, of course, those places don't advertise).

>>2788159
>Shilin
How long ago were you in Taiwan? Shilin was dead as a doorknob after the 2021-2022 WuFlu bullshit. All the night markets were shut down for months, and Shilin in particular still hadn't recovered even when I left in March 2023. Used to be a crowd of people and a line of stalls all the way to the corner on the other side from the Jiantan MRT station, but after that there was nothing until you got all the way to the open space that led into the main section.

> there's a din tai fung there
There are DTFs all over the place.

>Guanghua
A sad shadow of its former self; almost everything has moved online anyway. NOVA shut down a decade ago and Guanghua might as well have.

>>2788421
Taiwan isn't throwing them off buildings, so no.

>>2788568
>I'm already thinking about a second trip in 2027 to the east coast - multiple people in Taipei I chatted with told me I should go to Yilan.
Yeah East Coast is beautiful do go if you get the chance.
Better yet offshore islands (Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu etc) are fun to explore.

>>2788641
i wouldn't go for the high end shopping, i'd just go there for the sights. It's just nice to be there, it's the only place that kinda reminds me of skyscraper-rich cities like Tokyo or Singapore.
>Shilin
Shilin recovered. It's been 2 years now.

>muh din tai fung
yeah i mean i just blurted that as an example. Dongmen has a one or two nice streets worth visiting, especially during the day where the shaved ice comes in handy. I spoke about the DTF because thats where i took my ex because that dtf in particular doesn't have that big of a queue.
>Guanghua
I haven't been there for a while (haven't been anywhere near songjiang nanjing since my ex died), but odds are it recovered.

Mind you, I do agree that pre 2020 taipei had way more shit going on. RIP Maji Square & Triangle.

>be me
>live 3 years in taiwan, from 2016 to 2019 (before Covid was even a thing)
>find a well paying job elsewhere, try to find a way to come back post covid
>become eligible for gold card and apply
>get 3 year gold card
>apply for jobs
>find a well paying one (MNC)
>have been a literal broken husk since i left, had all my friends and life there (i went there right after graduation)
>never dared to go back before visa
>finally arrive in the country
>go to a restaurant i used to often go to, I used to tip the owner well and hed give me freebies sometimes
>restaurant closed off after COVID,
>Go that comfy coffee place near NTU near Café Odeon, very old fashioned, smelled of old wood and books
>closed
>fuck
>nevermind, take a disco nap because of jet lag and get ready to go to yuanshan to meet the mates
>MAJI IS FUCKING CLOSED
>turns out the entire thing was closed due to complaints about drugs (literally 10 people sharing one overly stretched joint)
>Go to Gongguan riverside
>finally find some activity
>chill all night, but no signs of old mates

I knew a lot of them were either gone or too old for this shit - it HAS been 6 years after all. But jesus christ so much has changed. Any anons willing to tell me whats what ? I passed by the Revolver and it seems open but I wonder if its still the cesspool it used to be.

>>2782728
I'm visiting Taipei for 3 days on my way to Okinawa cry about it.

>>2778151 (OP)
So, very broadly, what are the pros vs. cons of doing Tainan as opposed to Taiwan? I’m big on history, architecture, and temples. How much time would be adequate to see both if I planned a trip that covered both?

I went to Taipei as a short side trip for like 2 nights when I was in japan for 6 weeks and although I barely got a taste I liked it. Should I just go back for a whole week or two of Taipei + surroundings or venture outwards as well? I liked how in Taipei my limited Japanese would often suffice when my english didn't.

>>2790223
>Gongguan
Love Gongguan. I left during covid and live in Japan now, but I really miss Taiwan. Great memories in Taipei and the east coast (Hualien, Taitung).

Anyone do any fishing around Taipei?

No, not shrimp fishing. I’ve done enough research to know there’s probable LMB and snakehead around ponds and canals, and tilapia and carp in parks. I’ve also read fishing near the bridge is also good.

Anyone?

Every Taiwanese girl I've met (doesn't matter where/what culture, Hakka, Aboriginal) has been an absolute whore. In fact, aboriginal girls seem to be the biggest ones (huge drinkers, pretty easy).

>>2791144
>So, very broadly, what are the pros vs. cons of doing Tainan as opposed to Taiwan?
As opposed to Taipei?
Why would you do that?
Go to Tainan if you have a chance. Anping and Chikhan are kinda cool. But it's a small city and there's not much else to do. I've only been there once years ago but I doubt you need more than 2 days there. On the other hand you could keep yourself busy for weeks in Taipei and surrounds.

>>2791161
I recommend getting out of Taipei for a bit but you could definitely entertain yourself in the Taipei area alone. Someone was asking similar questions at start of thread. Go read that.

>>2791421
It helps if you're white.
>>2791421
>aboriginal girls seem to be the biggest ones (huge drinkers, pretty easy).
Oh man, that reminds me of the time I was talking to an abo from tinder. I hadn't met her yet and got shitfaced one night and convinced her to come from yilan to hsinchu by taxi, but then passed out before she arrived.
Fuck, I think she spent 7k on taxi fares. Idk what she was thinking but she was like 19. I feel pretty bad about that and even offered to help pay but she was too pissed off and refused.

>>2791967
>berates someone who was just trying to help

Dont travel to taipei on november 21-23, all the hotels are overpriced because tzuyu (taiwanese idol) is performing with twice in the country for the first time in 10 years

>>2792267
kaohsiung

>>2791420
IIRC it's illegal to fish in freshwater in Taiwan. Too many people, too much industrial/agricultural runoff, too few fish left. Your only options are privately owned stocked ponds, whether shrimp or something else.

Saltwater is ok but a lot of beaches are posted against fishing because they don't want people getting injured from lost/dropped/abandoned fishhooks. There are plenty of day-trip charters that you can just walk onto to go out and fish on, practically any harbor will have at least one.

>>2792390
Really? I've seen videos of people doing it. Was looking in to giving a try a while ago. I remember reading there's a fishing platform in a reservoir in Chiayi I think it was

>>2792896
It's "illegal" just like fishing in most countries is "illegal" but if you're doing a simple line and fishing pole, no one is going to give a fuck. If a cop is REALLY bored or has a stick up his ass about foreigners, you could get a fine but that's a big if.


First time going during Typhoon season to Taipei, I usually go well after it, what am I in for? I grew up and from the east coast so I know hurricanes fairly well. Question is how the city reacts if anyone knows. Are we talking shit's closed for a day of landfall or we talking near a week of stuff like grocery stores and such being out of commission. The place I got is pretty good has a mini kitchen but there for a full month during peak typhoon season and no clue what to expect.

The quality of 4channers looking to visit Taiwan is atrocious but somehow it's not as bad as the Japan threads.

>>2792994
It's better than Japan (pathetic weebs) and better than Thailand (desperate wannabe sexpats).

>>2792967
>Are we talking shit's closed for a day of landfall
Usually this

>near a week of stuff like grocery stores and such being out of commission
but once or twice this has happened. I forget what the name of the typhoon was but there was one 20+ years ago that stalled directly over Taipei and flooded the downtown underground MRT stations to a depth of something like 15 feet. There's plaques in several stations commemorating it.

Looks like it was Nari in 2001.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typhoon_Nari_flood_depth_record_plaque,_MRT_Taipei_Main_Station_20170624b.jpg

>>2792994
>The quality of 4channers is atrocious
fixed

Anyone ever lived or been to both Taiwan and China? I have job offers for both but I'm very conflicted on which to go with. The Chinese job is a lot better (pays more, more time off, more autonomy, etc) but I really had my heart set on Taiwan. Is it worth sacrificing all of that to live in Taiwan or is there not really a big difference between China and Taiwan?

>>2793408
Lived in Taiwan been to China for travel. Ehh honestly that's really hard to say. Taiwan is pretty cool and China being China has a lot of downsides, but obviously being a Westerner and having money insulates you from the worst of it, and it can be pretty fun in its own way. Are you talking short or long term? I'd probably base my decision on that and how important money is to you.
What is it about Taiwan that appeals to you?

>>2792994
>trying to gatekeep fucking taiwan
oof

>>2793510
>I'd probably base my decision on that and how important money is to you.
Money isn't too important to me, I basically only use money to eat out and buy coffee. Getting takeout and coffee is really my only financial vice. That said, I do plan on going back to uni for my masters degree so money is something I still have to think about.
>Are you talking short or long term?
I will be in whichever country for at least 2 years. Possibly 3-4 depending on if I enjoy living there.
>What is it about Taiwan that appeals to you?
I don't know how to explain it, but it seems like Taiwan is what weebs think Japan is. People seem friendly, the culture is laid back, foreigners aren't ostracized, etc. Random little things just seem cool to me, like grabbing lunch at a 7/11 or going to a baseball game. My experience with Chinese people is the opposite. They seem like robots and they don't like Americans especially. Ideally, I want to integrate myself into the country for a few years and leave with some positive memories and experiences. China seems so much more intimidating to make friends, date, integrate into the culture, etc than Taiwan as an American.

All of what I said could be wrong, I have not been to either Taiwan or China so feel free to tell me I have it all wrong.

don't go to taroko until 2030 lol rip

>>2787028
Yeah You're talking a crock of shit, my man. Taiwan traffic is fine, saying it's the same as somewhere like Vietnam is simple incorrect. Plus Taiwanese actually respect pedestrian crossings. Just look at the difference in the ratio of cars to mopeds on the roads. And I didn't need to stay there for 10 years to notice that lmao.

>>2778486
>Sun moon lake
I liked it

>>2780729
Fuck you all English teacher get poor and dumped
Local angry chink here

im going for 2 weeks. should i just book all my hotels in taipei and do day trips from there? sun moon lake being the farthest maybe

>>2794281
Sun Moon Lake is is over an hour drive from Taichung - I'd say it's impossible for a day trip. You'd need to take the 台灣高鐵 to Taichung and then a taxi/rent a car to Sun Moon Lake. It would be around 2.5 hours each way.

>work emailed me
>need to be in Taipei Mid August to late September

WTF do I do I just got told they get hurricanes I thought only the retards in Florida got those things. Aren't Asians suppose to be smart why do they live where those monsters kill hundreds of people

>>2793602
I probably wouldn't worry too much about then money then unless it makes a big difference to your ability to get out and do things.

>I don't know how to explain it, but it seems like Taiwan is what weebs think Japan is
Yes and no. I first went there with a pretty unrealistic view of what it was like, imagining it like a mini Japan that was both futuristic and traditional. In reality maybe I'd say it's Chinese with Japanese characteristics. They do like to try take after Japan but it's still very Chinese. There's a lot less order to the cities than there is in Japan, for instance. It is dirtier, poorer and rougher around the edges. The weather and air quality is shit. It IS a lot more laid back than pretty much any other East Asian country/culture.
I haven't been to China in 10 years and I'm not a seppo, but unless things have changed drastically I don't think you'd have much problem there as an American but that's not outwardly obvious. My experience was that people loved approaching me if they weren't too busy gawking. Gweilos are still a novelty to most people, and Chinese people can actually be pretty outgoing and will want to talk to you just because you're white. But yes I do get why China feels a lot more daunting than Taiwan.

If you go to Taiwan for a few years you'll get the opportunity to explore every inch of it and really get to know it. The main disadvantages in my mind is there's less geographic and cultural variety, and it can be a little harder to break into local social circles there. The older generations are very outgoing, the younger much less so. But if you're comparing it to Japan, yeah you can probably make local friends a lot easier.

>>2794951
>but unless things have changed drastically I don't think you'd have much problem there as an American but that's not outwardly obvious
I meant to say it wasn't outwardly obvious I wasn't American. I never received any hostility there.

Leaving Taiwan today after an 11 days trip. Took my mum and was our first time here. Mum speaks Chinese, I only speak English. Pleasantly surprised with the country. Woman are really hot, most food is cheap is delicious and the city is decently easy to navigate. Overall makes me want to learn Mandarin/Chinese and move here.

Kaohsiung - 4 nights
Highlight: For Guang Shan Budda Museum. The temple and area was actually pretty impressive.
Alishan/Fenchihu - 2 nights
Highlight: Mum made friends with one of the tea sellers. We spent a few hours each night drinking free tea and chatting with the tea lady. Sacred tree hike was pretty nice. And I live in Canada with forests like that.
Taipei - 4 nights
Highlight: Taipei 101. It was actually impressive how high we were. And the mass dampener was cool. Food downstairs was delicious. Best tri-sauce noodles ever. Had a pleasant encounter with the cute barista upstairs.

The bad: in our spare time we went shopping. Prices not much better than Canada and more western brands which I don't care for. Weather was very hot. Climbing Elephant mountain got me completely drenched in sweat. City feels kinda dirty. Less English friendly than Japan.

>>2795531
>Overall makes me want to learn Mandarin/Chinese and move here.
Are you Chinese yourself or did your mother just learn out of interest/for work?

>>2795554
My mother is from Malaysia and her mother tongue is mandarin.

Hey /twg/-Anons,
I‘m going to do a semester abroad in Taiwan this fall and looking for a place to stay in Taiwan at the moment.
Is AirBnB viable or are there better/cheaper options?

Also do you think it would be worth it to skip learning the characters and just learn speaking/understanding a bit of Mandarin before going? (Im German/European so it feels like learning them would be really hard in an already short timeframe to learn some basics)

General advice on cool things to do or not to do would be greatly appreciated as well.

>>2795643
If you're going to do Airbnb I can tell you right now you're looking at ~500/mo for a shit hole. If you're studying there why not work with your college for room and board

>>2795825
Frankly Ive gotten kicked out of college dorms for certain masturbation habits before so Id rather not risk getting deported or something

Is Taoyuan that boring to live in? Might get sent there against my will.

Is as easy to rent a scooter in Taiwan as it is in Vietnam or is it more strict?

>>2791967
The utter state of gweilos

Anyone here have Gold Card advice?
Is it easy or hard?

>>2796848
You'll probably want an international license

>>2797570
IDP is easy enough to get, but you mean a motorcycle license in your home country?

>>2792994
This thread is actually pretty civil by /trv/ standards. Miles better than any SEA country thread.

>>2796848
You need an IDP. You'll read online that only companies in the major cities are hardasses if your IDP doesn't have a motorcycle endorsement, but I did get asked about it in Hualien. I just BSed my way past the question, "don't worry, my license back home is good for motorbikes" etc.

Bit of a retard here, going to be in Taiwan for 1 month with work soon(posted in the thread earlier). Where are some decent bars for an American? Looking online some of the pubs and bars have insane hours I can't see how are correct. Really 5PM to 4-5AM? Is that right? Not use to hours like that or what to expect as I am not looking for drunken business levels of people who missed the train.

Also is it really true you need a phone number for a lot of things in Taiwan? Was told to get a sim that does data and SMS for some places but that sounded weird to me.

>>2794951
Thank you for the effort-post. I have decided to take the Taiwan job offer despite it paying less and being in a mundane area compared to the China offer. If there is any advice any anons can give to a noob to Taiwan, including must have apps, cultural norms to be aware of, etc I'd appreciate any advice.

>>2798345
Get a sim absolutely. I don't think I used my phone as a phone once in 2 years there; everyone uses Line.

>>2798465
Awesome which part of Taiwan is it?
>If there is any advice any anons can give to a noob to Taiwan, including must have apps, cultural norms to be aware of, etc I'd appreciate any advice
I dunno how much you know about Chinese culture, but nothing major springs to mind, honestly. If you're mindful and observant I doubt you'll go around making many faux pas.
If you're interested a having a relationship over there maybe keep in mind people are generally (not all) relatively traditional. And if you ever get invited to eat say with a family it's very difficult to refuse their hospitality and I honestly never figured out how to handle that properly. Whenever people go travelling they bring back food to share from where they visited. You could perhaps bring something from where you're local to endear yourself to your new colleagues.

Oh yeah, wear masks if you're noticeably sick. IME if you don't, that is a faux pas (and that was a thing even before the rona).

If not already I strongly recommend making an effort to learn Mandarin. People will really appreciate even a rudimentary grasp of it, and you'll find your time there far more satisfying if you do. I always used Pleco to help translate stuff and Line is what everyone uses to communicate. As bonus learn a few words of Taiwanese.

If you're living anywhere outside probably Taipei/NTC or Kaohsiung you'll almost definitely want a scooter and even there it would be nice to have a license for when you travel. I hear the test is really easy to pass in Taiwan but better organising all that before you go.
Taiwan has a great transportation system to get around the island (I'm a fan of the intercity buses and non-highspeed rail) but you just can't explore easily outside those cities or tourist attractions without your own transportation. I spent 9 months in bumfuck, Nantou, but spent my weekends out in Taichung because I didn't drive and that was the only place the buses went, which was a damn waste!

>>2798592
I'll be in Taoyuan. It wasn't my first choice for a city (it was actually my last, I would have preferred literally anything else) but I figure it's close to Taipei without the high rent prices so it can't be too bad.
>If not already I strongly recommend making an effort to learn Mandarin. People will really appreciate even a rudimentary grasp of it, and you'll find your time there far more satisfying if you do.
I've been trying but the tones are too difficult for me. I'll try again with a tutor or classes when I'm actually in Taiwan but self-studying has not helped much.

>>2794951
Have you ever been to the factory, the school and city council ?
Or food delivery?
These are real npc's
Just leave before you become one
I am bureaucrat food drone chink
It sucks

>>2799709
Hi Ray, how’s it feels of sucking off white dicks

>>2798345
revolver is good, especially on nights with interesting bands

I'll be up for a beer next week if any anons are game

>>2795643
Book a week in a hostel then view apartments when you get here.

Really a decent bedroom+bathroom place won't be over 10k twd a month. Don't forget to haggle with landlords for 500-1000 off, be firm and you'll get a better deal

Sorry for being a coomer but can anyone shed some light on ss5278? I heard that's the best website to find a hooker but google translate confused the fuck out of me desu. Like what are the base prices supposed to be and why do they not show prices for other services? Just trying to get some info.

dad is going for a few days on a business trip
likes history and museums, but also to eat and drink well
will stay only in taipei
what do you reccomend the most?

>>2795643
yes, learn spoken and some basic recognition before you go. this is the proper method anyway but it doesn't translate into classrooms which need to have teachers tick boxes to show progress.
learn the sounds, the initials and endings and tones and tone pairs. i guess you have 6 weeks, 8 weeks before you go? you can learn initials and endings, tones and tone pairs and some basic sentences in that time if you spend half an hour, an hour a day. maybe take some italki classes 1 on 1 and get her just to speak to you. send the teacher the list of sentences you want to learn and just have her teach you those instead of a lesson plan.

>>2800654
Where was this photo taken?

Do you guys feel anxious the whole time you are in Taiwan? Considering going there for a year to learn Mandarin and check it out. It really does seem like the most based Asian country, I just don't want to be stuck in an active warzone with commies involved.

>>2803945
>Do you guys feel anxious the whole time you are in Taiwan?
No, maybe the first time but that was it. When you realize a military invasion of Taiwan is basically the last option it's a nothing burger.

China can basically economic powerhouse the rich elderly out of time and money before people flee to the USA or canada like they did in HK.

>>2778151 (OP)
Why don't China just invade Lienchiang Country? Nobody's going to do anything over something literally 5km from China, and it'll undermine all the defence agreements.

>>2803971
kinmen is only at 2 km
The reason is simple, an invasion of the small islands could lead to full scale war, why would they start a confilict that way.
If they decide to invade Taiwan they will do it without any preliminary warning, taking first the islands has no military purpose.

>>2804361
Salami slicing worked for Russia with Donbas and Crimea. The strategic objective would be the following:
>use information warfare to convince US public that starting WW3 over a literal who island 2km from China = retarded
>use information warfare to push the narrative in Taiwan that the US aren't allies and have abandoned them
>exploit an anti-US sentiment in Taiwan to start dividing and conquering politically

All it needs is a false flag with some fishing boats. Taiwan launching rockets on to the mainland would also be an internationally accepted cassus belli with China able to continue their eternal victim act.

It's the same shit with Narva in Estonia, too. Ticking time bombs, imo.

>>2778151 (OP)
How does it compare to Vietnam? I prefer to go to places that are not friendly to Communism. But I've heard Vietnam is really good right now for Americans.

>>2804963
Cant even really compare the too. Taiwan is based around freedom, developed, cleaner, anti-communist but stll cheaper than the west. The only downside is Xi having rockets pointed at them/

>>2804963
Food is better in Vietnam, it is also more expensive than Vietnam and it's smaller so there are less things to do. the english is somehow better, but still bad outside Taipei, there are no scams and it is cleaner overall - except for the ubiquitous mold.

If you had a 2 week itinerary for an all adult family trip where we rented a car what would you do? First time in Taiwan for everybody

Also, if somebody has a peanut allergy is going to make it impossible?