Job Discussion Forums

cha muir · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Plateau, Montreal

Hello all,

My wife and I are considering Taiwan for our family. My main concern, however is clean air. Obviously we will be avoiding all the cities and looking for something rural. I read recently though that there is NO CLEAN AIR ANYWHERE. Is this true. We were thinking the east coast, Hualien or thereabouts. Any clean air there? Anywhere?

thanks in advance,

cha

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Clean air?

Taiwan?

HA!

Sorry to burst your bubble.

I did Japan, Korean, Taiwan, and China.

Guess where the best air was?

Rural Korea.

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

To the original poster: Do you speak Chinese? Have you been here before? If the answer to both of these is no, then don't immediately and firmly decide to live in the backwaters of Taiwan. This place will be a shock to your system. How do you think you'll be able to make it in an environment where absolutely nobody can speak your language? Most new people (and for that matter experienced people) want a place with quality of life, an expat community and some English speakers around. Don't rule anything out until you've had a look.

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

I had the best air in rural JAPAN.

WoW - it was so clean and fresh and I now wish I was able to get a contract where I had traveled.

JAPAN has the cleanest air if you're willing to look for clean air locations...

cha muir · Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 64 Location: Plateau, Montreal

Thanks everyone,

In fact, my wife and I are hoping to go to rural Japan with the JET program,. I was just looking around at different options. So sad that the entire island has bad air. Hard to believe its true really.

Thanks for your help. Though I still welcome second or third opinions.

cha

Xenophobe · Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Posts: 163

Nowhere in Taiwan are you going to find clean air. However, the east coast isn't that bad as the typhoons keep the air fairly fresh and the lack of heavy industry also contributes to this. The same can be said for the extreme northern tip of the island. The only problem is that there aren't alot of jobs in Keelung, Taitung or Hualien. Taipei is stuck in a bowl which traps the smog so it isn't great, but that is where the jobs and amenities are.
If you really have an aversion to smog stay away from the west coast of Taiwan, or more specifically Kaohsiung and Pingtung, as these are some of the most polluted areas in Taiwan. Their one redeeming factor being their proximity (about a 2 hour drive) to Kenting National Park where the air really is clean. My family and I lived in Kaohsiung City for five years and the pollution was horrible. We spent two years in northern Canada trying to purge our lungs and I still have a smoker's cough even though I never smoked.

nenemosha · Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 32 Location: Taipei

Has anyone who's in Taiwan or has been to Taiwan also traveled in South America? I'm wondering what the air pollution comparison between La Paz (cough cough diesel & Llama dung) and Taipei.