Job Discussion Forums

[feuillebleu]

Hi all,

Has anyone out there lived or been to Linkou? Any feelings about it? Im wondering about things like pollution, access to greener areas, access to Taipei, foreign community, prices there....?

Thank you

[markholmes]

I think there was a post about Linkou a couple of months ago. Do a search.

[feuillebleu]

I've done several searches and although Linkou is mentioned in passing in some discussions the ones I've read don't include much detail about the city. Is there another way to spell it other than Linkou and Linko? Can you give me the name of the post you are referring to?

[forest1979]

The 'greatest' feature of Linkou is the freeway that passes through it.

It's a pretty non-descript sort of place, halfway between Taipei and Taoyuan, and despite a recent growth in its cityscape there's still not a lot there. The only sort of TEFLers I can guess who would want to live there are long stayers who have spent many years previously in Taipei and are looking for somewhere cheaper to live.

As for access to the countryside well I don't think it's any better off than in Taipei. Probably worse in fact as you have the freeway acting as a major scar and then lots of heavy industry near the aforesaid roadway. In Taiwan just because you're away from the cities doesn't always mean idyllic, untouched countryside. In this case quite the opposite.

[SanChong]

It really depends what you are looking for.

If you want to live right in a major city (like Taipei/Kaohsiung/Taichung) then Linkou isn't a good choice. If, however, you want to live on the outskirts of a major city, but still have access to the city on a regular basis, Linkou would be a good choice.

From what I understand, it's less polluted than most places in Taipei County. It's also a nicer/wealthier area because one of the best hospitals/research centers in Taiwan is in Linkou (I can't remember the name). So, a lot of doctors and nurses live in the area. It's also closer to some hiking in Bali/Danshui, which has some nice trails. Also, expense is a factor. It's always cheaper to live outside Taipei.

Just depends on what you are looking for.

Good Luck!

[CWanders]

A friend of mine lasted about a month in Linkou. She found it very difficult to find good food without being able to speak Chinese. She described it as pretty barren and commented that the broken ferris wheel that dominated the landscape was like a metaphor for the place itself.

I never made it out to Linkou, but I've been to areas near it. That part of the county seems to have all of the ugly mid-construction aspects of a city with none of the convenience or interesting places. It also lacks the natural beauty you do find north or south of the city.

But, rent's cheap.

[forest1979]

The rent is cheap but so is somewhere like Danshui and Xin Beitou and they have far more going for them, and great access to the mountains, coastline and beaches even on the north of the island. If comparing these places to Linkou and its broken ferris wheel, freeway axis and industry then I know where I'd rather be.

[SanChong]

Linkou doesn't have a broken ferris wheel, so you may have your Chinese mixed up.

[Imagine8]

I've lived in LinKou for about 4 months now. Here's my take:

Pollution:
I've been told it's not bad for Taiwan. Maybe it's just because of the shock of Taiwan's pollution in general, but we think it's pretty bad. We've been to Taipei, Taoyuan, and Tainan and we think the pollution is probably just as bad as it is in these places. The smells are just...awful...but we're adjusting...and, to quote my boyfriend..."Taiwan smells." So, we deal.

Access to greener areas:
We have admittedly not explored as much as we should have. We have gone to Tiger Mountain, which was quite easy to get to. When we got there, though, the top of the mountain was a big slab of concrete. Still, there was some grass....which was nice to see again....it'd been months.... We're told, if we get more adventurous, there are a lot more options as far as greener areas go.

Access to Taipei:
Getting to Taipei is super easy. The bus station is right across from Chung Gung Hospital (this may have been the "best hospital/research center" that SanChong was referring to). Just look for the characters for Taipei and hop on. Cost is $40NT to get to the Main Station. The ride is 20-30 min. depending on whether the bus you take makes stops.

Foreign Community:
It's pretty much non-existent. We (and our roommate) live here! So, you have that to look forward to. We're not big on bars or socializing, so we couldn't say for sure that there aren't more foreigners. But....we've seen maybe...4 since we've been here. Even our foreign co-workers live in Taoyuan. We actually like it...it gives us a chance to practice our Chinese....and everyone is very helpful even if they don't speak English.

Prices:
We think it's cheap to live here. Of course, this is after we lived in New York and Chicago....so it's all relative. But we have noticed significant price differences between Taipei and LinKou. Our rent is $12,000NT/mo. for a three room apartment....I'm not sure if that's considered cheap everywhere in Taiwan....but it sure beats the hell out of the US.

Other thoughts:
We LOVE living across the street from the hospital...it's so easy and cheap to use.... We also work in LinKou, so we love walking to work. If you're considering working here, note that your students might be the sons or daughters of rich, English speaking doctors and might A) know more English than you expect and B) be spoiled. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my kids....I just cringe whenever we talk about the newest, coolest video games or the three floor homes some of these kids have. So, to sum it up, if we didn't like our school so much, we might look for somewhere greener. There don't seem to be many such places in Taiwan, though....so we might just stay.... One more thing to note - we've been told that it gets colder in the winter here than it does in either Taipei or Taoyuan. It has been frigid for the past week or so (this coming from someone who's lived in Chicago).

My boyfriend's two cents on LinKou:
"It's okay....it has the same problems that you'd probably find other places in Taiwan."

[SanChong]

That was an awesome post!!!! (I'd add more exclamation points, but it might be overkill...)

[forest1979]

Yes, it was a very good synopsis of what Linkou is like but I'll throw my two cents worth in too...and that Linkou is like 1001 other provincial places in Taiwan: non-descript and in need of some decent urban planning!

[feuillebleu]

Thank you for all the great info. Especially Lauren. Who knows maybe ill see you there!

[CWanders]

[cspitzig]

I just took a position here. Arrived Friday. I'm really missing internet access. I've got an internet cafe within easy walking distance, so I'm not crazy, but still...

Does anyone know anything about the "Free Public WiFi" network? I guess there is a password. I've got a good signal on my laptop, but can't connect.

[feuillebleu]

Ive been here for a while now and have never hear of it.