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AQUA MARINA
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 104
Location: Canada *In TAIWAN AUGUST 8TH!**
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 Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 1:09 am Post subject: Taoyuan, How is it? |
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I've noticed a few good contracts offered in Taoyuan and would like to know if it is an isolated city and if it has modern amenities near ie. good plumbing, transportation, shopping, nightlife, cultural events ?
How's air & water quality?
Anyone that has been there please share your experiences  |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:40 am Post subject: Re: Taoyuan, How is it? |
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| AQUA MARINA wrote: |
I've noticed a few good contracts offered in Taoyuan and would like to know if it is an isolated city and if it has modern amenities near ie. good plumbing, transportation, shopping, nightlife, cultural events ?
How's air & water quality?
Anyone that has been there please share your experiences |
I lived there for a few years.
The plusses for Taoyuan are that rents are very cheap, jobs are plentiful,and you are far enough away from Taipei to avoid spending too much yet close enough that you can be there in under an hour by train.
Minusses? Little in the city of any interest to the westerner. For the new comer, the sense of isolation and culture shock may become heightened by the relative lack of fellow westerners and the locals' inability to speak English.
Plumbing? Much the same as anywhere else in Taiwan which is, for the most part acceptable. Your toilet will flush and your shower will work but, as in all Taiwan, don't drink the water from the tap. Also, the reservoir in Taoyuan is prone to excessive turbidity after any typhoon or tropical storm. Expect some days each year (immediately after storms) without running water.
Transport? Within the city and surrounding areas, there is a bus system. There is even a small free "citizen" bus service running to some areas. Overall, though, the public transport system is not nearly as good as Taipei's. Most (pretty much all) foreigners in Taoyuan ride scooters for their day to day needs.
Shopping and night life? Taoyuan boasts four department stores: Far East, Tonlin, Idee and Mitsukoshi as well as hypermarts Carrefour, Geant and RT mart. Ikea also has a store in Taoyuan. Taimall is a large shopping mall located in the Nankan district of Taoyuan. Further out, in the county, there is another large mall called Metrowalk. Then there are the scores of local mom and pop shops, traditional markets and a fair-sized and bustling night market. All in all, not terrible, but won't hold a candle to Taipei. Nightlife is fairly grim in Taoyuan. In the main city center there are Rodeo's, Jakes and Itsu's pubs which are, generally speaking, small and grotty little places. The nankan area boasts a couple places marginally better. To be honest, because Taipei is within reach, most expats get out of Taoyuan on their nights out.
Cultural events? They recently built a public square in the county government district. They hold New Year parties and concerts there from time to time. Aside from that, cultural events eminate from the town's two biggest temples. These consist of (seemingly) random large parades carrying carved deities, while pounding on drums and letting off fire crackers.
Overall, Taoyuan is a far less cosmopolitan, international place than Taipei. It is also far less attractive, clean and orderly. It definitely has the feeling of a very large yet still small town about it. Foreigners may find it intimidating and unaccessable. People seldom speak English, Menus seldom have English on them and most foreigners (who do not speak adequate Mandarin, that is) would find even getting a meal in all but a handful of places to be a difficult task.
I found Taoyuan to be a good compromise. It gave me a good cultural immersion experience, yet it was still close enough to Taipei to get doses of westerner friendly amenities when needed. I used to joke with Taipei friends that I went to Taipei to get out of Taiwan once in a while. |
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AQUA MARINA
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 104
Location: Canada *In TAIWAN AUGUST 8TH!**
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you for the feedback everyone |
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lou_la
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 140
Location: Bristol
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| Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: |
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If you want excitement, Taoyuan is definetly not the place to come. But, if you want to learn chinese, or live somewhere more 'taiwanese', it's a great place. I moved here about 3 weeks ago, and to be honest, I'm bored out of my mind, but that's not really Taoyuan's fault, more my lack of transport and social network. You WILL need a scooter here - I didn't want to get one, but I'm giving in now. There are buses, but it will take at least 3 times longer to get anywhere if you use them.
If you're in Taiwan, come have a look and check it out. |
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AQUA MARINA
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 104
Location: Canada *In TAIWAN AUGUST 8TH!**
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MomCat
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 297
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lipsonto
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:39 am Post subject: |
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Having lived in Taoyuan for some time I can safely say that the place is an uninspiring shithole. Yeah, the place has plenty of jobs and cheap rent but do you really want to live in a place that resembles a landfill site?
It's dirty,ugly and has no nightlife at all. I laugh at times because the folks back home think I'm living the good life and that I'm making a life for myself in some far off exotic place LOL. In reality I'm here in this industrial city which really is like some hillbilly outpost in the back of beyond.
Saying that, if you want to make some money and experience life in Taiwan for a year then I suppose it's OK for that purpose, but if you're considering somewhere long term then Taoyuan is definately not the place to be, it's the kind of place you move away from, not move to. |
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