Do You Find Yourself Just Sitting in Taiwan?

[tommy525]

Not everyone living in Taipei feels its the best but nor do they feel they need to defend it. They simply do what they do and try to have a good time with it.

San Francisco is one of the best cities in the world. And so what? What does that do for me today is what I think about.

[Feiren]

Feiren: The old chestnut of me living in Taidong. Grief. I lived in the north of Taiwan for 2.5 years and went out tons in Taipei. I know how this one works though. Even if I lived in Taipei, and had been living there for twenty years, the charge would be that I hadn't been to the right places.

As I remember it, you lived in Taoyuan for 2.5 years. Even if you came into Taipei every weekend, you still wouldn't know it the way a Taipei resident does. It's not a question of knowing the right places. It's a sense of the scope and what is available. It also depends on where you are in your Taiwan 'life'. For a number of years after I came to Taiwan, I was unwilling to go see live music because the quality was so much lower than what I was used to. But gradually I came to discover that there were good bands out there among a lot of dross and it was kind of a special and more friendly thing that it is in other places. Now the whole Taiwan music scene is exploding in terms of talent and scale so that it is almost unrecognizable in just a few short years.

You completely missed my point. Taipei doesn't have to be like Melbourne, but let's be honest here, when people think of international cities with lots of culture and activities, they don't think of Taipei.

Taipei is not an international city. That's where a lot of its interest comes from. Just because people don't think of Taipei for culture and activities doesn't not mean that Taipei doesn't have them. It just means that people are ignorant of an undiscovered gem.

Even if we narrow it down to Asian cities, they still don't think of Taipei. Most people don't even know where Taiwan is, and there's a reason for that. There's a reason that international acts all make Tokyo a stop over.

Yes, money and venues. Taipei simply doesn't have the fans with the $$$ to support international artists touring Japan. Before it didn't have any decent venues although now with the Wall and Legacy things have improved a lot.

There's a reason tourists go to Japan, China, Southeast Asia, but relatively no one comes here. It's precisely this reason that on the odd occasion when anyone famous from outside east Asia ever comes here, the media make such an enormous big deal about it.

Taiwan is becoming a major regional tourist destination. In my opinion, it's getting too successful.

Also, I mentioned Istanbul earlier. Istanbul is unique, and it's nothing like Melbourne. It's awesome though.

Bombay and Bangkok are two other good examples.

For what it's worth, you can't tear down a night market and "make" a live music scene. It doesn't work that way.

Not sure I follow that.

In any event, I stand by my point that there is a tremendous amount of night life and other activities in Taipei. Some of it is even pretty good. Anyone who is 'bored' in Taipei, really can only blame themselves.

[PigBloodCake]

Not everyone living in Taipei feels its the best but nor do they feel they need to defend it. They simply do what they do and try to have a good time with it.

San Francisco is one of the best cities in the world. And so what? What does that do for me today is what I think about.

SF might be one of the best but it still has problem areas as well (Tenderloin, Bayview-Hunters Point, Western Addition).

Those 3 places are nowhere to be found in Taipei (at least drive-by-wise).

I agree with your first paragraph though. Taipei is not the best but there's no need amongst Taipei citizens to defend it...just let the real estate prices echo their sentiments (although bloated IMHO).

Frankly, given a choice, I'd rather retire in Taipei than in SF.

[tommy525]

Not everyone living in Taipei feels its the best but nor do they feel they need to defend it. They simply do what they do and try to have a good time with it.

San Francisco is one of the best cities in the world. And so what? What does that do for me today is what I think about.

SF might be one of the best but it still has problem areas as well (Tenderloin, Bayview-Hunters Point, Western Addition).

Those 3 places are nowhere to be found in Taipei (at least drive-by-wise).

I agree with your first paragraph though. Taipei is not the best but there's no need amongst Taipei citizens to defend it...just let the real estate prices echo their sentiments (although bloated IMHO).

Frankly, given a choice, I'd rather retire in Taipei than in SF.

Yes very true in that many places in SF are actually dangerous , especially at night and you can get killed. They have shoot outs now and then even in the city itself. Senseless killings of innocent people. Taipei is pretty safe everywhere you go, rich or poor areas make no difference in this respect.

Picture riding the MRT in Ximen area near midnite and you get a train car full of happy (mostly younger) guys and gals out for the evening. Dressed super skimpy in many cases (the ladies thank goodness). Just chatting and yakking and going places. There isnt this type of safety late night in sanfrancisco, there simply isnt.

one has to be guarded ,especially riding BART (the BART experience and teh MRT experience is two very different things).

SF has its charms, lets not forget. Stay away from bad areas and problem late night night life and theres still plenty of great places to go.

Im partial to TW girls so im leaning towards TAipei !!

[headhonchoII]

Outside of Japan, Taipei is by far one the best place to live in Asia. Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, HCMC, Hanoi are far more "boring", Jakarta and Manila are hell, and living in China sucks. Lots of issues in Bangkok since a couple of years. I have no idea about Singapore as I've never been there.

There's a lot of truth in this. Most cities in Asia are too big, too impersonal, too polluted and noisy, too dangerous , too poor, too hot and humid, too crowded and jammed with cars. I have been through many of them for my job in quick visits. Some like HCMC and KL have their charms but most are over developed soulless places with huge very uncomfortable income gaps in evidence, especially in SE Asia, India and China.

Taipei isnt so bad when you compare to many of the other options. It's big enough to have most things but small enough to be escapable in 20 minutes in most directions!

People are very friendly and fairly outgoing, it's a huge plus to the Taiwanese.

It's not a patch on a lot of western cities though in terms of culture and atmosphere , in terms of a sense of , this is my city. Cities in Asia are a bit crap like that.

[mike029]

well you cant say your life is boring then...even if sometimes it sucks to be you

First of all, being me is awesome.

At least it didn't rain today...but it did somehow take me 2 hours this afternoon to go to exchange a US$100 ( ) I found in my wallet and go to Zhonghua Telecom to straighten out my bill. I hate customer service people. They always talk to me about why I live here and how amazing my Chinese is and how great Taiwanese food is and how impolite Mainlanders are and how Taiwan is a free society and how I should travel to every place in Taiwan and eat their seemingly identical xiaochi instead of just doing their friggin job so I can get out the door. The worst one is they ask my about my piercing omfg it must hurt so much. That, and 我一點都不像美國人. I must be Indian/Arab/Latino/Malay/take-your-pick because I'm so dark. Also, one of the girls in the bank recognized me from last week's 大學生了沒 (which I want to forget ASAP) and made a big deal. I'm no longer helping my classmates when they need a foreigner for anything. Screw guanxi.

Funny story (may have told it before...don't remember), a few weeks ago I ordered pork fried rice and the guy said to me 你們不是不吃豬的嗎？ I told him I'm American and he just would not believe me. We settled on Indian mix. Mix of what? Who knows.

I should start blogging my daily shit. I swear I have the most retarded experiences ever. Mostly because Chinese people are retarded a lot of the time.

[tommy525]

And in most western countries people feel they are not getting personal enough attention or being given the time of day . NO pleasing everyone eh?

You think the people are retarded and you seem to shit yourself a lot with what happens to you. Id say you are either a masochist or hidden attention seeker?

You should remove yourself from such burdens in your existence and hurry back whence you came then perhaps?

p.s. however, I enjoy reading about your travails so pls dont stop

[PigBloodCake]

instead of just doing their friggin job so I can get out the door.

Come on, they're just chit-chatting. You get that in 'merica as well. Can you blame them for doing that to you since you *look* different?

Hey, at least you got the chit-chat treatment. How would you like to be me and be located south of Mason-Dixon line?

Screw guanxi.

The concept of Guanxi (networking if you will) is way overblown from a foreigner's perspective. There is no Guanxi...there is only "what the hell can you do for me if I help you?"

你們不是不吃豬的嗎?

You should have responded with 對阿,我不敢吃你.

[headhonchoII]

Guangxi can work in China, it can get you killed (Bo xi Lai case). Guanxi is highly overrated.

Mike, we have all been through what you have in one form or another before, it gets a bit boring listening to your whining and moaning about your own life choices. Suck it up, finish your high school degree and move on!

[Super Hans]

Anybody who thinks Taipei doesn't have much of a night life scene...um...must be living under a rock down in rural Taidong County.

For me Taipei sucks. It's a pretentious hell hole and I have the displeasure of having to live there for half a week. The other half is spent relaxing in Taidong where the people are far more human and the pace of life is just to my liking. I am never short of anything to do in the south, but in Taipei I struggle to find anywhere even remotely interesting to go.
Yep, there are bars, clubs and all the other kind of stuff I can go to to waste money and time at night, but I can do this anywhere - including Taidong.
The underground music scene in Taipei is good though - I'll give you that.

Anyone who is 'bored' in Taipei, really can only blame themselves.

Bollocks. I lived in Taipei for a number of years, and I have exhausted everything there is to do - aside from the odd one-off event. The first thing I do if I have some downtime is get out of there, even if it's just for a couple of hours.
Taipei performs in the window like the ultimate gift, but ultimately, it's just a padded box full of styrofoam - full to the brim, yet so undeniably empty.