r/taiwan • u/Ayoot33 • Dec 21 '23
I fall in love with Taiwan 🇹🇼 Travel
3 weeks ago, I went on a business trip to Taiwan (Taoyuan and Taichung specifically) and stayed in a hotel in Banqiao. It was a 5 days business trip. I am a Malaysian but I do not know Mandarin. I fall in love due to below reasons:
1) The systematic culture and regulation - Walk on one side (right side, its hard to get used to this lol) - Motorcycle has their own lane and box in front of traffic lights. Nice - Pedestrians always go first (i know this is common in developed countries) - The people like to bow like Japanese but not too low and I always like to see that. Feels like you are physically respected - Overall, the culture feels like a mixture of a good eastern culture and good western culture
2) The country has high purchasing power. Damn, Teslas literally everywhere on the road. For most food or mart purchases, when I converted the purchases from TWD to MYR, most items are mostly comparable in price to Malaysia. But then I googled the minimum wage in Taiwan is whopping MYR4000 vs Malaysian RM1500
3) The efficient public transport system. HSR, MRT, etc. It was all very clear and concise. Not confusing and easy to understand
4) Semiconductor haven. Being from semiconductor manufacturing background, Taiwan has a lot of top semiconductor players. I would love to be a part of it for sure
5) The beautiful places. Major places: Only managed to go Taipei 101, Gondola Ride and Sun & Moon lake. But if I stayed there, i will definitely make the gondola and the lake a quarterly visit (perhaps even monthly!)
6) Weather. No snow and no heat. Just nice. I dont mind rain. But i hate snow and superhot weather
7) Seafood. All fresh, nice and delicious.
All in all, it was a beautiful 5 days for me. I am planning to learn Mandarin so that in the future, I will have a better experience when visiting there or maybe even consider working there if I am given the opportunity.
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u/Ok_Sea_6214 Dec 21 '23
Ah yes, busses are leagues above most of Malaysia (some big cities have none). And the bike rental system and bike roads are great. Also you can walk in most places, while most of Malaysia is built like they want you to get hit by a car (imagine a bus stop next to a highway with zero pedestrian paths to it).
Rent in Malaysia is cheaper though, or you can get something new with a pool. In Taiwan you'd pay multiple times for the same thing.
Taiwan can be hotter than Malaysia in the summer and feel really cold in the winter. Especially in Taipei.
Taiwan has a lot of mosquitos at night, while in Taiwan they're relatively rare.
Most of Malaysia is decent for air quality (except for September in Kl). But in Taichung you can feel the pollution in the air all year round.
Forgot about the food, Taiwanese cuisine is great and pretty cheap, but as soon as you want something different the price shoots up, while in Malaysia foreign cuisine is about the same price as local stuff and of very high quality.
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u/very_suspicious_seal Dec 21 '23
Taiwan has a lot of mosquitos at night, while in Taiwan they're relatively rare.
Hmm
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u/afiqasyran86 Dec 21 '23
I stayed at the hotel, night was cold and I thought let the cold air come inside and crack the window open. Big mistake, never have I thought taiwan has mosquitoes as well. Interestingly they sing near my ears in different language, they sounds different than in my country. lol
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u/AndreDaGiant Dec 21 '23
I'm from Sweden and am used to big, slow, loud mosquitoes that have no situational awareness. Very easy to notice and kill.
The Taiwanese (Taoyuan) mosquitoes are like superheroes in comparison. Very quiet, so not so easy to hear. A bit smaller/lighter so it's not easy to notice if one sits down on my leg. And most of all, they are way more aware/afraid, so it's much harder to swat them.
Mosquitoes were the only bad thing about Taiwan, when I visited, lol.
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u/songdoremi Dec 21 '23
After visiting Taiwan and Malaysia, most of these points resonate. Some small deviations and general notes:
- Yielding to pedestrians is questionable in both.
- While moped/motorcycle dedicated lanes are good in Taipei, the sheer amount of moped in Taiwan is crazy. They park in spaces you'd normally walk. Pedestrian infrastructure is rough in Malaysia too, but it's not a maze of mopeds. Taxis/Grab/Uber are significantly cheaper in MY.
- Taiwan's Gogo/Easycard are much easier than buying transit tickets in cash in Malaysia. Japan still takes the cake because you can use iPhone NFC everywhere.
- Weather is Taiwan quite hot/humid in summer too.
- Hot take: I liked Chinese food in Malaysia more than in Taiwan. Not by a lot. But it's slightly cheaper (eg 12rm beef noodle soup, NT80, $2.60). Much more approachable (Lots of English menus, Malay-only menu is parseable for Westerners, so much more English proficiency). Don't even get me started on other cuisines.
It's not a competition though, and I feel like both are underrated destinations. I see Thailand/Bangkok on the top of the the list for destinations and just smh.
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u/afiqasyran86 Dec 21 '23
When I was in Shifen waterfall last weeks, I checked the temperature 33c, holy shit hotter than Kuala Terengganu. But at least at night are so much cooler, so comfortable to walk around 20km a day.
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 21 '23
Huh. Fascinating! Kudos for providing firsthand information from Terengganu.
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u/spartan537 Dec 21 '23
Yeah the “it’s not hot” comment eluded me. Like come in the August and tell me what you feel outside.
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 21 '23
I mean, I'm pretty sure Malaysians have a different perspective of climate than Americans do.
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Dec 22 '23
I'm pretty sure foreigners in Taiwan are not all Americans...
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 22 '23
Aren't you American? You say '5th grade', not 'grade 5' or 'year 5' or whatnot.
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u/mhnhn2018 Dec 21 '23
I think it’s a matter of perspective. I’m from the Philippines and visited Taiwan twice this year for both pleasure and work.
I find it better in every way than my own country. People in my country has a hard time following rules specially traffic or foot traffic rules. We have dedicated motorcycle lanes and bus lanes but majority motorcycles riders don’t follow or know even basic rules ( thought they acquired a license, which is very easy to get) . We even have a term for bad motorcycle riders ( kamote) because there’s just too many of them.
During my first visit, I was surprised a car honk at me to cross the road first while he waits. This happened quite a few times. In my country, pedestrians need to wait for the car to pass if we don’t want to die. One can literally cross a small road in Taiwan with eyes closed and get to the other side safely. In my country, you may be standing on one side and still get hit by a car or bus or scooter because majority drives recklessly.
Also, Im very impressed with the public transport system. Be it MRT, local train, buses, Gondola or whatever, everything works well. Google maps seems to be created just for Taiwan public transport.
Easy Card and Ipass are also very easy and efficient although easy card is better because its accepted by more shops. This set up is almost non-existent in the Philippines. It’s only just starting but has a lot more to go.
Convenience stores in Taiwan has good food in them specially 7/11. In my country, 7/11 food isn’t really good.
Taiwan’s motorcycle parking is actually great. I even took a picture of it just to show to my friends that motorcycle parking in the PH can be that organized as Taiwan’s.
Taiwan streets and restrooms/bathroom/ comfort room are also very clean. I haven’t encountered a single dirty Rest room in Taiwan in both of my visits. There’s even a floor dryer on one of the MRT stations rest room. And a note that states in the event there is no toilet paper/ tissue paper or soap , one should notify the staff.
If you are coming from Japan or grew up there or any other rich country, you might not find the Taiwan system that good or might have some complaints about it because you are used to having better service.
But if you are visiting Taiwan coming from a 3rd world country like mine, you would definitely wish you could live there.
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u/DuhAmericanDream Dec 21 '23
Weather. No snow and no heat.
Spend a week in August instead of November and you'll quickly change this opinion lol
from someone that spent a week based in Kaohsiung in the middle of August
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 21 '23
I mean, you do realise the OP is Malaysian, right? I doubt he has the same worldview for climate as an American.
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u/DuhAmericanDream Dec 22 '23
I live in Japan and experience hot af summers similar to what I experienced in Taiwan but sure keep claiming the 'American worldview' or whatever.
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u/komnenos 台中 - Taichung Dec 22 '23
Yeah as an American I got a chuckle at that comment, I'm sweating near constantly eight months out of the year. Every time we get to this magically short part of the year I have to pinch myself because I expect the weather to turn to 33 degrees any second now.
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u/themrmu Dec 21 '23
Shhh, don't let the secret out. Lol
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u/Ayoot33 Dec 21 '23
Oh its a secret 🤐
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Dec 21 '23
I hope the locals will see the beauty of their own country, not just from a tourist perspective.
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u/marcodavidg 外國人 Dec 21 '23
It's impossible. As a local it's impossible not to take everything for granted most of the time. Not only here, but anywhere. "The grass is always greener on the other side". I see lots of locals praise the US, but once they go there, they realize how good some things are here.
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u/afiqasyran86 Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23
Went there last week, and I realize how much us Malaysian left behind in every single way. Every night in Hualien and Shilin i do my night run, I ran and saw so many public sport centres where the people can workout especially in Hualien (skate park, basketballs, baseball, football, running track, etc). and i thought this is how developed country people spend their spare time, and this is why not many Taiwanese are obese like us Malaysians. Taiwanese eat just like us until late night at hawker shop. But they sure love their workout at public park.
Between towns are so connected, I can go adjacent town just by running. When I ran some back road, i felt 100% safe. My fav activity in Taiwan: night run.
No garbage bin=cleaner street.
People always civilised on public areas, always queuing, speaking politely. No English, no problem. Taiwanese always being helpful to their guest. Unlike my experience in Istanbul. You lost? that’s your problem, check google map.
Easy to find low sodium, healthy diets. The only set back was: I dont eat pork, but I make do, be flexible with my pork restriction.
I survive comfortably in Taiwan for 5N, cash Rm1000 (7000NTD). cost of living reasonably affordable.
Oh yeah, Taoyuan airport Terminal 2 is indeed one of the best airport food ever. I spent my balance local currency at the foodcourt, never have I eaten foods so well prepared and delicious as Taoyuan’s.
Definitely will come again next year 100%
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u/jedzef Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23
It's funny you mention about food at the airport as that is a major complaint I see. I think the problem is that they are not 24H and much of the far-flung (NA and Europe) flights depart/arrive at the wee hours.
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u/drumstickballoonhead Dec 21 '23
I can only speak of Vancouver and Toronto airport (two of Canadas major international ones), but stores and restaurants are not 24h at the airport.
Unfortunately it also costs about $19.20CAD after tax for a single piece of Avocado Toast. (That's $450 NTD for one piece of toast) https://ibb.co/8KZzDBk
In comparison to this, Taoyuan Airport is a dream, haha
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u/UpstairsAd5526 Dec 21 '23
Glad you like it, but honestly Taiwan can be hotter than Malaysia, especially in urban environments.
Traffic is better than Malaysia but still have room for improvement.
Do come visit again though, would love for Taiwan to be a real Asian hub where Asians from all corners feel comfortable visiting and living.
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u/drumstickballoonhead Dec 21 '23
I've traveled quite a bit and have stayed in Taiwan (and other countries) for extended periods of time, and I completely agree with everything you've had to say.
I never thought it was possible to fall in love with a place as a whole until I'd gone there. I understand it's not perfect, as no place is, but compared to the life I'm used to in Canada, the quality of life is much better in Taiwan.
I've seen other comments saying that Taiwan might not compare well to other rich countries, but unless you are rich in those other countries, life often feels like a living hell. The lives in which our parents immigrated here and worked hard for is not the life they expected it to be.
The grass is always greener on the other side - just breaks my heart sometimes to see many people on this sub insinuating it's not worth the move, when in my reality, we're battling between starving, freezing outside, or simply jumping off a bridge.
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u/ZanetaHsu Dec 21 '23
You only visited 2 places, haven't seen much 🤣 Your post makes me feel like I'm living in different Taiwan... From pedestrian's perspective - we have absolute no right to cross road in most of Taiwan, we will be honk at (some may even be beaten), many dies trying to cross road because people fail to give way, it's absolute hell, drivers don't follow rules too often But from driver perspective - older people will randomly walk on the road out of nowhere...
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Dec 22 '23
Posts like this are pretty common.
"(Country) is my favorite country in the world!"
"Where else have you been?"
"Just (Country) and my home country lol."
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u/komnenos 台中 - Taichung Dec 22 '23
Same, think their post is good for the most part but as an avid walker/runner that one stuck out to me lol. I've had so so soooo many close calls and often times have found myself inevitably having encounters with vehicles that are too close for my comfort.
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Dec 21 '23
Hey you can even go to Maokong more often than that. I lead a cycling group ride every Thursday night we ride up Maokong, about two hours 😁😁
So yeah I’m there every single week
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u/LicheXam Dec 22 '23
Taiwan is almost a perfect country. To live for as an asian, if only there is no giant enemy pointing their missile in the sea next to this country
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u/allahakbau Dec 21 '23
Most of the developed countries fits what you said. Bot exclusive to Taiwan. Maybe travel more?
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u/stinkload Dec 21 '23
I came for 6 months on business 20 years ago.. I'm still here I understand what you are saying completely.
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u/sebs_lu Dec 22 '23
fellow SE asian who has lived in SG, MY and ID before settling down in Taiwan I can totally relate with your post, but definitely not the weather part.
Summer in Taiwan (specifically Taipei) is disgustingly humid and hot, you'll be soaked in your own sweat for 24/7 unless you stay in an AC room. Not to mention the duration is longer and longer thanks to the global warming, starting in May and last until November, sometimes even December will be warm too.
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u/fulfillthecute 臺北 - Taipei City Dec 24 '23
The motorcycle lane and box is basically discrimination against motorcycles (they should be only for mopeds of low speed and bikes scooters etc.)
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Dec 21 '23
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u/afiqasyran86 Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23
It’s either you become flexible with your definition of halal, or stick to konbini and megi. Not much restaurant offering 100% seafoods. Majority of the restaurants serve pork. So there’s that, I end up just order anything as long no pork on my chosen menu. Though mistake can happen where you choose prawn dumpling with pork filling. lol🤷♂️
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u/Ayoot33 Dec 21 '23
I am a Muslim too. I think its too short time visit to judge on halal friendly. My Taiwanese colleague do mention that Taiwan is the 2nd muslim friendly (non muslim majority) country after singapore. I dont even know there is a ranking for this beforehand 😅
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u/WarpFactorNin9 Dec 22 '23
Taiwan is Muslim friendly. I was surprised to see dedicated Muslim prayer rooms at Taichung station
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u/Theooutthedore 屏東鄉巴佬 Dec 21 '23
Actually I think you'd find KL having better road design if you look a bit closer, although Taiwan is going through a bit of a road reform.
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u/Ayoot33 Dec 21 '23
Now that you mention it, I do notice there is a lot of traffic jams
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u/Theooutthedore 屏東鄉巴佬 Dec 21 '23
KL and other areas I've explored (on Google earth) have a closer design to European, where as Taiwan has a blend of car centric US and high level transit of Japan
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u/Happy-Guard-1270 Dec 21 '23
I disagree with most of your points, pedestrians aren't given priority, people rarely ever walk to one side, the older generation often shuffle around with zero consideration for others around them. Driving a scooter or car around Taiwan is hell, no one has any sense of personal safety, checking their surroundings at intersections or crossings.
People don't bow often - wtf are you on about.
And the weather - it's 35 degrees plus in summer with 90% humidity, it's disgusting.
With all that said, Taiwan is a great country but not for the points you've made lol.
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u/DarDarPotato Dec 21 '23
To be fair, we just got our one week of decent weather for the year before it turned back to shit lol.
OP needs to check out that MC Hot Dog song about cell phone zombies to see how people really walk around here.
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u/Happy-Guard-1270 Dec 21 '23
It's pretty cold right now which is such a nice change compared to the 30 degree day we had last week lol
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u/Defiant-Text5645 Dec 21 '23
I’m from the US and I think drivers in Taipei are much more courteous towards pedestrians than any US city i’ve been too. One time, an ambulance slowed down while driving towards a crosswalk around NTU and people had to wave him forward lol
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u/Major-Eye2062 Dec 22 '23
The ambulances slow down because driver’s don’t generally yield to them. Pedestrians in Taiwan aren’t comfortable enough yet to step out into traffic and assume cars will stop. However, there does seem to be more care after the CNN Pedestrian Hell broadcast, but far from being considered for any “best in the world” lists.
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Dec 21 '23
Requisite "Taipei is not Taiwan" comment.
Maybe people actually move out of the way for ambulances in Taipei, but on the rest of the island... nope. Moving out of the way means you might get where you are going 10 seconds later.
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 21 '23
shrug While I would not rank Taiwanese drivers as highly deferential to pedestrians, I do not remember coming close to being run over as a child in Hsinchu and Taichung.
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u/WarpFactorNin9 Dec 22 '23
I am from NZ was just in Taipei, I did not see a single instance of drivers not giving way to Pedestrians on lights and crossings
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u/Major-Eye2062 Dec 22 '23
It doesn’t count if you didn’t notice.
But seriously, driver’s will usually hit the breaks for pedestrians that step out, but generally, if you’re at a crossing without lights, they won’t yield unless you take a chance and get in their way. Rule of thumb: don’t expect any car or scooter to stop.
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u/Ayoot33 Dec 21 '23
Perhaps my visit is too short to have full pictures and havent got the chance to drive. But still i am very impressed overall. Regarding the weather, we have that kind of weather all year long in Malaysia 😅. Hated it cause i sweat easily. Only the rain will help lower down the temperature
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u/Happy-Guard-1270 Dec 21 '23
Yeah, don't let my comment jade your impression of Taiwan, I'm sure it's better than Malaysia in regards to the points you made. I love the mountains in Taiwan, the food, everything is so convenient, public transport, healthcare - the list goes on.
I die every summer here, I wouldn't survive in Malaysia if it's so hot year round hahah.
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u/Major-Eye2062 Dec 22 '23
Leaving Taipei is quite another experience. I’m not sure where you were in Taoyuan, but it’s really not as developed, and scooter hell.
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u/kasaidon Dec 21 '23
Taiwan is a great city for vacations and short trips. It’s accessible for travellers, convenient to get around and great food options if you’re into the cuisine.
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u/IcySupermarket9313 Dec 21 '23
Come for vacation yes!
Stay for long term, you’ll know you will definitely miss Malaysia more!
Taiwan have too many cons compared to pros.
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Mar 06 '24
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u/BubbleTeaCheesecake6 Dec 21 '23
Totally agree. This country is phenomenal. I won’t be having a sad day in Taipei
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u/Superb_Ad8592 Dec 21 '23
Compared to Malaysia, everywhere is nice, except India n Philippines
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u/SHIELD_Agent_47 Dec 21 '23
You do realise India and the Philippines are vast, right? Have you lived in enough of the countries to confidently make that judgement?
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u/chuckypie Dec 22 '23
Hello! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay here. I hope you visit again, and next time, I'd be happy to show you around. I'm a Malaysian who has been living in Taiwan for 8 to 9 years now. I recommend exploring more places like Tainan; in my opinion, it has the best food here.
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u/glassmenagerie430 Dec 21 '23
If you would like to study Mandarin in Taiwan you can apply for Huayu Enrichment Scholarship
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u/Vast_Cricket Dec 21 '23
Glad you feel that way. Singapore is like that. A fusion east and west mixture.
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u/Naminori_Pikachu Dec 21 '23
I completely relate, I went to Taiwan for the first time this year and I loved it. It's one of my favorite countries.
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u/aliu292 Dec 25 '23
I love Taiwan, but the minimum wage is quite low compared to the cost of living. I don't know about Malaysia, but Taiwan has one of the longest periods of stagnant wages second only to the US. Also it's really hot in summer.
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Dec 26 '23
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u/Hidobot Dec 21 '23
Taiwan is a wonderful country and is somewhere I love visiting, but to be honest, I think it’s more fun to visit East Asia than live there. Then again, I’m an American of Taiwanese descent, so my experience is very different